IT HAD ENDED UP BEING a pleasant evening all around at the St. John home, Stephanie thought. Tori was simply overjoyed to have her around and after their private conversation, Draegyn seemed to visibly relax. They had a happy dinnertime full of jokes and stories on everyone’s part that gave her a front row seat into the sweet way the expectant parents felt about each other.
She was glad to see firsthand how very much her son-in-law doted on her daughter and the unabashed love he focused on his pregnant wife. It became crystal clear to her that whatever qualms Tori had about her husband was the result of the unusual situation in which they found themselves. And clearly, the pregnancy hormones were also presently spurring some mood swings. It couldn’t be easy to be so passionately in love while pregnant at such an early stage of their relationship.
Rising with the dawn, she’d enjoyed the quiet charm of her private balcony while catching up on some time-sensitive emails from her assistant as she guzzled several cups of her favorite tea. It had been a pleasant way to start the day, which could only have been made better by someone to share it with.
Damn. There was that thought again. Something she’d been having with surprising frequency lately. Used to being alone, she was feeling bothered that her mind was turning in such an unfamiliar and unwelcome direction so frequently of late.
She’d had her love story, and it had been so close to perfect as to reach legendary status in her heart and mind. Daniel had been her soul mate, and when life had cruelly taken him from her, she’d simply shut down that aspect of her emotional life. He was just too hard an act to follow, so she’d never allowed anyone else to get that close ever again. It wouldn’t have been fair to the men who had tried unsuccessfully to catch her eye over the years. Since there was absolutely no way anyone could ever compete, what was the point?
The thing was, though that somewhere along the journey she started feeling the need to connect with someone on a deeper level. That need had become stronger once Victoria married. It was as if now that her daughter’s husband was looking after Tori, suddenly she had some extra space in her heart to fill.
Dressed in casual workout clothes, she was heading out for a good long run—trying to burn off the excess energy before she did something crazy like start organizing Tori’s closet. It was an old habit—whenever her mind wouldn’t settle, she corralled her wayward thoughts by focusing on random tasks. If that wasn’t possible, physical exercise usually did the trick. Not to mention the fact that she enjoyed her daily runs. She found the rhythm Zen-like and comforting. She and Daniel had run together and she supposed that keeping the habit alive was another way to feel closer to something that lived only in her memory.
Making her way quietly from her suite, she ran into Draegyn, who was carrying a large breakfast tray from the kitchen. He didn’t look quite as stressed as he did yesterday, which was a relief. He was also dressed in a baggy pair of sweats that were slung way too low on his hips, which was not a relief. Running into one’s half-dressed son-in-law was certainly an unexpected and odd position to be in.
Her horrified look was probably what gave her away. “Oh, shit, sorry,” he mumbled with a grimace. “My bad.”
When he started to back away like she’d just caught him sneaking out of his bedroom buck naked, she had to laugh.
“Relax, Draegyn. You’re dressed, after a fashion, but I’m pretty sure Tori wouldn’t like it if I went blind from all that St. John masculinity staring me in the face.”
He looked at her like he didn’t know whether to laugh or bolt for the hills. Oh boy. She had her work cut out with this one. For the hundredth time in two days, she wondered what his parents were like. Something as simple as running into his mother-in-law while he was clearly taking care of his wife totally threw him. Plus, he didn’t seem to know how to take a joke. Sheesh.
“Where you off to?” he asked.
“Oh,” she shrugged, “I thought I’d run up the road, stop in and gossip with Carmen, maybe check out the gym. Alex said it’s got all the latest equipment.”
“Well, that it does,” he chuckled. “Something about having a gym teacher in charge of things these days has certainly brought about a bunch of changes. What was once a big ol’ room overflowing with free weights and punching bags is now a full exercise studio. Got a machine for everything. Even a bunch of those Pilates whatchamacallits.”
“Oh, I forgot that the lovely Meghan was a teacher. It’s quite a change, huh? Suddenly having all these women in the mix.”
“Fuck yeah, it is,” he drawled. “Lacey had some crazy idea she could get us all to behave—clean up our language. And then Victoria came along. That’s some mouth she’s got.”
It was all Stephanie could do not to bend in half from the belly laugh that shot out of her.
“Hardly Southern belle material! She always was one to speak her mind, and Lord almighty but can my daughter swear up a blue streak. Just like her father in that regard. He was a gentleman lawyer by day and a cussing bad boy by night. It was her daddy that taught Tori how to swear like a Marine. Should make you feel right at home.”
Draegyn quirked a crooked grin at her and chuckled, “Boom!”
“How’s she feeling this morning? Better, I hope?”
Stephanie didn’t miss the way his eyes dropped away or the hilarious heated blush that was crawling up his neck. Alex had said that Tori and Drae were rather limited these days in the intimacy department. Judging by the sheepish look on her son-in-law’s face, she suspected that her hormonally challenged daughter had given him a run for his money last night.
Good for her, she thought. Men always picked the dumbest times to treat their women like hothouse flowers. After seeing the way those two touched and teased, she didn’t doubt for a second that some old-fashioned hanky panky had gone down in the master suite. As it damn well should have.
“Um, yeah,” he finally answered. “Says she’s got an appetite, so I’m hoping she eats something.” He hefted the tray to make his point. Every imaginable breakfast tidbit was evident—croissants, a pile of fluffy eggs, some bacon, even a bowl of fruit and yogurt. Yep. Her daughter was in good hands.
Reaching out, she squeezed his arm and beamed at him. “You’re a good man, Draegyn St. John. I can see why my Victoria loves you so much. Give her a big kiss from her mama and tell her I’ll be back in an hour or so. If she’s up to it, I’ll drive us up to the main house and we can bother Meghan. Maybe Lacey will bring that beautiful baby by and we can have some ladies’ time.”
Relief flashed across Draegyn’s face. “Aw man, that would be perfect Stephanie. Girl power?”
“Indeed,” she drawled as she turned and started making for the front door. “Enjoy your breakfast, shugah,” she chirped, blowing him a kiss and chuckling at the startled expression on his face.
“DON’T BE SUCH A DICK, Unc,” Alex griped. “I told you, the barbecue is to welcome Tori’s mom. I’m not asking you to date the woman, all I’m saying is to be nice. I’ve known her a long time and believe me—there’s more to that picture than what meets the eye. All that genteel Southern charm is just for show. Wouldn’t be at all surprised if she could arm wrestle your moldy ass to the ground.”
Calder Dane glared at his nephew. Cocking his head to the side, he grunted an inelegant, “Pffft,” and rolled his eyes. “Not my type, Alex, and you know it. Isn’t she some has been beauty queen? Can’t stand all that fake shit. Fake eyelashes. Fake lips. Fake tits.” He shuddered at the thought. “Give me a low-maintenance gal any day and we’ll be fine.”
Alex boomed with laughter and gave him some snooty ‘tude. “Hardly a has been. Stephanie Bennett is one powerhouse lady and for the record—there’s absolutely nothing fake about her except the Southern accent. I have it on good authority she’s a simple gal from the wide-open spaces, so she’s more your speed than you realize.”
Calder dropped the hand weights he was gripping and they hit the floor with a heavy thud. Tearing off a wrist brace, he smirked at his nephew. “Country gal with a fake accent? Fuck dude, you just made my case for me.”
“Oh. And I suppose that bubble-headed news reporter you were shacking up with last year was the epitome of low maintenance? Cut me a break. Your low-maintenance fuck buddy was an obnoxious twit, so back the hell off your high horse, why don’t you?”
“Y’know, Alex, Kristyl Stanley’s questionable intelligence wasn’t what got her into my bed so shut up. When you get to be my age and a pretty young thing fawns all over you, it’s stupid to resist.”
Alex threw him a gym towel and smirked. “Oh, cut me a break. You look like you could be Kevin Costner’s derelict brother and you know it. The ladies line up for a piece of whatever it is you’ve got going on. All I’m saying is to give Stephanie a chance. Be nice or I’ll tell Meghan you need an attitude adjustment and you know what that means!”
Both men laughed and made their way over to the heavy bag for a bit of boxing. While Calder held the bag, Alex started throwing punches until sweat was pouring off him and his determined grunts filled the air. He liked his nephew’s fiancée very much. She was exactly what he needed and now that they were planning a wedding, he couldn’t be more pleased for the well-matched couple.
Calder loved his nephew and nieces like it was his job. Ashleigh, his older sister, had married well. Her three children were all the family he really had now that his parents were gone. Although he’d been married briefly, once upon a time, there hadn’t been any kids, much to his chagrin. He thought he’d have made a decent father, but since it’d never happened, he’d never know.
Alex was imploring him to play nice. He had a reputation, one that was most likely well deserved, for being an asshole in social situations. Fuck man, he hated all that suck up and make nice small talk. Reminded him of another time when he’d been forced to play the schmooze game when the business was just getting started.
He couldn’t count the number of times some dickwad investor smiled to his face, promising all sorts of backing, then tore apart his ideas and tried to change his business plan behind-the-scenes. That was when he’d come to detest phonies. It was all for show. But he’d had the last laugh in the end and that was all that mattered.
The reporter Alex referenced, the unctuous Kristyl, had chased him down for almost a year. He finally gave in and agreed to let her interview him for an in-depth series she’d been assigned for a cable business and financial show. He might not be quite the legend that a Gates, Wozniak, or Jobs turned out to be, but he had earned a footnote in the history of the Silicon Valley technology boom from the late eighties and nineties.
As far as Calder was concerned, he saw himself as one of the countless tech-geeks churned out by Stanford University. He, along with others, flocked to the South Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay area when the introduction of the PC to the consumer market changed the playing field. It had been a heady time. He and his partner made a name for their fledgling start-up as cutting edge chip innovators, developing a stream of software that earned them enviable status inside the high-tech world of the cyber city.
They’d been smart guys, but by their mid-thirties, they had started to sour on the over-the-top excesses that became the norm inside the tech bubble. When he was just thirty-five, an offer too good to turn down for the technology they’d developed led to them wisely sell out for a sum of money that boggled the mind. A smart move in the end because just four short years later, the bubble imploded. By then, Calder had moved on, preferring to devote his considerable abilities and skills to causes that spoke to his soul. NASA came calling, as did the Defense Department. He got involved in global philanthropic concerns bringing manageable technology to the third world, but his special interests lay in STEM development, specifically targeting women and minorities.
Maybe it was the fact that he had two nieces that made him hope for a more balanced world than the second-class status and glass ceiling norm for women who existed in the sciences. Probably an odd passion for a guy like him, but somewhere along his journey he’d become a staunch advocate for feminist causes, something that earned him the ‘Pussy Whisperer’ title with his male friends.
Alex goading him into making nice with some beauty pageant hack struck him as odd considering his well-known reputation where shit like that was concerned. He disliked star-fuckers and reality sideshows. Maybe it was his California upbringing, whatever. It didn’t really matter. All that did matter, though, was his dislike of the Barbie doll mentality and Kardashian wannabes that he assumed this Stephanie Bennett personified. He’d seen those shows about parading kids made up like adults on a pageant runway. Fuck that noise.
After a bit, he switched places with Alex, who held the bag while Calder pounded relentlessly, absently aware of his nephew’s free stream of consciousness about the fabulously awesome Tori and her visiting mother. What-fuckin-ever, man.
“So, we’re good, then? I can tell Meghan you’ll behave and try not to incite a riot tonight?”
Calder flinched. What? Shit. Alex had been talking, but he’d been in no way listening. Dammit.
STEPHANIE SOUGHT OUT THE NEWLY renovated gym at the Justice compound. She felt like she needed to burn off the zillion calories she’d just inhaled, courtesy of a sweet treat that Carmen had introduced her to called a campechana. Dammit if those glazed puff pastries with the gooey raspberry filling hadn’t been completely irresistible.
Pressing her hand to her stomach, she half-giggled knowing that the trainer she’d been working with back in Atlanta would frown and shake his head at her indulgence. Pffft. So what? You only live once, and she was tired of coloring inside the lines. Sure, a bit of pastry loving was hardly the sign of her suddenly becoming a rebel, but she was trying to break the mold and let new things into her by-the-numbers existence.
The gym, tucked behind one of the many buildings spread out around the agency area of the compound, was easy to find. Stephanie figured she’d workout for a bit then wander back to the house and see how Tori was faring.
It was quiet inside the long, red-roofed building when she pushed open the wide glass door and stepped into the cool interior.
Making her way along the hallway, she passed several locker rooms—one for ladies, another for men, and yet another reserved for Family Justice. Stopping quickly to grab a gym towel, she headed for the large brightly lit workout space, stumbling awkwardly to a halt when her steps brought her to a bank of windows that looked into the enormous room.
She wasn’t alone this morning, having quickly spied several people on the other side of the space where a boxing ring and heavy bags were located. It took her all of about three seconds to identify Alex—he was kind of hard to miss—as he hung onto one of the heavy bags while someone else jabbed and punched with fervor. It was the man with him, though, that sucked all the oxygen out of her lungs.
Alex Marquez was one of those big, burly-looking men whose stature and physical presence caught the eye and tickled the fancy of any female with a pulse. But Lord have mercy, the person standing with his back to the window as he annihilated the bag Alex was holding was equally as impressive.
Broad shoulders and muscled arms glistening with sweat scrambled her brainwaves so fast that Stephanie had to shake her head to bring back some sanity. It didn’t help that he wasn’t wearing a top, not that Alex was either. She admired the way his beefy torso tapered to his waist and didn’t even bother not to check out his ass in the knee-length workout shorts—twice. When he suddenly backed up and started kickboxing his muscular legs at the bag, the expression ‘swoon-worthy’ came to mind. With no apology whatsoever for her language, she mumbled, “Holy fucking crap,” as she watched.