First Love

“Yes. I’m not sure either of them will be very happy with me for a while, but they gave me their blessing. Though I think Trevor will likely get over it faster than Justice.”

My dad regarded me with a knowing gaze. “Trust me, when you have a daughter, you’ll understand.” Then he studied me for a moment before asking, “How much did you tell them?”

“Only that I want to marry Eva.”

“Nothing about how you plan to convince her?”

I shrugged. “Nope.” I didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought about my methods because my focus was on taking and keeping Eva. And I would do whatever was necessary for that to happen. “I did make it clear that you know how I feel about her but didn’t let on that you know about everything I’ve planned. So if they come to you after they find out, it’s up to you whether to tell them.”

“Tell who, what?” I almost jumped at the unexpected sound of my mom’s voice. Her question had me freezing like a deer in headlights.

Okay, so I cared about one other person’s opinion…which was why I’d kept my mom in the dark concerning Eva. I would tell her after I’d gotten my ring on my girl’s finger. Hopefully, my mom wouldn’t ever have to know what I did to get it there.

“Nothing, angel,” my dad said as he stood and closed the distance between them. He grabbed her around the waist and dropped his head to kiss her. I appreciated his attempt to distract her, but when the kiss started to get out of hand, I wrinkled my nose and groaned.

“Seriously? I’m right here.” I was used to my parents’ PDA, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to complain about it. “I think five kids is more than enough proof that you do things I’d like to pretend you know nothing about. I don’t need another reminder.”

“I need to remember to give you shit when you bring your wife around someday and can’t keep your hands to yourself,” my dad mumbled against my mom’s lips. She giggled, and I covered my face with my hands until the sounds of my dad mauling my mom stopped.

“Then I better be going so I can get myself that wife.”

My mom laughed and rolled her eyes. “I’d like to see you bring home a date!” she teased. “Hard to find a wife without some of those.” I could understand my mom’s cynicism since I’d never brought a girl home before. But she didn’t know the real extent of it…the truth was, I hadn’t been on a date since I was a teenager. What was the point when I already knew they weren’t going to measure up to the woman in my dreams?

Jumping to my feet, I strode over to my parents and pulled my mom from my dad’s arms to mine. “You never know, Mom. I might surprise you.” I winked at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek before letting her go and hugging my dad.

“Good luck,” he murmured in my ear. I nodded in acknowledgment as I stepped away.

Hope popped into the room carrying a reusable grocery bag and handed it to me with a bright smile. I got down on one knee and looked inside to see that she’d packed me a goody bag. My sister loved to bake, and she was quite good at it, especially for a seven-year-old. “Are these some of your crazy-awesome treats, sunshine?” I gasped.

She clapped and bounced on her unicorn slippers. “Yes! We made them this morning just for you!”

Grinning, I pulled her into a hug. “Thank you, sunshine.” She beamed at me, and I brought our faces close together before whispering, “I missed you most. Don’t tell Mom.” Then I held out my pinky, and she linked it with hers, shaking on the secret.

My parents’ driver, Anthony, had come to pick me up at the airport and had brought me straight to their house. My bags were still loaded in the Town Car, so I sent Anthony a text to let him know I was ready and gave a last round of hugs to everyone. With another promise to visit soon, I headed out to the car.

Chapter 2

Tucker

In London, I’d had the same house staff for almost the entire eight years I lived there. When I told them I was moving back to the States, I’d given all of them the choice to stay or go with me. I gave those who stayed a large severance package, but those who chose to relocate with me, I’d paid for their move and had my father’s assistant—well, my assistant now—help to find them new housing. With the exception of Kendra Bay, my live-in housekeeper. No one could ever replace my mother, but Kendra had become a close second, so I was ecstatic when she agreed to come with me.