“TORI! I LOVE THE WAY you’re swirling the deviled egg filling. I never would have thought of using a pastry bag with a fancy tip.”
Meghan was bustling like a crazy woman about her enormous kitchen, supervising Lacey, Tori, and Stephanie as they put the finishing touches on the preparations for tomorrow’s big feast. Her nerves were starting to show and not because it was Thanksgiving and she’d be playing hostess. Nope. Right now, she was obsessing over the little surprise Alex was planning and hoping she could keep her poker face on all day. It had almost slipped earlier when Tori asked about Betty and Carmen and she’d briefly caught Lacey’s eye.
Keeping secrets was really tough when you weren’t sure who knew what. I mean, after all, she’d just been brought into the loop one day earlier so in a way, she was one of those kept in the dark until a need-to-know moment occurred.
“Mmmm,” Tori murmured as she concentrated on squishing the filling into each egg half. “Saw it in a magazine at the doctor’s office.”
“Well, they look fantastic. And I love the chive pieces for decoration.”
“Oh shit,” Tori laughed. “Wait till you see them tomorrow. On the plain bunch, I’ll sprinkle some black Hawaiian sea salt right before we put them out.”
“Settle down, Martha,” Lacey drawled. “Next thing we know, you’ll be stenciling the driveway. That baby better get here soon! Don’t know how much more we can take of you and your crazy crafting.”
Soft laughter ensued. Meghan loved her girls. Victoria and Lacey had been fantastic from day one—the family of women they made was just as meaningful and tenacious as the Justice Brothers. And Stephanie, too. She’d fit in so effortlessly—straddling the group of wives and the small cadre of females who supported the agency.
“Hey, guess what,” Meghan chirped. “I think Brody plans to stick around until Baby St. John comes. He’s been talking to the Major about it.”
She saw Tori’s face light up at the news. Everyone loved Brody. He was the silent junior partner in all things Justice. And he’d been the surprise go-to guy after Dylan was born, knowing more about babies and practical stuff than the rest of them put together. He’d even kept Cam from flying off the handle with frustration—something that had been comedy gold—when the man couldn’t immediately figure out the technique for snapping the baby’s seat in and out of the car.
“How is it that a good-looking guy like Brody, who has obvious skills with both children and animals, is single? Stephanie queried. “What’s his story?”
Swiping a microfiber cloth absently across a marble countertop, Meghan smirked at the question. She remembered Alex’s red-hot jealousy where the handsome dog-whisperer was concerned. She and Brody had become fast friends, much to the Major’s chagrin, although now that she and Alex were engaged, he’d stepped back off the ledge—somewhat.
“Where does he go when he takes off, Meghan? Cameron obviously knows, but I’d feel weird asking him questions about another man,” Lacey admitted.
Meghan only knew part of the guy’s story and far as she could tell, the part she was privy to was hardly a secret. “He’s an East Coast boy. Don’t know about family or any of that, but I do know he teaches half a year at a community college. Maryland, I think.”
“A teacher? Really?” Stephanie asked incredulous. She appeared to consider this piece of news for a moment, and then shrugged a laugh. “I can see it. The way he handles those canines—probably a lot like dealing with college kids.”
“Well, I don’t care what he gets up to when he’s not here,” Tori quipped. “I’m just glad he wants to stick around until the baby comes. Will give Draegyn more time to work on him—convince Brody to stay in Arizona full-time.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Lacey stammered. “Is that a thing? For real?”
Meghan answered Lacey’s shocked question. “Yep. A thing. Alex is making all sorts of noises about bringing him in.”
“I wonder if Cameron knows this,” Lacey mused aloud. “He’s been awfully down about Brody taking off. Dylan absolutely loves the man.”
Stephanie grabbed a mug of coffee and went to sit closer to Lacey, who was making a huge tray of pilgrim hat treats with mini peanut butter cups and chocolate cookies.
“It must have been hard for you two after Dylan was born. Meghan says you didn’t have any help at all. Aren’t you exhausted?”
Lacey cracked up laughing—as did Tori, who rolled her eyes at Meghan. “My mom thinks I’m helpless,” she teased.
“You know, Stephanie. That’s a good question and a great observation,” Lacey said. “But you guys all have families. People who will drop whatever they’re doing to lend a hand. Be back-up.” She smiled at Stephanie. “But Cameron and I—well, we have a different back story. It’s just us…together. We wanted to do it alone, I think it’s part of the journey we had to take in order to really become a family.”
After a second’s thought, she added with a self-deprecating smirk, “And let’s face it, we had more than enough support. I mean, jeez you guys! Everyone. Carmen, Ria—there is always someone to turn to for picking up groceries and stuff like that so it’s not even like we were alone-alone.”
Stephanie reached out and squeezed Lacey’s hand. “You’ve been very brave, dear. Cameron, too. And your boy is just so damn sweet.”
“Thanks, but brave? Nah. Crazy maybe,” she giggled. “The only reason I’m not falling down exhausted is because Cameron has been by my side, day and night, through all of it. He’s like a sponge. Every experience, each daily chore—whether it’s emptying the dishwasher, laundering piles of baby clothes, or bringing me some tea while the baby’s nursing—he wants to experience it all. I feel blessed and lucky. This is one time where we get to define what family means. To us. Having a blank slate in that area makes everything special.”
“I wonder if Draegyn will be that way,” Tori murmured. “After all, he doesn’t have a fucking clue what being part of a family means.”
Meghan looked at her, surprised. They rarely spoke of Drae’s background. Choosing her reply carefully, she asked, “But what about his sister? I know his parents are shitheads but doesn’t he have a close relationship with her?”
“Desi? Yeah. She’s great. We talk to her every week. I think seeing his sister break away and find a life with a great husband and a couple of fantastic kids was important for Draegyn. Meant he wasn’t totally closed off to the idea of marriage and a future.”
“The St. Johns were less than thrilled to learn their golden boy was married, huh?” Lacey commented.
Pushing the plate of finished eggs away, Tori wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and grimaced. “Oh, Jesus. They were a nightmare. Draegyn barely speaks to them, so I don’t think I even know how they found out—but once they did, holy shitballz.” Meghan saw her shudder slightly. “His mother is an ice-cold cunt.” She looked to her mom, made an apologetic face, and whispered, “Sorry.” Stephanie’s amused smirk said it all. Tori’s mouth knew no limits. “And his father. Well, that asshole is king of the dirt bags if you ask me. All he ever wants to know is when Draegyn is going to, in his words, grow up—and take over the family business.”
“What is the family business?” Lacey asked.
“Money,” Tori replied drily. “The family business is money. Make it, take it.”
Meghan barked out a mocking laugh. “Doesn’t he know? About the goddamn fortune the agency has made.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Tori quipped. “That’s…” she coughed, “and I quote—work. Work is beneath his parents. They’re all about business. You know—the type of business that speculates with other people’s hard-earned money to line one’s pockets with even more money.”
Meghan muttered under her breath. “Yeah. Isn’t that what drove the economy into the shitter?”
“Bingo,” Stephanie interjected. “I, for one, am glad Draegyn isn’t a trust fund kid. It’s hard not to admire the way he’s conducted himself as a man. First, on the battlefield because the truth of the matter is that he came from a class that rarely if ever opts for the military. And second, this almost surreal world these guys have created out here in the desert. I speak as one who has had business dealings with the Justice Agency, and let me tell you, ladies, nobody does it better.”
Tori leaned back in her seat and groaned, pressing her hands onto her belly. “You alright, sweetie?” Meghan asked with concern. “You just lost most of your color and that groan didn’t sound good.”
Lacey and Stephanie hurried to Tori’s side. “Shugah, darlin’,” her mother drawled. “What’s happening?”
A growing feeling of unease threaded its way along Meghan’s nerves. Tori had seemed a little off but wasn’t that to be expected so late in a difficult pregnancy?
Hastily grabbing a bottle of chilled water, she uncapped it and pushed it into Tori’s trembling hand.
“Oh gosh,” she muttered before taking a small sip of the water. “I don’t know what that was. All of a sudden, it was like everything inside shifted and I got lightheaded. That’s normal, right?” she asked with a worried frown.
Stephanie had her arm wrapped around Tori and was murmuring to her in soothing tones. Meghan and Lacey’s eyes met. What in the hell was going on? Was this normal?
Lacey shrugged her ignorance with an embarrassed grimace. Except for a few minor morning sickness moments, the lucky woman had enjoyed a textbook perfect pregnancy. It had been all hearts and flowers from the start for Cameron and his Ponytail. Meghan sighed. Lacey’s recent rhapsodic birth experience was nothing compared to Victoria’s difficult trek to motherhood.
“I’m fine now, guys, really,” Tori murmured in a hushed voice.
“Well, let’s get you off this chair, shugah, and onto the sofa where you can put your feet up,” Stephanie directed in a non-nonsense voice with nods at her and Lacey.
Springing into action, they worked as a team to get poor Tori comfortably settled on the big recliner in the family room. Thank God her color had come back because watching the little woman go ashen right in front of her eyes had shaken Meghan. Something was off. But something being off in any given moment was not the same as something actually being wrong.
Best to keep things lighthearted and casual. She was looking much better, laughing at her mom’s fussing, and picking at a bowl of fruit. Lacey was busy navigating the five kajillion channels on their entertainment system, finally settling on a Sex and the City marathon. Perfect. Mindless. Great conversation starters.
During a break when everyone scattered for a bathroom run, they were chatting away, gathering more snacks and drinks before starting the next series of episodes.
“Oh, my God,” Tori suddenly shrieked. “Did I tell you? Oh shit, no! I think I forgot. Damn baby brain. Ugh!” she growled with a fierce shake of her head.
Lacey shoved a bowl of tiny meringues into Tori’s hands and patted her on the head like a two-year-old. “That’s okay, honey. You had so little to begin with in the brains department and well, with the baby—I guess there wasn’t enough to go around for both of you.”
They all cracked up laughing.
“Eat shit, Mrs. Cameron,” Tori giggled.
Meghan brought the conversation back into focus. “What didn’t you tell us?” she encouraged.
“Parker told me that…” Tori started but stopped when Meghan abruptly interrupted.
“When did you see Parker?” she demanded to know. When Tori arched an eyebrow at her, she winced.
“Sorry. Knee jerk reaction. Parker’s been haunting in the shadows lately about something and I, well…I got Alex to take care of it. Guess I was just feeling defensive at hearing his name.”
Tori snickered. “Got Dad to take care of it, did you?” The innuendo in her voice was spot-on and everyone knew it.
“Shut up,” Meghan chuckled with an embarrassed flush creeping up her neck.
“What got your panties so in a twist that you had to, uh…well, you know.”
She sighed, mugged a frown, and then sighed again. “Alex is insisting on a prenup.”
The room exploded with outrage, indignation, and more snarls and growls than the lion’s den at the zoo.
“What the fuck is wrong with him? Why—I’ll change all his passwords…” Tori was yelling.
“Please tell me you’re joking,” Lacey was barking. She’d never seen her look so mad.
A clearly disapproving Stephanie was hissing, “That makes about as much sense as putting tits on a pillow.”
She held up her hands to silence their combined indignation. Wait. What? Tits on a pillow? What in the hell did that mean?
“Hush, ladies. The Major retains his spot on the pedestal you’ve all got him on. The man has a damn Ph.D. in Honor and Integrity. Hmmm. Maybe I should start calling him Doctor. Anyway—forget what I said. It came out wrong. Yes, he wants a prenup, but not to protect what’s his. It’s all about protecting me. That damn lottery money again. I told him to go shit in his hat—hence the getting him to tell Parker to stand down. Now that I’ve cleared that up, circle back to Parker and something he told you, Tori?”
“Oh shit, right. Parker. Yeah, so anyway he told me that Whiskey Pete’s is starting a karaoke night. Got some fancy system. I thought we should go. The three of us. But you can come, too, Mom! We could call ourselves Ass, Boots, and Sass.”
“What?” The booming laugh that burst out of Lacey was funnier than her reaction.
“Yeah! Come on,” Tori exclaimed. “Think about it. Meghan is the Boots. You’d be the Ass of course, Lacey, and I’m the Sass.” She turned wide brown eyes on her and added, “Parker thinks Alex liked playing with the band. He thinks that by getting him out more, he’ll be easier to convince to do it more often.”
“So, let me get this straight,” Meghan drawled while Stephanie and Lacey bent over laughing. “You want to form a ladies’ karaoke group in order to coax Alex to a shithole bar so he can suddenly be overcome by some ancient rock star fantasy where the tech genius and the former DOJ lawyer rock out with their cocks out? Do I have this right?”
“Well fuck, Irish! When you say it like that, it does sound halfway to insane,” Tori cried.
“Are you kidding?” she shrieked with laughter. “I fucking love it! Oh, my God,” Meghan screamed. “The possibilities are endless.”
As they had themselves a good belly laugh amidst a round of tasteless jokes ripe with naughty humor, Betty suddenly appeared in the room. Meghan shot to her feet and ran to the woman who operated as both Chief Bean Counter and Crazy Grandmother to the unusual Justice Family.
“What’s up, Boop?” Meghan asked in a hushed voice. Ever since the first time they’d been introduced, Meghan had called the older woman Boop. Not only was her name Betty, but she had the black hair, big eyes, and red lips of the beloved cartoon character.
In a satirical voice, her sudden visitor flatly droned, “The eagle has landed. The package has been delivered. The chicken has crossed the road. The chipmunk…”
“I think I got it,” Meghan teased. “So, uh…now that the barrel has, um…rolled, are we good? You ladies are on this, right?”
The response? A two finger fake salute and a pithy, “Aye, aye, Captain.”