Always Sexy (Sexy #4)

Chapter One

Amber

I insert the key into the lock and open the door to my new home, a simple one-story ranch that represents a whole new life in a brand-new state.

“Surprise!”

I jerk back, startled, as I realize the most important people in my life are here to greet me.

“Uncle Landon!” My ten-year-old son, L.J., dashes past me and runs into his uncle’s arms. Landon’s twin, Levi, who passed away before I knew I was pregnant, was L.J.’s father.

Standing beside Landon are Tanner Grayson and Jason Dare, my son’s other godparents, the men who made it possible for me to purchase this house with their generosity.

When I look at these three men, who I’ve known for the last ten years, I see three handsome, accomplished guys who worked hard to get where they are in life.

Who overcame pain and hardship and stuck together through it all, including me in their long-term, deep friendship.

They are like brothers to me and uncles to my son.

With their brown hair in varying shades and muscular forms, at a glance they could be brothers, although on inspection, each has their own distinctive look.

They only recently found their own happily ever afters, and I am so thrilled for them all.

“Welcome home,” Jason says, pulling me into a hug, then passing me to Tanner and then to Landon, who still has his arm around his nephew.

“Can I go check out the rest of the house?” L.J. asks.

I nod, looking around the still-empty space. The movers will be here later this afternoon. “Go for it.”

He dashes off, the echo of his footsteps and shrieks of excitement bouncing off the walls and making me smile.

“What are you guys doing here? You’re supposed to be in Manhattan.” And in a little while, Landon’s parents, L.J.’s grandparents, are due to arrive and take him to the city for his summer adventure, leaving me ready to start one of my own.

“We decided to surprise you. Help you unpack and move in,” Landon says with a grin. He’s always been easygoing, even after the tragedy that befell all of us.

They never fail to do right by me, and I smile. “You didn’t have to drop everything for me. You already helped enough, lending me the money to buy this place.” Something I feel guilty about already.

“Giving you the money,” they all say at the same time.

I shoot them a glare. They all know how important it is for me to be independent just like I understand why they feel obligated to help me.

Not just because Levi was Landon’s twin but because all three men were there the night he died in a tragic college hazing incident when the guys were freshmen, and I was a sophomore, and they feel guilty for not being able to prevent his death.

I discovered I was pregnant while I was grieving, but the guys were always there for me. As have Landon’s mom and dad, Carrie and Samuel Bennett, as well as my own parents, Lydia and John, in Florida. When I quit college, packed up, and moved home, they stepped in to help me raise my son.

“Mom, look at the size of my room!” L.J. calls to me.

Laughing, I shoot the guys a warning look and head toward the hallway leading to the two bedrooms in the house, hearing their footsteps behind me.

“Do you like it?” I ask from the doorway of the room across from my own.

“It’s going to be cool. You said we could paint it blue, right?”

“Light blue,” I remind him. I don’t want a dark-looking tomb for my son’s bedroom.

“Can I get a Spiderman Fathead?” he asks of the life-size removable wall decal he’s been asking for … for what feels like forever.

“Of course—oomph.”

I shove my elbow into Tanner’s side as he answers without asking me.

I’ve been saving to buy it and have already decided the superhero will be on L.J.’s wall when he returns from his trip in a few weeks.

“We’ll see,” I say, ruffling his hair. I want the gift to be a surprise.

“Stop spoiling him,” I mutter under my breath to the guys.

Just because they own a hugely successful nightclub in Manhattan and can afford whatever they want doesn’t mean I will take advantage.

I already feel guilty for how much they are doing for me now, paying for this house and my classes.

But I desire to make a better, more secure life for L.J.

, and borrowing money allows me to get my degree in education and hopefully a minor in business.

I’ve already been taking classes part-time at home in Florida, and I need the ability to complete my studies more quickly and obtain a job that gives me summers off for my son. The guys have offered their financial help for a while. I’ve just been too proud, reluctant, and scared to accept.

“I’m hungry.” L.J. interrupts my thoughts and reaches for my bag, which I’ve yet to remove from my shoulder.

“Of course you are.” I give him the oversized purse I stuffed with treats and bottles of water, enough for a growing boy to be satisfied any time he asks.

He kneels down and begins digging through the bag, settling cross-legged on the floor so he can have his snack.

I look at him and grin at how his light brown hair falls over his forehead the way his daddy’s used to do. I don’t need to wonder if Levi would have loved his son. He would have adored the boy who looks so much like him and, of course, his uncle Landon.

“How about I order in some sandwiches,” Jason suggests, even as L.J. has already dug into some chips.

“Sounds good, man. I’m starving, too,” Landon says.

“I want turkey!” L.J. looks up from where he sits on the floor. “And mayo. And a pickle. And a soda. I can have a soda, Mom, right?”

I sigh, not in the mood for a soda-or-water argument. “Sure. And say please,” I remind him.

He blinks and nods. “Please!”

“Amber, what do you want?” Jason asks, his fingers hovering over the phone.

“Whatever you’re getting for L.J. is fine for me, too.”

While the guys stand by Jason and study the app on his phone, adding in their orders, I glance at my son, who looks up at his uncles adoringly.

I’ll miss my little man while he spends a few weeks with Landon’s parents traveling.

He is growing up so fast but this separation is necessary.

If I’m going to go back to college in the fall as well as hold down a job and raise my boy, I need to get my feet wet with summer classes while I am on my own.

I moved from my hometown in Jacksonville, Florida, to Linton, Connecticut, in order to be closer to the Bennetts, giving them a chance to bond with their grandson, and it will be equally good for L.J.

to have more family around since I left my parents down south.

Last year, my mom was diagnosed with late-onset multiple sclerosis, and my mother and father have their hands full taking care of my mom’s increasing symptoms.

I found myself at a crossroads. I could remain in Florida, continue my job as the manager of a local clothing store, taking part-time classes and hiring babysitters for L.J. when needed, or uproot our lives entirely. I gathered my courage and opted for change.

So here we are in a small college town in Connecticut, close enough to the Bennetts that they can help out while I am in school or working, and only an hour from the guys.

Now that I’ve made the move, my emotions veer all over the place, from excitement over my new life to nervousness because I am starting classes in a few days.

“Mom! They’re here!” L.J. is standing by the window. Turning, he runs for the front door.

“Wait for me!” I’ve tried to teach him not to open the door until a grown-up is with him, but I sense his excitement about seeing his grandparents. It has been a long while since their last visit in Florida.

I catch up with him as he bounces on his feet by the door and I pull it open.

“Grandma! Grandpa!” L.J. calls out, finding himself swept into their waiting arms.

From the day I discovered I was pregnant, I’ve been embraced by Levi’s grieving parents.

“Come in!” I say to the couple who always treat me like a daughter despite the fact that I wasn’t married to their son.

Carrie and Samuel walk in, each kissing me on the cheek. “I see your surprise helpers arrived?” Carrie asks with a chuckle.

“Hi, Mom, Dad,” Landon says. He strides over and hugs his parents.

“We can’t tell you how happy we are to have you two nearby. I know it’s a huge adjustment but it’s going to be wonderful,” Carrie, an attractive brunette, says, her hazel eyes glowing with happiness.

It is no wonder they have such good-looking sons, I muse.

“Of course, my wife said it best,” Samuel says, also beaming with pleasure.

I am so happy to know L.J. and I aren’t a burden to Landon’s parents, that we are giving them something to enjoy and look forward to as well.

“We would like to get an early start and miss later-afternoon traffic on the way to the city,” he says.

“We just ordered food. Can we add anything for you?” Jason asks.

Carrie shakes her head. “We ate before we came over. How about we wait until L.J. has his lunch and then we get going?” she asks her husband.

“Sounds like a plan,” Samuel agrees.

An hour later, we’ve all eaten our sandwiches, caught up with each other, and it is time for the Bennetts and L.J. to get on the road.

“Mom, I’ll be home later tonight. I’ll see you all tomorrow. You have the key to my place, right?” Landon asks.

She nods. “I still think we could just stay in a hotel.”

“Nope. There’s no reason you can’t stay with me.

I have the room,” he says of his three-bedroom in Tribeca.

He found a renovated warehouse that has been turned into an oversized apartment near Club TEN29, their place of business.

“I mean, we have the space,” he says with the grin he always has when mentioning Vivi, his wife.

“Okay, then. We’ll see you when you get home tonight or in the morning,” Samuel says.

I kneel down so I’m face-to-face with my little boy. “You’re sure you’re ready for this trip?”