Controlled Burn (Blackbridge Security 8)

I can say I didn’t fully trust that she had come to terms with how things would end, but she doesn’t seem very affected by the news.

“You okay?” I ask, because I swore to myself after telling her that I love her that I would stop guessing at what she’s feeling. I don’t want to ever get it wrong and asking is the best way to cut through all that shit.

“I’m fine. We have to tell the kids.”

We talked about this as well. I thought she should just never mention the guy again, but she assured me that the twins still have memories of him. If they asked later on down the road about him only to find out he died, they’d hate us for not telling them.

“Okay,” I agree. “Together.”

“Together,” she whispers, her eyes meeting mine in the mirror.

She finishes in the bathroom and gets dressed for the day, and like I always do, I keep my eyes on her, drinking her in as she wraps herself in clothes. It’s nearly as sexy as when she takes them off for me at night.

She gives me a saucy wink, rolling her eyes when I start to prowl toward her.

“After the kids go to school,” she says, smacking my hands away before I can get them on her perfect body.

“You have that meeting with Anna,” I remind her.

“And you have work,” she adds.

“So why are you promising things you can’t follow through with?” I know I sound like a whiney kid, but I just can’t get enough of her.

We spend our evenings with the kids, and I love all of it, but I also love the quiet—or not so quiet, we discovered when the kids are gone—times I get with her just as much.

I wasn’t joking about marriage, and it turns out, she wasn’t joking about wanting more kids. We’ve been studiously working on both since that day.

“I have my meeting with Anna at the office. Your door has a lock.” She winks at me before walking out of the room.

I dress quickly, wanting to help her as much as I possibly can because that’s just how we do it around here.

She already has all three kids in the boys’ bedroom by the time I make it out there.

“I don’t understand,” Knox says, his brows drawn together.

“Your dad was hurt,” Kendall says.

Knox’s eyes dart to mine.

“Like you have a tummy ache or something?”

Kendall looks over her shoulder at me, but I can only look at the little boy who just acknowledged that he considers me his dad. Talk about getting hit in the gut with emotions first thing in the morning.

“Our ‘real’ dad,” Kason says, a little of his attitude slipping through.

“Who?” Knox asks.

“The piece of shit who abandoned his responsibilities a long time ago,” Kayleigh supplies helpfully.

I cough a laugh as Kendall scowls at her daughter.

“Ohhh,” Knox says. “Can I have yogurt with my breakfast?”

“It gives you stinky gas,” Kayleigh says, pinching her nose.

Kason laughs, lifts his leg, and lets one rip.

Kayleigh and Knox scatter from the bed.

Kendall makes a gagging noise as she waves her hand in front of her pretty face.

Ty Penman is never mentioned again.

***

“How’s the wedding planning going?” Kit asks as I take the seat beside him on the sofa.

“Good, I guess. Kendall wants something small, so there isn’t really much to do.”

“There’s always something to do,” Jude says. “Modern Bride has complete lists.”

We all look at him. “What?”

“You read Modern Bride?” I ask.

“I flip through Modern Bride when Parker takes forever to get ready.”

“Parker has those kinds of magazines at her place?” Brooks asks.

Jude shrugs. “They’re leftover from when Hayden was planning her wedding.”

“The Every Modern Bride Guide came out this month,” Wren says from near the coffee pot.

Brooks chuckles. Jude looks confused.

“Who’s going to tell him?” Kit asks.

“Parker is planning your wedding, dude,” I say, uncaring if I’m the bearer of bad news.

“Yeah?” he asks with a grin, as if this is fabulous news.

“That’s really sweet,” Kit says, that familiar dreamy smile on his face.

Brooks huffs, his surly ass attitude out in full force today.

Brooks is the anti-relationship man, and Kit, I think, has always wanted that, and has just never found the right girl.

“Who is that?” I ask, watching two very pretty women walk into the room.

“Beth?” Kit asks. “Jules? What are you two doing here?”

Brooks springs up from the sofa before Kit can manage to stand.

“The blushing bride,” Brooks says, pressing his lips to Beth’s cheek. “You are one fine sight, Jules.”

We all watch as Brooks kisses the other woman’s cheek.

Beth peels off from the two of them, plopping down beside her brother.

“What are you two doing here?” Kit asks again, his eyes locked on Jules, a scowl marring his face.

Beth chuckles as he watches her friend. They’re leaning close, whispering to each other. Brooks is still holding both of Jules’s hands between the two of them, and they seem very familiar with each other.