31. Ben

Sitting across from his desk, Hillary placed an open file before him. "Are we striking or holding?"

Steepling his fingers, Ben weighed the options, already knowing full well what she would advise. Show no mercy and hit them where it hurts were Hillary's two favorite counter methods in situations like this.

On his very first day working at his family's company, she had been assigned the role of his personal assistant. James thought her to be a good fit. Five years his son's senior, happily married, great at her job, and—unlike every other applicant—not the least bit interested in fucking the new boss.

And for once, the old man had been right.

Hillary was his perfect match in this world, and from the start, her loyalty lay more with him than with James or the company. She had a knack for spotting a victor in corporate dog fights and spotted one in him early on.

"It doesn't benefit us to strike."

"Fuck the benefits."

Ben arched an eyebrow. Profitability from their exploits was usually the driving factor behind her readiness to make such a bold move. Having come from a life of poverty, his assistant had no interest in her children doing the same and fought viciously to maintain the salary he provided. A wage higher than most of what his top department heads pulled.

She also adored his wife. "We cannot let them whisper lies about Miranda."

"But are they lies?" Facing the glass wall, Trevor kept his empty stare trained on downtown Houston. "Is Miranda having an affair?"

Ben remained silent, allowing Hillary to be the one to attack. "Don't be absurd, Trevor."

Hands in his suit pockets, Trevor turned to face them. "Thank you, Hillary. But I'll hear it from my brother."

The little shit had grown a pair of balls since getting married. Heather was a goddamn nightmare, filling her husband's head with delusions of grandeur.

"Miranda is not sleeping with another man."

"Then why would someone insinuate that there is an affair happening right under your nose?"

Ah, that was most definitely a Heather question. The old Trevor would have hardly been able to meet his gaze when speaking, let alone be bold enough to question him.

"Miranda and I have been spending time apart since her recovery," Ben said, surprising everyone. He didn't owe them an explanation and all those present knew it. "I've been staying at Haven to see Selah more."

"Why not bring Selah to Parkland Grounds?" Trevor asked. "You've openly acknowledged him. Why continue to sneak off to see him like he's still a dirty little secret?"

For a split second, Ben imagined shoving his brother through the glass window. Not only would it be fun to watch, but it would also eliminate the gigantic pain in his ass both he and Heather had become.

"Watch your fucking mouth, Trevor."

Trevor shrugged. "I'm only curious."

"My son has never been a dirty little secret."

Taking another gamble, Trevor chuckled. "If you say so."

"Mr. Fairweather is only repeating what others are whispering behind your back."

This comment came from Larry, Trevor's version of Hillary.

Standing in the farthest corner of the office, Larry clasped his hands together. "Image is important, and when those who are equal to you in social standing start to repeat audacious gossip, the public tends to believe the rumors. Your wife having a sordid affair right under your nose shows weakness, and it could damage Fairweather Holdings' credibility."

"What did I say about reading those Chicken Soup for the Soul books, Larry?" Hillary twisted in her chair to face him. "They make you sound like a jackass."

Tapping his finger on the desk, Ben drew everyone's attention. "We're holding. No action is to be taken."

He didn't miss the way Hillary's shoulders fell. She always knew how to put on a good show. "You're going to make me agree with Larry?" she asked. "A no comment stance makes us look weak. Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Disappointing." Trevor snapped his fingers at Larry, indicating it was time to leave. "But I can't say unexpected. We'll just let the ships fall where they may."

Hillary snapped forward, facing Ben so Trevor wouldn't see her laughing.

"It's chips, Trevor," Ben corrected as politely as he could. This whole being a good person thing was hard, but damn it, he was trying. "Give the kids and Heather my love."

Red in the face, Trevor left with Larry speaking softly to him as they went. Neither had been invited to Texas but had come when rumors regarding Miranda somehow reached Heather.

"Congratulations for not murdering him over the Selah comment," Hillary said when they were gone. "Both of your brothers deserve a good kick in the ass most days."

She shuffled the papers in the file, ready to get down to business. "The rumor seems to have originated from Gabby Garrison's fat mouth, which means she heard it from Richard."

Richard Garrison, an old associate of his father and one of the few remaining shareholders Ben needed to persuade to sell, had recently visited the new Florida triple office towers. He claimed he wanted to see if the buildings had suffered any damage from the hurricane last year.

No one knew he was in town until he and his wife showed up unannounced at Parkland Grounds. When they didn't find Ben at home on a Sunday afternoon, the Garrisons assumed the worst after quizzing Josie, who smartly wouldn't let them in the house.

"I pretended to be one of the staff," Josie had told him once they were gone. "Who the hell just pops in on someone like that?"

Someone under The McIntyre's thumb, that's who. Randall was becoming increasingly suspicious of the painfully slow purchasing of Fairweather stock being done little by little. There was no other excuse for Garrison to just casually show up at the house of a person he hardly associated with outside the boardroom.

Adopting the policy of becoming a good man was one thing, but ignoring this was unacceptable.

"What do you have on him?"

Hillary slipped her own file on the desk. "Where shall I begin?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "There are the affairs. Several underage."

He checked the time, not wanting to be late for his flight. He might own the jet, but timetables had to be kept. "That hits too close to home."

"Sorry, you're right." Hillary turned the page. "Even I tend to forget how fucked your life is."

His life was an utter shitshow, and Hillary was the only person brave enough to call him out for it. "Bribery?" she continued. "Embezzling from his wife's charity?"

"Boring."

He only wished she and Simone could get along. They were so close in personality it was damn scary, but he was smart enough to know not to force it. On the move to Haven House, Hillary had attempted to handle Simone just once, and that had been enough. The two hadn't so much as acknowledged the other's existence since.

Miranda was the opposite. She appreciated Hillary's tenacity and didn't mind her taking over parts of their lives.

"What about Garrison's mother? Marsha Garrison?" Hillary lifted a photo of an elderly woman with a head of bushy gray hair.

"What could you possibly have on her?"

"Oh, just that she most likely murdered her first husband." Hillary turned to admire the photo. "Richard's not really a Garrison. He was three when mommy dearest married Paul Garrison, partner to none other than Randall McIntyre. Before that, she was married to another one of McIntyre's cronies, but that one liked to beat his wife. The rumor at the time was that Richard's mother went to The McIntyre, and he gave the blessing for her to whack the guy."

"How did my father get so tangled up with these people?"

Fairweathers were notorious, but the McIntyres were on the next level. He hadn't understood the depths of their corruption until after his father died, and had he known, he would never have set out to persuade Paula McIntyre during Charlie's engagement party.

"Why are you so surprised? James was a shitty human." Hillary tucked the information sheet back into the file. "He wanted McIntyre land, so he made a deal with the devil to get it."

"My brother is married to his daughter."

"And you slept with his wife." Hillary turned serious. "God help us if The McIntyre ever discovers the oh, so many ways the Fairweathers have literally fucked him over."

Provoking Randall McIntyre was a dangerous game he'd been playing for what felt like an eternity, and it had to end.

"Back to Richard," Hillary said. "He's very much a mama's boy and would probably do anything to keep her name clear of scandal."

Standing, he buttoned his suit jacket. "Use it, but ease onto the gas, or else Garrison might go running to Randall."

"Are you going to tell Miranda?"

"I'll talk to Josie and let her make the decision on if Miranda should know," he replied. "But I think the less the women in my life know about these things, the better."

"Even Laura Jean?"

Ben winced, thinking of Laura Jean waiting.

"Especially Laura Jean."

"I've got it from here." Hillary closed the file. "Go to your woman, Ben."

His woman.

His.

For the briefest of seconds, Albie's grinning face popped into his head. No matter what Laura Jean said, it was always going to be hard loving her at the loss of him.

"If you don't think Albie isn't up in heaven laughing his ass off at your hesitation, you're not as smart as I thought you were, Ben."

He hoped she was right. He hoped, more than anything, that Albie was smiling down at them from a better place. Although, it was hard to imagine any man being okay with his best friend falling in love with his widow.

Leaving Hillary to do what she did best, he took the waiting helicopter to the private airstrip. Worry wasn't something he did when she was involved, and hopefully, these dirty deeds of theirs would be wiped clean from their slates one day.

"Everything in me is rotten. Everything I touch suffers. I'm like a poison that'll take you down if you get too close," he tried to tell Laura Jean not long after she and the girls returned from their vacation after the hurricane. Guilt had nearly eaten him alive by then, and he'd convinced himself that no matter how much he wanted her, she could never be his. Not only because of Albie, but because he wasn't worthy of her. "I love you more than I know how to put into words, but I'm not a good man."

But Laura Jean believed in him like no one else. "You can be a good man for me."

"And if I can't?"

"Then I'll gladly drink your poison any day, Fairweather."

But he didn't want her to drink his poison. The idea of that darkness coming anywhere near her was unacceptable. His only choice was to change. Fairweather Holdings would become an upstanding company without an ounce of dishonesty to it.

Mostly.

The plane landed twenty minutes later than expected, thanks to turbulence, and he'd driven like a maniac to get to Haven House. He refused to call the place home, only agreeing to live there because of how happy it made Laura Jean.

They would begin building their own place soon, and it would rival Haven but sit right on the beach Laura Jean loved. A castle on the sand just for her.

Parking out front, he exited the Rover and took a deep inhale of the cool evening air. Haven House stood straight ahead, its bright white facade in sharp contrast to the dusky sky. She glared at him in her cold judgment. It might not be a living thing, but he would swear the place understood he was a Fairweather and despised him because of it.

"Dad!"

Selah shot off the front porch and down the path. It was an amazing feeling to be able to come home to his oldest. A privilege he'd never had until now.

Ben grinned at the slices of paint across his son's mouth and eyes. "What's on your face?"

"We went to a festival in Port Michaelson and got our faces painted."

Taking off his suit jacket, Ben nodded at Miranda's van parked next to them. "Did Sammy go with you guys?"

"Yes," a disgruntled voice came out of the shadows of the porch. Stepping forward, Samuel trudged down the stairs, hands in his pockets. "I look stupid."

Ben pressed his lips together because the poor kid kind of did. "Selah is Spiderman, but what are you supposed to be?"

Josie and Miranda materialized from Haven's front door. "He's an adorable scarecrow," Josie said. "And what's more fun than being a scarecrow?"

"Not being a scarecrow," Samuel replied as the three of them approached. "Can I stay the night?"

Ben grinned, excited by the idea. Samuel hadn't stayed over since the summer.

"Of course."

Shaking her head, Miranda turned on mother mode. "It's a school night."

"Mooooom." Samuel stuck out his bottom lip to pout. "I can miss one day of school."

"Come on, Miranda." Ben stuck his bottom lip out to match his son's. "Please."

"You two even beg the same way." Miranda nudged Selah's shoulder. "Thank goodness you don't sound like that."

Resting his head on her shoulder, Selah batted his eyes. "Pretty please?"

"We're surrounded." Josie took Samuel's hand. "If your mom says no, then it's a no, but when we get home, I'll let you chase me around Parkland looking like that."

Pacified by the thought of terrorizing Josie, Samuel hopped into the van.

"I'm supposed to tell you that you're next in line for a shower," Miranda said to Selah. "Everyone else is done."

"Ugh, okay." Selah grabbed the van's door handle. "Hey, Sammy! Guess what?"

Samuel adjusted his thick glasses. "What?"

"Chicken butt!"

Selah rolled the van door closed at his punchline and ran off.

"What is wrong with them?" Miranda wondered as Samuel hurled insults at his brother through the glass.

"They're boys."

Miranda shook her head. "How was Houston?"

"Complicated." He slung his jacket over his shoulder. "But it won't be for long."

She never asked questions. Not like she did before the cancer came.

"Come on, Miranda," Josie said, heading to the passenger side. "See you later, Ben."

Miranda kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, husband."

"Goodnight, wife," he replied, rapping his knuckles on the glass where Samuel was blowing open-mouthed raspberries. "Hey, I just thought of something. Tomorrow is Friday."

Miranda frowned. "So?"

"So, weekends mean Dad rules apply." Ben slid open the rear van door. "Samuel can stay until Sunday."

Not having to be told twice, Samuel flopped out of the van and ran full blast into the house as his mother sighed. "Dang it, Ben."

"Did you not want a weekend alone with Josie?"

He and Laura Jean, like Miranda and Josie, were concealing their relationships from the children, and it was hard as hell to keep up the charade. Evie had already caught them dancing late at night together last Christmas, and they had sworn her to secrecy. Meanwhile, Selah's intuitive nature had him noticing a few things, but it was Samuel who was the real problem. His son was brilliant, and smart enough to rule a small county at this point. Any day now, he would start putting two and two together.

As soon as the buyout was over, the charade could end. Well, at least for him and Laura Jean. It was up to Josie and Miranda to decide what they wanted to tell and what they wanted to keep a secret.

"Don't let him torture Evie," Miranda said, getting behind the wheel. "The two of them have been fighting all day."

He loved Evie like his own, but Samuel and her together were every parent's worst nightmare. They constantly argued over nothing and everything. "Wonderful."

He waved them off and made his way to the house. Halfway up the walk, music blasted from behind him, and he turned in time to see Rebecca speeding down the driveway with her windows down. She had yet another new car, having wrecked at least three in the last year.

The one she was currently driving didn't look anything like what he would have approved, and he made a mental note to have yet another discussion with Hillary. She had been known to allow large purchase requests for Rebecca to go through without gaining consent first.

"Whenever I hear her story, I think of how I could have easily been in that same situation. Desperation can force you into all kinds of messes," Hillary had said after the last time. "A pretty man with a charming smile can sometimes ruin even a smart woman, Ben."

But that wasn't it. Rebecca wasn't glamoured by looks or love, and each time she spent ungodly amounts on cars, partying, or even the expensive clothes she wore to nowhere except trash bars, he replenished the funds with his own money. Charlie—who could hardly handle adding and subtracting, let alone managing his finances—didn't realize all that shit added up fast, and expenditures coming in that high would alert the board something was amiss.

Entering the foyer, Haven greeted him with her usual soundtrack. Music and laughter mixed with children's excited voices as they readied for whatever shenanigans were planned for tonight.

Ty came out of the parlor with his face covered in yellow stars. "Hey, you finally made it."

"You look pretty."

"Don't judge me. You didn't see the woman doing the face painting at the festival."

"I take it she was attractive?"

"Look at me, man. Do you think I would let just anyone do this?" Ty waved a hand in front of his face. "I'm meeting her for drinks in a minute."

"She was hot," Devon agreed, wisely skirting out of striking distance as he and SiSi came down the hall.

SiSi paused to glare at her husband. "Are you trying to be cute?"

"I don't have to try." Devon took her hand, and all was forgiven. "You better go, Ty. A woman that fine doesn't like to wait. Trust me. I know."

When they first met, Ben had been sure Devon wouldn't last. It would take a particular type of man to match SiSi's fire, and he had been so positive that a bow tie wearing teacher wasn't going to be it. But he was happy to be wrong for the first time in a long time. Devon was good for Selah. He was good for SiSi, and Ben really couldn't have asked for a better man to come into his family's life.

Ty told them not to wait up and was out the door just as the noise level cranked higher. Ben winced. Why did everyone feel like they needed to shout in this house?

Simone came over to assess his tired state. "Texas?"

"Complicated."

"Company complicated?" she asked. "Or life complicated?"

He didn't want to tell her. Not tonight.

"Both, but nothing to worry about."

"Come on." Devon gave his wife a little shove. "We agreed to let the kids play cards, and now that Sammy is staying over, we're going to have to separate him and Evie since he always accuses her of cheating."

"She does cheat." Simone glared at Ben. "Because someone taught her how."

Ben shrugged, not at all ashamed. "Samuel needs a little competition. It's good for him."

"Well, then, I am so glad that you're here to manage things," she said as the stomping footsteps of children came marching down the stairs. "Why don't you go ahead and talk to him now since we're not starting for another hour?"

"Fine." He grabbed Samuel out of the crowd of small humans. "Let's go."

"Hey! What did I do?" Samuel asked as the two of them went into the library. "I washed my face like SiSi said!"

Selah trailed behind them, with Livy not far behind. That's how it was when the three of them were together. Where one went, the other two followed.

"Livy, could you get Evie for me?" Always helpful, Livy sped off, and Ben raised an eyebrow at his eldest. "I didn't invite you in here."

Hands behind his back, Selah rocked on his heels. "I'm here as Sammy's representative in case he says anything that might get us into trouble."

God, help him with these two.

"He hasn't done anything wrong, Selah." And yet… Ben's head snapped down to his son, scanning Samuel for a blush on his neck. The one telltale sign that he was lying. "Have you done something wrong?"

Samuel flopped onto the corner chair, offering only a shrug, which translated to a maybe.

"Ben, you're here!" Evie ran through the door, plowing into him at full force for a hug. "Are you playing games with us tonight?"

He grinned down at the rainbows on her cheeks. Ty must have forced every single kid to get their face painted so he could talk to that woman. "Yes, but I want to discuss something with you and Samuel. We want to have fun tonight, and that means no fighting."

"I won't fight," Evie said innocently. "I'm not the one that starts the fights, anyway."

Samuel huffed. "Yeah, right."

"She doesn't." Surprising them all, Toby slinked out from behind the desk, holding a cat in his arms. "Sammy always starts the fights."

On his feet, Samuel's hands fisted at his side. "No, I don't."

The sweet smile on Evie's lips dropped in a flash. "Yes, you do."

"Yeah, well, you cheat."

The rainbows on Evie's face turned various shades of red, the paint cracking as she opened her mouth wide to let Samuel have it.

"If you guys can make it the whole night without fighting, I'll pay you forty bucks." Ben held a hand up in surrender, hoping none of the other adults were listening. "Each."

The kids froze, their gazes slowly rolling to him.

"Make it fifty," Selah said. "And you've got a deal."

Let it never be said that Fairweathers didn't know how to negotiate. "My offer is for Samuel and Evie."

As if offended, Selah laid a hand on his chest. "I am Sammy's representative and should receive payment for my services. "

"Christ, I have told your mother not to let you watch Law and Order anymore." Ben swiped a hand down his face. "Okay, you can have fifty dollars."

"Me, too." Livy stuck her head in from the hall. "I went and got Evie for you, so that's labor cost."

"We'll be good," Samuel promised, throwing out a fake smile and giving Evie a one-armed hug. He'd been asking for a new video game, and fifty dollars would cover the cost of two. "Right, Evie?"

Evie positively beamed, determined to let her fake smile outshine Samuel's. "Right!"

The kids marched out, happier than he'd ever seen them. That might not have been his finest parenting moment, but he was learning that sometimes you just did what you had to do.

Toby sat the cat down, the thing scurrying away so fast it could hardly gain traction on the hardwood floors.

"I have fifty dollars for you, too, Toby. Only you're going to do a different job to get paid."

Toby blinked a few times, his head tilting to the side. "What kind of job?"

"I want you to make sure SiSi doesn't find out about this."

"Why?"

Ben searched for a way to say it so the boy would understand. "Not all the parts of us, or the things we do, should be shown to everyone because people don't always understand."

"She won't understand fifty dollars?"

"Not in this case."

"Is the fifty dollars bad?"

"What's bad to one person isn't bad to another," Ben replied, fairly sure he was screwing this conversation up. "Everything we do won't make everyone happy all the time."

Toby nodded like he understood. "Okay, I can do it."

The boy half jogged out of the room, and Ben followed, searching for signs of an adult. He had a long night of family time ahead but needed his woman.

Now.

He stuck his head into the parlor where Devon was setting up card tables. "Where's Laura Jean?"

"She left a note in the kitchen and said you would figure it out."

On the kitchen island, he found a bottle of Jameson Whiskey next to a slip of paper on the counter.

Find me.

Spinning the top off the whiskey, he took a deep draw, the corners of his mouth curving as he did. She would be at their spot in the forest, ready and hopefully naked. They could be normal and use a bedroom or even one of the cottages for a little more privacy, but no. Laura Jean liked him to fuck her under the stars.

Already dying to have her on his tongue, he made his way across the lawn and through the paths leading to the mill. The area they used sat on the opposite shore from the ruins. A spot where the trees thinned, and the night sky could be seen along the empty bayou.

He sipped at the whiskey as he went, the soft light ahead urging him to hurry. She would have known he needed this. Needed to bury himself inside her the moment he arrived.

Working at his tie, he let it drop to the ground. His shirt was next, falling to rest on the forest floor. This was one of the best parts of coming home. The shedding of Benjamin Fairweather until there was only Ben. The man who loved her more than his own life.

Turning the last curve on the path, he stopped, his breath catching in his throat at the sight before him.

Standing next to a pallet of blankets and pillows, surrounded by a sea of candlelight, was Laura Jean. Barefoot as usual, she wore a simple short cotton dress, and had left her wavy hair hanging loose around her shoulders. The word beautiful didn't quite cover it. Falling forever short of the way she looked in this moment.

"You're going to burn the whole damn forest down with all those candles."

She didn't speak, but a sliver of air whipped through the clearing, winking out each of the tiny flames one by one. Magic. Magic was always in the air whenever she was near, and he'd wisely learned to ignore it, or else his rational mind would ruin the moment.

"You should have seen my parenting skills a minute ago," he said as he approached. "Even I'm impressed with myself."

Again, she remained silent, crooking her finger at him.

"Oh, so you don't want to talk first?" he teased. "No, how was your day, or did you have a good flight?"

They met halfway and the mischievousness in her laughing emerald eyes spoke volumes, screaming that she was his to do whatever he wanted with tonight.

Any depraved thing he wanted.

"Fine." He took another long drink of whiskey. "Lose the dress."

Her lips twitched, but she did as he asked, tossing the dress aside. She had known better than to wear something underneath, and naked in the moonlight, she was absolute and total perfection.

He palmed a heavy breast, unable to stop himself from touching her. "Open."

Tilting her head back, she opened her mouth for him to pour a thin line of whiskey into it. As she drank, the amber liquid trickled down her chin, and the beast prowling inside him came alive. With a growl, he leaned down to lap it up with his tongue.

A moan skittered past her lips, and he pulled the bottle back to tip further, the whiskey flowing onto her breasts. Chasing the trail with his tongue, he sucked a nipple between his teeth.

"Ben."

At the whisper of his name, and with her fingers tangling in his hair, the whiskey and the world evaporated. He dropped the bottle to kiss his way upward and capture her mouth, their tongues dancing in fevered desperation.

An aching deep in his soul cried out to whatever it was in her that connected them. It demanded more. Howling and screaming as if it needed that bond to survive. Before she became his, life had been a rollercoaster of highs and lows, with nothing except pain working as its driving force.

Before her, the best he could hope for was a companion. Someone to be comfortable enough with to let his guard down once in a while.

Before her, there had been no such thing as destiny. Fate and magic in the midnight hour didn't belong in the real world. And never between a man and a woman who had no right to love one another so fiercely.

Before her, all of it mattered until none of it did.

Before her, Benjamin Fairweather never understood what it meant to be loved.

Shoving at his chest to break the kiss, Laura Jean dropped to her knees, her fingers working at his zipper to free him. The primitive part of his desire took over, and with only the stars above watching, he thrust into her mouth with abandon.

How could he have ever doubted?

This mouth.

This woman.

They were his.

Until the end of it all.

But as good as it felt, he didn't let it last.

"You're on top."

He helped her stand and undressed the rest of the way before they fell upon their bed of blankets. She didn't waste time, straddling him to get to work. The slick slide of her body as she took him in was the best kind of torture, and would have him begging before the end.

"Don't be gentle tonight." Fully seated, her nails dug into his chest. "Because I won't be."

And she meant it. Without wasting time, she rode at a breakneck pace, her hips rocketing at lightning speed. He couldn't stop himself and pumped from below, helping her find the release she was so desperately racing towards.

The first hit of an orgasm sliced through her, and Laura Jean shook from the impact, her tight walls pulsing around him until the scattered stars overhead blurred. She screamed his name, the guttural cry causing the beast to snap its teeth, wanting more.

"Run."

They had played this game before, and coming down off her high, she panted with excitement. The last time they walked away with sap in their hair, but neither had minded, the annoyance had been worth the fun.

"What happens when you find me?"

"You get to be dinner." The beast coiled, its leash straining tight. "Five seconds."

That was all she needed to hear, and Laura Jean slipped off into the dark.

Four seconds passed instead of five, and he set off to track her through the thick woods. He found her easily—because she wanted to be found—and they ended up against a tree again. With a solid grip on her hips, and her using the tree's trunk for balance, he bent her forward to slam home with one solid thrust.

The roar that tore from him splintered the silence. "Fuck."

"I want all of it," she begged, allowing the beast in him to make its claim. "I won't break."

But he wanted her to break. A selfish bastard through and through, he wanted her shattered and broken to where it was only he who could make her whole again.

Desperate to hear those beautiful screams, he bottomed out, and a second orgasm struck her. The unapologetic beat of his body punctuated the sound, creating a beautiful staccato made up of his woman's cries.

They could do this until dawn, stopping only when the sun ordered them to return to the house. Yet, this first round was it for tonight, and as much as he wanted it to go on a little longer, he couldn't hold back. He needed to come so fucking badly, his body shuddering in the strain to let it end.

"All of it," she whispered, her breathing turning to tiny gasps and grunts. "Give me."

Digging his fingers into her hip bones, he yanked her feet right off the ground and came so hard he almost blacked out. "This." He rocked her up and down his cock, pumping every last drop into her until there was nothing left. "Love this."

Every time they were together, the hope that crept in would consume them both. She was scared it would never work, and he was terrified that it would, but their goal was the same. To grow their family into something extraordinary.

"Well done, Fairweather," Laura Jean panted, trying to catch her breath once it was over. "That was spectacular."

How did she do it? Two seconds ago, they were fucking without any control, and now she had him laughing. "Are you going to clap for me?" he asked sarcastically. Lowering her slowly to stand, he smacked her ass as he pulled out. "You at least owe me that."

Full of sass, she spun around and gave him a polite clap. "Excellent form and execution."

"Very funny."

He picked her up to carry back to their makeshift bed. With only minutes left in their small window of alone time, he didn't want to waste a second, and settled them among the pillows.

"So, impress me with your parenting skills," she said as the light dusting of clouds finally released the full moon, allowing it to illuminate the clearing. "What did you do?"

"Samuel is staying the night."

Just as excited as him, she gasped. "Oh, this is the first real sleepover you've had with all the kids since moving in."

"And I was told we're playing cards."

"We'll have to separate Samuel and Evie."

"No, we won't because I paid them fifty dollars each to behave."

Laura Jean's head popped up from where it was resting on his chest. "You did not!"

Her reaction was not what he expected. "It's just fifty dollars."

"You cannot pay the kids to behave."

"Why not?"

"Benjamin!"

"Here's the thing." He pressed his lips together, thinking twice about telling her the truth, but gave in almost immediately. "Selah was in the room, and I had to give him fifty because he claimed to be Samuel's witness. Then Toby crawled out from whatever hiding spot he has behind the library desk, and I promised him fifty to help keep this a secret from SiSi."

"Ben, that's not ok—"

"And I had to give Evie fifty since she's half in on the deal. Oh, and Livy was listening in, so she got fifty. Maybe I should give the twins and CeCe fifty? I mean, it's only fair, and I don't want to hear them all fight."

Laura Jean whooped with laughter. "Fairweather, you are one of the savviest businessmen in the southern United States."

"Not necessarily."

"Tell that to the Houston Chronicle."

"Their reporter took up way too much of my time," he grumbled, poking her in the ribs to make her laugh harder. "But what's your point?"

"My point is that you're brilliant, yet a bunch of kids just hustled you."

"Them hustling me only gives us hope for their futures."

Her laughter eased as an owl hooted from a tree nearby, the damn thing growing louder when its mate didn't return the call right away.

"Jamison with an i. I like that."

He yawned, running fingers up and down her spine. "What?"

"I want to name our baby Jamison, but with an i instead of an e. I had a dream after the hurricane about a pretty woman who had that name and it stuck with me."

He forced her to look at him. "Are you pregnant?"

"No, but I will be soon." A breeze floated through, tossing the strands of her light blonde hair about. "I can feel her already."

"Her?"

"It'll be a girl."

She sounded so sure.

But Laura Jean always did.

"And if it's a boy?"

"Then you can pick the name."

His heart did a somersault in his chest. He had never been allowed to have any input on the names of his children. Miranda named Samuel after her father, and Simone, with Laura Jean, chose the name Selah.

"I like Oliver." The movement in his chest halted, bracing itself for when she laughed at him. "I've always been partial to that name for a boy."

"Ollie," she said, resting her chin on his chest. "We'll call him Ollie for short."

"You like it?"

"I do. Oliver Fairweather sounds very distinguished, but you're going to give me a girl first."

The beast inside him bowed its head, tamed by this woman long ago. "I have a deal for you," he whispered, dragging her closer for a kiss. "Love me forever, and I'll give you as many girls as you want."

"An army of Fairweather women?" Her brows shot sky high. "Woe be unto the world."

"So, do we have a deal?"

"Deal."