Properly mollified, Peggy nodded. “Good. Now let’s finish our lunch and get home. Nevvie has phone calls to make to her men and to John and Kelly, and I’m sure Laurie will be over the moon at the news she’s going to be an aunt to twins.”
* * * *
Nevvie made the call to Tom and Tyler while riding home with Peggy. Tyler answered his cell. “Well, love? What’s the verdict?”
“Um, can you put it on speaker and get Tommy?”
His voice immediately changed to the worrisome tone she knew far too well. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, Ty. Just do it, please, so I don’t have to tell it twice.”
“Right. Hold on.” A moment later, she heard Tom in the background, then the sound changed as Tyler activated speakerphone mode. “All right, love. We’re listening.”
“Are you at the house?”
“Yes,” Tom said. “Now what did the doctor say?”
“I really like Dr. Fagen,” Nevvie started. “She’s very nice and didn’t give me any problems when I told her about the three of us.”
“That’s great, Nevvie,” Tyler said, “but what about the baby?”
“She said everything looks great.” She caught the smirk on Peggy’s face and plunged forward. “She did an ultrasound. She told me they look fine.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. When she checked, the call hadn’t dropped. “Guys? You still there?”
“They?” Tom asked. “Did you say they?’
“Um, yeah. Surprise! It’s twins.”
“Twins?” Tyler asked, sounding shocked. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’ve got the picture to prove it.”
She heard Tom laugh. “Holy crap. Just when we think we have life handled, we’re thrown another curveball.”
“Is everything all right?” Tyler asked, his voice back to worried again. “Are you all right?”
Oh, crap. She knew that tone of voice. That was his smother-you-with-concern voice. “Ty, everything’s fine so far,” she said. “The doctor said it’s too early to do an amniocentesis, but she took blood from me to run other tests. And yes, it’ll be a planned C-section, so don’t worry.”
Tom laughed again. “That’s like telling him not to breathe, baby girl. You know that.”
“I know, but I thought I’d say it anyway. She said I’ll probably be due around the end of January, but that twins sometimes come early. And because it’s twins, she’ll want to see me more often than I went with the boys.”
“You should see Ty’s face,” Tom said. “He looks like he just swallowed a frog.”
“Is that bad?” Nevvie asked.
“Thomas, I’m simply worried is all. Is that not understandable?”
“Mom and I are going to try to talk to Ben Jones today,” Nevvie said. “This settles it. The house is too small for us and four kids. So we have to move regardless of whether we stay in Tampa or here. Might as well find something.”
“Go for it, baby girl,” Tom encouraged. “You find whatever you want. You know our budget better than we do. I just have one condition?”
“What?”
“Is Momma there?”
“She’s driving. Why?”
“Ask her if she still knows Ron Baker.”
Nevvie did. Peggy nodded. “He and his wife go to my church. He’s retired. Why?”
Nevvie relayed the information. “Ask Momma to call him and see if he can go with you. He used to work with my dad. He can do an unofficial building inspection for you. I’d feel better if he looked at the house since I’m not there to do it.”
Nevvie relayed that information as well. Peggy smiled. “I’ll call him as soon as we get home. He only lives a few minutes away.”
Nevvie finally got off the phone with her men. She once again buried it in the bottom of her purse.
“Let me guess,” Karen said from the backseat. “Blue Eyes is already working himself into a nervous sweat.”
“Yes. Oh, shoot. I forgot to ask about the storm,” Nevvie said. “I’ll call them back later.” Tom and Tyler were at their home in Tampa, boarding up both their house and Pete and Eddie’s house in preparation for a possible direct strike by Hurricane Edgar. Kyle and Jacob, and her dad, John, were helping with the preparations.
Peggy glanced in the rearview mirror. “Just please do me a favor, Karen.”
“Yes, Momma?”
“Try to hold off getting pregnant until after Nevvie delivers.”
Karen laughed. “Don’t worry, Momma. Bill and I plan on waiting for a little while, if ever. I’m getting a little old to be carrying a baby.”
“Yeah, we’d planned on waiting, too,” Nevvie snarked. “We hadn’t even planned on having these two.” She stroked her still-flat belly. Oopsies or not, they would be a welcomed addition to their family. “Life has a peculiar sense of humor.”
* * * *
Tyler stared at the phone. Tom wore a grin. “Twins! Isn’t that great?” He smacked Tyler on the shoulder. “Twins!”
Tyler forced a smile he hoped looked genuine and nodded. “Aces, love.” All he could think about was getting out of the house and to the gun range to get in more target practice. Once the hurricane hit, he likely wouldn’t be able to go for a few days, if at all.
Now, more than ever, it was crucial he become as proficient as possible.
“What’s wrong with you?” Tom asked. “Why aren’t you happy?”
Tyler shook his head. “Just so much to do, and the storm, and I have errands to run. I really am happy. Truly.”
“You sure as hell don’t look like it.”
Why not opt for a version of the truth? “You know what a worrier I am. It’s my nature. After what happed with Mikey’s birth, I can’t help but worry. I’m sorry. I simply wish we were up there with our angel to be with her right now and take care of her. Is that so difficult to understand?”
Tom’s expression softened. He pulled Tyler into his arms. “Aw, it’s all right, buddy.” He kissed the top of Tyler’s head. Tyler closed his eyes and relaxed into Tom’s embrace. “She’s fine. She’s got Dad and Momma and Karen with her. She’s safe, the boys are safe, and we’ll be up there soon enough.”
“I know. I’m just blasted worried is all.”
Tom waggled his eyebrows at him. “I know what would unworry you, buddy.”
Tyler couldn’t help but smile at Tom’s sexy tone. “Later, love. Errands first. You can properly fuck my worries away tonight.” He looked up into Tom’s sweet brown eyes. “All night, if you wish.”
Tom’s lips curled in a deliciously sexy smile. “I’m going to hold you to that.” He grabbed Tyler’s ass and ground his hips against him. Tyler felt Tom’s already-hard cock pressing through his jeans. “And I’m going to hold you to this, too.”
Despite his worry, Tyler’s cock stiffened in his slacks. He never could resist his sweet Southern boy. “I hope you will, love.” He kissed Tom deeply, their tongues sliding together, heat rising between them until Tyler finally broke the kiss and stepped back. “That’s to keep you interested.”
“Goddamn,” Tom said, his voice deep and thick with passion. “You cock tease.” But he smiled.
“Your cock tease, never forget.”
Tom grabbed the front of his jeans, where his bulge was clearly visible and straining against the denim. “Forgetting’s not gonna happen with this to remind me all afternoon.”
“Good.” Tyler left before Tom talked him into bed. On his way to the gun shop, he stopped at their post office box to check the mail. Still no concealed weapons permit.
Blast. When he’d turned in the paperwork, he’d been warned it could take upward of a couple of months to get it back. Nothing he could do about it, despite the fact that Alex LaRogue hadn’t been apprehended yet. And with the storm’s rapid approach, the bloody bastard likely wouldn’t be apprehended anytime soon as law enforcement had public safety and hurricane evacuations to worry about.
A
t the gun shop, Tyler removed his locked gun case and the shooting bag holding his shooting muffs, protective glasses, and other supplies from the trunk of his Lexus and went inside. He was surprised to see an unusually high number of customers in the store for a Wednesday afternoon.
Jack, the owner, waved when he saw Tyler enter. Tyler walked over to the end of the counter where Jack was already putting several boxes of 9mm shells and targets for Tyler to shoot on the counter. “I already started you a ticket. You’re on lane one.”
“Thanks, mate.” He grabbed the targets and boxes of ammo after donning his shooting muffs. “Why all the people?”
“The storm,” Jack explained. “Always brings a lot of people out to stock up on ammo and weapons. They worry about looters. Sucks for our area, but it’s great for business.”
“Ah.” Tyler went into the shooting range, where he had the place to himself, and set up. His aim and skill had greatly improved from when he’d started. He began his practice by putting the back holster on and practicing drawing the Glock, unloaded, several times. He couldn’t do it at home, usually, because he risked Tom or Nevvie discovering him. He kept everything locked in the trunk of his car. Not the ideal situation, but once he had his concealed weapons license, he’d keep the gun on him at all times when not at home.
He wouldn’t risk her safety again, or their children’s safety.
Nevvie had clearly said she didn’t want a gun in the house with the boys being so young, but he would keep it locked in a file drawer in the house, in the locked case, with a trigger lock on it when at home. He’d buy a locking file cabinet next time he went to Savannah and keep it in the RV. Since they’d already agreed he would use the RV as a mobile office while there, it wouldn’t cause Nevvie any suspicion at all.
Then again, once they were all permanently moved to Savannah, he wouldn’t have to worry about Nevvie. There was no way in hell Alex could track her there. Even if it meant uprooting themselves and moving up there away from their friends, it was worth it.
At least their family would be together. And safe.
After practicing with the back holster, he practiced with the underarm one. That completed, he loaded the gun, put his shooting glasses on, and took aim at the target. With every shot, he envisioned a bullet hole between Alex LaRogue’s eyes.
Chapter Two
Before they reached Peggy’s, Nevvie dug her phone back out of her purse to call John and Kelly Fleischman, her birth parents, and give them the happy news. Now reunited with them, it sucked that they were in Tampa while she was in Savannah. At least she could celebrate the news with her twelve-year-old sister, Laurie.
Laurie had stayed behind in Savannah after the family cookout over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Nevvie enjoyed her company and getting to know her, and Laurie had fun playing with her young nephews, as well as getting acquainted with the other various Kinsey cousins.
Kelly squealed with delight when Nevvie told her. “Twins? Are you serious? That’s fantastic!” Upon meeting Adam and Mikey, Kelly had immediately immersed herself in the role of Grandma and had taken great pleasure in spoiling her two grandsons rotten as much as she could.
John must have taken the phone out of her hands. “Nevvie? What is that? Twins?”
She laughed. “Yes, Dad. Twins.” In the background, she heard Kelly still cheering the news.
She didn’t anticipate his sudden silence, however.
“Dad? Are you okay?”
His voice sounded choked when he finally answered. “Okay, Nevvie. Seriously. When are you going to let me teach you how to shoot?” John, recently retired from the air force, was bound and determined to keep her safe from Alex LaRogue once he heard the story about the attack. Now that he had his daughter back, he’d made it abundantly clear he didn’t want to lose her again.
Nevvie gentled her voice. “I don’t want a handgun in the house, Dad. I told you that. But…” She hoped she wouldn’t regret this. “You mentioned you like shooting skeet. I guess I wouldn’t mind learning that. Would that satisfy you?”
“Not completely, but it’s a start. We’ll come back up next weekend. I’d be up this weekend except for the storm.”
“You and Mom don’t have to come up just for that.” Despite being reunited with them for less than a couple of months, she’d found it surprisingly easy to call them Mom and Dad.
“Yes, we want to. As long as it’s all right with Peggy.”
“I’m sure it will be. Hold on.” She pulled the phone away from her face. “Is it okay if Mom and Dad come up next weekend?”
Peggy smiled. “Of course. And tell him not to go out and buy you a skeet gun.” She pointed at Karen in the rearview mirror. “Keep your mouth shut, young lady.”
“Yes, Momma.”
“What?” Nevvie asked.
“Just tell him,” Peggy insisted.
Nevvie eyed her, but passed the word to John.
“Why?” John asked.
“She won’t tell me, but she’s got a sneaky look on her face. I suspect she’s up to something. I’ll let you know what once I find out.” They made the arrangements and Nevvie hung up as they were pulling into Peggy’s yard. “What are you up to, Mom?”
She wore a pleased smile. “You’ll see, sugar. I have a surprise for you. We’ll talk about it tonight after dinner and the boys are in bed. Now let’s get inside and spread the good news. Plus I’ve got calls to make about looking at Ben’s house today.”
* * * *
Two hours later, Andrew and Laurie were wrangling the boys and cooking dinner at Peggy’s house, while Nevvie, Peggy, and Ron Baker finished a tour of Ben’s house and property. They settled at Ben’s dining room table. Ben had a folder of paperwork in front of him.
“It’s a little over thirty acres altogether.” He handed a paper to Ron, whom Nevvie had already dubbed her de facto property expert. “When my wife died five years ago, my kids started harping on me to sell it. I didn’t want to then, but I’ve got grandkids now. I want to spend time with them while I’m still in good enough shape to enjoy them.”
He looked around the house. “Besides, this place isn’t getting any easier on me to take care of by myself.” He wistfully smiled. “The kids don’t get down here very often. They all live within a few minutes of each other. If I move up there, I’ll be able to see them whenever I want. I’m thinking of getting a small RV so I can escape back down here during the winters if I feel like it.”
“You haven’t actually put your house on the market yet, though?” Nevvie asked.
“Not yet. Peggy had mentioned y’all might be interested in it. I figured I’d talk to you first and see if you’re interested. I’m glad you called me.”
The house was older. Not in bad shape, but smaller than they would need. The good thing was the property had more than enough room to expand. Nevvie could easily picture a whole new wing added onto the western end of the house, including a private master suite. Tyler and Tom could both have downstairs offices, they could add a guest room, and the three existing upstairs bedrooms would be perfect for the kids. Most of the property was still wooded. The yard around the house and the backyard down to the pond were cleared and would make wonderful play areas for the kids.
They’d have lots of privacy. They’d be next door to Peggy. Within minutes of Karen and Tom’s other sisters.
“How much are you asking for it?”
He shrugged. “I know property isn’t cheap anymore, but my wife and I bought this land years ago while we were still up in Michigan. It wasn’t that expensive then. We had it paid off before we even built the house. When we sold our house up there, when I retired, we used that money to pay this off. Overall, we didn’t do too bad.” He sadly smiled. “It’d be nice to have a family living here who would appreciate it and enjoy it.” Then he named a figure that nearly dropped Nevvie’s jaw. Not because it was so high, but because it was far lower than she’d anticipated.
“Um, are you sure you don’t wa
nt to have the property appraised first? Not to be a bad negotiator, but that price sounds awfully low.”
“I already have. But what stinks is if I sell to someone else, they’ll just turn around and split it up into lots and put a bunch of them little Monopoly mansions up all over the place and ruin the area for everyone like they did two roads over. Hell, I could easily get another thirty thousand for it, if I wanted. I just want a fair price for it without screwing my friends over who live here. Like Peggy.” He nodded at her. “And since we’re doing this privately without any real estate agents involved, I reckon I don’t need to pad the price to pay for their fees. The only thing I ask is if you do want it, you pay the closing costs, and you promise not to sell it out and let it get split up.” He smiled. “And that I don’t have to get out until after Karen’s wedding. I’ve known that girl most of her life. Besides, I’ll need the time to pack.” He offered his hand to her.
Nevvie smiled as she shook hands with him. Despite her earlier promise to Peggy to wait, she said, “You have a deal, Ben.”
* * * *
Tyler hoped he didn’t smell like gunpowder when he returned home from the gun range. When he arrived, he was relieved to find a note from Tom saying that he had gone to the store to pick up extra storm supplies.
Tyler didn’t like the way this storm kept growing in size and intensity, stubbornly refusing to veer off its track. The way it looked now, it would sweep up Tampa Bay from the southwest to the northeast. Tom had already arranged for John and Kelly to ride it out at their house because of the Fleischmans’ proximity to the bay and evacuation zone. Kyle and Jacob, Nevvie’s half brothers, would also stay with them because Tom wasn’t sure how sturdy their apartment building would prove to be.
He doubted he’d get any work done with a house full of people, but he echoed Tom’s sentiments that he’d rather have them all there, with them, in relative safety.
Tyler took the gun and shooting supplies into the house with him and locked them in his file cabinet in his office. He wouldn’t have to worry as much about keeping them hidden with Nevvie and the boys gone. Tom rarely went into his office, and he never snooped around in Tyler’s file cabinet.