For a moment, everyone was silent. Then Maddox burst out laughing, and Bentley hung his head, his shoulders shaking in mirth. Reid laughed so hard, he almost fell off the low chair he was perched on. Van’s head fell back as he guffawed, and even Jordan covered his eyes as he laughed. Rene simply shook his head, amusement written all over his face.
“What?” Aiden said.
“You’re the boss when Cami tells you it’s okay,” Bentley informed him. “Which isn’t often.”
“What about you?” Aiden shot back.
Bentley lifted his shoulder. “Emmy owns me totally. What she says goes, and I’m good with that. Mad Dog?”
Maddox wiped his eyes. “Pretty much. What Dee says goes—well, most places.” He winked suggestively. “There’s one place I call the shots, but I’ll keep that private.”
Reid grinned. “I let Becca boss me around. I kinda like it.”
We all laughed at that.
I turned my amused gaze to Van. I was the closest to him of the group. “What say you, Van? Liv the boss of the house?”
He shook his head slowly. “Nope.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised.
He grinned into his whiskey. “Sammy is. What she says goes.”
Everyone laughed at his droll statement. Sammy was Van’s adopted daughter, and he adored her completely.
“Mila is second-in-command. Liv rounds them out.” He concluded. “Reed and I just do what we’re told.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “It’s easier that way, my friend. Go with the flow.”
Bentley met my eyes, his gaze serious. “Ignore Tree Trunk here and listen to me, Halton. Love her. With everything in you. Emmy is the center of my world. She comes first. Over business, money, everything. If I lost all of it and only had her, I’d still have everything.” His voice caught. “She is everything.”
I nodded in understanding, my throat suddenly thick. Fee had already become more important to me than anything else. I would do anything for her happiness. Be whatever she needed me to be. Do whatever I had to do to keep her safe, happy, and beside me. I met Rene’s dark eyes. He smiled in understanding, knowing what demons I had conquered to get to the point of admitting my love for Fee. He clapped me on the shoulder.
“What Bentley said, Halton. Love her.”
That was what I planned on doing for the rest of my life.
Fee had her own surprise when Joanne drove her to a small restaurant in Mississauga and Fee walked in to find all the BAM women in attendance. Emmy, Cami, Dee, Becca, Liv, and Sandy were waiting with presents, and all the little canapés Fee craved constantly. Lots of wine was drunk by the other women, but Fee stuck to ginger ale. She sent me a few pictures of some of the gifts she received. The piles of lace and satin in a rainbow of colors made me grin widely, imagining her modeling them for me. The thought of peeling them off her smooth skin was like a gift that kept on giving.
For now, though, I needed my bride.
We were in a beautiful ballroom overlooking Toronto. The space was decorated with flowers, tulle, flickering candles, and the tables were dressed in cream and green linens. I waited at the altar, complete with a flower-laden arch at one end of the room. Our friends stood around us, waiting to celebrate after the short ceremony with dinner and dancing.
Joanne appeared in the doorway and walked sedately toward us, her gaze lingering on Rene for a long moment. I glanced to the side, noting the wide grin on his face and the way his eyes were focused on her. I had been surprised when I finally met her to discover she was older than Fee by ten years. There had been no disguising the mutual attraction between her and Rene the first time they met, and watching the two of them now made me wonder how far their attraction had gone.
Rene met my amused gaze. “Keep your eyes on your own woman,” he growled softly.
I chuckled. “Is that how it is, old man?”
He nudged me playfully. “None of your business, Halton. You concentrate on getting married. I’ll handle my own love life.”
My laughter died on my lips when Fee appeared in the doorway. The short path to me seemed much too long as I watched her walk my way.
Her beautiful silver hair was down, hanging past her shoulders in a mass of waves, shining in the low light. A lacy, ivory dress gathered tight under her breasts and swirled loosely around her knees, a vivid green sash emphasizing the baby bump she was proud to display.
Lord knew I could hardly keep my hands off of it. Every time she was close, I found myself touching it. Sitting beside her, I always rested my hand on the growing swell. I talked to her tummy endlessly at night while she slept. I kissed it constantly, murmuring my adoration to her skin. I sang funny songs, ignoring Fee’s snickers, and I read books about foxes, puppies, and kittens to the growing bump daily.
Any and all doubts I would love this child, our child, were banished instantly when I saw the first ultrasound. I was already in love, but seeing the image had kicked my emotions into overload, and now I was totally infatuated. We didn’t know the gender, but it didn’t matter. My child already owned my heart.
Our eyes met, intense dark blue melding with soft, beautiful green, and my heart stuttered. This was the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. This was the woman who would safeguard my heart and always be there. And I would do the same for her.
I held out my hand, anxious to feel her touch. Her smile was wide, her eyes joyful as she slid her palm into mine, and I lifted our joined fingers to my mouth, kissing her knuckles.
“Ready, FeeNelly?” I asked quietly.
“So ready, counselor.”
“Then let’s get married.”
Four years later
I pulled in the driveway, pausing before hurrying up the steps to admire the lines of the new house. Much larger than the house Fee and I shared when we were first married, this one had five bedrooms and a good-sized yard, complete with a pool. The house was farther outside of Toronto than I ever expected to live, but it was in a good, safe neighborhood for my family. I had opened a second office closer to the new house and spent two days a week in Toronto and the other three in the new one so I was nearer to home. Both offices were busy and productive. Rene still ran the Toronto office, and Clark now ran the second place.
I glanced at my watch, hoping I wasn’t late. I tapped in the combination code for the door and went inside, to be greeted by one of my favorite sounds in the world.
My daughter, Elsie Renee, bounded down the steps, squealing my name. I opened my arms and caught her as she flung herself off the bottom stair. I swung her around, laughing at her delighted squeaks, then gathered her close and kissed her head. She smelled of bubble bath, flowers, and little girl. She clutched a cookie in her hand and offered it to me with a flourish.
“Is that for me?”
She squirmed in my arms, her grin wide. “Mommy and me made them!”
I studied the cookie, noting the little nibbles missing on one part.
“I think a little mouse ate my cookie.”
She giggled and leaned up, her little lips at my ear. “Not a mouse, Daddy. It was me!”
I opened my eyes wide, lifting my eyebrows in fake surprise. “I never would have guessed that.”
She giggled, and I bit into the dense cookie, enjoying the chocolate.