Chapter 37
Two surprising pieces of information made their way to Becca”s ears the very next day.
Quiet shockwaves blew through Family Justice when rumor had it that Remington Bisset was pregnant.
Remy pregnant? Wow.
Becca liked the plucky former Army helicopter pilot. The lady was a badass in every way that counted and a few that didn”t. Alex was a big fan of hers and had plucked her out of the motor pool that served both the family and the agency and put her and the improbably named Blaze Glory—also a legendary Army pilot—in executive roles at the latest Justice venture, Knight Phoenix Aviation.
Remy was also engaged to Finn O”Brien, co-owner and head chef at Whiskey Pete”s. Not content to be a one-trick pony, though, Finn—a former EMT from Boston and Meghan”s little brother—also ran Pete”s Roadhouse, an RV campsite on the edge of Bendover.
The two made a fascinating couple.
There wasn”t any scuttlebutt about what could happen next. All she could do was keep her ears open.
The second wow came from Domineau when her friend called to say her future mother-in-law, the infamous feminist icon and best-selling author Lisette D”Alessandro, showed up on her doorstep without any warning whatsoever.
Domineau asked about Kori”s schedule in case they needed a babysitter because Rafe had the bright idea of showing off his mother to Bendover, and vice versa, with a rowdy evening at Whiskey Pete”s.
Swiveling her desk chair like an amusement park ride, she laughingly cackled, ”Wheee!” Summer had sure turned interesting.
It was late afternoon, that point in the day when the temperature was highest. The ranch observed a siesta break for people to rest and escape the heat for practical purposes. She”d hung around the pavilion, chatting with the workers, and then headed for her small office to enjoy the air conditioning.
That”s where she was when Jamie messaged to let her know he was stopping by the storeroom to replace the first-aid kits they kept on hand for the chickens and goats.
Hmm. Tapping her lips with a fingernail, she considered why he was telling her this. Was he suggesting they meet up? Hook up? What?
Last night had been hugely consequential in terms of their relationship. As the saying goes, there was little reason to turn back now, not when their times together had made her so happy.
She suggested he stop by her office when he was finished—to cool off.
He countered with a direct command that put a smile on her face by simply demanding she get up off her gorgeous ass and bring her bad self to him.
Her submissive heart whistled a happy tune.
Twenty minutes later—her teeth and hair brushed—she slapped on a straw cowboy hat and sunglasses, grabbed a thermal water bottle, and headed outside for the short walk to the back of the barn where the storeroom was.
Spying Jamie”s truck as she came around the corner, her mind”s eye pictured her posing naked for him in the truck”s bed. She remembered the way his eyes gleamed. She also remembered him doing things—erotic things—and felt a blush creep up her neck.
She removed her hat and sunglasses inside the barn and went to the storeroom. Jamie was there, unpacking a large carton, his face dripping sweat.
Concerned because it was so freakin” hot, she swiftly offered him her water bottle.
”Here, drink something before you dehydrate.”
He flashed her a grimace that turned into a welcoming smile. ”Thanks, honey. I forget that my superpowers don”t match the sun”s power.”
He took the water and guzzled half of it.
Pulling his sweaty T-shirt over his head, he used it to wipe his face and then went back to unboxing the animal supplies, saying, ”If I stop now, this isn”t getting done. Give me five minutes.”
Watching him was sheer pleasure. Comparing his impressive physique to Adonis was fun. The man took her breath away. She especially liked the v-line of his lower abs visible each time he hoisted supplies onto the higher shelves.
Of all the things she knew about him, his underwear preference was not one. She pondered the possibilities. Was he a boxer fan? Trying to imagine him in a pair of grandfather boxers made her choke back a giggle.
Long-leg cotton boxers were a possibility. She”d recently seen a commercial for a brand hawking boxers with literal ball pouches. It struck her as funny until she went off in her head about men, their balls, and how they dealt with that whole thing.
Becca doubted Jamie Hunter was a thong guy—it would be like jamming her grown-up boobs into a flimsy training bra. There was no way a thong could handle the package that left her amazed after catching him in the buff.
Old-school white fly-front BVDs didn”t seem like his style either.
Today”s modern, stylish, drool-worthy briefs—the ones in all colors that mold and shape—have the most possibilities.
That was literally what she was thinking when the sound of heavy footsteps alerted her to the presence of others.
Jamie paused, too, and looked at the wide barn doorway in time to see the Justice business manager, Betty, and Alex entering the crowded storeroom.
”How convenient that we found the two of you together,” Betty sniggered while Alex stared at them with a guarded expression.
Sensing a disturbance in the force, Becca straightened. They were in her domain, so she spoke. ”New first aid kits for the ranch,” she explained in a matter-of-fact tone. ”What”s up?”
She looked back and forth between Betty, Alex, and Jamie while the three did the same.
What the hell was going on?
”It”s come to our attention,” Alex barked, ”that you two are self-identifying as a couple.”
Jamie chuckled, which earned him a scowl from the big man.
Betty produced a folder out of thin air, slapped it on top of a stack of cartons, and flipped it open.
”Please note that I”m wearing my HR hat,” she stated with a slight smirk. ”Is what we heard true? Are you dating?”
Her emphasis on the word dating suggested she wanted to say sleeping together.
Cringing, Becca attempted to respond, but Jamie stepped up and took over.
”Yes, we”re dating. It”s consensual,” he proclaimed meaningfully, his gaze directed at Alex.
The two alphas stared each other down as some man-to-man silent dialogue took place.
”Is there a problem?” she asked in a shaky voice.
”No,” Betty assured her. ”Not as long as you both sign this relationship affidavit.”
”Relationship what?”Jamie muttered.
”Affidavit. A document stating the facts. Two consenting adults. It”s a workplace thing.”
”Oh, I get it. HR doesn”t want us sneaking around.”Jamie said
He signed without reading the document, so she followed suit and returned the pen to Betty.
Although the room still felt tense, she sensed a dialing back of the aggression from a few seconds ago.
Her eyes darted to Alex”s face. Attempting to appear braver than she felt, Becca squared her shoulders and sought to assure her boss with a mild defense—after all, the big line in the sand had not yet been crossed. She and Jamie had not slept together and, technically speaking, had done nothing more than indulge in making out.
”Word travels fast,”she lamely quipped. ”We”ve only been on a few dates.”
Betty was still in the driver”s seat and replied with some starch in her delivery. ”Are you two a couple or not?”
Jamie answered, ”For the last time, yes. We”re a dating couple. Is that the language you want?”
Aggression was back in the air.
Alex made a noise that put a knot in her stomach.
”Excuse us, ladies,”he muttered through clenched teeth. ”The doctor and I need a moment.”
Directing Jamie to the door with an authoritative wave, the two large men marched out of the storeroom, leaving her alone with Betty.
Becca”s first instinct was to follow the men—they were going to talk about her after all—but the Justice business manager put out her hand.
”Leave them be.”
”But,”she mumbled.
”Trust me. It”s how they do,”the senior administrator declared in a voice that said she knew what the hell she was talking about.”Men with prickly consciences need to get it out, or it festers. Don”t worry, my dear.They”llstomp, growl, and chest bump, and then the doctor will come to his senses and back down. It sounds hostile, but believe me, it”ll end with an understanding and maybe even a handshake.”
”Was all this necessary?”Becca asked.
”If the two of you were further down on the chain of command, perhaps not. But the fact is that you and Dr. Hunter are senior personnel. Justice admins. What you do has consequences. What people think matters.”
Betty gave her a meaningful look.
”And not to state the obvious, Becca, but one needs to consider the gender politics at play. Perception is everything. The last thing a strong female in a predominantly male workplace needs is people making assumptions. To put it bluntly, are you sleeping your way to the top like some daft bimbo with loose morals?”
”Oh my god.”
”Yes, exactly. The affidavit isn”t overkill. It”s a public statement that puts you and Dr. Hunter on the same footing. Is it intrusive? I guess, but it makes it clear to the blabbermouths and scandalmongers that there”s nothing to see here, and they should move along.”
* * *
Outside the storeroom,Jamie strode with belligerent footsteps far enough away from the sliding storeroom door that what he and Alex said wouldn”t be overheard.
He put on his sweaty, damp T-shirt, turned to face the man, crossed his arms, and asked, ”How did you find out so fast? Who tattled?”
When Major Alexander Valleja-Marquez arched an eyebrow and spoke with a slight lip curl, Jamie held his breath as his life passed before his eyes.
Jesus H—the man had a scary side that nobody wanted to tangle with, least of all him.
”Seriously? You want to talk tattlers? Goddammit, Jamie.”Alex kept his distance, but Jamie sensed the guy wanted to throttle him.
”I know everything, you dumb fuck,”the Major spat. ”And I”m pretty goddamn sure that I told you in our first conversation how thoroughly we vet Justice employees. And I”m also sure I added the caveat that what I didn”t know then, I”d know eventually.”
Jamie stood his ground but winced internally. What was Alex implying? Did this vetting he referred to include sexual references? Did Alex think Rebecca was in some sort of jeopardy?
Oh, dear god. He swallowed the worry lodged in his throat.
”I”m unsure what you”re trying not to say, but I assure you that this is real—me and Rebecca. It”s not a game, Alex. I, uh, care about her. A lot.”
”Oh, for fuck”s sake,”Alex growled. ”Becca Tate is an adult, and I respect her choices. This is about Kori. I will personally fuck you up if your interest in her mother is a problem.”
Startled by the threat and Alex”s protective reaction where Rebecca”s daughter was concerned, Jamie stepped back and gawked at his boss.
”But I like the kid—she”s smart as a whip and funny as hell.”
”Idon”t care if you like her,”Alex growled, his face getting redder by the moment. ”I care what an impressionable twelve-year-old thinks about you shacking up with her mom.”
”Give me some credit, would you? We”re not shacking up, for Christ”s sake.”
”Have you thought this through? Have you considered what you two dating,”Alex grunted using air quotes, ”means from a bigger picture standpoint? Are you prepared to be a stepfather?”
Whoa. Stepfather? Jamie”s head jerked, and he straightened.
”Let me guess,”Alex sneered. ”You haven”t even thought about it, have you?”
Stupidly muttering, ”Cart before the horse,”almost earned him the throttling Alex barely held back.
He instantly regretted the words.
That was when the big daddy of Family Justice unloaded a parental lecture about manhood and the honor code that Alex lived by.
Jamie cringed. Being taken to the woodshed made him feel like shit.
Unfortunately, Alex hit the nail on the head. While it was true that he genuinely liked Kori Tate, he hadn”t given any thought whatsoever to how his budding relationship with the kid”s mother would affect her.
Consequently, he had yet to peek inside the stepparent box. At all.
Separating his feelings for Rebecca from what a relationship with her meant in practical terms was a bonehead move.
”That young lady has been to hell and back. She watched her piece of shit father dump her mother during a deployment. Then, her grandparents joined the takedown and used Kori to wage a custody court battle. I have a daughter,”Alex growled. ”How you treat a girl”s mother is important, and I”m not just talking about being polite.”
As the stern lecture continued, Jamie considered what he knew about Alex”s relationship with Kourtney Tate. It was clear that the big man considered her one of his charges.
He knew the two had established a bond over their respective nerdiness and a shared love for iconic 60s classic rock drummers. He also knew Alex and Meghan trusted her enough to babysit the twins.
Bringing one-year-old Stevie Marquez into the conversation sobered Jamie. He knew exactly what Alex was getting at.
Sensing an end to the lecture, Jamie gave Alex his full attention, nodding occasionally to let him know he heard what the big man was putting down.
”Thank you,”he said on a sigh. ”You were right to say something, and I apologize for being defensive.”
”I like you, Jamie, and I want you to do the right thing.”
Hearing the unspoken in Alex”s words, he reassured him without saying too much.
”She knows —about the past.”For good measure, he added, ”She knows everything.”
”That”s a start.”
”And I”ll take your advice and speak to Rebecca about this.”
There wasn”t any more to say, so Alex nodded and walked away.
Normally, Jamie would seek solitude to think about everything, but he no longer had that option. He couldn”t disappear on Rebecca. A Dom did not cut and run. He told her he”d have her back and that she could trust him.
With that thought powering his feet, he hurried back to the storeroom.