Page 60

Jackson shook his head before she even finished speaking. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m looking forward to visiting with your folks, and I need English’s help in running the businesses while the boys are on assignment.”

“He’s right, Reagan,” Easton said. “His place is with you. We’ve got this, but if it makes you feel any better, if we run into trouble and need back-up, we’ll call in Alex and his guys.”

Alex Crandell and the men of Atlas Security had become an extension of their makeshift family. Knowing they would provide back-up for the boys did make Reagan feel better.

“Okay,” she agreed. “You guys get going. We’ll make the necessary calls to get everything set up. But you’d better check in regularly, or I’m sending Jackson after you.”

Ben, Easton, and Luke grinned at her motherly scolding. They often teased her about treating them like children as practice for when her child was born. She couldn’t disagree. The boys had managed to creep into her heart just as Jackson had. She loved them with a sisterly love she’d missed out on being an only child.

When the boys filed out to prepare for their mission, Reagan rose and walked into Jackson’s ready embrace.

“I’m worried about what they’ll find.”

Jackson smoothed her hair as she laid her head to his chest. “We’ve had tough cases before. They’ve got this. You have to trust them. They know what they’re doing.”

She nodded. “I know. I’ve learned to trust more thanks to you. I mean, I’m even changing my opinion of English. Since he insisted on putting in an office for me, so I could be close to you while we worked, it’s been nice being around him. I talked through a plot point with him yesterday, and he gave me some solid advice on how to work it out.”

His lips touched the top of her head. “I knew you two would work it out. Did you ever think things would end up this way with us?”

She turned her head to stare into his face. “You mean did I think we would fall in love, marry, and have a baby together? I may have fantasized about it once or twice. Did I ever think I would sell my house and move to Fire Creek to be with you? Until it happened, nope, I never imagined it.”

He chuckled. “Any regrets?”

She paused, pretending to consider his question until his fingers found the ticklish spots at her sides. Squirming until he stopped, she grinned. “You’re the best thing to ever happen to me. I love you, Jackson. So no, I have no regrets.”

He lowered his mouth to hers for a long, lingering kiss that soon sparked with fiery passion. With her pregnancy hormones on overload, Reagan was ready to rip Jackson’s clothes off and have her wicked way with him, but he broke the contact first.

“Later, baby. I need to go down and help English close the bar. Plus, I refuse to screw my wife in my mentor’s apartment when any one of my brothers could barge in and see all your naked sexiness.”

Reagan rolled her eyes. “Whatever, you wuss. Get out of here before I change my mind. But don’t think for one minute that I’m not going to hold you to your promise about later.”

“I’m counting on it, baby.”

With one last quick kiss, he hurried down the stairs to the bar. Once everything was quiet, the baby kicked, the tiny foot causing her stomach to jump. She rubbed her hand over her abdomen, a smile touching her lips.

“Soon, little one. You’ll get to be a part of the chaos that is our life, but it’s a good life. You have the best daddy and uncles I could ever have picked for you. And your grandparents? I fully expect them to spoil you rotten.”

Her speech resulted in another kick, and she laughed. Then remembering the calls she needed to make for the boys, she sobered.

“The world is full of awful stuff, little one. But you don’t have to worry about a thing. You’re going to be the most important person the Legends will ever protect. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”