CHAPTER ONE

Alistair Thomas Fitch stared at the complicated formula on the screen in front of the class. He knew that sooner or later, the teacher would call on him. No matter how hard he tried to be unseen, it never worked.

"Alistair? Which gas can be combined with this formula safely?" The teacher waited patiently, smiling at him. Alistair was an introvert, and if you rushed him, he would panic and simply not answer. If you moved on to someone else, you'd only embarrass him.

"No rush, Alistair. I know you have this," smiled Mr. Crombie.

"Neon, sir. I think it's neon."

"Very good, Alistair," he nodded.

Alistair let out a long, slow breath, and his friends all smiled at him. The Belle Fleur boys, as they were known, always stuck together and supported one another.

Although quieter than the others, Alistair was the smartest of them all. His father, Patrick Fitch, was a beast at six-feet-two and two hundred and fifteen pounds. His mother, a tall, shapely Creole, was gorgeous. Even Alistair knew that.

The mix of his father's black Irish heritage and his mother's Creole beauty made Alistair simply magazine-cover-worthy.

His father, a former Marine, worked with the Voodoo Guardians team, while his mother, an expert in Mayan art, worked with the art department at Belle Fleur. The colorful part of his family was his great-grandmother, Ruby.

A former prostitute, strip club owner, and sex toy shop entrepreneur, she was the kindest, sweetest woman he knew. He knew that she had done what she needed to do in order to support her children and, eventually, her grandchildren. She was unstoppable, and he adored her. The wisest woman in the whole world.

Well, maybe tied with Mama Irene.

He was a lucky guy, and he knew it. Friends, family, and the prettiest girls in the school dating his buddies. Alistair never let on that he had a crush on a few of the Stanton sisters, but then again, he didn't know if it could ever be more than just friends.

"Well done, everyone," said Mr. Crombie, dismissing the class at the sound of the bell. "Enjoy your long weekend."

Grabbing their things and shoving them into their backpacks, the crew walked together back home, following the younger kids to be sure they got home safely.

Alistair heard someone calling his name but refused to turn around. He knew exactly who it was.

"Alistair! Alistair Fitch, I'm talking to you!" screeched the girl.

"Uh, Alistair? Is there a problem," asked Sebastian.

"Yeah. A big problem with her," he frowned, turning to see the girl. Josie Blanchard was walking toward him in her tight jeans and sweater, both two sizes too small as far as he was concerned.

"Hey, Josie. What's up?" he asked casually.

"What's up? I've called you like six times. Don't you know how to call people back?"

"I do. But I call people back when they have something important to talk about. I didn't appreciate your messages."

Now, his friends were truly interested in the conversation. They all took a step forward, staring at the girl they knew all too well.

"Are your friends here to protect you," she smirked. "It's not like I want your dick right now. I'm offering something because I heard you were pretty impressive."

"How would you hear that, Josie? Don't believe lies," blushed Alistair.

"My brother saw you in the showers," she smirked. Alistair stared open-mouthed at her, his friends all frowning as she spoke. "Let's just say we help one another out."

"That's sick!" said Brix. "You guys can get expelled for that."

"Oh, and I suppose you'll run to your families, who own the school, run the school, pay for the school, and tell them," she sneered.

"I won't run to tell anyone," said Brix, "but stop doing it. It's not right!" Alistair gripped his friend's shoulder, smiling at him.

"You're all so stuck on yourselves," she sneered as an audience began to gather around them.

"Ellie, Maddie, you guys take the little ones home," said Leif. "Take Garr and Major with you." The girls nodded, and that only made Josie angrier.

"Oh, that's right. The good little Stanton girls always doing what they're told. You guys are twisted. You know that, right? Never breaking a rule, never doing anything stupid, never having any fun."

"If you mean not getting pregnant in high school," said Emelia, "you're right. We don't do that." She knew it was a cheap shot, but one of Josie's best friends was only seventeen and already had two babies, bragging about her baby daddies. Josie thought it was cool because she didn't have to go to school any longer. She just stayed home.

In spite of the efforts of the Robicheauxs and their school, old ways died hard. Many in their part of the state believed that high school was enough. Get married, have babies, and work yourself to death.

"Listen, Josie. I'm sure you mean this as a compliment, but I'm not interested. I have plans after high school and getting married and having babies aren't one of those plans. You can be a nice person when you want to be. Just be nice. That's all I'm asking."

She stared at him, her flush cheeks telling everyone that somehow Alistair had struck a chord with her. Just when they thought she might apologize, she just shook her head.

"You're probably not as big as he said anyway." Turning, she marched back in the other direction, leaving the Belle Fleur team alone.

"Don't let her get to you," said Leif.

"I'm not. It's her brother that bothers me. He's looking at us in the showers and telling girls who has what and how big it is. That's sick and disturbing and all the other things I can't think of right now." Leif nodded as they walked back home.

All of the boys made the decision that they would tell the adults that night about what happened so they could speak to the school.

"It was just weird," said Alistair. "I never noticed her brother watching me, but that's how she said she knew." He blushed, looking down at his feet.

"You've done nothing wrong, Alistair," said his father.

"I know. It just feels like I have, and it's weird knowing that he was talking about it to girls, especially his sister! I know some guys talk about girls, but we don't. We know better than to do that." Fitch nodded at his son, looking at all the boys.

"Have a seat. All of you. We don't really know why, but we know that the men here are blessed. Physically." The boys all nodded at him, understanding his meaning. "When I was a young man, I knew that my father was well-endowed, and the women always wanted him. I tried to not pay attention to any of that, but as I got older and joined the Marines, my uniform seemed to draw women in like crazy. I was young, alone, and stupid.

"You all know that I was married twice before I found Carsen. Both were big mistakes. My fault, mind you. All of it. The first time it was because I was young and scared and lonely. Oh, and selfish. I thought getting married would prevent her from wanting anyone else as I was getting ready to be deployed. The second time was even worse. I was drunk and, well, I was horny."

The boys smiled, laughing and blushing at him as the other men watched Fitch bare his soul.

"It took a long time for me to overcome what had been done. I'm grateful every day that neither relationship bore a child. There's nothing worse than putting a kid in the middle of that. You're smart boys. Men. You know what's right and wrong, and I'm proud of you for knowing the difference.

"Don't let girls like Josie, or her brother, make you feel inferior or different. You're all perfect just the way you are. Understand?"

"Understand," echoed the boys.

"Thanks, Dad," said Alistair. "What will happen to them?"

"They will probably be expelled from school. We can't let that behavior continue," said Fitch. Alistair nodded at his father. "Don't worry. It will all work out. Maybe this will be a wake-up call for them both and their parents."

It turned out that it was a wake-up call for Josie, but not for her brother. He left school, never to return. She came back humbler, quieter, and a totally different girl than they'd known before. He heard in later years that she'd become a high-school counselor, married, and had two daughters of her own.

Alistair, like his friends, joined the Army then became a Ranger. He watched as Leif and Ellie fell in love and married, then Major and Elena, Brix and Daphne, Walker and Mags, Sebastian and Emelia, and most recently, Forrest and Maddie.

He and Garr were the lone single men standing from their little group. The only ones who hadn't found that special person. They all believed that Alistair went through women like most men went through underwear. The truth was, he rarely spent time with any females other than those he thought of as family.

He was particular about who he approached, who he dated, and definitely who he decided to sleep with. But he longed for what they had all found. He wanted what they had, and he was tired of searching and yielding nothing. No one.

But with all his heart, he hoped it wouldn't be for long.