“LA? We’re going to California?”

The snotty, unimpressed way his wife expressed her displeasure made Parker grin.

His wife. After a lot of years and many buckets of tears, they’d finally had their moment. From this day forward, Angelina Valleja-Marquez was his. Legally. He recalled her hand shaking when they’d signed the family Bible. She had the most beautiful handwriting. He’d been filled with pride and an overabundance of love as he watched the words flow from the pen. Angelina Noëlle Inés Valleja-Marquez Sullivan.

And now his beautiful wife in her very pretty white dress sat next to him in the first-class cabin for the first leg of a journey that would end with them totally and blissfully alone on a small island boasting five-star accommodations for anyone with enough cash to afford the outrageous cost.

He didn’t care if the whole affair cost him a million dollars. Starting his marriage off with ten days of naked solitude with the very sexy woman next to him pursing her lips made him—no joke—hard as a rock.

“It’s just a stopover. Stop yer bitchin’.”

Angie Sullivan gave him a dose of stink eye that rivaled the fulminous glares of the attorneys he opposed in court.

She picked up her wrist and inspected the outrageously expensive diamond Rolex watch strapped to her wrist—an impulse buy he’d acquired during a recent trip to a jewelers.

“It hasn’t even been a dozen hours and you’re already calling me a bitch.”

“Come here,” he said. He curled his finger and leaned down as she moved closer to hear what he had to say. Wrapping a hand around her neck, he got even closer. The veil of her hair hid her from view, so he gave a bit of a grab and held her in place while he bit her neck, damn hard.

She flinched and then moaned. He sat back and regarded her through hooded eyes. Didn’t take much to subdue his little angel.

Her cheeks flushed. Parker enjoyed the display of lip biting and the adorably self-conscious fiddling with her hair. Leaning on the armrest between them, he ignored the passengers filing by as the boarding continued.

“You are a bitch, and I like that bitch very much. In fact, I plan to thoroughly fuck that bitch when the opportunity arises.”

Her eyes darted around frantically, making sure nobody overheard his lewd taunt. She screwed up her face and crossed her legs. Her body language said, “Eat shit,” but her ragged breathing and rosy blush told a different story.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the anklet and suppressed a smile. Diamonds and his wife were excellent mates. He liked the way the sparkling stones looked against her skin.

“Did you like the anklet, baby girl?”

She reacted with instant lust in her expression. Her sapphire eyes blazed and flecks of gold sparkled near the centers. Her attitude softened, and she shifted closer to him. It was ridiculous how easily he read her.

Touching his hand where it rested on his thigh, she fingered the circlet of gold that declared him to be hers. “I’m touched by the symbolism. Thank you.” He enjoyed her soft, feminine voice.

A slow smile made its way to his face. He’d never been happier or experienced more profound excitement when he thought about the future. Nothing could stand in their way now that they were official.

“I brought our journals,” he quietly informed her. She gave him a broad smile. His proposal intrigued his feisty lover. “I’d like you to expound on the significance of symbolism.”

Angie smiled. “Symbolism is a language. Largely unspoken. It holds a quiet power,” she murmured.

“That’s what I want you to write about. How you see it. What it makes you feel.”

She nodded and bit her lip. “May I ask you to write something as well?”

He almost laughed. Almost. She’d had to think about how to make the request. His novice sub was quickly learning where the line was. She could show all the attitude her little troublemaking heart desired and he’d applaud every second. But in these matters, the intimate and private part of their marital dynamic, she chose the role most natural for her. Now that he was past the initial worry, Parker embraced his part with genuine enthusiasm.

“Yes, you may, kitten,” he murmured in an agreeable tone. She enjoyed the pet name. The naughty pet name—so he used it wisely when it would have the most impact. “What would you like me to write about?”

His wife turned a very sexy shade of red. “Um, that picture you have of me?”

Oh, Jesus Christ. He did not need a guidebook to know where she was headed. He grinned and said nothing. She’d have to ask. She’d have to spell it out.

When he didn’t step into the silence with words, she was forced to improvise. He thought she’d never been cuter.

“Yeah, well, what you said?” She arched a brow and waited hopefully for him to wade in. He still said nothing.

Angie blew out her cheeks in an exasperated huff. “Well, anyway.” She squirmed in her seat and pushed hair behind her ear. “I was wondering if there was a particular fantasy, that you, well …”

Being a lawyer was a damn good thing because it helped him to remain impassive while she floundered.

“A fantasy that maybe you revisited?”

Aw, now see? He was impressed. She got out what she wanted to say without ever using the words jerk off or masturbate. That was the sign of a real lady, wasn’t it?

He laughed. “Bah!” She looked at him startled. He laughed again, harder “Bwah ha ha.”

Some lady! She was essentially asking him what he thought about while beating off. Could this day be any better?

He took her hand and kissed it. “Ah, Mrs. Sullivan, I have a number of fantasies,” he told her while placing her hand on his hardened bulge. “And we’re about to live out one of them.”

“Really?”

He nodded and smiled. “Yeah. I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time.”

She made a stern face. “Why do we have just two small suitcases?”

He chuckled and pressed her fingers into his erection. “Did you think I was joking about needing no clothes?”

A hilarious flash of worry exploded in her expression. God, she was too much sometimes.

“Sullivans do not share.” He said it like an edict thrown down from on high.

He read her next series of expressions but kept his laugh inside. She was imagining a hotel room and a lack of clothes. Did she really think him so unoriginal? And boring? My word, was she ever in for a surprise. He’d thought this through so many times that when it came time, he was more than good to go.

No way was he letting the TSA here or in any other country have a field day rifling through their luggage. Especially with the assortment of wickedness he felt a naked island honeymoon demanded. So he’d shipped a bunch of shit ahead, including a guitar and a Monopoly board because naked BDSM Monopoly seemed like a swell idea. And he’d come prepared. Big time. And not just with lube and blindfolds.

Tucked in his luggage was a jewelry box with a stunning diamond and ruby choker that he planned to give her as soon as they got to the island. It was her honeymoon collar along with a set of jeweled cuffs that he couldn’t wait to use.

Oh, yeah. And he had something else tucked deep in his luggage. Something that made him snicker and heat his dick. Calder gave him the prototype of the Alpha Balls vibrating sex toy he’d spent months developing. The man was initially horrified that his invention would be put to use on his niece, but the long arm of creativity helped him override his reluctance. If this thing worked the way they thought, well … the ladies of Justice had a little surprise coming.

Once the plane was in the air, he could see that the excitement of the day had taken its toll on his wife. He made her drink some water so she’d stay hydrated and practically forced her to eat something. Parker liked taking care of Angie. The awesome responsibility felt completely right. She was more than precious. In some corner of his heart, it felt like he’d waited his whole life for this, and he’d be goddamned before he’d let anyone or anything take it away from him.

He got her settled, and without any fuss whatsoever, she drifted off to sleep. His thumb found the ring on his finger, and he rubbed it. He was a husband. A husband who planned to spend his honeymoon in full-cock-ahead baby-making mode, so hopefully this time next year, he’d be a dad too.

A deep sigh came from his chest when he imagined his beautiful Angel as a mother.

He crossed his mental fingers and thought about the future as they flew into the night.

* * *

Sophie stood in the wide entrance to the hospital waiting room and mentally counted how many people made up the Justice caravan that followed Lacey and Cameron to the hospital.

She hovered on the periphery and did what she could. Everyone packed into the brightly lit room held Lacey Cameron in high regard. She found it endearing how quickly her friends came to her aid.

Rubbing her stomach, she said a silent prayer and hoped everything would be all right.

It seemed a bit odd for Justice security to be there, but Alex made it clear that he wanted Duke and his team to take care of the details. Whatever the hell that meant.

Finn squeezed her elbow gently as she walked past. In the hallway, he pulled his phone out and made a call.

She watched Carmen, Betty, and Ria as they made the rounds every so often to get coffee or anything else that was required.

Meghan and Tori would look at her from time to time. Was there anything less surreal than being pregnant in a maternity waiting room? They all had shell-shocked expressions.

Ben, Heather, and Brody huddled at the small table. It looked as though they were making a list or something because Heather had a pen and was hastily scribbling as the men spoke.

It had been several hours with no news even though Mom had texted a couple of times asking for updates. Her parents and the Sullivans stayed behind and took care of the reception site until everyone was gone. Calder and Stephanie took Bella Mia home with them. The only people missing were Finn’s standoffish girlfriend Remington and Jace.

Jace. My goodness. By what stroke of dumb luck had he turned up here, of all places? And not just the universal meaning of here. She meant Justice.

He called her nearly every day just to see how she was. Sophie enjoyed their conversations and looked forward to them. They were comfortable together—something she couldn’t say about very many people.

A nurse blew past her and went straight to Alex. He stood, motioned to Drae, and the three of them left the room. The tension was so thick you could feel it.

Carmen appeared to be emotionally vapor-locking. Every time Duke walked by on his rounds, the two exchanged looks. Sophie was glad her old nanny and dear family friend had found someone to care about.

She should be so lucky.

Taking a couple of steps backward, Sophie crossed her arms for a nonchalant look and leaned to the left—from that position, she could see a little of what was happening through the windows on the doors leading to the exam rooms.

Alex and Drae were talking to a doctor in a white coat. They seemed to be asking questions when Cameron appeared.

Right then, she’d have given anything for one of Alex or Uncle Calder’s fancy listening devices.

* * *

“Thanks, Doctor. I’ll be right there.” He watched the physician walk off and then Cam vigorously rubbed his head to start his brain functioning. “Fuck,” he growled.

Alex and Drae were both looking at him with somber expressions. “Did they tell you?” he asked.

“I didn’t understand a word the doctor said,” Drae admitted heavily. “Cut to the chase, man. Is she all right or what?”

“And the baby,” Alex interjected. “What about the baby?”

Cam leaned against the wall for support. Right now, the world felt like it was spinning out of control.

Priorities, his mind barked. “What’s happening with Dylan?”

“Cheryl and her daughter, Bug, are with the boys at my house. Victoria spoke to them. Everything was good—the kids took a bath and went to bed. Both ladies are fine with staying as long as necessary.”

He let out a harsh breath. “Okay. Good. Keep an eye on things for me, would you?” he asked Drae.

“Don’t even worry about it. Now back to Lacey. What the fuck happened, Cam?”

He looked at both men and grimaced. “I wish I knew. It’s almost like there’s no explanation. The EMTs kept saying a low blood pressure episode, but by the time we reached the ER, she was fine. Then, in the middle of the exam, it happened again. She doesn’t go completely out but damn close.”

“What the hell, man,” Alex grumbled.

“They got her stabilized, and for a while, everything seemed okay. Then, and I don’t know what triggered it, she went into full meltdown. Insisted something wasn’t right, and that the baby couldn’t breathe.”

Drae groaned. “Oh my god, are you serious?”

“Yeah. Totally. They’ve done every test, consulted with every specialist. The baby is fine. But I can see by the look in their eyes that they’re worried.”

“So what’s happening now?”

He looked at Alex and shrugged. “They can’t give her anything, so it’s been a matter of getting her to calm down and keeping her that way. Obviously, they’ll be keeping her overnight—or until we figure out what the hell is going on.”

They stood in silence for a minute.

“Guys,” he moaned as agony seized his soul. “I’m fucking terrified. If anything happens to her, I won’t survive.”

“Dude,” Drae argued in a straightforward growl. “Lacey is the original badass. That girl has more grit in her pinky than us three put together.”

“He’s right,” Alex added. “She’s a fighter.”

He fixed them each with a pointed look. “She’d also sacrifice herself if she had to. For any of us. But especially where her children are concerned.”

“My wife has taught me to give having a bit of faith some breathing room.”

“Choose happiness. Remember?” Drae asked.

He did. This topic was one of Meghan’s favorite rants. She insisted that most people were too quick to embrace defeat and accept despair. To her way of thinking, the better way was to choose happiness instead. She always said she didn’t understand why success and joy weren’t standard options.

Now that he heard the words again and gave it some thought, what she referred to was a fairly apt description of his wife. To Lacey, defeat and despair were not options.

He clung to his wife’s faith in goodness and light then gave both friends a handshake. “Thank you for being here.”

“Team Justice,” Drae reminded him with emphasis.

A nurse stuck her head into the hallway. “Mr. Cameron? We need you. Your wife has gone into labor.”

Terror seized him. Alex put a hand on his neck and pulled him to the side. “You can do this, Jason. Everything you’ve ever learned—every skill and fucked-up lesson—will see you through this.”

He raised his eyes and looked at Alex. He’d said those same words to him a lifetime ago.

The three of them put their hands out in a pile. Alex said, “Justice,” and their hands flew upward.

He nodded to them and went to Lacey. Looked like their daughter was about to be born, whether they were ready or not.

* * *

Her jaw ached from the effort to stop quivering. Lacey was exhausted. In fact, she’d never been so tired in her whole life.

Did Dylan have breakfast? She couldn’t remember. “No Fruit Loops,” she declared. “Too much sugar.”

Cameron wiped her face with a wet cloth. She focused on him as another wave of pain lessened its vicious grip.

“Dylan?”

“Shhh, don’t worry, Ponytail. Dyl is fine.”

There was a flurry of activity around her, but she could barely concentrate. A hot poker jabbed her abdomen. The pain was so great that she cried out and tried to move her legs, but she was immobile.

“Push, honey. Push as hard as you can.”

“You’re doing good, Lacey. I want you to push, though, okay?”

Her hands made tight fists, and she squeezed her eyes shut while bearing down with all her might.

“Pressure’s dropping,” she heard a disembodied voice say.

Cameron said something. The doctor told her to rest for a minute. More activity at her feet, and then she lost control and her body took over. A series of brutal contractions filled her with agony. The doctor’s short, terse commands barely registered.

The excruciating pain stopped, and though her head was still fuzzy, she was sure she heard, “Congratulations, it’s a girl.”

She strained to hear her daughter’s first cry but nothing came. “Cameron?” Her voice was less than a whisper.

“Doctor,” she heard a voice call out.

The doctor told them, “We’re going to give you something to bring the pressure back up. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“The baby,” Lacey tried to say. “Cameron. The baby.”

He kissed her cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

Lacey lay there, unable to move, beyond exhausted and struggling to breathe. She’d never felt more helpless or scared.

* * *

Cam thought his life was passing before his eyes as he watched a crew of nurses work on his daughter. She was tiny and looked incredibly frail. He didn’t know what was going on, and nobody was saying anything.

He snapped. Grabbing a nurse’s arm, he bit out an angry question. “Can someone tell me what the hell is happening?”

The head nurse stepped to his side and spoke in a quiet, reassuring manner. “I know it looks scary, Mr. Cameron, but things are fine. She had a cord wrap that was easily handled.”

“Why didn’t she cry? Is she okay?”

“Not every baby has a glass shattering cry,” she told him with a smile. “Your daughter coughed and complained. We’re taking that as her idea of a cry.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

She touched his arm. “Please, Mr. Cameron. Try to relax. You and your wife had a traumatic experience and exciting birth. But everyone is safe, and your family is in good hands.”

He looked at her and then at the baby. Across the room behind him, Lacey was still on the delivery table. The doctor saw his look and flashed him a thumbs-up.

“Would you like to hold your daughter?”

“What?”

She chuckled softly and pushed him toward the bassinet. Another nurse picked up a pinkish red bundle and put it in his hands. A teeny tiny replica of Lacey squirmed in his grip. He thought for a second he would cry. She was so very small and weighed next to nothing. But she was breathing, and the nursing staff was looking on with smiles.

“See? Everything is fine. Now come with me and let’s introduce Mommy and baby.”

He walked carefully, cradling his daughter close to his body. Carefully, he lowered the baby to Lacey’s chest.

“Hey Mommy, look who’s here to say hi.”

She was flat on her back while they stabilized her blood pressure and took care of the afterbirth. One of Lacey’s arms was strapped down with IVs, but she covered the curled-up bundle on her chest with one hand.

His wife’s luminous eyes latched on to his. Questions mixed with tears.

“She’s fine. Not much of a whiner, though,” he teased. “Five pounds, one ounce.”

Lacey beamed at him. The doctor came and sat on a stool so Lacey could see her.

“You did great, Lacey.” The doctor briefly looked at him, and he thought she might have winked. “I wish every patient was as in-tune as you were. The baby had her umbilical wrapped around her neck.”

“She couldn’t breathe,” Lacey murmured in horror.

“Actually, there was never any danger. A baby doesn’t breathe the way we do until the cord is cut. But your concern put the delivery team on alert. When I saw the cord wrap, it was an easy fix, so thank you.”

Cam mouthed his own thank you to the doctor who nodded and smiled. She grasped his arm as she stood and gave him a squeeze of encouragement. “I’ll leave you three to get acquainted. The nurses will want to move all of you soon so not too long, okay?”

He sat on the stool when the doctor moved away. Just then, their precious tiny baby fluttered her eyes open.

“Hi, sweetie,” Lacey whispered.

Cam bent over and kissed his little girl.

He sat up and looked from the baby to Lacey. “Stella? Emily?”

Lacey took a deep breath and studied their daughter. “I think my mom was looking out for us this whole time. Right before I started feeling funny, all I could smell was the flowers on the table. The roses.”

He nodded encouragingly and let her continue—curious where she was leading.

“She’s so tiny.” Lacey’s eyes searched his.

“She is, but she’s tough like her mama.”

“Did you know that roses, though delicate and fragile, have tough stems and sturdy roots?”

“No, I did not,” he answered. “Although that would explain why they grow here.”

His wife smiled.

“Okay.” He laughed. “I know that look. What’s going on in that mind of yours?”

The baby squirmed and squeaked. They each smiled.

“How do you feel about Lily Rose Cameron?”

Cam gasped. The name was perfect. With a smile, he kissed his daughter’s tiny face. “Hello, Lily Rose. It’s Daddy. Welcome to the world, little girl.”

Lily Rose wiggled and squeaked again. He watched while Lacey fell in love with their daughter. Cam felt a profound surge of gratitude and love for the extraordinary woman who gave so much of herself in the name of his happiness.

He thought Dylan’s birth was a magical experience. This was different. Lily Rose was a miracle, plain and simple.

His heart expanded until he was sure it would burst out of his chest.

They were a family of four now. Jason, Lacey, Dylan, and Lily Cameron. He had the family he never knew he needed and the love of a woman who blew his mind every day.

He thought of what Alex had said about Meghan and her belief in the power of having faith—his silent thanks went out to whoever listened to prayers.

* * *

“She’s beautiful.”

“I know, right?” Cam chuckled.

Meghan wrapped her arm around his shoulder and stared through the glass window into the newborn nursery. A dozen people had crammed into the narrow viewing space to ooh and ahh over his baby daughter.

“When can we see Lacey?”

“Not till tomorrow,” he told her. “She’s doing great, but her doctor wants to limit her excitement until they’re sure she’s completely stabilized.”

“How serious is this blood pressure thing?”

He smiled. “I’ve been sternly warned not to discuss this shit with anyone who has a bun in the oven.”

“For real?”

“Yep,” he answered. “Lacey’s fine. She had a premonition that complicated her emotional well-being, but she believes her mom was looking out for her. There was a mildly complicated but happy ending. End of story.”

“Lily Rose. I love the name.”

“In a way,” he told her gravely, “she’s named for my wife’s mom.”

“The roses?”

Cam smiled. Meghan understood things other people didn’t.

“Dylan will shit when he sees her.” Meghan’s amused snort was music to his ears.

He seriously couldn’t wait to introduce his son to the newest addition of the family. For an orphan with no family ties, the concept of siblings was something he could only read about. Until now. Until he had a wife and two kids.

“Damn,” he muttered. ‘Two college funds to work for.”

She smacked his shoulder and had a good laugh. “What? Your job doesn’t pay enough?”

Yeah, that was funny, so he joined in because they both knew he had an embarrassment of riches, at home and in the bank. College tuition wasn’t going to be a problem.

“Actually,” he crowed. “I’m thinking about retiring.”

He was only half joking.

“I know I don’t get a vote, but I told the Major what I think about the idea of bringing in agency management. You guys have done the hard part—there’s nothing left to prove. Time to invest some energy into the next chapter of Team Justice.”

The next chapter of Team Justice. His mind flashed to the past. He pinpointed a specific memory. Bangkok, Thailand. All of them—the group that once upon a time they’d dubbed Original Justice—on a drunken, out of control break from the war. Way too much shit happened in those couple of days.

Something that stuck out, though, when Meghan mentioned the next chapter was a business plan sketched out on placemats and napkins. Actually, two plans existed. One dignified and one—not so much.

The dignified plan became the Justice Agency, and part of that plan included the early retirement option. They’d known even back then as whiskey soaked and fucked up as they’d been that anything they did together would be a success. They’d even reached the pie-in-the-sky number in their bank accounts faster than any of them imagined. And Meghan was right. They had nothing else to prove. They weren’t in the business of cutthroat mercenary shit—there were plenty of groups in that mold. Justice set itself apart, and the result reaped benefits.

It was time to consider what came next. He was over the bang bang, shoot ‘em up shit. He wanted to make snow angels with his kids and take his wife on fabulous vacations.

Alex slapped him on the shoulder as if he’d been reading his mind. “Dollar for your thoughts.”

“I have a daughter,” he answered with a shit-eating grin. “I’m good at this procreation stuff.”

Meghan snorted her amusement and snickered at them. “Cam’s thinking about retiring.”

Alex just laughed. “I know. He’s a lazy shit—always going on about snow angels and visiting the national parks.”

“Well”—she giggled—“I’m all for it. Convince him,” she said, but Cam wasn’t sure which of them she was speaking to. “You have five minutes. And then we have to leave. It’s almost dawn, and I’m about to drop.”

She kissed him on the cheek. “Good job, Daddy.”

Alex shook his hand. “She’s right. You need to retire, and I need to get my wife home and properly cared for. We’ll come by later to visit.”

There was a bunch of congratulations and hand shaking as the stragglers finally left. He was grateful that so many had stuck it out for the duration. That sort of support was special these days.

Alone again, he stared at the small pink bundle in the bassinet with the name card that declared her Lily Rose Cameron for all the world to see.

Life was fucking great.