Unchained Read online

  “Somebody needs his diaper changed,” Meghan cooed with a loud raspberry blown on Daniel’s neck. Her son giggled like she’d never heard him giggle before. “Does Uncle Big Daddy want to take a crack at it?”

  “No way,” Alex boomed with his hands up. “Uh-uh. I gag at cleaning up after Zeus. Have to draw the line somewhere.”

  Tori scooped her son from Meghan’s arms when she came by in another dancing circuit and laughed as the newlyweds bantered playfully. She was an old pro now at diaper changing on the go. Grabbing her bag, she laid out what she needed, plunked Daniel onto his back, and listened to their snarky back and forth.

  “Well, this is a fine time to announce you’re boycotting diaper duty. When were you planning to tell me that? After I was barefoot and pregnant?”

  “Pardon me, my dear,” Alex replied with a puffed up and full of himself air, “but the M-A-N plants the seed.” He brushed off his hands and snickered. “Mission accomplished. The rest is chick stuff.” He shuddered dramatically. “Shit no guy in his sane mind wants to even know about.”

  Meghan was in full Irish diva mode. Her arms crossed, she was really and truly tapping her foot as she stared her husband down. These two were a crap ton of fun to observe.

  “Oh,” she said in a long, drawn-out taunt. “I get it now. This is why guys complain their women stop putting out once they’re married. A couple of those mission accomplished boasts, and you can serve up your hand in the shower sooner than any sane woman is willing to.”

  Tori bit her tongue to keep from roaring when she ended the snarky comeback by sticking out her tongue. Irish was the perfect match for Alex.

  They continued hurling hilarious comments at each other as she zipped through a diaper change and got Big D presentable again. “He needs some juice,” she announced and left them going back and forth as she made her way from the far corner of the big hacienda and into the living space.

  “Shut up, Major,” Tori heard Meghan snipe when they followed her a minute later.

  “Got my smacking hand out and ready.”

  Irish’s flippant, “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” struck her as riotously funny.

  With a dry snicker, she looked at her boss. “What’s the current tally? Should I get a donut for her to sit on?”

  “Victoria St. John,” Meghan bellowed with affronted outrage, “do NOT encourage him. You have no idea what he’s capable of.”

  Alex shrugged and made a face. “Whaddaya want me to say?” He playfully pounded his chest, grunted, and made like an ape.

  For the first time since forever, Tori felt relief. Felt like everything was going to be okay. Watching Alex and Meghan get silly and standing there with her growing son safe in her arms, she just knew whatever challenges lay ahead, she could face them now. She was surrounded by family or at least would be once Cam came back from who-knows-where. With them by their sides, she and Draegyn had a better chance of making it through the storm.

  “YOU’RE GONNA GET in trouble,” Stephanie sang with cheeky glee when he stopped the SUV and threw it into park. “Remy won’t like you parking in Alex’s special spot.”

  “Yeah?” Calder hissed. “Well, tough shit. I don’t see Alex’s car anywhere, and frankly, I wouldn’t care if I did. Gonna park wherever I damn well please,” he muttered under his breath. “Pregnancy trumps being a spoiled asshole every time.”

  She laughed the whole time it took him to get out of the car, grab her bags, unhook her seat belt, and help her down from the big vehicle. Running her fingers down his cheek, she toyed with his chin and grinned.

  “Do you think I’ll have a big baby bump? I think I’d like that. A nice round tummy to waddle around with.”

  The gentle tease brought a wicked smile to her handsome lover’s face. She’d just been joking around, but Stephanie could tell by his expression that he kind of liked the idea of her sporting a big belly. Macho pride, no doubt. And she loved it!

  “Can you walk?” he asked as they started down the path.

  She stopped abruptly. He bumped into her and nearly pushed Stephanie off the path.

  “For heaven’s sake, Calder. Of course, I can walk. If I need help, you’ll be the first to know, but until then, how about we at least try not to act like crazy people. Everyone is going to freak out as it is. Let’s not make it worse, hmm?”

  “Duchess,” he told her with a delightful glint in his eyes, “I’m afraid the normal train left the station about the same time Doctor Murphy said congratulations.”

  She felt like a kid again and couldn’t contain her joyful exuberance. Telling him furtively and with a giggle, she said, “I know, right? But we have to pretend or something around others, okay? Things are weird enough right now.”

  Slipping her hand through his arm, he covered her fingers and smiled down at her as they started walking.

  “Yeah, well, fuck everyone and their weirdness. We’re having a baby. Family first.”

  Family first. Squee! She nearly swooned at the manly bark in his words.

  He pushed open the heavy ornate wood door, and as she stepped inside, Stephanie was grateful for the cool interior of the old stately home. The doctor warned them about not underestimating her physical response to the scorching heat. What didn’t bother her before might very well be too much as the pregnancy progressed.

  “Do you want to go lie down? Are you tired? Thirsty? What do you need?”

  It wouldn’t do much good to ask him not to be so concerned. He’d ease off some once he got used to the idea and realized she wasn’t going to break. So she opted for matter-of-fact. They were in this together. He wanted to take care of her, and that was a good thing.

  “I should have some juice or something small to nibble on. Nothing big. Or elaborate. I’m not really hungry.”

  “I thought you said you were hungry before.”

  Had she? Maybe. She could tell already that the appetite and eating things were going to be a concern.

  “Oh, and my bladder is about to burst. Hold that thought,” she told him. Snatching her purse from his hands, she motioned toward the powder room across the foyer. “Let me take care of this and then because you’re cute, I will allow you to feed me. Something cool. Fruit.”

  She started walking away, stopped, and whirled back. “And yogurt. Should be some fresh in the fridge.” Taking a dozen steps, she turned around again, and this time, she had to speak louder so he could hear her across the gigantic open foyer. “I want toast, too. With avocado. Oh, and tea!”

  Skipping seemed like a lovely idea, so she hippety-hopped her way into the bathroom, glancing at her man the second before she rounded the corner. He resembled a statue—a befuddled statue standing frozen in place, still holding the white plastic bag crammed full of crap from the doctor’s office.

  Stowing her purse on the little counter, Stephanie looked in the mirror above the sink and smiled at her reflection. Was it her imagination or did she have a natural glow? Leaning over the sink for a closer look, she peered at the oval glass and saw nothing but pink cheeks, bright eyes, and a smile showing more than a smidge of pleasure.

  Took but a short few minutes to go through a quick refresh. Bladder relieved and happy once more, she freshened up, fluffed her hair, and applied a quick swipe of her to-die-for favorite lip tint, smacked her lips, and blew a kiss to her reflection for good luck.

  “I’m not afraid,” she said to the woman looking back at her in the mirror. “You heard the doctor. I’m healthy as fuck and in excellent shape.” Resting both hands protectively over her abdomen, Stephanie felt nothing but awe and wonder. “I can do this,” she muttered. “You, me, and Daddy,” she assured her indiscernible bump. “We can do this. Stick with me, kid, and everything’s gonna be fine.”

  Grabbing her purse, her laughter rang out in the small space. “Enjoy it while you can,” she told the designer accessory. “You’re soon to be replaced by a diaper bag. Holy shit!”

  She was still chuckling quietly when she rejoined Calde
r in the foyer. He was sitting in one of the hand tooled leather chairs flanking a distinctive 19th-century wood table. Being a Georgia girl with a flair for simple French country décor, Stephanie was drawn to the magnificent Spanish colonial pieces dominating the Villa’s interior.

  This will be a wonderful place to raise a family.

  Happy beyond words, she walked straight up to her befuddled man and touched his arm. He was looking at her, but she wasn’t altogether sure if he was daydreaming, in a state of shock, or just completely blank.

  “Honey?”

  He blinked. Looked at her. She saw a lot in that two-second glance. Then he smiled. Drawing her close with both hands moving to her bottom, he pressed his face to her belly and just held her there. It was so sweet. Running her hands through his hair, she let the touching moment sweep her away. When he released her and stood, Stephanie didn’t wait—she simply went into his warm embrace and sighed contentedly.

  “Teatime, m’lady,” he told her as they turned toward the kitchen and walked arm in arm. The closer they got, it became apparent they were not alone in the big house. Voices and laughter were coming from the hacienda’s enormous kitchen and great room.

  She gasped. “Oh my lord, Calder! Is that Alex? They’re home? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Oh, yeah. Right. I forgot. Ben did tell me he was picking them up at the airport. Guess I was thinking about other stuff. Sorry.”

  He in no way sounded sorry.

  She held him back when the kitchen came into view and motioned for quiet. In stealth mode, they moved closer but didn’t give away their presence. Alex had his back to them. He was standing next to Victoria with an arm casually slung over her shoulder. In front of them, Daniel sat on the big island clapping his chubby little hands together as Meghan crowded close for safety’s sake.

  “The itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout …”

  She felt rather than heard Calder’s soft chuckle as Meghan performed the children’s nursery rhyme with the sort of rollicking flamboyance guaranteed to captivate a young child. When she got to the end, everyone clapped and cheered. Especially Daniel, who obviously enjoyed being the center of attention.

  She’d known about being pregnant for only a few short hours, but that didn’t stop her from having a swift case of emotional baby-hormones surging through her. This was her family. And what a bunch of unusual and diverse people they were! Overcome with emotion as the simple but poignant scene unfolded, she put a hand to her throat and held back a choked sob.

  Calder immediately noticed and stared at her so hard she was sure he could see right through her.

  She gave him a wobbly smile and sniffed away the tears threatening to pour from her eyes.

  He read her mind. I mean, of course, he did. She and Calder were somehow hardwired to each other, and he knew with half a glance what she was thinking.

  “Family,” he murmured quietly.

  Stephanie nodded. “Are you ready for this, Daddy?” she whispered as quietly as she could.

  He appeared to grow in stature—straightening until she felt dwarfed at his side. Clearing his throat, he kissed her on the forehead and took her hand. “Come on, baby mama. Time to tell the kids what their naughty elders have been up to.”

  His droll comment was so funny she squeaked with laughter. Couldn’t be helped. She hadn’t seen it that way, but the second he said it, she knew they were in for months and months of nonstop ribbing.

  Tori must have heard her laugh or sensed their presence because she turned around and searched the space until she found them.

  “Mom,” she called out. “Oh, good! Get over here! Alex and Meghan are home. Look!” she cried gleefully.

  They started forward when she stopped Calder and frantically whispered. “Oh, shit. Stash the bag you’re carrying. Quick!”

  Running toward Tori to head her off gave Calder a chance to put their haul of pregnancy goodies in an out-of-the-way corner. “I thought you two got kidnapped or became gypsies you were gone so long.” She laughed excitedly.

  “Well, look who it is,” Alex boomed with real delight. “If it isn’t Stephanie Bennett, landowner.”

  She flew into a tremendous hug with the big man who was responsible for every single change her life had been through these past two years. How the hell could she ever thank him enough?

  “Okay,” Alex drawled with an air of long-suffering indifference. “Show me the ring. Did my uncle do good or did he ignore my advice and show up with the monthly special from the Piercing Pagoda at the mall?”

  His dry comment brought gales of laughter from all who were present. Except Calder, of course, who came up behind her and shook Alex’s hand before standing sentry at her side.

  “Eat shit, little boy.” He smirked at his nephew. “Wanted something special so bypassed the mall and went right to QVC. Go ahead, honey. Show him what I got on four easy pays.”

  Meghan almost fell over she was laughing so hard. Pointing at Calder and snickering loudly, she screamed with delight, “Easy pay!”

  Tori was settling the baby in a highchair and watching all of them with a genuine smile. Relief shot through Stephanie. Real smiles had been hard to come by where her daughter was concerned. Seeing her eyes sparkle again was a hopeful sign.

  However, her sparkling eyes were also the most dangerously discerning of those assembled. Pure reflex made Stephanie suck in her imaginary gut and straighten. Tori’s eyes instantly narrowed. Oh, shit.

  “I cannot believe you’re actually going to marry this old fart,” Alex teased with a jerk of his head at Calder. “We’ll talk,” he told her snarkily. “I know where some of his skeletons are stashed.” His cocky wink and the way he sneered at his uncle were so damn hilarious she burst out laughing and couldn’t stop.

  Waving her hands as she bent over with body shaking giggles, Meghan joined in, and they clung to each other until the guffaws finally stopped.

  “Welcome to the family,” Meghan chirped. “You’re going to be my aunt! And Tori,” she added enthusiastically, “I think this makes us cousins. Right?”

  The lines of relationships and family borders were so murky and intertwined that it’d take one of those researchers from Ancestry.com to figure it all out. The Family Justice tree had many branches.

  Stephanie knew the second her daughter’s mind started clicking. She walked into the midst of the joking group, arms crossed with a look of total focus on her face.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  No waffling with this one. Never had, never will.

  “Shugah,” she tried. “Whatev-ah do you mean?”

  Her protective fiancé reached for her hand and held tight. Tori saw the action and arched a single brow.

  “Uh-huh.”

  Nobody delivered a frigid, accusatory ‘Uh-huh’ like her daughter did.

  Alex and Meghan shared caught-in-the-headlights expressions and moved closer to each other, standing side-by-side, their heads moving back and forth as they tracked every word and reaction happening right in front of them. Only Daniel seemed oblivious, sitting in his highchair with a bottle of juice in one hand and a toy in the other.

  “Mom, I’m serious. What the hell is going on?”

  Calder foolishly thought he’d step between them and referee. “Uh, Tori,” he began.

  “Back down, Moondoggie,” she snapped.

  Meghan’s shortened snicker was covered by a very fake cough. Stephanie groaned. Good lord. It was never good when Victoria started with the snarky nicknames. What was a private joke and sometimes endearment between she and Calder was pure fire and brimstone in her daughter’s hands.

  Zeus trotted in and went to sit next to Daniel’s highchair. Oh great, she thought. Anyone else want to get in on this? Maybe they should sit down and have some tea while they wait for the whole damn crew to show up.

  That was when her man completely lost his mind. “We’re getting married. Immediately.”

  She looked at him and gru
nted, “Huh?”

  He kissed her hand and kept her glued to his side. “Immediately,” he repeated in case anyone didn’t understand what he meant.

  Alex and Meghan looked at each other wide-eyed.

  Only Tori appeared unmoved and unconvinced.

  “What’s the rush?” She grunted sarcastically. “Not like you guys are under the shotgun or anything.”

  Stephanie shuffled awkwardly. Calder said and did nothing. Daniel laughed for no reason.

  Dead silence.

  A diamond drill bit would be necessary to cut through the thickening tension gathering in the room.

  Tori snapped first. “Mom!” she barked. “I can only take so much. What the hell is going on?”

  “Um,” she squeaked, gripping Calder’s hand for reassurance. “We’re pregnant?”

  The statement question hung in the silent air. Nobody moved. Or breathed.

  “Did you say … pregnant?” Meghan asked in an incredulous voice.

  It was like a comedy sketch of Who’s On First.

  “You’re pregnant?” Tori whooped at Meghan.

  “No,” Alex quickly replied. “Right, honey? You’re not pregnant. Are you?”

  “Wait? What?” Meghan hooted. “I’m not pregnant!”

  “But you said,” Tori muttered in a confused voice.

  “I didn’t say I was pregnant. Did I? No. It was your mom. She said, ‘we’re pregnant.’”

  Stephanie couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Why the hell wasn’t someone taping this? Abbott and Costello would be on their feet applauding with glee.

  “No, we’re not,” Alex muttered again.

  “Um, guys?”

  All three pair of eyes swung to Stephanie and Calder. Waving her finger between them, she spoke slowly and succinctly, using small words and hand gestures to make her point.

  “Pregnant. Us. Me and Calder.”

  “We’re having a baby,” her man announced with unmistakable pride.

  Even Daniel’s mouth appeared to drop open. From everyone’s stunned reaction, you’d think we just announced we got picked for the Mars mission, she thought.