Chapter 41
Jamie felt Alex downshift during dinner—his authoritarian side and vibe felt far less threatening than when they arrived.
”No way,” he heard Kori exclaim.
”Way,” Alex drawled in reply.
Rebecca and Meghan watched this exchange—looking at each other occasionally with small smiles.
Commenting, Jamie said, ”That”s an amazing story. I watched a documentary recently about the awesome power of the Saturn V rocket. People witnessing it said it was mind-blowing.”
”My uncle is an interesting guy,”Alex replied. ”Ask him about it sometime—he loves telling his first-hand account of July 16, 1969, and what it was like to be a young boy witnessing history as it happened.”
Kori excitedly pressed for more details. ”So your mom and Calder Dane camped out with their parents to score a viewing spot for the moon launch? That had to have been so cool.”
”Yeah,”Alex confirmed. ”Their folks had a VW bus—perfect for camping. Calder was just a kid, but the atmosphere and the excitement about science and outer space fueled his brain. He says that was when he decided to learn everything he could.”
Meghan said, ”Being smart seems to run in the family,”she joked and motioned at the twins. ”Maybe one of these two—or both—have inherited a superior intellect.”
The little girl, Stevie, slammed her hand on the tray of her high chair, sending a pile of smooshed blueberries flying. Her older brother, Aiden, found this extremely amusing and laughed.
”I like having smarts,”Kori announced with the self-confidence of a well-adjusted young girl.
Jamie nodded his approval. ”You”ll go far with brain power.”
She grinned and leaned to the side to nudge him. ”Thanks, Doc.”
Alex watched the exchange and looked at Meghan. Jamie was relieved they seemed to accept his place in Kori and Rebecca”s lives.
When Meghan rose from her seat at the large outdoor dining table, so did Rebecca. She smiled at him and winked to let him know she was pleased with how things were going.
”Kori,”Meghan said. ”Would you lend a hand with the twins? I want to take them inside before they get antsy. It”s bath time—Carmen will be waiting.”
Kori jumped up to help. Rebecca got involved, too, saying, ”I”ll take Aiden.”
After ten minutes of wiping faces and tidying the carnage left in the twins” wake, the women and Kori exited the Villa”s private courtyard, leaving Jamie alone with Alex.
If his darker times had taught him just one thing, it was to speak purposefully. He knew Alex well enough to figure the man would appreciate his honesty.
Careful to keep his tone neutral, he asked, ”Do you feel better now that you”ve spent time with us? Did I pass the sniff test?”
An arched brow and a dry expression greeted Jamie”s question.
”I feel better knowing you fully understand who will be kicking your ass should Kori or her mother get hurt.”
A half-smirk quivered at the corner of Jamie”s mouth.”I appreciate the directness of your threat, and may I say I”m okay with your attitude. It says they have back-up, and that”s important, so, in a way, thanks. Thanks for the entirely appropriate threat, and thanks for keeping an eye on them.”
”You may proceed,”the big man chuckled. ”With our blessing.”
”Conditional blessing,”Jamie reminded Alex. ”Which willbe immediately withdrawn should I fuck up.”
Alex”s grin covered his entire face. ”You”re growing on me, Jamie. Don”t make me hurt you.”
He nodded and returned the grin. After a slight hesitation, they even shook hands. Then Alex stood. ”Care for brandy and a cigar?”
Not waiting for him to reply, Alex moved across the courtyard to the large stone fireplace.
”We burn low-heat firewood in the summer.”Alex gestured to the modest blaze.”My wife likes the ambiance, but it”s the middle of summer, and we don”t need to warm ourselves by the fire.”
”The more you know,”Jamie replied, stashing away the information about low-heat firewood for future consideration.
Two oversized, comfy-looking chairs sat before the raised hearth, with a substantial table between them. Alex took out two cigars, a lighter, and a cutter from a carved box on the table. There was already an ashtray.
”Grab the brandy and two glasses.”His host motioned to the bar cart.
Now that they”d gotten past the weirdness, their conversation flowed easily. A shortened version of how Alex took possession of a dozen Padrón cigars got a couple of chuckles out of Jamie. The man was known for captivating storytelling—and on this night, he did not disappoint.
The topic turned to the menagerie of animals overtaking the Villa”s ranch.
A ribbon of smoke rose in the air. Jamie savored the cigar”s taste. Exhaling slowly, he looked at Alex.
”I”ll be asking for a raise,”he informed his boss.
”I think you should,”the big guy quipped. ”This place wasn”t a zoo when you came aboard, but it is now.”
They smoked, drank, and tossed one-liners back and forth.
Alex relaxed in his chair. He stretched his legs out, cracked his knuckles, and sighed.
”This is when I”m supposed to ask you your intentions. Rehearsed those words with the wife,”Alex chuckled.
Jamie expected the inquiry and had given his reply serious thought. Alex wasn”t being a dick—he was looking out for Rebecca and Kori, as he should.
”It”sserious—big time. I think it”s safe to say our eyes are open. There are adult considerations in play. We”ve both got baggage, so things are, uh, moving slower than you and Meghan might be imagining.”
He made an extra effort not to rush the end, and when he finished, his final statement hung in the air.
Alex Marquez sometimes had a nerdy professor vibe—he could appear disorganized, distracted, and bored. In Jamie”s opinion, he was fucking with people because absolutely nothing got past the man.
Nothing.
”Well, shit,”the big guy drawled. His chuckle was throaty and deep. ”Now I really do feel like a father.”
”What do you mean?”Jamie was confused.
”Things moving slow—isn”t that just a euphemism for not having sex? I mean, that is what you”re saying, right? You are not sleeping with Rebecca. Correct?”
”Correct,”he answered in a joking tone. ”Can I call you Dad?”
Jamie knew he was stretching the point. The case could be made that if there was no intercourse, then they weren”t technically having sex. He hoped Alex would let it go and move on, but he knew he wouldn”t.
”You can call me sir.”
”Okay, sir. This is where I offer an impassioned speech about respect, honor, and doing the right thing. We”re not having a fling. I want to make that point. It”s serious.”
Alex stared at him.
Jamie fought the urge to squirm under the man”s intense stare. They were in a touchy area—they knew things about the other. Things men don”t acknowledge and certainly don”t talk about.
It might sound trite and sarcastic, but dominants are like snowflakes—each different. They had commonality in the areas mentioned—honor and respect.
A burst of nervousness made him want to clear his throat. He didn”t like being dominated, but he accepted the situation for what it was because, well, Alex.
”I”m not saying my fingerprints aren”t all over her—they are,”he admitted half-jokingly and half dead-serious. ”But there”s a lot at stake—Kori comes to mind—so fucking up is not an option. I know what I want, and I think she has a better understanding of what she wants. That”s where things stand. Does my answer satisfy your question?”
”Partially. Bottom line, Dr. Hunter. My wife and I want to know if you intend to marry Rebecca Tate.”
Good lord—Alex and Meghan were not messing around.
”And if you say yes, are you also prepared to be a dad to Kori?”
”Idon”t think we”d be here tonight if there were even so much as a hint of hesitation in either of your scenarios.”
”Marriage is a big deal to Family Justice, Jamie. We have standards.”
”And thank god for it.” He nodded and gave credit where it was due. ”I don”t think Rebecca or I would be able to take this leap of faith were it not for Bendover and Family Justice.”
At that moment, he wondered whether Meghan was putting Rebecca through a similar inquiry.
* * *
”Kori is sogood with the littles,”Meghan murmured so just the two of them could hear. ”She has wonderful patience.”
Becca was no stranger to Aiden and Stevie”s colorful nursery. In reality, the large room was two bedrooms with a clever collapsible wall that created an expansive space when opened.
Across the double room, right this very second, her daughter was down on the floor with the twins, rolling around and laughing.
”I think she wishes she had siblings. The twins are lucky to have each other.”
”It”s not too late, you know.”Meghan gave her a meaningful look. ”Stephanie had her second child when she was fifty.”
The very idea of being pregnant at fifty made her shudder. ”Do you think a pet will suffice?”
Meghan laughed softly— careful not to disturb the antics across the room.
The subject changed. Or did it?
”Jamie stepped up,”Meghan remarked in a light tone. ”Not everyone has the inner fortitude to withstand a command performance issued by the Major.”
”They”re similar in some ways,”she replied quietly. ”It”s an alpha thing.”
”What is?”
”Thinking they”re large and in charge of every situation. It”s amusing in some respects. Jamie hasn”t said so, but it”s a safe bet he expected Alex to yank his collar once we started dating.
”He”s concerned about …”Meghan nodded in Kori”s direction. ”My husband has grown enormously fond of your daughter. He”s the surrogate father you didn”t know you”d get when you moved here.”
”I”m touched that he cares. No, really,”she assured Meghan. ”When you”ve been invisible for so long, you notice when someone takes an interest.”
”We”ve both taken more than casual interest, Becca. Alex is astonished by Kori”s intellect. He thinks she will be able to write her own ticket, as the saying goes. Every college with good science, technology, and math departments will want her.”
”I hope she doesn”t lose her curiosity as she gets older. She”ll be an official teenager soon.”She crossed her fingers and kept her voice hushed. ”This is when life starts kicking you in the balls. Let”s get real,”she drawled. ”Could you be a teen today?”
Shuddering, Meghan shook her head. ”Too much pressure. Between social media and the crazy expectations of your peers, I don”t think I have anywhere near the bandwidth to handle it.”
Shrieks and giggles drew their attention. Aiden was demonstrating his acrobatic talents when Stevie suddenly head-butted him, sending the laughing toddler onto his bottom with a thud.
Kori looked up at her and Meghan. She laughed at the twin circus and gave the smiling mama a thumbs up.
”You got this?”Meghan called out.
”Yes, ma”am,”Kori hollered back.
”I”m taking your mom into the hallway to talk about you without whispering. Is that okay?”
”Ha ha,”Kori drolly quipped. ”Yes, I”ve got this. Go ahead. I”ll yell if they get the upper hand.”
Becca chuckled, winked at Kori, and dutifully followed the commanding redhead from the room.
Two comfortable-looking accent chairs were positioned in the hallway with a small table between them.
Motioning to Becca, Meghan sat.”Sometimes, when they”re sleeping, we sit out here and just marvel. All children are blessings. Twins are a miracle.”
She knew it was none of her business, but she asked the question on her mind. ”Are you planning to have more?”
Meghan made a noise. ”Pfft.”She sat straight, crossed her legs, and even flipped her hair over her shoulder. ”Shugah,”the vivacious woman drawled in a pitch-perfect Stephanie Dane twang. ”If you would just give in and come out to play with the Ladies of Justice, you”d know the answer.”
”Oof,”Becca laughed. ”Direct hit.”
Her eyes darted to the nursery where Kori played with the twins and thought about Meghan”s message.
Her reluctance to insinuate herself in the Justice social circle was nothing more than knee jerk, self-defense—a holdover from the unsettled times when trusting the wrong people almost destroyed her life.
She blew out an exhale of resignation and held her hands to show her capitulation.
”Okay, okay. I surrender,”Becca half-jokingly replied.
Meghan”s expression turned sly. Her green eyes twinkled. ”Smart lady. It”s best to submit.”
Becca sputtered, blushed, squirmed, and huffed. ”Did you just … wait. What?”
”Welcome to the club.”
Her mouth agape, Becca stared as her mind feverishly tried to decode the conversation. Was Meghan saying what she thought she was saying, or were the choice of words just messing with her mind?
”I figured it would save us weeks of dancing around the subject if I just came out and at least pointed to the gigantic elephant in the room.”
”Oh.”
”The Ladies don”t have a lot of secrets—pretending sort of defeats the purpose of strong female back-up. We”re more than just a book club and cheer squad. We fundraise and quietly do things for the community. We”re also a support group for each other. No judgement—no gossip.”
”Where do I sign up? Is there an application? Annual dues?”
”Annual dues?”Meghan gasped—her expression brightened. ”What a great idea!”
”I was joking,”she chuckled.
”But I”m not,”Meghan laughed.
”I”ve never really had girlfriends,”she blurted without thinking. ”Domineau was first.”
”Victoria St. John and Lacey Cameron are my firsts. Before them, I had colleagues and a few teacher pals, but never what we now consider girlfriends. Oddly, the same is true of most of the others.”
”I”ve admired how solid you all are with each other. The world needs more positive, supportive girl squads.”
”Hashtag-truth. Now let”s dish on you and the hunky doctor. How”s it really going?”
”Well, it”s complicated. There”s a learning curve and a shit ton of practical realities. Things are different when you”re in your thirties—more so when there”s kids involved.”
Meghan nodded. She softened her tone and asked, ”Is this a long-haul thing or something with an expiration date?”
Once again, Becca”s gaze shifted, and she looked into the nursery. In a flash of insight, she saw every possibility and grabbed one, holding on tight.
”You don”t have any shame, do you?”she teased Meghan. ”That”s what I call getting right to the point.”
”No shame in this game! Alex wants to know, although he”ll make it seem like I”m the Nosey Nellie, and then there are my girly girls. They want to know. Resistance is a zero-sum exercise. Submit,”the vivacious redhead drawled with absolutely no irony.
Was Alex asking Jamie the same question?
Probably.
Would he answer the same way she intended to?
She heard him tell her she wasn”t in this alone, that he had her back and supported her without hesitation.
”This is the hill I”ve chosen to make my stand—for Kori and for me. The good doctor is a handful, and my desire to throat punch his arrogance into the next century hasn”t lessened, but there”s something there if that makes sense.”
Meghan smiled. She leaned close and patted Becca”s knee. ”Okay, then! So, what”s next? Oh, I know. Clear your Wednesday early mornings. I hold a Yoga and Donuts class—consider yourself signed up. We meet at my studio. I”ll put you on the visitor list so you can sail through security quicker.”
”Did you just strong-arm me into a yoga class?”
”I said there were donuts,”Meghan jokingly scoffed. ”But yes. You”ll need a mat, a water bottle, and a sense of humor. And,”she said with a slight smirk. ”There will be a hazing. To be considered a Justice Lady, one must hop, skip, and jump through a few hoops.”