Page 9 of Hearts of Fairlake (Men of Fairlake #8)

ADAM

"Daaaadyyyyy," came the call to action with more lung power than I thought possible for such a small person.

I tried to keep my reaction to a sigh as I looked over the setup before me and tried to determine if it was actually going to hold or if it was a crooked mess from which there was no return. I tried...but I failed and mentally chided myself as I looked down into the face that even I had to admit was a younger mirror of my own.

"Yes, Colin?" I asked, unable to keep the exasperation out of my voice.

It had been a long couple of weeks, and now the festival weekend was just around the corner, and I was feeling the strain. Several projects needed to be finished by tomorrow, including setting up everything we’d built. We had less than forty-eight hours before the entire town opened up to anyone who wanted to celebrate with us. Which was why most of the downtown area was cordoned off, to let everyone doing the construction do their jobs.

To say I was exhausted and stretched thin was putting it mildly, but I also knew that as long as we got through this, everyone at the shop could take a much-needed break. The money the shop was getting was pretty mind-boggling, and there would be more than enough to cover not only my but everyone else's week-long break with full pay, along with a sizable bonus for their hard work. Until then, though, I had to keep bouncing between the ongoing orders at the shop and the construction happening downtown.

And my children, apparently.

Colin reached me, apparently having slipped away from my parents, and furiously wiped his reddened face. Despite how much Colin looked and often acted like me, he was still a child and came with all the high-flying emotions and sensitivities. I could never remember being as sensitive as him, but my parents insisted I’d been quite a crier at his age.

"What's up?" I asked again as he approached, immediately wrapping his arms around my thigh and shoving his face into it with a whine. "What's going on? Where's Grandma and Grandpa?"

All I was met with was another batch of whining and what I thought might be attempts to communicate the problem. Seeing as he was mashing his face into my leg and severely upset, however, I couldn't understand a single syllable of what he was trying to tell me. He was upset, that much was obvious, but clearly, whatever had upset him was too much for him to take a breath and tell me.

"Buddy I…" I stopped as I heard my name called and turned. "What?"

Phil, a previously half-trained carpenter who’d come from Fovel to find work at my shop, stopped as he took in the scene. “Is this a bad time?"

"He's five and upset about...something," I said with a roll of my eyes. "What's up?"

Phil jammed a thumb over his shoulder. "We were setting up the stage like you told us, but some woman started yelling at us. Something about interrupting her peace and quiet while she's at 'the good part.' I tried to figure out what she was talking about and explain that we need to build, but she told me, uh, well, she?—"

I raised a brow, wincing when Colin's hands, which had been clenched, pinched my thighs sharply. "Ow, Colin, hold on, buddy, alright? Phil, what did she say?"

"She, uh, said that unless we were going to get shirtless and oil ourselves up, we needed to keep it down," Phil explained sheepishly. "And wouldn't hear anything else I had to say. Kinda figured that one was more up your alley than mine."

I blinked at him. “Why?"

"You're the beefcake of the company, not us."

"Jesus, today is not the day, Phil."

He snorted. “Well, it still seems like something you should know about."

He meant deal with, but there would be no use in pointing that out. “Fine, just...give me a minute."

No sooner had Phil nodded his head and walked off before my phone started trilling in my pocket. Once again, Bennett had gotten hold of my phone when I wasn't paying attention and changed the ringtone. This time, it was Britney, proclaiming how she was a slave for me, and I sighed heavily, pulling the device out and seeing it was my husband, which made sense. Other people had called several times today, and there were no changes to the ringtone. I'd probably want to check the ringtones for our friends and family before I ended up having Dixon Dallas singing about having a guy bouncing off his booty cheeks while I was meeting with a client.

Again.

"I could use a few slaves right now," I answered .

Bennett chuckled. “Kinda forgot I did that. It's been a couple of weeks."

"We live together...and usually text."

"True, true. By the way, is the fruit of your loins with you? Because your mom and dad came here looking for him, and they're...a little freaked out."

"How the hell did he get away from them in the first place?" I growled, not caring how annoyed I sounded. Everyone could proclaim how patient and easygoing I was, but they also had their limits. My parents had agreed to watch the kids while I was busy with the festival, and Bennett was working a shift. Bri and Keith also had their jobs, and my parents were well into retirement age and thrilled to be grandparents.

"I guess he kept saying something about Papa Bennett and Daddy. There was this whole thing about him and Amber getting into it like they do. Then Brendon got upset because of the yelling. They tried getting everyone to calm down, but they blinked, and he was gone," Bennett said rapidly. I heard the background noise get muffled, and I figured he was telling them what was happening. When he returned, his voice was quieter. “They're pretty freaked out, so I'm not going to tell them you sound like you're going to fuck something or fight it."

I should have known if anyone could pull me out of my sour mood with a laugh, it was my husband. People always teased me about how serious I could be, and honestly, they weren't wrong. Even when we’d been 'just' friends, Bennett was a good counterbalance to my more serious, sometimes moody tendencies. People joked that he was like a golden retriever, and they weren't wrong. It was rare that you saw Bennett genuinely unhappy or dour. It just wasn't in his nature.

"Now there's a sound I love hearing," he proclaimed, and I could hear the grin in his voice. "Although if you were looking to, uh, fuck something still, I'm sure that can be arranged."

"We're both working," I said with a shake of my head.

"There's supply closets that can be locked," he snorted. "And if you're wanting a little danger, there's always Chief Price's office."

"There's a little bit of danger, and then there's inviting death," I pointed out. "And I definitely don't have time."

"Pfft, you've had quickies before."

"Bennett."

"And there's the exasperation I wanted so much, feeling better?"

"Not particularly," I grumbled, stroking my son's head as he held tight to me, but at least he wasn't whining as heavily. "I'm going to bring Colin over to you guys. I can't babysit all these projects and watch him."

"I figured," he said. "Hopefully, your parents keep a better eye on him."

"Tell me about it. I know Fairlake is pretty safe, especially in this area, but…" I stopped there, not wanting to entertain any worst-case scenarios. If I knew my mom, she was already running endless bad outcomes through her head, and when I showed up, she’d still be cycling between chastising herself and then my father for letting Colin out of their sight when any number of things could have happened to him. "I'll see you soon."

"You bet," he said and then sighed. "Jesus, I think I hear Ira again. Talk soon."

"Ira?" I wondered aloud, not sure what she would be so upset about.

"Daddy?" Colin asked in a thick voice that was thankfully calm. I peered down into his face and felt something tug in my chest at his red, tear, and snot-streaked face. It occurred to me that I’d done little else but get irritated with his interruption when whatever had upset him had clearly been the worst thing ever...for now.

"Hey, buddy," I said softly, bending down so I could get my hands under his arms and pick him up. He came readily, helping to hoist himself up so I could hold him at my side. At some point, far sooner than I would like, he was going to get too big for me to hold him like this. He was already on the big side as it was, and I could already feel myself mourning the day I had to tell him he was too big to pick up. "Daddy's sorry, I shouldn't have been grumpy with you."

"It's okay," he said, laying his head on my shoulder. "I feel better now."

"Well, that's good," I said, signaling to the team that I would be back shortly. "Wanna tell me what got you so upset?"

"Amber," he muttered and sighed as only an aggrieved sibling can. "She was being mean. She bit me."

"Oh," I said. Great, was this a new stage? I’d hoped none of the kids would go through a biting stage. "I'm sorry, I bet that hurt."

"It did!" he said, sounding outraged. "And Grandma and Grandpa didn't believe me."

"They didn't?" I asked, a little surprised. "Why not?"

"Don't know," he answered in a perfect recreation of his mother's irritated voice. "She just said we had to be nice and told me to stop yelling at her."

"You were yelling at Grandma?"

"At Amber!"

"Oh."

"And then Grandma."

"I see," I said, knowing it was not a good idea to let my amusement show. He might have calmed down for the moment, but as Bennett had learned, laughing too soon after one of Colin's emotional moments was a sure way to start it all over again. Sometimes, I worried about how sensitive Colin could be; the world was hard enough without adding extra sensitivity into the mix. Then again, with the way Amber was shaping up, hopefully, the two of them would get along better because she would make a good protector. "Well...should you have yelled at Grandma."

"I didn't mean to," he muttered sullenly. "But she wouldn't listen!"

"I know, and that's frustrating," I agreed, rubbing his back. "I don't like it when people don't listen to me either. But what have we said about yelling?"

I could see he didn't want to respond from the way his face screwed up and then fell. “Not to do it."

"What else?"

"That loud words aren't better...that I should talk, not yell."

"Right," I said, giving him a little hug. "And I know you were really upset, and I don't blame you. Being bitten and then ignored like that."

"I was! It hurt."

I took a breath, reminding myself that if I wanted him to learn how to deal with his emotions, I would have to be a good example, which meant not losing my patience because he was singularly focused. "I bet. But what should you have done?"

"Talked."

"Right, but first?"

"Ummm...not screamed?"

I chuckled. “Take a break so you don't feel like you're going to scream when you want to express yourself."

"Oh yeah," he said, looking pleased that he was close to the correct answer. Not that I blamed him. He was five, not fifteen. I wasn't expecting him to remember the concepts we tried to teach him, let alone be able to put them into action consistently. Hell, some adults didn't know how to take a breath before exploding with emotion, far too many of them at that.

"Oh, and before I forget," I said, looking into his eyes. "Do not ever, and I mean ever, take off on your own like that again, understand? I know most people around here are friendly and nice, and I know you, but that doesn't matter. If you got hurt, someone might not be around to help you. You always stay with whoever's in charge of you, got it?"

"But—"

"No, absolutely not," I said firmly. "There is no but. You could have been hurt, and you scared Grandma and Grandpa."

"They were mean!"

"And you don't get to hurt their feelings just because you're mad at them. If you can't agree with me, we're going to have to make it so that you're not taken out of the house for a while, understand?"

"Yes," he said miserably.

"Good," I said, kissing him on the forehead. "You're a good boy, and we all love you. We don't want something to happen to you. Now, where did Amber bite you?"

He pulled back the collar of his shirt to show me the mark on his shoulder. “There!"

"Okay," I said, looking it over and seeing that his sister hadn't broken the skin but had left a few imprints. "I'm sorry about that, buddy. I'll talk to Amber later, okay?"

"Okay," he repeated, apparently over the bite but not the outrage of being silenced.

We emerged from the large park area that made up the town center and came out where the police station and firehouse sat side by side. It was one of the few areas downtown that weren't cordoned off. Having access to the firehouse and police station was important. Even then, since most of it was cordoned off, this was the quietest I’d ever seen the downtown area during the day. That was if you didn't pay attention to the music streaming from the firehouse which told me Chief Borton wasn't in at the moment, otherwise he would’ve been throwing a fit.

"Julian," Colin said softly, picking his head up to look around.

"What's that?" I asked, peering down at him.

He stared in the direction of the firehouse. “That's Julian."

It took me a moment to understand what he was saying. “Is that Julian's music?"

"Mhmm," Colin said, forgetting all about his sibling troubles. He began wriggling in my arms so that I’d put him down.

"Buddy, he's working right now. You can't go bother him," I said, wondering when Julian had gotten into house music and why I’d never known.

"Aw," Colin groaned, his face falling. I waited for the emotional explosion and then let out a breath of relief when he seemed to accept it with dignity and grace.

The doors to the police station swung open, and my mom came flying out, clutching a large bag to her side. She jogged toward us, her face stricken. My dad and Bennett were close behind, albeit at a more subdued pace. Bennett had Amber walking slowly beside him while my Dad held onto Brendon, giving him a little wiggle to make him laugh and shooting me an apologetic look.

"Oh my God, Colin!" my mother exclaimed loudly, making Colin shrink back in surprise and probably fear of the reprisal he clearly saw coming. "How many times have I told you not to run off when we're in public?"

"I'm sorry," Colin said, scrunching his face and staring at the ground .

"You scared the life out of me," she scolded.

"At least he came to find me," I said, arching a brow. "Honestly, I'm a little impressed he managed to hunt me down."

", don't compliment him when he does something wrong," my mom chided.

My brow arched. “Hey, Colin? Why don't you go see if Julian wants to say hi? Dad, would you take the kids to keep an eye on them?"

"Sure," he said, and I could see he was curious, but he reached over to take Amber's hand from Bennett's. "C'mon, Colin, let's go say hi."

Colin, of course, wasn't one to waste an opportunity to get what he wanted and quickly took off toward the firehouse. I could have sent Bennett, but I wanted him to weigh in, so he was fine right where he was.

", I'm sorry for losing him like that," my mother said, clearly sensing I wanted to talk to her and wasn't happy.

"That part is fine. Everyone can make a mistake. I just ask that you be more watchful," I said, crossing my arms. "But can you explain why Amber was allowed to get away with biting Colin? It was him who got scolded for not getting along."

Bennett's eyes widened and his lips parted but then clamped shut as my mother spoke up. “I never saw her do anything like that. Colin was mad because Amber took a toy from him, and when I told him to stop yelling at her, he said she'd bitten him."

"There's a bite mark on his shoulder," I said, raising a brow. "You didn't bother to ask him where he'd been bit...or check?"

"Well, no, I didn't think to. She's never done anything like that."

"Mom, you raised a kid. You know damn well they can do all sorts of things they've never done before and without warning. Plus, we all know Amber can be...feisty sometimes. The first thing you should have done was calm him down, then ask him to show you where he was bitten. Not to immediately scold him for screaming."

Bennett sighed. “This isn't the first time you've shown favoritism, Diane."

"It's not favoritism," my mom denied hotly, turning on Bennett with a scowl that, once upon a time, would have made Bennett immediately behave. "Don't you dare accuse me of playing favorites."

"But you do play favorites," Bennett insisted, not backing down. That was the Bennett who had been busy raising kids for the past five years, and for all his goofiness and playfulness, he did not mess around when it came to our kids. "You've always treated Amber more leniently than Colin and show her more attention than you do Brendon."

"We didn't say anything before because it hadn't got to a point where it was a big deal," I told her. "But today, it officially reached that point."

"Oh, you two think ganging up on me is the call?" she asked, turning back to me.

"Mom, if we'd had time to sit down with you and Dad without the kids around, I would’ve done that. But Bennett and I will be working the rest of the day, and Bri and Keith aren't supposed to be back till later. Which means you're going to be with them, and I need you to understand that you can't just dismiss Colin and favor Amber."

"And," Bennett added quickly in a softer voice. "We understand it's not because you love the other two any less than you love her. And honestly, I don't think you're doing it on purpose."

"Is it because she's the only girl?" I wondered.

"Oh, come on!" she protested crossly, brow stitching together fiercely. "I raised you and arguably helped raise Bennett. My house was filled with boys, and I loved it. I don't care that she's the only girl."

"But," I began, catching onto what might be the real reason, "I do remember you being upset when we told you about the state of Amber's house and what her parents were like."

"Of course I was," she said with a huff. "Breaks my heart to think about, and I'm glad she's out of there and has you two as parents."

"Look," I said, stepping closer and touching her arm. That she let me, told me she wasn't that upset with us. "Neither of us is trying to get on your ass, give you shit, and we're not saying you're a bad grandma or babysitter. What we're saying is, we've noticed this in the past, and we needed to say something, not to chew you out, but so you can be aware of it."

"She needs order and discipline in her life just as much as extra love," Bennett said. "We can't let her get away with stuff just because she started off in a bad place."

"You said yourself that no one knows how much damage they already did to her in that first year and a half," my mother protested softly. "I don't want to make it worse."

"Not letting her do what she wants all the time isn't going to make it worse," I told her.

"She needs normal," Bennett added, coming up behind my mom to wrap his arms around her and give her a squeeze. "And we know damn well you don't want the other two to think she's the favorite. And trust me, kids pick up on shit like that. They may not say it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Colin hasn't already started thinking it."

"Language," my mother chided, but there was no heat behind her words. "I don't see it, though, I'll be honest."

Which was admittedly one step closer to solving the problem. “Well, keep an eye out if you can. We were guilty of spoiling her a bit in the early months. I was the worst, actually, Bennett had to check me."

"And like mother, like son, he kept insisting he wasn't," Bennett said with a laugh.

"You have to keep in mind that she's a kid just like the other two...albeit with one hell of a temper," I said with a snort.

My mother winced. “She does have a bit of a temper on her, doesn't she?"

"She does."

"Well, I still don't see it, but I know you two wouldn't make this up. I'll keep an eye out, just to be sure," she said with a frown, sounding troubled.

"It's not a big deal, Mom."

"You certainly made it seem like one."

"That's because I'm cranky from everything on my plate, and honestly, I was expecting a fight from you," I admitted with a shrug. "Sorry about that."

At that, my mother gave me a wry smile, reaching up to pat my cheek. "Well, I can't blame you. I was coming off kind of hot. But I'm glad you told me...even if you're wrong."

I laughed. “Well, I don't expect you to admit when you're wrong, so I'm not surprised."

"Well, I would admit to being wrong if it had ever happened," she said with a chuckle, turning around to kiss Bennett on the cheek. "And thank you for being so patient with me."

"How could I not be?" he asked with a wide grin.

"Well, you have enough on your plate, and then we show up, telling you we've lost your son," she said with a wince. "It would be enough to try anyone's patience."

"Colin's a good kid with a pretty decent head on his shoulders," Bennett told her with a shrug. "If he was going to go anywhere, it would be straight to one of his parents, and that's generally if he has a choice."

"True," she said and then heaved a deep breath. "In any case, we still have more errands to run today. I should go get them before Colin wanders off again. With three kids to mind, your father is likely to lose his head along with the kids."

I snorted. “Try not to have any more fun today."

"Trust me, I'll try," she said, kissing me. "You two behave. I'll make sure there's leftovers for you when you get back, and let Bri and Keith know there’ll be plenty for them if they don't want to spend time cooking."

"And that there is why Bri mourned losing you as a mother-in-law," I said with a laugh.

"She's still got me," my mother said with a wink. "She's like a daughter."

"Fair enough," Bennett added. "But I think it's safe to say that you upgraded as far as in-laws are concerned."

"I've been dealing with you for years now," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Just because you're sharing a bed with this one doesn't change much of anything."

I watched her walk off and shook my head. “That's where she's wrong...not that she'll admit it."

"Wrong about what?" Bennett asked, coming to stand next to me.

I looked him over as he stood with that smile that was never too far from his face. He was in uniform, and his blond hair caught the sunlight, making it almost glow. It was funny to think that only a handful of years ago, I wouldn't have looked at him twice just because he was in uniform, and now I was admiring the way he wore his uniform pants so they clung to his butt and the way the sleeves squeezed his biceps.

"You sharing a bed with me changed a whole lot," I said .

"Are you...perving on me right now while being romantic? Or are you perving double?"

"I can perv and be romantic."

"Please do not perv on me."

"Since when do you not want me to perv on you?"

"These pants do not keep a whole lot of secrets, you know that."

I laughed, reaching over to pull him close and kiss him. “You're ridiculous, and yes, before you say it, that is one of the many reasons I love you."

He snorted, pressing himself against me. "I’d love to see that list one day."

It was funny how many people, upon learning our history, asked me if I’d been bi the whole time. I could only tell them I'd never had the slightest inkling that I was remotely into men. And as far as now? Well, I still found women attractive, but I'd never caught myself checking out or being interested in another man...save for the one right here.

It was usually followed by asking how weird it must have been, essentially being straight but still finding myself attracted to a guy, and was it awkward? I always replied, no, it wasn't weird, and it had never been awkward, at least not emotionally. Nothing had ever been awkward between Bennett and me, and just because something new had been thrown into the mix, that hadn't changed in the slightest.

People didn't need to know the exact details, but sex with Bennett came as naturally to me as anything else with Bennett. Sure, I admit it was strange, but it felt completely normal. There was something delightful about how playful, warm, and loving he was in his everyday life. Still, on those nights when I had him to myself, all that 'innocence' disappeared like smoke, and I was sharing a bed with a partner as enthusiastic about sex as he was about anything else .

"I can see the look in your eyes that tells me you might take me up on that offer for a supply closet visit," he said, hastily stepping away from me, probably out of fear that he'd end up getting hard.

"Absolutely not," I told him, knowing full well that a quick round somewhere secret would probably be the best way to work off some of my frustration. "Because now I need to figure out who's been yelling at my guys."

"Huh?" Bennett asked blankly. "What do you mean?"

I explained to him what Phil had told me. “So now I have to find out who's chasing my team off when they're supposed to be working."

Bennett blinked and then sighed. “Come on."

"Huh?"

"Just...come on."

"Okay," I said slowly, glancing over at the firehouse to see my parents hadn't quite managed to pull the kids away. That was probably because, from the looks of it, Colin did not want to let go of Julian, who was holding him. I had to admit that Bennett had a point. It was funny to see someone as big and scary-looking as Julian, bewildered and nervous because a small child had so much affection for him. It was a shame he and Isaiah weren't going to raise kids of their own. Personally, I thought they'd be great parents, but then again, parenting wasn't for everyone.

I followed Bennett into the station, where he marched up to the desk where Ira sat. She was leaning back in her seat, a book in her hand, and she didn't look up when he approached the desk and leaned on it.

"Ira," Bennett said in a low voice. "I know you know I'm here, and ignoring me isn't going to work."

"I'm at the good part," Ira said without looking up.

My eyes widened. “It was you! "

Ira finally looked up from her book to blink at me. “I beg your pardon?"

"You're the one yelling at my men," I said, annoyed now I had the offender in my sights.

"I can't read my book with all that racket," Ira said as if that covered everything.

"Ira," Bennett sighed. "You know you can't chase people off for doing their jobs."

"I chase you off all the time."

"Yeah, but not for doing my job . And what do you think is going to happen if people find out we couldn't celebrate the anniversary properly because you kept interrupting the construction over your latest smutty book?"

"I'm sure they wouldn't be surprised," she shot back, and it was my turn to sigh.

"Ira, I’ve been working my ass off for days, weeks, and now I have to work even harder. And that goes the same for my team," I said, advancing. "I swear to God, I will buy you some noise-canceling headphones, but if you don't let my people work in peace, I am going to lose my mind!"

Bennett blinked at me as Ira stared. After a few beats, he slowly turned to her. "I think...you might have pissed him off. Normally only I hear that tone of voice, and that's when I've really screwed up."

"So I see," she said, closing the book. "Or hear, I suppose."

"I am sorry. I've never spoken to you this way," I said, my fingers gripping the counter even more tightly. "But I am almost to the finish line, and then I get a nice, relaxing vacation where I'm not being made to feel like if I fail, I'm letting down an entire goddamn town. So, can you please work with me on this?"

"I suppose times like this call for cooperation," Ira said slowly, looking down at her book sadly. "Though perhaps...those headphones you mentioned? "

"I have a pair at the house you can use until we can find time to go out and get some," Bennett said, sounding relieved. Clearly, he must have thought it would be a bigger hassle than it was proving to be. "Will that work for you?"

"I can agree to that," Ira said. "But you'll have to get them today. There's no way I'll be able to focus with all that racket...even if a few of them are quite easy on the eyes."

"Let me guess...James," Bennett said with a sigh.

"Dark hair, big, with the tattoos?" Ira said with a gleam of pleasure in her eyes that I wasn't completely comfortable with.

I blinked. “You sound like you're describing Chase."

"Chase is far grumpier-looking," Bennett said with a wave.Look, I'll get it cleared with the Chief and get the headphones for you. In the meantime, can we let them get back to work before I get back?"

She frowned. “I won't be able to focus."

"It will take half an hour at most, just go on your lunch break and read in the break room," Bennett said.

"And to think, you're both pretty and smart," she said, patting his hand. "A good idea. I brought some of my roast beef with me, and I'm making a lovely sandwich for myself."

"Oooh," Bennett cooed with delight. "Remind me to hash out how to convince you to give me some of that. Your roast beef is divine."

"We'll see," she said with a chuckle, though from the pleased look on her face, Bennett's complimenting her food had already got him halfway to what he wanted. Bennett was just genuinely nice, and along with his quick humor and good looks, he was incredibly charming, always by accident. He could charm just about anyone to get what he wanted but never understood why. He just assumed that was how things were for him.

I didn't see the point in disabusing him of that belief .

"You're the best," Bennett said, slapping the counter. He turned to grin at me. “Want to come join me while I talk to the Chief?"

"Sure," I said as I pulled out my phone and began typing a message to Phil so he could get everyone working again. Thankfully, they didn't need me around to finish things, so I could afford to take a lunch break.

I followed Bennett back to the office, where he knocked on the door frame before letting himself in with a loud, “Chief Price! I have a favor to ask."

"No," Trevor said without looking up.

"I didn't even get to ask."

"I don't care."

"But why?"

"Because I don't like you."

Trevor had to know better than to try that tactic because only someone who liked Bennett would put up with the shenanigans that came with knowing him. Any other boss would have thrown Bennett out on the street after some of his antics. That included a burning Roomba, a confetti bomb, and I hadn't got the details, but apparently Bennett had once thought of ordering a stripper for the chief's birthday, but no female ones were available. That was before Ethan came into the picture, and to this day, Bennett lamented that he didn't just order the male stripper...specifically in a policeman outfit.

"Oh, Chase always tries that, and he sounds a lot more like he means it. He doesn't, and neither do you," Bennett said as he approached the desk.

"Chase also won't fire you if you annoy him while he's trying to do paperwork."

"True, he's more likely to set me on fire when he's had enough. But you won't fire me either."

"I won't? "

"No! You love my kids, and if you fired me, how would I feed, clothe, and house them?"

"Pretty sure you have a husband who can be your sugar daddy."

"Absolutely not," I grunted, making Trevor look up. "Hey Trevor, he's actually here to ask a favor that's going to benefit me...and the festival."

Trevor sighed. “Well, in that case, I suppose I should listen. The last thing I need is to be held responsible for screwing up the festival."

"See?" Bennett said brightly. "That wasn't so hard."

"Don't push it," Trevor said, pointing at him. "And if you try to sit on my desk, I'm going to stab you with my scissors."

A threat that wasn't idle because I'd seen Bennett come home with a hole in his pants from Trevor following through on that exact threat. Bennett thankfully seemed to remember that was one bluff he shouldn't call and frowned. “I need to head home for a few minutes."

"Why?"

"Well…" Bennett said, rolling his eyes before launching into the explanation.

While the explanation clarified things, I could see it added to Trevor's exasperation as he rubbed his face. "Why am I surrounded by people whose life's mission isto drive me crazy?"

"I feel obligated to point out that you're shacked up with one of those people," I said, arching a brow. "Someone you willingly put there."

"And I should point out that you're lucky this is for the city. Otherwise, I'd have to point out that irritating me is not a good way to get a favor," Trevor shot back at me, and I shrugged.

"He doesn't like when people point things like that out," Bennett said in a loud whisper someone in the hallway would have heard.

Trevor groaned. “Get out of my office already. Go, get the damn headphones. I'd tell Ira to suck it up and try to read around the noise, but I'm not dealing with her being pissed at me on top of everything else."

"Right, I appreciate it, Trevor," I said.

"Sure, whatever gets this menace out of my hair as soon as possible," he said grumpily, waving us away with a flick of his wrist.

"C'mon," I said, grabbing Bennett's arm and dragging him toward the doorway. "Let's not push our luck."

"I'm coming," Bennett said with a laugh, waving at Trevor. "Sheesh, everyone's so stressed out."

"We've been occupied," I told him dryly, raising a brow as we passed his desk, and I saw what he'd been doing with his spare time. "And not with constructing a makeshift paper football field."

"Look, this week I've been given a lot more free time, no more of those doubles and overnights," he said with a shrug. "Plus, it's all hands on deck for the festival. The Chief already warned us we’d be working around the clock and should expect to be exhausted and grumpy for three days."

"Kinda like how I feel now," I said as we stepped outside. I wasn't upset that Bennett wasn't going through the demands and stress I was. I hated seeing him like that. I also knew I was pretty much free once the festival started. All I and a few others on the team had to do was linger during the festival in case something needed repairing, but otherwise, our job would be done in a few days. That was, until we had to come back and tear everything down, then the real break was happening.

"And that's not even covering the hours we'll have to work after," Bennett continued. "Because we're probably going to have tourists staying in town for a couple of extra days."

"At least the mayor will be happy with all that revenue and being able to show off."

"Uh huh, you really wanna talk revenue?"

"What?"

Bennett laughed. “I saw some of the invoices on your desk the other night. You've made more money this month than I could dream of making in five years...more, actually."

"And most of it is getting poured right back into the business," I said with a shrug. "I've got overtime and bonuses to pay and paid time off for the week after the festival. And then there's covering the costs of operating as well. There’ll probably only be about a fourth of that left...maybe a little more."

"Well, it's a good thing you were never in business to get rich," he said with a snort. "Though, if we're being honest, we both know damn well that even a fourth is impressive."

His logic was irrefutable, I'd give him that much. I hadn't gone into this business to get rich. The handyman side had come first because I needed work, and originally, I could work out of my parents' house without needing anything more than a business license. The custom furniture came after realizing there was a market for it and because it was something I adored doing. Money was all well and good, especially when you were married with kids and plenty of bills, but doing what I loved and getting paid for it? Priceless.

Except it wasn't just the passion and love of what I was doing; it was pretty lucrative, especially in an area that wasn't known for its wealth. Business was still booming, and it had just gotten a major boost, with the city putting in a massive order. All in all, we were doing well, and by carefully putting the money away and a bit of investment, the future for us and our kids was looking great .

Only as we pulled out of the parking lot did I realize it wasn't strictly necessary for me to go with Bennett. For a moment, I tried to remember why I was in the car in the first place and glanced over at him in confusion. Bennett was off in his own world, leaning back with one arm on the wheel and the other resting on the door while he steered smoothly.

My brow rose as I watched him, noticing how I could see his arm muscles shifting ever so slightly as he turned the wheel, fingers tightening their grip unconsciously as he took the corner. Eyes sliding down, I smirked as I watched him try to spread his legs to get more comfortable before remembering he was too tall to spread out and closing his legs again, making his thighs flex against the fabric of his pants.

"Something up?" he asked absently.

I slid my hand over his thigh, squeezing it before moving it to rest on his crotch. “So, we don't have any supply closets at home, but..." His grin told me all I needed to know.