Chapter 23

Sterling walked into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, his bare feet on the warm floor. Heated tiles were the best. Thank God he'd had them installed. That would keep Xavi warm when he was down on a blanket crawling around, which would be so soon.

He was growing like a weed.

"Hey, Silver." Carson walked in, coffee in hand. "We have a situation."

"Again?" Jesus. Now what?

"Yeah. Someone was at the gate, and they're coming in hot."

"Who is it?"

Carson stared. "Ben's mom."

"Ellie? Seriously?"

"Yep."

"Well, let me throw a shirt on. Ben is still asleep. He talked to her last night. She must have gotten scared."

"Hmm. I think she got mad, judging from what she said to Dugan."

"Yeah?" He went to the laundry area to tug on a shirt. That way he didn't have to wake Ben yet. "She rain hell on him?"

"Oh yeah."

"Make more coffee. She's got to be exhausted. She's a granny and a mom, and I haven't kept her grandson or her son safe." And God knew he felt a shit ton of guilt about that.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. You've been trying." Carson put more coffee in the bean grinder. "Hell, it's my job to make this house impossible to get to, and I'm sucking wind."

"That's us. Suckee suck." He heard gravel fly as a car pulled up.

Okay. This was going to be his mother-in-law one day, so he needed to?—

Whoa.

Whoa, Nelly.

He'd thought that, hadn't he?

Mother-in-law.

Because he wanted to marry Ben.

The thought distracted him so much that Ellie got right in his face before he even realized it.

"Where is my grandson!"

"Hi." He managed not to put up his hands to ward her off. That would be rude. "He's asleep. He had a bottle at five, and Jenny put him back down in his Pack ‘N Play. He's out here in the breakfast area." He led her to the little area off the kitchen.

"I cannot believe that someone came here. What are you doing? What are you into that folks are hunting you?"

"I'm not into anything." He kept his temper on a very short leash. She was simply scared and worried. And she had no idea what his life was like. "There was a reality show that wanted me pretty bad. It's a cutthroat business."

"It's not right! You take my family five hours away, and they're still not okay? I thought they'd be safe!"

"They are safe. Jesus, woman, you are shrill. It's seven o'clock in the damn morning." And there was another nation heard from. Why couldn't Dad have stayed in bed?

"Who the hell are you?"

"This boy's grandfather. Who the hell are you?"

"Dad…"

"I'm his granny, and I was there when he was born."

"Well, good for you." Dad had pulled on sweats and a ratty old sweater, bless him. He could have been any old dude in the world, not a man with more money than God. Way to make an impression. "Now hush, so you don't wake him up. Last night was tough."

"So I hear." Ellie put her hands on her hips, brazening it right out.

"Let me go get Benji," Sterling murmured.

"Hold on. Don't you run off. I want to know what happened."

"Ben told you last night — a photographer cut a fence, took some pictures. We caught him. He's been arrested. He's posting bail Monday."

"But—"

"Look, he told you. We took care of it. I'm not letting anything happen to them." Dad was getting aggravated, red-cheeked.

"So, what? You live here?" Ellie asked.

Dad shot back with, "No, I'm in Jackson Hole."

"So what the hell were you doing here?"

"Meeting the man my son is casting in with?"

"Well, then maybe you ought to let your son speak for himself!"

Oh, this was not going well. And they wouldn't let him escape.

"I'm taking them home. They aren't any safer here than they were in Durango!" Ellie sounded like she might burst into tears.

"You aren't taking my grandson back yet! I just got to hold him, and I haven't been able to get to know Ben!"

"I'm taking Benji home!" she screamed, and Xavi started to cry.

"They're staying here!" Dad roared.

Sterling headed for the Pack ‘N Play, and stopped short at the sight of Ben, wearing a pair of boxer briefs and a scowl.

"That is enough!" Ben snapped, scooping up Xavi and cradling him close. "Let me make myself crystal-clear. This is my son. Mine. Where he goes, and what he does is absolutely up to me. At some point, once Sterling and I are married, it'll be up to us, but right now, I am taking my baby and we're going to rest. You two shut it."

Wait.

Had Ben just proposed to him?

Sterling felt like Pepe Le Pew as he bounced after his lover. He'd let his dad deal with Ellie. Well, Jenny and Geoff, actually, because the shouting had brought them both out.

He closed the bedroom door behind them, then waited to see what Ben was going to do next.

Ben checked Xavi's diaper, then got him his pacifier. "Poor baby, crazy people yelling. We don't need that." Then Ben glanced at him. "You coming to snuggle or what?"

"I am." Hell, yes. Who needed coffee when he had Ben and Xavi? He crawled right back into bed after shedding his robe.

Xavi kicked and wriggled, making faces at both of them.

"Settle down, silly billy." Ben tickled Xavi's belly.

Xavi squealed, then blew a spit bubble.

"So classy, huh?"

"Yeah, he doesn't have to worry." Ben met his eyes. "I'm sorry about Mom."

"I'm sorry about Dad." Sterling grinned, and soon Ben was chuckling, grinning back at him. "Let them take each other down for a bit."

"Yeah. We can call Geoff for coffee, right?"

"We can."

Ben shot him a look. "You know what the first change I'm going to make as the full-time boyfriend? I want a coffeemaker in the bedroom."

"I think that sounds grand." He could see a whole mini station. "So are we talking marriage?"

"I'm not interested in less. I have a son to consider."

"You do. I want to be part of his life too. So bad. But if I had met you without him in the picture, I would still be in love with you." That was important. It was true.

"Yeah? You'd still want me?"

"I would. No matter what." He kissed Ben's shoulder.

"Me too. No matter what." Ben offered him a worried hint of a smile. "Not because of your money. I was into you when I didn't know a thing."

"I know. When I was just a concussed guy on the side of the road." He stroked Xavi's downy hair. "God, what a weird couple of days."

"Which ones? These? The ones after we met? All the ones in between?" Ben teased.

"These last few. Some of the ones before were perfect. These would have been if not for the photogs."

"Yeah, but this is part of it." Ben rocked Xavi. "You know, I thought it was this—having the eyes on her that made Sierra disappear, but I don't think it was."

"No? What do you think it was?" He was ready to hear Ben's thoughts, because his own were calmer on the subject these days. Ben had helped with that. So had Dad.

"I think the idea of being tied down—in any way—is too much. There is so much to tie her here, from the land to the money to your love…she can't handle that." Ben shook his head. "I think you have to stop wondering what someone did, and accept that this is who Sierra is. It's not about you."

"I— I can see that. It hurts. But I can see it. My mom is that way. She loves her new husband, but I literally give him a year. She'll start to feel stifled." Sierra had only lasted so long in the military. At any job…

"Being sunk into the land isn't for everyone." Ben met his eyes. "It is for me."

"So do you think you could be sunk into the land here? You said you would move in. We can keep your place. I think it will be a good investment."

"Do you? Because…because that's my place. I know it's not worth a lot, but I sank everything into it."

"Oh, I think it's amazing." He loved Ben's place. "And it has the best view. I can't see selling it." In fact, he would pay it off.

"No. No, I want Xavi to know it was where he was born, that it's going to be his."

"Good deal." They could talk particulars later. This was for glow time right now. "I love that idea."

Ben nuzzled his fingers. "Yeah, me too."

"Mmm. So, do we let them battle it out?"

"Yep. Jenny will let us know when it's time for breakfast, right?" Ben asked.

"She will. And Geoff will let us know if someone draws blood. Hell, Carson isn't above using force on my dad."

"He's a sweetheart. He won't hurt her. She's probably enjoying having someone to vent her spleen on."

"Who's not you?"

"Or you. She knows I would balk at that."

"Mmm." Sterling chuckled. "She wasn't afraid to get right in my face, that was for sure. But I got it. She was freaked right out, and she'd had all night to stew on it."

"Yeah. I should have called her this morning. Not last night. It was just…I wasn't thinking clear."

"Honey, none of us were at our best. But what she needs to know from now on is she doesn't have to wait until dawn to come to the ranch. If she drives up in the middle of the night, she's welcome here. Whenever, whatever the circumstances. She's your mom, and this is your home if you'll have it."

"You're sure? Because…I'm totally getting that coffeemaker for the bedroom."