“Jeez Louise, Soph,” Parker drawled. “Are you planning to lick the plate?”

She rocked back in her chair and had a good laugh because the way she attacked and then inhaled the chopped brisket sandwich and crispy fries made licking her empty dish a distinct possibility.

“I know, right?” She laughed. “Blame that shithead Finn O’Brien. He missed his calling. Is it too late to get him on one of those chef competition shows?”

The way Parker Sullivan’s brows bumped together and the dark, pissy look he shot at the bar told Sophie all she needed to know about her friend’s feelings toward her sister-in-law’s brother.

Finn was one of those people who either inspired love or hate with very little wiggle room between. Parker appeared to have his ass firmly in a hate adjacent category. Finding the situation funny, she whined like a bitch until he gave in and agreed to meet her for lunch at Whiskey Pete’s. Was she messing with her old friend? Totally.

Patting her growing belly, she let out a little snort. “Waldo likes meat and anything greasy.”

“Please tell me you’re not going to call this kid Waldo. Your father would have a stroke.”

“Get real.” She snickered. “Dad is so freaking chuffed over the whole grandfather thing that he’d be fine if I named my son Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.”

“Uh-huh.” He scoffed. “And what about Aunt Ashleigh? Or Carmen? Good luck getting a bullshit name past those two.”

“Hey, speaking of Carmen. What’s the story with her? Is she bumping uglies with Alex’s security chief?”

Parker slapped his thigh and laughed. “Bumping uglies? Sophia Marquez! Who taught you to be so snarky?”

“That honor belongs to both my mother and yours.”

They fist bumped and shared the laugh. It was good to hang out with Parker again. It had been a long, long time.

Pushing her plate and napkin to a corner of their table, she leaned forward on her elbows and folded her hands.

“So back to business, Counselor. Are you sure there are no loose ends? I want everything nailed down tight before the baby comes.”

“Not to worry,” he assured her. “I’ve got the Valleja-Marquez Trust on lockdown. You’re all set. What’s the housing plan for you and junior? I’m sure living with the ‘rents is a ton of fun.”

“Oh! Hold up,” she squawked. “Speaking of parents, what the hell is with Aunt Wendy? Did you realize those two have an app or some nonsense that sends them alerts when anything wedding or baby goes on sale within a hundred-mile radius? I’m serious, Parker. Our moms might need an intervention.”

He was having a nice chuckle, and she enjoyed his pleasure. She’d always adored her quasi-cousin-slash-half-brother-slash-whatever and had missed him during her time in Europe.

Of course, she didn’t adore him quite as much or as faithfully as her little sister. Seeing Angelina and Parker firsthand and their very cool and super romantic happy ever after was part of why she was glad to be home. Until the first time she dug her toes into the Arizona ground, felt the sun on her face, and inhaled the familiar scents, she hadn’t fully appreciated how much of home this place represented.

“Dad bitches about the fire going on with his credit card, but it’s all a farce. Shit, Soph. I’ve never seen them so happy. Me and Ang figuring our shit out is a big part of it but the rest? Alex and the twins. You and your folks coming back to the States. A surprise grandling too.” He looked at her with wide-eyed wonder. “They’re like kids again. Out every night. Running all over the place. If my mom wants to bring in the damn Mormon Tabernacle Choir to serenade us at the wedding, I’m cool with it.”

“I’m so happy for you two. Seriously,” she barked when he made a face. “Came mighty close to that fuck-up being permanent.”

“Alex almost killed me. Did you know? It got heated.”

“I know this is hard for my big brother to understand, but he can’t control or fix everything.”

She patted her tummy.

“Wanna discuss it?”

Sophie knew that coming home the way she did and presenting everyone with a fait accompli in the form of a surprise pregnancy, she’d have to face this conversation with those she was closest to.

“Just this once, Parker—and then never again. That noise isn’t in my head anymore, and it’s going to stay that way. But I understand some people may have questions. Or concerns.”

He nodded and leaned on his elbows. She waited patiently while the good lawyer decided how to proceed.

His first question was his only question, and she loved him all the more for it.

“Are you happy?”

“More than I could ever explain.”

He would politely leave it at that, but she had a little bit more to say.

“Sometimes, it takes a shock. Or a surprise. Like an angel falling out of the sky,” she said with meaning, “to unlock a future thought out of reach. Did I ever really think that one day I would wake up and leave the past behind—start over? From scratch? No. But I knew in here,” she told him with a hand over her heart, “the life I wanted. The life that could have been mine if not for—what happened.”

He reached for her hands and held tight.

“The decision to be a parent and go through a pregnancy alone may seem scary, but it isn’t. Not at all. The whole thing freed me, Parker. For real. I’m going to be a kickass mom, and we’re going to have a great life. Right here. Arizona is where I’m making my stand.”

“Which brings us back to your housing needs. What are you thinking, Soph? What’s going to work for you and Zippy? Alex is making all kinds of noises about building you a place at the Villa.”

“Nah. You know what? That’s not going to happen, and here’s why. I love the Villa. Love going there. Love the whole vibe. Big brother is welcome to his little desert kingdom, though. For me, living there would lessen the emotional impact, and I don’t want to lose that.”

“I never looked at it that way.”

“It’s a special place, but I want a house in the ‘burbs. Near a good school. In a neighborhood with kids. And I want to work.” She waved off his immediate grumbling. “I’m a worker bee. That’s how it is. Doing nothing would not be healthy. But obviously, as a single parent, full time would be out of the question.”

“Any thoughts on the matter?”

“Oh, lord. Well, here’s the thing.” She stopped and looked around. Was she about to share confidential information? Sophie paused and worried her lip and then thought, Aw, fuck it. Alex barely takes a shit without Parker handing him the toilet paper. If he doesn’t know this now, he will soon anyway.

“I’ve been talking to Meghan about helping at the Double M. She got the family center built and open for business, but the twins are taking a toll on her. I thought maybe I could help. I mean, after all, that’s sort of my shtick. Running things—understanding systems—developing plans.”

She could tell by his non-reaction that this wasn’t news.

“Meghan is a natural dynamo,” he said, “but being pregnant took the wind out of her sails. I think you helping with the Double M might be a godsend.”

“I’ll help any way I can. She’s so amazing. I can’t even.”

A resounding thud made them both flinch and then turn toward the sound. The entrance to Pete’s, a sold barn door with iron accents, swung open and hit the side of the building. A stream of bright light illuminated the area around the door.

A guy she knew as Grey, who worked the bar during the lunch crowd, scurried to the commotion. Expecting a squadron of burly biker types or a group of rowdy cowboys, Sophie chuckled when a blue-jeans wearing virago disguised as a six-year-old bounded into the bar like she owned the place.

Bella Mia Jensen. Sophie fell in love with the adorable rebel at their first meeting. She didn’t have any doubt whatsoever that one day the kid would turn heads. And probably kick some ass along the way.

“Hey, Grey!” the little girl whooped.

Bella and the bartender did a fist bump thing while she hopped on her toes with what Sophia recognized was an overload of kid-energy. The girl was in perpetual motion.

It was amusing as all hell to watch the ponytailed kid bounce around the bar and greet some of the regulars like old pals.

Turning back to Grey, she was clapping enthusiastically and hopping up and down. “Is Finn here? We have a surprise!”

“Who’s we?”

“Me and my daddy, silly. He’s coming,” she said with a hand pointed at the door.

Sophie heard Parker’s sharp hissing of breath. He looked at her, winked, and held up both hands showing crossed fingers. “Oh, dear sweet baby Jesus. Please let this be the day.”

“What is going on?” she whispered.

Then Bella saw them and came zooming over.

“Hi, Parker! Guess what? Got a s’prise for Finn.”

He gave her a little hug and kissed her forehead. “Is it what I think?”

“Yes,” she hooted with the moves and expression of a cheerleader at homecoming. “Hiya,” she said to Sophie.

“What surprise do you have for Finn? May I watch?”

“Oh, sure,” Bella squealed. “Wait till you see.”

Finn came through the kitchen doors wiping his hands on a dish towel. “Someone call for me?”

“Finn,” Bella yelled before hurling herself across the empty space and straight into his arms.

Next to her, Parker murmured, “Those two have a thing going on.”

Sophie snickered. “She has a thing going on with every male pinging a heartbeat.”

Right on cue, Brody came through the door lugging a kennel carrier and a backpack crammed with stuff.

“Oh, shit,” Parker mumbled. “Where’s my fucking phone? I need to get a picture of this.”

As Parker continued to express his amused delight over whatever was about to happen, Sophie sat back and did what she did best—observe. She loved a good spectacle, especially if humor or snark was involved. With Finn at the center, this production promised both.

“Surprise,” Bella announced when Finn dropped her on her feet. “It’s your puppy! And guess what! I named her.”

Parker choked on a snicker. “This is so much better than we thought, you guys,” he murmured into the mic on his phone.

Her face squinched up, and she looked from Parker to Finn, trying to decipher the subtext.

Finn had his hands on his waist when he glanced back and forth between Bella and Brody. “Her?”

Oh, my god. Sophie bit her lip—hard. The horrified look on the Irish saloon owner’s face was worth the price of admission. Clearly, he was one of those dumb fucks who associated badassery as the exclusive domain of males.

What a dick.

When some famous satirist in years to come sat down to write a definitive book on facial expression and body language, an example of the gotcha-fuck you grin on Brody Jensen’s mug would need a chapter all its own. Sophie was seriously impressed. This guy had a flair for fuckery that she could applaud.

“What did you do?” Finn growled at Brody.

“You asked for my help. Filled out a questionnaire, remember?” the snarky dog master replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a paper folded into a square that he ceremoniously opened. With an arched brow and nod to everyone present, he started reading.

“Wanted. Dog. Requirements. Impressive bark. Annoying enthusiasm coupled with guard dog training.”

Every witness to this exchange coughed, laughed, or snickered.

Slapping the paper onto the bar next to where a startled looking Grey stood with his mouth agape, Brody grinned like every practical joker ever to grace Sophie’s imagination and continued. He opened the kennel crate and reached inside.

“Oh, Finn,” Bella cooed with childlike sweetness. “She’s so cute. Wait till you see.”

Parker was having a grand old time with his phone. He’d hold it up, tape something, chuckle, and then save it—over and over.

Well, shit, Sophie thought when Brody produced an adorable brown puppy with black splotches, which he cuddled against his chest. If Finn doesn’t want her, I’ll take a crack at it.

“She’s from a breeder I work with. Healthy and ready to go. A little bit of everything but mostly Havanese. Her name is Lady, but your champion,” Brody said with a lazy drawl as he nodded to Bella, “changed it to FiFi. So here you go,” he told Finn.

Handing off the ball of brown fur, he theatrically heralded the new pairing. “Lady Fifi, meet Finn O’Brien.”

“FiFi!” Bella chirped. “From your name Finn!”

Sophie wasn’t sure if Parker would laugh to death or what because the man was all but on his knees in amusement.

The dog squirming in Finn’s hands went straight for his face and started licking the stunned Irishman while her little tail wagged like crazy.

Bella was jumping up and down, clapping her hands and cheering, “Lady FiFi,” at the top of her lungs.

Grey had turned into a statue or something because he was barely moving a muscle. Mostly, he just stood behind the bar, wide-eyed, and stared.

“Who’s the dude with the beard?” she asked Parker on an aside. He was wheezing with laughter.

“That’s Barry, Finn’s business partner. Oh, Jesus.” He chuckled. “Check out his face.”

Sophie didn’t have many worries about coming home to Arizona, but she had entertained some minor misgivings along the way. She wasn’t sure she’d fit in to this weird little alternate universe her brother had dreamed up and made a reality. Boy, was she ever wrong! These people were fascinating and behaved in a slightly askew way—just like she did.

And the snark? Off the charts.

Yep, she thought for the thousandth time. Good to be home.

She focused on Bella’s exuberant antics and Finn’s continuing inability to form words when someone new moved into her viewfinder. A man carrying a large carton dropped his burden on the bar top and gave Grey a smacking handshake he enthusiastically returned. The two began to talk; no doubt Grey was giving the new guy an earful of what was going on ‘cause every now and then, the two men would laugh and point.

Absently swirling a straw through her glass of iced tea, she studied the man talking to Grey with particular interest. He had what could only be described as prime cowboy ass.

She sighed. Cowboy ass was another reason to enjoy the sights of the Southwest. Nothing compared to a pair of worn jeans that molded to a guy’s, um, assets.

Parker paused his gleeful cackling and looked at her strangely. Had her sigh been that loud? Or given too much away? Well, fuck it if she had. Who cares? It wasn’t a crime to enjoy the scenery.

“What?” she snapped.

He looked over his shoulder at the bar and then pinned her with a knowing look. “See something you like, Soph?”

“Bite me, Counselor.”

He chuckled, shrugged, and then gave her a wink. “You could do worse, I guess.”

“You know that guy?”

“Yeah. Sure. He works for your brother.”

“Excuse me?”

Parker’s head jerked ever so slightly from her sharp exclamation.

“He’s Justice? Fuck my life,” she murmured at the end.

The guy slowly turned around at the same moment that the earthquake happened. When she felt that first jolt, Sophie grabbed the chair under her butt. She was estimating the strength of the tremor on the Richter scale when it dawned on her that nobody else was reacting.

She was sitting straight and rigid, gripping the chair beneath her and staring with wide eyes at the man whose ass she’d been admiring.

“Jace?”

Across the room, he saw her as she spoke his name. He paused, cocked his head to one side, and frowned. Then, a second later, recognition lit his face up, and he came bounding forward.

“Oh, my god! Sophia! Is that you? What are you doing here? Holy shit, woman. Come here and give me a hug.”

He pulled her off her chair before she had time to react and hugged her tight. She knew the second he realized a significant bump separated them. Drawing back, he had his hands on her forearms as he looked down.

“You’re pregnant?”

Parker almost fell off his chair. “You two know each other?”

Sophie couldn’t do anything except mutter, “Um, uh, oh, uh.”

Jace ignored Parker and smiled into her shocked face. “You look wonderful,” he teased. “Is that a happy glow I see?”

She didn’t even know what to say. Or do. In what strange parallel universe did she have the dumb luck to run into a man she knew for two weeks? The same man who quite literally gave her back her self-confidence and set her on the path to motherhood? Single motherhood.

“Jace, I don’t understand,” she murmured. “Parker said you work for Justice?”

There was no rational way to wrap her mind around what was happening. She’d met Jace Delacroix by chance on a ten-day escorted tour of Mykonos and Santorini. Exploring Greece was something she’d always wanted to do, so on a whim, she booked a deluxe tour package and dove right in. The quirky European businessman was the only other person in their small group traveling alone, so they were thrown together from the first day.

“Yeah,” he confirmed as a laugh made the corners of his eyes crinkle with amusement. “My cousin Remington manages the Justice fleet. She didn’t know shit about horses and running a stable, so she made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

He leaned in as if they were sharing a secret and chuckled. “After our Greek adventure, I realized that living my family’s wishes wasn’t working for me anymore.” He shrugged. “I put it out there in the universe that I was open to change and bam.”

“Arizona is your bam?”

“Looks that way,” he drawled. “But what about you? How do you figure into this?”

She lost her ability to speak, and sort of fish mouthed for a minute—opening and closing but nothing coming out. Parker rescued her. He stood and fixed Jace with the same look Alex used when he was being a pain in the ass.

“Sophia Isabel Camiña Valleja-Marquez is the hereditary great-granddaughter of Don Cristobal Alvaro Joaquin Valleja-Marquez.”

Sophie’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head when Parker recited her full family name. Sensitive to people judging her by emotional standards based on fears of nepotism, she’d used the name Sophie Camiña during her time in Spain. Unless you knew the Marquez family or understood the Valleja family tree, there was no way to suspect she was only telling half a story.

Jace laughed. “Are you shitting me? You’re Alex’s sister?”

He had a good laugh for some reason and then made a wry face. “When I heard the boss had a sister turn up sporting a surprise pregnancy, I never dreamed it’d be you.”

Suddenly, she couldn’t get nosy Parker and his direct line to Alex and Angie away from this conversation fast enough.

She did some super-fast thinking and almost shouted “Eureka!” when a solution blossomed in her mind. She knew a surefire way to send ol’ Parker scurrying away.

Not one to beat around the bush, she fixed her old friend with a pointed glare and said, “Go away.”

Parker snorted and drawled, “Seriously?”

She lined him up in her viewfinder for a verbal kill shot. “There’s more to that Stifler’s mom story, isn’t there?”

He looked like a guy about to shit a brick. Red flooded his face, and his eyes narrowed. “Sophie,” he said in warning.

Ha! As if. “Parker,” she answered drily.

They did eyeball combat—just like when they were kids—and he gave in first. She had him by the proverbial balls, and he knew it. Parker wasn’t stupid. Plus, he was a lawyer, which she assumed implied that he knew when to speak and when to shut the hell up. Wisely for him, he chose the latter.

“On that note, I will go stir the shit pool swirling around Finn.”

He shook Jace’s hand and sniped, “Keep your wallet on lockdown. She wins poker championships in her sleep.”

As Jace chuckled, her childhood friend walked away, and she was left to figure out what the hell to do or say next.

Oh, dear lord. Was the universe clowning her? Jace Delacroix looking like every hot, tight-assed cowboy she’d ever drooled over? Was this a joke?

No. Wait. Not a joke. She touched her belly and gave a terse nod. Hormones. Baby hormones. That was what it was. Yeah. Completely natural. Nothing to see here. Move along.

She almost had her emotions under control when Jace made her sit, took the chair next to her, and casually asked, “So, Jelly Bean”—he chuckled—“what’s the four one one on the baby daddy?”

Her hand shot out to grab her drink, but instead, she managed to knock over a bowl of sugar packets. Calling her Jelly Bean triggered an unfamiliar and slightly worrisome sexual response that made her squirm uncomfortably.

She had a thing for jelly beans. Not just any old thing either. Nope. Her thing was all encompassing. Jelly beans were sugary nuggets of pure delight thrown from the heavens by mischievous angels. When she was in one of her moods, though, the colored treats became the devil’s crack. She couldn’t toss too many in her mouth, and if an unending supply was ever available, she’d be in trouble.

It did something to the area around her heart to realize he remembered the name he called her during their Greek adventure.

“I, uh, what?” Sophie mumbled so inelegantly that she winced at how vapid she sounded.

“Baby daddy. I don’t see a ring so …?”

“Oh, right. Yeah,” she croaked. Clearing her throat, she took a hasty sip of the iced tea and composed herself. “About that.”

She took a deep breath and shifted to face him directly. Bad move. Very bad move because the way he was looking at her had the power to wipe her brain of thought. And it didn’t help one little bit that his sable colored eyes glinted with gold sparkles in this light—just as they had on those warm Mediterranean evenings. She gulped and gave her head a tiny shake to clear her thoughts.

“There, um, is no baby daddy. Not in the classic sense, anyway.”

He grinned, chuckled, and bumped his brows together. “What are you saying? Is this a virgin birth?”

It was not the first time she’d heard the same irreverent comment, and usually, her response was a snarky frown. But hearing Jace say those words in his witty, slightly sardonic way made her giggle-snort so loudly that she covered her mouth with both hands in embarrassment.

He gasped with a theatrical flourish and tsked. “Sacrilege. Ten Hail Marys for you, young lady,” he chortled.

She bunched up a napkin and threw it at his head. He balls out stuck his fingers in a glass of water and flicked some at her shocked face.

Sputtering and giggling at the same time, Sophie felt an enormous sense of rightness fill her to bursting. She liked this guy. During their time together, they enjoyed a simple companionship that came naturally.

When did that ever happen? Never?

She sat up and wiggled on her chair. Time to break out her favorite performance—snotty society girl with attitude. It was Jace’s favorite.

“I beg your pardon, Monsieur Delacroix, but the status of my virginity is none of your business.” She sniffed—one of those imperious sounding putdowns that made people cringe.

He sat back and offered a slow clap. “Bravo, Jelly Bean. Nicely said. Just the right touch of bitch. But you’re talking to a master deflector. I know a dodge when it takes a dump nearby. Baby Daddy,” he enunciated slowly. “Out with it, woman. I need to know who my competition is.”

The little girl who she assumed lived inside the heart and mind of every grown woman giggled uncontrollably and began running in circles, shouting, “A boy likes me.” He could be kidding, of course, but hell, she was claiming this one as a win. After all, it wasn’t like she had anything else to show in the otherwise empty column.

“Oh, well, in that case,” she announced, “maybe you’d like to see a picture.”

She reached into her purse and pulled out a phone dressed up in gaudy rhinestone bling. It was so not her style that Jace did a double take. Boy, was he ever in for some shock.

Tapping and swiping until she found what she wanted, she enlarged the image for easy viewing and held it up to his face. “Here ya go.”

Jace’s frown deepened. Did whatever he imagine spark jealousy? She waited while he focused on what she was showing. He’d comment soon enough.

“Donor number one-eight-three-zero-zero-nine. Age thirty-one. IQ … one twenty-seven. Height six-foot-two.”

He paused. Then he looked again—closer. Finally, he lifted his gaze to hers. What she saw in his eyes was quite intriguing.

“An anonymous donor?”

“Yep.” She shook her head and put down the phone. “You’re not the only one who asked the universe for some help. I wanted to be a mom,” she said with a small shrug. “My prospects in that area were what you could call thin. Well,” she snipped, “non-existent actually. It was time, Jace. I was ready.”

“Wow. Um, Soph?”

The sounds of a little girl’s laughter and shrieks filled the air. A small yapping ball of brown and black fur darted around the bar and dining room as Bella scampered gleefully behind.

They both turned to check out the building commotion. Bella ran by in a blur of pink topped by a curly ponytail while, at the other end of the bar, it appeared as though Finn had a smirking Brody by the scruff of his shirt. Parker, the shit-stirring asshat, stood nearby holding his phone up. Taking pictures, she assumed.

She shook her head in disbelief because the situation was escalating. Grey ran into the midst of the growing brouhaha and tried to break it up. Parker just laughed. When it looked as if Finn was readying to unleash a beatdown, his business partner, Barry, stepped between the two men and defused the situation.

In all seriousness? She fucking loved being here and didn’t miss her starchy, cold sober life in Spain at all. These people were a hoot and a half.

Jace sighed and stood. “I’d better see what that’s all about.”

She made a face and asked, “What the hell for? I’d stay out of it if I were you.”

“Yeah, well, that shithead Irishman is involved with my cousin. Remy won’t like it if he goes off half-cocked and starts shit.”

“Oh, lord. Seriously? Well shit, Jace. You'd better shut it down then because Parker will only continue to shit stir until all hell breaks loose.”

“Word,” he muttered. “Hey, do me a proper, would you, and scoop Bella up? Distract her while the men folk act like cretins.”

She snickered and saluted. “Understood.”

Did she admire his ass when he hurried away?

Absolutely.

Sophie winced. Shit. Jace Delacroix had a cowboy ass. She was so fucked.