56. Ransom
56
RANSOM
" B aby, I just need to have a private word with Kade. Save me a seat?" Half the adults are already in lawn chairs in the cul-de-sac. The rest of them will show up soon.
She tosses that sultry look that makes me want to drag her back into the house and do very dirty things to her. Okay, so maybe it’s an annoyed look. Same difference. Both of them have the same effect on me.
"Hurry your ass up, or the kids are gonna eat all the marshmallows."
I can't resist—my hand connects with her backside as she passes. The fire in her eyes promises sweet revenge later. We're going to have to find somewhere a little more soundproof since Max, and more likely a couple of the other kids, are going to be crashing in our living room tonight.
Maybe the back yard again.
Grabbing a cold beer from the cooler, I make my way over to Kade. Across the circle, Becca's helping their little girl take wobbly steps, holding both tiny hands. Even though her loose shirt hides it well, I know she's carrying their second child. The pregnancy's made her even more unpredictable than usual.
It's made her ornery.
Ornery enough to call me Ranny.
The first time, I let it pass. The second time, I did too. But now, she's doing it all the time, giving me that look when she says it. That look that says, 'I'm not scared of you.'
I warned her.
She's brought this on herself.
I sidle up to Kade, and we both watch as a horde of kids screams past, chasing each other with marshmallow-tipped sticks.
"Jesus fuck! You're going to kill someone. Stop fucking running," he yells, a hint of panic in his voice. They do stop thankfully, some of the neighborhood kids giving him apologetic looks. Max and Mia don't look sorry at all. He sighs, looking back at Becca, and their little girl, face going all soft and mushy.
This is going to be so easy.
"How's the pregnancy going?" I ask, taking a swig of my beer.
Kade grunts. "We're in the stage where she can't stand the way I chew. So, pretty well."
I chuckle, clapping him on the back. The things Becca can't stand rotated almost monthly during her last pregnancy. I think my favorite stage was in the ninth month when she'd randomly punch Kade in the stomach and yell at him that he's never touching her again. Obviously, she got over it after the baby was born, but my god, his whining those last few weeks was fun to watch. "You two deserve a break. Why don't you take her away for a weekend?"
Kade raises an eyebrow. "And go where, exactly?"
I hesitate, as if an idea's just struck me. "Well, I don't know if you'd be into it, but..." I trail off, letting the bait dangle. Should I feel bad for lying to my brother? Maybe.
Do I?
Not a bit.
Kade takes the bait. "But what?"
"Well, I caught her watching one of those historical romance shows the other day. And she was telling Blair that she wished she could experience that—one of those historical reenactment places. You know, where she can dress up in old-timey dresses, eat fancy foods, go to a ball," I say, shamelessly weaving my wife into my lie. I'll fill her in later. She'll have my back. She always does when it comes to fucking with my brothers.
And she’s not afraid of Becca, which is damn hot.
Kade looks skeptical. "You think she'd like that?"
Would the woman who made them leave a Michelin star restaurant and go to Outback on their first date like wearing a corset and fancy dresses? No fucking chance. Which is the point.
I nod. "Are you kidding? She'd love it. It's right up her alley—all that weird, quirky stuff. Plus, it'd be a change of scenery. A chance for both of you to unwind. A babymoon. Before she gets to the stage that she can't stand the way you breathe."
Kade considers it, rubbing his chin. "That gives me less than a fucking month." He nods slowly. "It's not really my kind of thing, but fuck, it might be fun to dress up. I saw one of those fucking shows once, and the dude flipped up her skirt and… well, anyway. I have some shit I'd like to reenact. I'll look into it."
"No need," I say, pulling out my phone. "I already found an event happening next weekend. It's perfect—they've got a whole Jane Austen thing going on."
"Brother! You're the fucking best. And you'll watch Mattie?" I nod because of course I'll watch Matilda. The baby is yummy, and she's got her mom's personality— a little crazy, but also weirdly chill. "Dude. You fucking rock. Okay, I'll get us tickets."
"Keep it a surprise," I suggest, pocketing my phone. "She'll love it even more if she doesn't see it coming."
Kade nods, a grin spreading across his face. "I'm pretty sure this is gonna go really fucking bad. And she may kill you when we get back. You got your shit in order?"
The man is not dumb. I shrug, taking another sip of my beer. "My wife will protect me."
Kade smirks. "My wife's a fucking ninja, dude. She's pretty scary."
"You ever seen my wife swing a pipe wrench?"
He stares at me, then over at Blair, who's helping Noah hold his roasting stick. It catches on fire, and he screams, flailing. Blair loses her grip, and Noah starts whipping the stick in the air, trying to put it out. It flies straight toward Zach, splatting on his shirt. Shit. That could have been bad. Blair's got that wild-eyed look that tells me she knows it too.
Jonas, sitting next to Zach, stares at the marshmallow, and I can almost see his wheels spinning. And I know what's going to happen before Zach does.
Jonas, quick as a snake, darts forward, licking the marshmallow off Zach's shirt. A look of disgust covers Zach's face, but I don't bother watching him anymore because Jonas has a flaming hot marshmallow in his mouth and just fucking realized it. His eyes widen, and he glances down at his daughter, giggling and clapping her chubby hands in his lap, then turns sideways and spits the marshmallow out. He doesn't aim for the ground, though. That would be too logical. No, he spits it straight at Nick.
Nick leaps up, frantically brushing at his shirt while Jonas stares at him, mouth open, deep breathing. "Hot!"
"Why did you spit it at me, you absolute lunatic?"
"The ground was too far away."
"The ground was literally right there!" Nick points down, his face incredulous.
I tune out their bickering, my attention drawn to Blair. She's showing Noah how to hold his roasting stick at just the right height above the flames. Her eyes keep darting to Nick and Jonas, though, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
That smile. It hits different than any I've seen before. There's pure joy there, mixed with a hint of wonder. Like she still can't quite believe this is her life now.
When we first all moved in here, I worried about her and how she'd handle everyone. Would she back away from the chaos? Coming into a new family with wildly different personalities, I wouldn't have blamed her. I get it. Do you jump in? Do you break it up? Is it okay to laugh? Can you tease them? But almost from day one, when she gave Declan shit for stepping on her lawn with a perfectly straight face, she fit.
Now she's right in the middle of everything, all the time.
Whether it's working with Micah on one of his car projects, or convincing my brothers to do something stupid, or showing Noah proper marshmallow technique while my brothers act like children around her. And she's not just tolerating it—she's loving every second.
Janey waddles over to Jonas, heavily pregnant, and smacks him upside the head. "You're teaching terrible habits to our daughter."
She's not wrong. Clara's full-on belly laughing over the marshmallow thing, and I'm pretty sure there's a glint in her eye that's going to be trouble in a year.
Though she's not walking yet. She can. I've seen her do it, but she'd rather her Daddy carry her. And calm, cool, rational Jonas refuses to listen to anyone who tells him he should encourage her to walk. If she wants to be carried, then he'll carry her, and fuck anyone who has an opinion about it.
He's so fucked. She's already in complete control of him. He's going to be just as bad with their second daughter, due before the end of the summer. They both wanted their kids close together in age, so they’d always have each other’s back.
Blair catches my eye across the fire, and her smile widens. There's so much love in that smile. And understanding. She gets us. She knows that underneath all the yelling and drama, there's nothing but love.
My chest tightens watching her with Noah. She fits here, like she was always meant to be part of this circus. My family welcomed her instantly, no questions asked. Even Becca, who tests everyone, fell for Blair's quiet strength and dry humor.
She was worth waiting for.
Colton and Evie's front door opens, and they emerge. Their little girl spots them and takes off running across the lawn.
"Mommy! Daddy!"
Mia launches herself at them, and Colton scoops her up. Even exhausted, Evie's face lights up at the sight of her daughter.
Evie shuffles over to the fire pit, dropping into an empty chair with a groan. I grab another beer from the cooler and take the chair next to her.
"You look like shit," I say, because there's no point in sugarcoating it. "Are you holding up okay?"
She flips me off without opening her eyes. "The practicum is kicking my ass."
"Can I do anything?"
Her eyes open, and she gives me an exhausted smile. "No. I wish there was, but I'm the one who decided to go back to school. I did this to myself."
"You did. But the people here will be damn lucky to have a Nurse Practitioner in town. They're all rooting for you."
Her smile turns a little less tired. "I know. I get asked how I'm doing all the time in town. And lots of free coffees."
I'm not surprised. This town's been without any kind of healthcare provider for too long. Most people need to drive at least an hour for a doctor's visit. That's not fun or convenient when you're not feeling well.
"You'll be done soon, though?"
She nods, smiling at Mia and accepting the slightly charred marshmallow she cooked for her. "Six more months. I'm done most of the book part, so it's just the clinic hours mostly. And it's good. It's exhausting, but I'm learning so much. I think I can really be good at it."
"And you're sure you want to practice here? I don't want you to feel pressured into?—"
"Shut up," she says, yawning. "I love this place. Mia's thriving here. Everyone's so happy and comfortable; I don't want to tie myself to the city again. I would never move her out of school. And just saying, the helicopters are amazing and a great way to commute during the week, but I am so done with it. I want to walk to work in the morning. I don't want to feel so rushed anymore. And I don't want to raise more kids away from family." They've been talking about a sibling for Mia. It'll happen. Though I'm not sure if they've decided on the how. They both love the idea of adopting again, so we'll see.
It doesn't matter how their child comes to us. They will be loved completely.
We both stop to watch as John emerges from the house, carrying a massive platter loaded with steaks, chicken, and his fucking amazing marinated pork chops. He sets it on the weathered table beside our behemoth of a grill—the centerpiece of almost every evening in the summers, and a lot of them during the rest of the year. It only gets put away in the coldest part of winter. Abby skips out of the house carrying a big bowl. God, I hope that's potato salad.
"Oh, thank god," Evie says, stomach growling. "If John were still in the city, I'd probably spend a night or two there during the week."
"Yeah. I think he's happier here, though."
"He is. It's obvious. I think he needed that restaurant. He needed to feel like he could accomplish something."
"He needed to prove something to himself," I agree. "That he could do more than survive. But once he did..."
"He found out it wasn't what he wanted," Evie finishes.
John is happy here, but still a little unsettled. I’ll have to check on him tomorrow, and see if there’s anything he needs to talk through.
One of our many rescue mutts—I think this one's Bear— wanders over and flops down with a heavy sigh, resting his chin on my foot. His tail thumps against the ground when I reach down to scratch behind his ears.
"Does it bother you?" Evie asks, looking around at our gathering family. "Having people work from here instead of the city? You built that whole space, and now most of your brothers aren't even there most of the week."
"Honestly? No. The work's getting done. That's what matters."
"Are you sure? It was your dream, wasn't it, to have everyone close?"
The man that planned that space, who was so desperate to keep everyone together feels like another man. "It was. But dreams change, and I'm learning that letting go can lead to some pretty amazing results."
"I like seeing you happy," she says, patting my knee. "This place, and your wife look good on you."
"Yeah, I think they do too." I want to be here more. I’m not willing to give up on any of the projects were involved in, and I’m learning that I don’t have to. But setting up a real office out here would be a big help.
I gaze out across the acres of property, mentally mapping out where we could put up a new building. Maybe something modern but understated, tucked away behind those old oaks. We have hundreds of acres out here, so there are plenty of options. Or there's that empty building next to the coffee shop downtown—the brick one with the huge windows. With some work, it could be perfect. The wheels are already turning in my head, plotting out floor plans and calculating square footage. But this time, it's not because I need to have everyone close.
That clawing itch that pushed me to build out the new Chicago office isn't there anymore. Because our lives are changing, needs are changing, and through it all, our entire family has put in the work to stay close. When Bree talked about sitting on the porch and watching the kids bike, I didn't really get it.
I do now.
Most evenings, we're out here talking, watching the kids play. I see my brothers and sisters-in-law all the time, and I get so much time with the kids it's like they belong to me—to all of us. Add in all the kids' friends, and it's a party. Often we'll have other parents, friends from town, and Nan and Connie out here too. And in the summers, it ends up being some sort of free-range summer camp, where there's always a few adults supervising. We have a separate chat to organize that.
It's awesome, and I want more of it.
The Chicago penthouse has become our vacation or getaway place.
Badger Falls, and this cul-de-sac?
It's home.
"Everyone's more relaxed here," Evie says. "I love it. I didn't know places like this existed. It's so far from New York and the way I was raised." I can believe it since she was raised by old money assholes.
Zach's tiny dog emerges from under his chair, yawning dramatically. She surveys the yard where the other dogs are still chasing the kids, then retreats back to her safe spot.
"That dog," I chuckle. "She thinks she's one of the big dogs until she remembers she's basically a rat."
"Hey," Zach calls from across the fire. "I heard that. Peaches is not a rat."
"She picked a fight with Louie," Blair adds, settling into the chair beside me. "Then hid behind Zach's legs when he whined at her." Louie's the calmest out of the dogs. He's one of the puppies dumped on the front step of Cadence's rescue. We all helped bottle-feed them, so there was no way they were getting adopted by anyone but us.
"She's scrappy," Zach defends. "Like her daddy."
Kade, Jonas, and Zach all start arguing about how not scrappy Zach is. Blair carefully helps Noah get his marshmallow off, then hands the stick to Micah as he and Holly approach. Holly's got little Grace strapped to her chest.
Blair leans across me to chat with Evie, but suddenly Evie’s up, heading for the barbecue to rescue Colton from John.
Blair groans and shakes her head. "Why won't he just let John do it?"
"I don't know. It's getting ridiculous at this point." Colton's insistence on becoming a barbecue master would be fine if he could stop burning everything he touches. But the man's either wandering away or insisting everything's fine while actual flames are shooting out of the grill.
I tug Blair’s chair until it’s touching mine. Still not close enough . "I need to buy one of those two-person chairs. So we can be closer."
"You had me plenty close half an hour ago."
I smirk at her because I'm still feeling all kinds of satisfied. "Yeah, I did."
She laughs, shaking her head like I'm being silly. But I see the heat in her cheeks. She remembers how good I gave it to her. I'm going to do my best to corner her again tonight once the kids are asleep.
"She's a lifesaver you know," Blair says. I follow her gaze to Holly and Micah, lounging on the other side of the fire, trying to keep up with the topic change.
"Holly?"
She hums a yes. "Dad was never good with the paperwork. And I didn't do much better. I know I made a bit of a stink about it. It felt weird to have someone that wasn't a McKenna in there. But it's such a relief."
Figuring out who decided to move here permanently, Micah or Holly, is kind of a chicken-and-the-egg thing. But one day, they showed up at the front door, looking all kinds of serious.
Within weeks, Micah had permanently taken over one of the three bays at McKenna's, and Holly was getting the office into shape.
"I'm glad you were open to it. Micah's custom stuff comes with a lot of extra overhead and paperwork. And he doesn't like being too far from her."
"They're adorable together," she says, grinning as Micah hauls a squealing Noah onto his lap. Noah giggles through some tickles, then very adorably leans over and gives his baby sister a kiss on the top of her head. Then he stays for a second, snuggled in Holly's sizable chest. "And they make very beautiful babies."
"They sure do."
We sit, holding hands, letting the busyness around us blur together. Finally, I lift my wife's hand to my lips and press a kiss there. "You happy?"
She turns questioning eyes to me. "Of course I'm happy. Why?"
"You just… sometimes, the way you watch the women who are pregnant makes me wonder if you wish things were different?"
She doesn't brush me off, just looks back at Becca and Janey, who just woke up from her nap and plopped herself into Jonas's lap, looking like she'd like to go back to sleep.
"I think having that experience with you, making a baby would have been wonderful. But I love what we have now. I love the freedom we have."
"But you watch them so much."
She winces, biting her lip. Then she leans in and lowers her voice. "It's just… I know it's a normal, natural thing, but I can't help thinking that one of them might just burst their way out, Aliens style."
"Thank you so much for putting that image in my head. Really. Thank you. That's not going to give me fucking nightmares."
She laughs, dropping her forehead to my bicep. "You asked."
"Remind me to never do that again. I don't want to know what the fuck's going on in that head of yours."
"Are you sure?" Her voice turns dark, and I'm immediately hard as a fucking rock. "Because someone told me a little something about the spin cycle on the washing machine. I thought we could give it a try tonight after the kids go to sleep."
"The spin cycle? Who did you hear that from?" She doesn't answer me, just bites her lip, and my dick goes as limp as a fucking piece of string. "Dammit, baby, it was Nan or Connie, wasn't it? Fuck. You ruined it. You just killed him." I wave at my dick, and the damn woman just laughs. She's so cruel. And beautiful.
But also cruel.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. The idea was intriguing." I grumble about it, but her laughter makes it hard for me to keep it up. If she’s happy, so am I. That’s just the way it work.
"It is. As long as you don't consider the source."
We're interrupted by Maverick and Cadence, arriving home from the rescue. It took some time. Cadence wanted to do a lot of the work herself, but she transformed that farm. And that place has turned into way more than a dog rescue and training facility. It's now home to all kinds of animals, the barns filled with miniature horses, old draft horses, and a variety of other animals. And thankfully, she has no shortage of volunteers.
Maverick's stopped taking on extra cases in the city. He spends his free time helping at the rescue. Those stress lines are gone, replaced by a deep tan and laugh lines around his eyes.
He looks five years younger.
"I wonder if they're going to be having babies," Blair muses. "They'd be wonderful parents if they want that."
"Nan's been making noise about grandbabies. We'll see. If she wants them, she'll have all the support she needs."
"It helps that her rescue has unlimited funding. I know she wants to try and make it run on its own, but really, what else are you guys going to do with all that money?"
"I'm not the one that needs convincing. Maybe the two of you need a coffee date to discuss fiscal responsibility. Or in this case, irresponsibility."
"Yeah, I'll get right on that," she says dryly. My wife puts on this act, like she doesn't want to interfere, and yet she does it all the time. She's the one that they all go to for relationship advice. I'm not sure why they've decided she's some love guru, but I'm not mad about it. I love that they all have individual relationships with her. More than once I've tried to pick her up for lunch, only to find her already snatched away by one of my brothers.
"I'm taking you away. We need a little one-on-one."
"To the penthouse?"
"Nope. Too close. I want you all to myself for a little while. Maybe a month."
She leans forward. "A month?"
"Yep. Picture it. You and I. A quiet little place on the ocean, or in the mountains, or in some stone cottage in the country. Nothing to do, no one interrupting."
She opens her mouth. Closes it. "When?" she asks, her eyes lighting up with interest.
"Whenever you want, baby. Just say the word and we'll go."
"Well..." She taps her finger against her lips. "Not August—that's when school starts back up. I don’t want to miss that."
"September then?"
"Cara and Declan's baby is due then. And then there's Halloween..."
"November?" I suggest, already knowing where this is heading.
"Thanksgiving without everyone? No way. And then Christmas..."
"No. We can't miss Christmas. Watching the kids open presents is the best thing about the holiday." No way am I going to miss that.
She bites at the corner of her lip. "There's a birthday or some other event happening every single month."
We look at each other and burst out laughing. Blair buries her face in my chest, her shoulders shaking.
"So…no month-long vacation?"
"Maybe we could do a shorter trip?" She traces patterns on my arm. "Like a week? I love the idea of having you all to myself, but..."
"But you don't want to miss any of this chaos?"
"Is that terrible? I spent so many years of my life feeling like an outsider. Now I have this huge, crazy family, and I love every minute of it."
"No, baby, that's not bad at all. We'll go somewhere tropical. Nick messaged that the private island he and Bree are staying at for their honeymoon is beautiful and private. And clothing optional."
"Sounds perfect. We could— who gave him lighter fluid? Colton. Colton! Give that to me right now!"
Laughing, I watch my wife stride across the lawn and yank the bottle out of his hands, then proceed to lecture him, finger in his face and everything.
So maybe I'm the Dad of this group.
But she's totally the Mom.
Across the fire, John and Abby are arguing, voices hushed. In one smooth motion, he stands and throws her over his shoulder.
"Where are you taking me?" Abby squeals.
"Home. Got some talking to do." He stomps across the yard toward their house, while Abby waves at us upside down, then seems to get distracted by John’s ass. "Any of you fuckers disturb us, and you won't live to see morning."
It's less than a minute after the door closes when they start up.
"You know what we should do?" Zach grins, getting to his feet. "Go see if they need some help talking it out.”
“Yeah. I’m trained to help people through disagreements.” Colton rises too, rubbing his hands together.
Micah rubs at his chin, grinning. “Gotta help."
"Sit your asses down right now." Blair's voice cuts through their plotting like a knife. All three freeze mid-motion.
"But-" Zach starts.
Blair points at his chair. "Down."
"We were just gonna-" Colton tries.
"I said plant those butts in those chairs." Blair crosses her arms. "Unless you want to piss me the fuck off...”
The three exchange glances, weighing their options.
"She's got that look," Micah mutters.
"The scary one," Colton agrees.
They all slowly sink back into their seats.
"Smart choice, boys." Blair nods approvingly. "Now, who wants s'mores?"
Three hands shoot up immediately.
I pull Blair close as she passes my chair. "That was hot as hell, baby."
She grins. "Someone's got to keep these overgrown children in line."
"And you do it so well." I press a kiss to her temple. "Though I kind of wanted to see what you'd do to them if they actually tried it."
"Trust me," she says with a wicked smile, "they really don't want to find out."