SHE DIDN’T LIKE HOW QUIET and thoughtful Alex was being. In fact, he was starting to freak Stephanie out. What in the hell was he thinking that the atmosphere in the car had gone from lighthearted and friendly to dark and troubling? Oh no, Victoria. Sweetheart. What’s going on with you, little one?
“Alex. My radar is set to high right now and, well, shugah—you’re putting off a steady pulse. Whatever it is you’re not telling me about Tori isn’t going to help the situation, and you know perfectly well that dog won’t hunt. Just tell me what’s really happening.”
“Shit, Ms. Bennett. I must be losing my touch,” Alex drawled as he gave her a sideways glance. “Look, I’m more than just a little fond of your daughter, and as for her husband, well—he’s simply one of the finest human beings I’ve ever known. I like you, Stephanie, and I’m glad we knew each other before Tori and Drae collided. Gives me a frame of reference that right this second is urging me to be straightforward and say what’s on my mind. But this is personal stuff about both of them that I’m privy to. Doesn’t mean I should be sharing.”
The driver knocked on the window as he strolled by; she supposed to let them know the luggage was on board, and they were about to get underway. Right then she was praying that with whatever time they had between the private airfield and the Marquez Villa, she’d get a better understanding of what lay ahead.
Flipping the long blond mane hanging across one shoulder, she turned and fixed her host with a wry expression. Who was he kidding? She was Tori’s mama, for heaven’s sake, and she didn’t doubt for a second that there’d be plenty of gritty intertwined with the nitty in this saga. Time to remind the good Major that being an old-school Southern lady did not mean she was stupid. Or would dissolve in a fit of vapors at hearing the word sex used in a sentence.
“I was married for ten years, Alex. And I was younger than Victoria is now when I was pregnant and dealing with a naughty, oversexed, newlywed husband. I can read between the lines, too, y’know,” she sniped. “Tori’s having a tough pregnancy. Being intimate is a problem. She’s feeling insecure. Draegyn is doing what all men do when their hormonally challenged spouses act strange. Nothing. Maintaining the status quo does not keep the boat from rocking, though.”
Snap. Let him shove that in a cigar wrapper and puff away. Men! Lord but they were dumb and slow at times. Her daughter met, bedded, and married the sexy security operative so fast even a fool could see that they had some sort of combustible sexual energy. Stephanie was actually glad it happened that way for them. She’d enjoyed an incandescent intimacy with her late husband that wound up being an impossible act to follow. Knowing Draegyn had moved heaven and earth to locate his reluctant wife when she’d flown the coop told her the feelings they had were mutual. She knew he loved her daughter. She just wasn’t sure he was man enough to stay the damn course.
“Direct and to the point as ever.” Alex loosened his tie and let out a heavy sigh. “And pretty right on, I must say. Obviously, you’ve been picking up stuff from Tori. How about I give you Drae’s side of the same coin, and we compare notes?”
“Alex,” she began with grave intent, “I admire your loyalty to my son-in-law. And for the record, I don’t dislike Draegyn. Not at all. I think he’s misunderstood, whether by the foolishness of his actions or the reactive way we all deal with one another these days. I know he loves Victoria, and I know she’s a piece of work, so don’t spare my delicate sensibilities. Shoot straight, Major.”
“She’s having a shitty time of it, so Drae feels like a giant dick for getting her pregnant. She’s overwhelmed and with him avoiding even the slightest hint of intimacy by fearing all kinds of shit will happen, they’re both basically fucked. And not in a good way,” he blurted out.
“Is he cheating on her?”
“What?” Alex barked, clearly stunned by the question. “Of course not! Jesus fucking Christ, Stephanie. Why in the hell would you even ask that?”
“Tori’s putting off a weird vibe. When he goes out of town, she worries herself sick over what he’s up to.”
“Okay, first of all,” he bit out, “Drae has gone out of town exactly twice since they settled down. The first time Betty was with him—not that he needed a chaperone. And the second time, he spent almost the entire assignment crying to me on the phone and in text messages about missing his wife. He’s totally focused on her morning, noon, and night. If Tori is letting her mind wander into cheating territory, I’m pretty fucking sure that’s the pregnancy hormones weighing in.”
She stopped to consider every passionate word and the way her old friend delivered them. Straightforward. No bullshit. She also knew in her hearts of hearts that Alex Marquez would personally kill Draegyn if he stepped out of line and that he meant it when he said Draegyn was a man amongst men. Those things mattered when taking everything into account.
“Honestly, that’s what I thought, too, but I had to ask.” She sat back, smoothing her fingers along the hemline of her dress. He was watching her, trying to read what she was thinking. She almost laughed and thought again, now why doesn’t he have an older brother? Alex’s old-school manners and his general vibe of intelligent, urbane gentleman was something Stephanie secretly yearned. But this trip wasn’t about her lackluster love life. This was about Tori and Draegyn.
“Dammit,” she muttered, half under her breath. “Bad bloody timing. A wife who needs reassurance and a husband who’s afraid of getting too close.”
“Maybe that’s where you could help,” he suggested silkily. Stephanie smirked and turned to stare out the window. Yeah—he was that good. There was a reason everyone regarded Alex as the Big Daddy of the group. He’d basically just silently maneuvered her into a corner.
When he cleared his throat and absently rubbed his palms down his thighs, she knew an important share was about to happen.
“You do know that he doesn’t have a real relationship with his parents. I think he could use some mothering right about now. Inside info from the fairer sex. Little tips and coping strategies for dealing with a grumpy, unhappy, pregnant wife.”
Oh yeah. That good and then some. She was impressed. In record time, she’d gone from snarling about absent wedding jewelry to tying on an apron and plastering her very best mother-knows-best expression in place. Alex thought she should mother Draegyn. Smart, savvy man. It wasn’t altogether a shitty idea.
“Time to run with the big dogs or stay the hell on the porch, Major.”
He looked at her with raised brows, a question clearly on his face.
“While I’m mothering Drae, will you be playing the role of the sensible and wise father?”
He chuckled at the reference and reached over to her, patting her hand reassuringly. “Stephanie, you’ve done an outstanding job of raising Tori all by yourself. She’s an amazing person. I’d be lost without her, and that’s saying something. If you think I can fill even one toe of her father’s shoes, I’m beyond humbled by your faith in me.”
Good heavens. Her chest was fluttering, and she was furiously fighting a waterfall of tears that were suddenly threatening. Alex and the way he talked, how he handled himself, reminded her so much of Victoria’s father. Hearing him speak of Daniel, even in the abstract, had unleashed emotions she wasn’t comfortable dealing with.
She tried to lighten the mood with a coy laugh and some good ol’ Southern charm. “Why aren’t you ten years older, Major, ‘cause I do declare that you make my heart go pitty pat with your manners. Your mama must be mighty proud.”
He laughed and threw out an elbow to jostle her. “Ten years, you say? Hmmmmm. Is that a hard ten or just a suggestion, ‘cause you might be interested to know my Uncle Calder is currently at the Villa. He’s staying in the casita, and unless my math skills have suddenly deserted me, a quick calculation puts him a solid fifteen years my senior.”
“I thought your uncle was a Catholic archbishop or something,” she quipped. “Father Calder?”
He tossed back his head and boomed with laughter. “Nah, it’s my Uncle Eduardo who’s ordained but none of that archbishop stuff for him. He likes being a parish priest. More hands-on. Calder is my mother’s youngest brother. California born and raised. Interesting dude. He’s like my nerd mentor in a way. Everything I know about technology, and how things work, I learned from him.”
Stephanie smiled and clutched at her breast with genteel flair. “My word! An older, California version of you? Be still my wild heart.”
Alex laughed and shrugged. “He’s staying through the New Year. Helping me with agency stuff while Tori is off her feet. That’s actually code for, ‘I want to spend time with my fiancée and not worry about business,’ so my trusty uncle has agreed to hold down my end of the fort. Give Tori and Drae some breathing room, too. I’d be happy to introduce you two.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I’ve got a full plate at the moment, darlin’, but thanks for the offer. Besides, I’m sure with us both being on an extended visit at the Villa, we’ll have the opportunity to meet at some point.”
“Your call, pretty lady. But I have to tell you, I’ve been so wrapped up in other things that it never occurred to me that you and Calder might actually have something other than age in common.”
Oh, my God. Was he joking? “Did you just insinuate I was old, Major?”
Watching Alex Marquez flounder and gasp for breath at her taunt was nothing short of hilarious. He hadn’t insulted her but throwing the comment back was an age-old power play that always worked.
“Fuck, no. I did not say you were old.”
“Well, be that as it may. Sounded to me like you think I’m some dried-up old prune, long past the expiration date.” She loved poking this Big Daddy when he thought he’d done something déclassé. His charming manners just couldn’t accept that he’d ever be so daft.
“Jesus, Stephanie. Are you kidding? Please tell me you’re kidding. I mean, look at you! There’s no way anyone would think you were about to be a grandmother. Seriously. Drae is one lucky prick. If Tori is half as beautiful as you are at this age, he’s truly blessed. And as for Calder, believe me. You need a standing ovation in the annual MILF Pageant.”
Gasping like an outraged virgin, she turned wide, mock-horrified eyes on her companion. “Oh, my word. Did you just call me a MILF?”
He startled and tried to reel back the statement. Really. This was the most fun she’d had in ages.
“Oh shit. No. That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry. That was incredibly rude of me.”
She let him off the hook. He looked so stricken she wasn’t going to be able to keep a straight face much longer anyway. Swatting at his hand where it lay gripping the armrest between them, she leaned in and whispered, “Relax, Major. There are worse things than being a fuckable mom.” His coloring changed to beet red so fast she could only laugh. Yeah. This trip was going to be something—that was for sure.
DRAE WAS WATCHING HIS VERY pregnant wife while she sat pensive and quiet in a big overstuffed armchair that had just been delivered for the nursery. She’d had the delivery guys position the seat near the French doors that opened up onto a private deck. He could easily picture her in that chair cuddling with their son or daughter. God, he loved this tiny angel with the big belly, who at this moment looked drawn and worried. He sighed. Shit. He just wanted to see the light shining in her eyes again.
She needed things from him, but he had no clue what those things were. A pregnant wife was something he’d never prepped for, and with no one to give him any pointers, he was stumbling aimlessly in the dark. He’d give anything to make their pregnancy easier for her, but that was not how shit worked. Mostly, he felt like an unwanted outsider in what was a momentous event for all of them. He’d read every damn thing he could get his hands on about being a concerned, involved expectant father, but none of that stuff seemed to apply to them.
Having been advised to keep unbridled marital intimacy under control with Tori so uncomfortable, he’d adopted a hands-off attitude, fearing his overactive desire for his wife would get out of hand.
Frankly, Drae didn’t give a shit how big her belly was. Or whether she had ‘pregnancy nose’ or if her body was going to have stretch marks. To him, the whole ‘we’re having a baby’ thing had been nothing short of mind-blowing. He loved seeing her bump grow, thought whatever marks came as a result, were awe-inspiring, and didn’t know what the fuck pregnancy nose even was.
She was making a baby. Nurturing his son or daughter with her sweet little body. That made her a miracle worker in his eyes. A sexy-as-fuck miracle worker who made his dick hard twenty-four seven. Making matters worse, and something that he hadn’t counted on, was her nearly insatiable need for the sort of off-the-hook lovemaking they were so damn good at.
Drae strode into the room he’d designed and helped build for their expanding family. The suite was amazing, and he literally couldn’t wait for the day when their baby would be snuffling and cooing from the crib as they stood by and watched with wonder.
“Hey, little Missus,” he chuckled. “Daydreaming again?”
Victoria started and looked over her shoulder. It warmed him when her expression registered happiness. At least there was that. She still smiled whenever he came around.
“I like this chair,” she muttered softly. Her fingers were pressing against the substantial padding as she swept her hands along the cream-colored upholstery. “They forgot the ottoman, though,” she shrugged. “The foreman said he’d run it out here later in the week.”
Drae leaned over and scooped his wife up, holding her to him gently while he sank into the new chair with her safe on his lap. She was right. It was comfortable. Looking around, he hugged her briefly and said, “I think we need a little table right here,” he motioned next to the chair. “I’ll get right on making something. Simple. Finish it with some of that chalk paint that you like. Maybe a drawer or two. For baby stuff, y’know.”
Victoria placed both hands on her tummy and stroked from outside to the middle of her bump. He loved rubbing her flesh, sometimes feeling the kick or nudge of his baby making their presence known. He leaned over to kiss the protruding belly, keeping one hand curved protectively about her hips while the other circled her belly button.
“I was about to check my mother’s room. See if everything’s in order.”
Drae smiled into her solemn gaze and clucked his tongue. “Now come on, Mrs. St. John. You know perfectly well that Carmen has made a nuisance of herself coming and going with all sorts of stuff for the mother-in-law suite. Your mom’s going to be getting the full five-star treatment the whole time she’s here. Stephanie will think she’s been staying at the fucking Four Seasons. Believe me, it’s fine.”
“Oh, did you feel that?” she giggled breathlessly. His mood lightened at the sound. “Cha Cha is doing the River Dance again,” she laughed.
“Madam, will you please refrain from calling my potential daughter, Cha Cha? It’s not befitting a St. John,” he mocked. “I much prefer Bunny. Bunny St. John. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? And yes, I felt that. Bunny Cha Cha kicks like a fucking soccer star. We might have a baby Beckham coming up on the sidelines.”
She dropped onto his chest and laid her head on his shoulder. He could feel a fine tremor shuddering along her spine. “I just want everything to be alright.”
The erection poking his pregnant wife in the butt instantly cooled. This was where he was in way over his head. Her anxiety was palpable and what the fuck did he know about it to begin with? It was her body going through the process of giving life to their child. It never failed to make him feel like a dirty old man every time his desire for Victoria roared to life while she was in such a state.
“Oh, sweetheart. Everything’s going to be fine. Try to relax, okay? I’d never let anything happen to you, Victoria. To either of you, baby.”
He rested his big hand on her tummy and spread his fingers wide. He didn’t know how the next few weeks were going to pan out, but he did know that he’d never, ever put his Victoria through this again. One kid better be enough, he thought unhappily because this whole thing had just been more than he could handle.