“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Colin asked for the fourth time since we’d left his house.

I’d done nothing but sleep, or I should say, tried to sleep, for the last two days. After my MRI showed no swelling or bleeding in my brain, I was given the all clear to fly home. We landed at Andrews and went straight to Colin’s house in Annapolis. True to his word, he hadn’t left my side. As a matter of fact, he was following the doctor’s orders to wake me up once an hour—down to the second. I didn’t know how he was functioning. He had to be exhausted.

Zane had called yesterday and asked if Colin would come into the office today, and the only way he’d agreed was if I went with him. So that was where we were headed. And if I was going to spend the day lollygagging around his office, I thought I should ask if Olivia could meet me there since Leo would be at the meeting as well. At the time I’d thought it was a good idea, however the closer we got to the downtown office the more nervous I became.

“Sunshine?”

“Sorry. Yeah, I feel fine.”

“You sure? You were out of it there for a minute.”

“Just thinking about Olivia. What if she doesn’t forgive me?”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about. I talked to Leo and she’s thrilled you texted her.”

“But what if—”

“The sky falls? A bus pulls in front of us? The world explodes?” he joked.

“Stop. I’m being serious.”

“I know you are. You’re working yourself up for nothing. I’m more worried about you taking it easy than anything. The doctor said—”

“Yes, I know what he said. Relax. No exercise or strenuous activity. I’ll be sitting in your office talking, not PT’ing.”

“He also said no stress.”

“Last night I offered you a perfectly reasonable stress-relief option, but you turned me down.”

“Reasonable? Sweetheart, me giving you orgasms while you have a concussion isn’t going to happen.”

“Why not? All I have to do is lie there.”

“Right. You don’t just lie there. Your head thrashes, your hips buck, you scream in excitement. No part of that is relaxing.”

“Fine,” I huffed.

“I think I’ve created a monster.” He chuckled. “Besides, right now, all I want to do is hold you. I want to feel your breath on my neck and your heartbeat against mine as you cuddle into me.”

Okay, so I wanted to have sex, and I wanted to pout I couldn’t have it but when he said things like that to me, it was hard to stay disappointed.

“I don’t think you understand how hard it is to sleep next you while you’re practically naked and not want to jump your bones.”

Colin pulled into a parking garage, found an empty spot, put the car in park, undid his seat belt, and turned to me. “Jump my bones?” I could easily hear the humor in his voice and even in the semi-darkness of the parking structure, I could see his eyes dance with mirth.

“Something wrong with the way I talk?” He shook his head and grinned. “I would think someone with your sexual prowess and experience would understand how your nakedness could have a tingling effect on a woman.”

It took a long time for Colin’s amusement to die down. And when the laughter finally faded, I had to squeeze my thighs together to quell the ache his stare was causing.

“Sunshine, I’m dying to see you squirm again while I eat you out and go to sleep with the taste of you on my tongue. I’m counting down the days until I get to finally slide inside of you and make you mine, fully and completely. But I will never put you in danger, and, right now, you need to heal.”

“I love all of that except maybe the not brushing your teeth after you go down on me part. Just saying.”

His head hit the back of the headrest and once again he roared with laughter. “Goddamn, I love you, woman. Duly noted, brush teeth after pussy licking.” He reached across the center console and picked up my hand, toying with the ring he’d placed on my finger. I loved when he did that. “You ready?”

So, that happened. Yesterday, a courier came by Colin’s house and delivered a small package. He disappeared into his home office and when he reappeared, he lowered himself to his knee and asked me to marry him for a second time. With blue eyes gazing up at me, I said yes—again. He slipped a familiar diamond ring on my finger. And I was speechless as I studied the sparkling family heirloom. He explained my parents had sent it over with a note, while he wouldn’t tell me exactly what it said, he did tell me my mother had given her blessing as well. Considering I now had my grandmother’s ring on my finger, the very engagement ring my dad had given my mother, I’d assumed she shared my dad’s sentiments.

“Yep,” I finally answered.

“Whenever you’re ready to go, tell me. I don’t want you overdoing it.”

“I won’t. Promise.”

“Right. Just like the last time you promised—”

“Do we have to go over this again? They were going to kill you, Colin. I wasn’t going to sit there and watch the man I love get beaten to a bloody pulp.”

“I know. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t joke about it.”

I waited in the car for him to come to my side and open the door. A habit from all the years of having personal bodyguards. “Sorry. I guess I can open my own door and get out. I’m just used to having to wait until someone comes around.”

“And you should. I’ll always open the door for you.”

I looked around the parking garage and thought it was strange I hadn’t seen any secret service. “Are there agents here?”

“Sure are,” he answered.

“Huh. I hadn’t noticed them.”

“I told them they were to stay back. I didn’t want you to feel like you were under lock and key. Besides, for now, you won’t be anywhere I’m not.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Colin beeped the locks and placed his arm around my shoulders, drawing me close as we walked toward Z Corps headquarters.

“Hey, what happened to the rental?”

In all the excitement, I’d forgotten all about driving from Texas to California.

“Totaled just like Abe’s cabin.”

“Shit. How pissed is Abe?”

I felt horrible about destroying Abe’s home. Not that we did it on purpose, but it was because of us the property had been infiltrated and the cabin had been on fire after two rockets, or bombs, or whatever the explosive devices were called had hit the house.

“He’s not. They don’t keep anything personal there, and he knows it will be rebuilt by Zane.”

“I feel really bad about it.”

“You shouldn’t. It comes with the territory.”

“Seriously?”

“Did I tell you why Fletch sold his house?”

“The one you bought?”

“Yep.”

“I don’t think so.”

“It all started when, Sadie, the niece of a hotshot PI out of Dallas was being guarded by her now husband. Everyone was gathered at Fletch and Emily’s having a wonderful evening until . . .”

Colin continued his story as we walked through the lobby of Z Corps. Only stopping to enter in a numeric code and place his hand on a scanner to get through the secure door that led to a long hallway.

“An RPG?” I gasped when he got to the part about the house exploding.

“Not one, but two.” He stopped again, placing his forehead against the plastic shield of the retinal scanner. “It was a bad night.”

The elevator door opened, and he motioned for me to precede him. “I’ll say. Was anyone hurt?”

“Yeah. Fletch was pretty banged up and so was Chase Jackson.”

“Damn. But they’re both okay now, right?”

“Yeah, sunshine, they’re both fine. But after what happened, even after the house was rebuilt, Fletch and Emily decided to sell.”

“It’s a beautiful house. Will we get to go back?”

“Anytime you want.”

“I want to go back soon.”

“Okay.”

He leaned down and kissed the top of my head as the doors slowly opened. Thankfully, Colin still had his arm around me because the squeal coming from a hugely pregnant Olivia nearly gave me a heart attack.

Once my heart rate settled, and I took a good look at my best friend who I’d turned my back on, my heart broke. I’d been such a bitch. I buried my face into Colin’s side and couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Olivia was pregnant, very pregnant, and I’d missed it. Almost all of it. For what? Why hadn’t I’d seen her after she’d been rescued? Why hadn’t I gone to see her after she’d married Leo? Why had I been so stupid to let so much time pass? Now there was a chasm I needed to bridge.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Colin was trying to get me to look up at him, but I wasn’t ready.

“Erin?” Olivia called out. “Get your ass out of the elevator and let’s go eat. I’m freaking starving. And I’ve waited for my one soda a day Mr. Bossy allows me to drink until you got here. I want my Dr. Pepper and I’m not going to stand here and wait for you all day.”

“Um?” I could hear the uncertainty in Colin’s response. He must have thought I’d lost my mind. “Are you laughing?”

I nodded.

Yes, I’d gone from bawling my eyes out to cracking up. Olivia, being Olivia, had pulled me from my self-pity that quickly.

“You look like you’ve eaten a beach ball, Livie. You sure you have room in there for food?”

I slowly pulled away from Colin and looked at my beautiful friend. She was glowing. Marriage and motherhood looked great on her.

“I know, right? It’s all the food Leo’s mom force feeds me. I swear they think I’m growing a linebacker.”

“I’ve seen your husband. That’s a strong possibility.”

Olivia’s face broke out in a smile and she held out her hand. “Damn, I’ve missed you. Missed this. Life has been . . . incomplete without you. Now let’s go get me a soda before Leo comes out here.”

“I heard that, tesorino.”

Olivia rolled her eyes even though her husband could see her. “There was no doubt you wouldn’t.”

“You have two more weeks.”

“I’m well aware.” Olivia rubbed her belly. “All ten pounds of her is currently sitting on my bladder.”

“Ten pounds?” I gasped. “Is that possible?”

“I’m joking. At least, I hope I am.”

“Sweet Jesus, I was going to pray for your vagina if that were the case.”

“Um. Not sure what I just walked in on.” Jaxon chuckled when he joined the group. “Violet, Ivy, and Jas are up in Zane’s office. I’ve been sent to tell you that they’re going to eat without you.”

“Damn. You people are serious about your food.”

Liv grabbed my left hand and stared at my ring. “I was getting ready to tell you to hurry up so we could tell you the latest gossip, but it looks like you have some explaining to do, missy.”

“I’ll be in the conference room if you need me,” Colin told me.

“Okay. Love you.”

“You, too, sunshine. Please be careful.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Leo and Colin both groaned. Liv twisted her lips trying to hold back her smile. “What? It’s not like we can get into any trouble in here. This place is like Fort Knox.”

Liv and I left the men standing near the elevator, both of them chuckling and shaking their heads. And just like that, we picked up where we’d left off. Like no time had passed. True friendship can weather time, hurt feelings, and words unsaid. I knew Liv loved me, and she knew I loved her. At the end of the day she was my best friend—my sister. No matter what.

“What took you so long? Ivy wouldn’t tell us her secret until you got back.” A beautiful brunette said.

“Keep your pants on. Vi, Ivy, this is my best friend in the entire world, Erin Anderson, soon-to-be Mrs. Colin Doyle. Erin, this is Ivy, Zane’s woman, and Violet’s man is Jaxon.” Liv pointed to each woman in turn.

That was one of the many things I loved about Olivia. I was simply me, not the first daughter. She never introduced me as anything but Erin.

“And my cousin returns,” Jasmin said from the couch where she sat with the twins on her lap.

She looked damn good for having two babies not too long ago. I hadn’t grown up with Jasmin. As a matter of fact, I hadn’t known she existed until recently. Before her parents, my Aunt Erin and Uncle Robert died, they’d drawn up their will and asked my dad to let their close friend, Noah, raise Jasmin in case anything happened to them. My dad had already begun his political career, and ironically, they didn’t want Jasmin to grow up the way I had. Stuck with guards and living behind a fence. He’d reluctantly agreed and had kept his promise to his sister and hadn’t contacted Jasmin. I never knew Erin and Robert had any children and Jasmin hadn’t known anything about her parents. Now that the secret was out, she and Lincoln had been to the White House a lot. My dad was thrilled she was in our lives, and so was I.

“Hey, Jas. How are my baby cousins?” I smiled at her, then turned to Violet and Ivy. “Hi. Nice to meet you.”

“Getting big. Come take one.” Jasmin held out one not so tiny bundle.

I took the baby and looked down at his face, and his father, Linc’s, green eyes stared back at me, and I felt a pang of jealously. I wanted this. I always had. Even when I was in college and my friends were talking about grad school, politics, and careers, I’d thought about wanting a family. I didn’t need a huge salary or letters after my name to make me feel important. Motherhood was what I’d always dreamed of. I knew in today’s world it wasn’t the most popular aspiration, but it was what I wanted.

“Which one is this?”

“Asher,” Jas told me. “So. You and Colin, huh? Last time I saw the two of you together he was shaking his head and you were calling him an ass.” The big smile on her face took the sting out of her words.

“Yeah, well, he turned out to be a loveable ass.”

“Glad you’re back. Linc said it was a shit show. Sorry I missed it. I’m still not cleared for duty for another month. Also heard my cousin is quite the badass.”

“Colin’s not too happy. He thinks I should’ve stayed in the corner, out of sight.”

“Ha! That’s what they all think. It’s part of their DNA—me man, you woman. I protect, you look pretty.” Jasmin chuckled. “Fuck that noise. I can kick some ass and still look good doing it. I’m proud of you and I know Colin is, too. You handled yourself well.”

“Thanks.”

“My team is dropping like flies. Now all we have to do is marry off Dec, and the family will be complete.”

“I wouldn’t bet on my brother settling down anytime soon. I think he’s making up for lost time,” Violet said. “Yes, congratulations. I adore Colin.”

“That’s right. Declan is your brother.”

I remembered Colin telling me about Declan and the rest of team while we were sitting on the porch before . . . I shook my head trying to dislodge the memories of that day. I was here to enjoy my day with Livie and the rest of the women, not think about being kidnapped. Thankfully, Violet spoke before the recollection could take over.

“Yeah, my twin.” Something that looked a lot like sadness passed over her face, and I decided not to ask any further questions. “Our parents died when we were young, and we were separated. I didn’t see him for a really long time.”

“That . . .” I didn’t know what word I was trying to find.

“Sucks?” she helpfully supplied. “It sure did. But we found each other. It all worked out.”

“What’s the big secret?” Jasmin asked, changing the subject.

All eyes zeroed in on Ivy. “So . . . Zane and I did something.” She smiled so big I couldn’t help but to smile with her. “We, um, got married.”

“What?” the other three women said in unison.

“When?” Liv asked.

“Yesterday at the courthouse. But we’ll still have a big wedding. In about nine or ten months depending on how soon I can fit into a dress.”

“Holy shit!” Jasmin laughed. “Are you telling us there’s going to be a mini Zane Lewis running around?”

Ivy nodded.

“You’re pregnant?” Violet asked.

“Yeah. Only nine weeks. It’s still early, and I know you’re not supposed to tell people until after twelve weeks, but you’re not people, you’re all family.”

Violet started to giggle and soon the others were laughing at her as she waved a hand in front of her face trying to stop herself. “I . . . I . . . I am, too.” She laughed.

“Wait, what? Did you just say you are, too?” Ivy asked.

“Yes. Ten weeks.”

I stood to the side, rocking Asher in my arms, and watched the three standing women hug each other. I was super happy for them but felt a little out of place.

“Holy shit. I can’t believe you two are going to be pregnant at the same time. This is gonna be so awesome to watch Jaxon and Zane. Now all we need is to get Erin knocked up and it’ll be even better.”

“Yeah. That’s not happening anytime soon.”

“Why’s that? Colin put a ring on your finger in like two-point-five seconds. And don’t think I don’t want to hear about how that happened,” Liv said. “Does he not want kids?”

“He does. I think his mom is expecting him to provide her with like ten of them.”

“Girl . . .” Jasmin laughed. “You better get on that soon. I’ve met Colin’s mom, she’s not kidding.”

“What’s wrong?” Violet’s happy face fell.

“Nothing.” I quickly waved her off. “Congratulations to both of you. That’s really exciting. All four of you are gonna have little ones at the same time.”

“Erin . . .” Liv started. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Maybe it’s my concussion.”

Jasmin barked a laugh. “You’re a shitty liar. Something’s wrong. Spit it out already, before Olivia gets whiny.”

“I don’t get whiny.” Olivia crossed her arms over her enormous chest.

“You do, Liv. And be careful you’re getting ready to lose a boob out of your V-neck,” I told her.

“Jesus, I’ll be happy when these things go down.”

“Um. Don’t they fill with milk? Hate to tell you, friend, but they’ll get bigger.” I motioned toward her boobs.

“Don’t remind me. Leo says . . . hey . . . stop trying to change the subject by talking about my boobs.”

Shit. I almost had her. She was so easily distracted, I could normally steer her away from a topic I didn’t want to talk about.

Four sets of eyes pinned me in place. Using all of my telepathic abilities, I silently pleaded with Olivia to change the subject. I even raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t get it. She tapped her foot impatiently and waited me out.

“We haven’t . . . we don’t . . . there hasn’t been a place . . . ah, fuck it, I’m still a virgin. We haven’t had sex yet.”

Four jaws dropped, and it was so quiet in the room you could hear a pin drop.

“How in the actual fuck is that possible?” my cousin asked.

“Um, hello, president’s daughter here. Secret Service. Personal bodyguards. Kinda hard to have sex when there is, literally, a man dressed in a black suit, armed to the teeth, standing next to you at all times.”

“I just assumed you and Colin had. I mean, that he’d taken . . . you still haven’t?” Liv stuttered.

“No! First, we were in a shitty motel room, and he refused to do anything with me there because he said I was too special to have my first time in a thirty dollar a night motel. Then we got to the cabin, and he took his sweet ass time doing really great stuff to me. Then he said he didn’t want to go all the way until we got home, and I had time to think without the fear of being kidnapped on my mind. He said he didn’t want me to regret it. It didn’t matter what I said to him, he wouldn’t budge. Then the fucking house exploded, he was shot, I was drugged, he was beaten nearly to death, I was scared, I stabbed someone, have a concussion, and now he says I have to wait until my head is healed.” I finally took a breath after my rant and realized all the women were staring at me with a weird look on their faces. Well, everyone but my cousin, Jasmin was smirking. “What?”

“He said you were too special for your first time to be in a shitty motel?” Liv asked.

“Yes.”

“He wanted to wait so you had time to think?” Violet asked.

“Yep.”

“Really great stuff, huh?” Ivy giggled.

I nodded.

“Who the fuck knew Colin was such a romantic fool?” Jasmin added.

“Did anyone hear me? I’m in my mid-twenties and a virgin. I don’t want to be a virgin. I’ve tried to not be one. But I can’t get him to have sex with me. I think I’m like a golden unicorn or something, no one still has their V card at my age.”

Liv broke out in a fit of laughter, and the rest followed. I didn’t see what was so funny about my current predicament, but they sure found it hilarious.

When the laughter started to die down it was Ivy who finally spoke.

“Never in all my life, growing up the way I did, did I ever think I would be in a room with the President of the United States’ niece and daughter laughing. Never did I think I would find a man like Zane and friends like all of you. Never, ever, did I think I would become a mother. I’m grateful for everything I have, but all of you, your friendship is the cherry on top of my really awesome sundae. And, Erin, that includes you. Welcome to our crazy family.”

My eyes met Liv’s and I forgot all about sex or the lack there of and realized the only real friendship I’d ever had was with Olivia. Her circle had grown, and now mine had, too.

The five of us spent the afternoon getting to know each other. We ate, we laughed, we poked fun at one another. We talked about babies, and marriage. Nothing all that important or earth shattering, but deep down I knew with every word spoken, everlasting friendships were being built.