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REN

Siren Song, Maine

R en had never seen Cliffside House in the spring. He pulled under the porte cochere and cut the engine. It was after eight, but the sun was still up, lighting the blooming dogwood and apple trees on the front lawn.

Much like the first time he had pulled into this driveway, his passengers were asleep. Stella faced him with her eyes closed, and Ren swore she looked more beautiful with each passing day. Stella Jameson, his wife.

Behind Ren, Newton was curled up against the newly added accessory.

A cooing from the backseat pulled his attention, and Ren turned to find his two-month-old son kicking in the pumpkin seat with his eyes wide open.

“Hey, Hayden,” Ren whispered. “You don’t want to miss a minute, do you?”

The baby squirmed and fussed.

“Listen, buddy, I know you’re tired and hungry and wet, but I have something special planned for your mom.

So, Grandma Ginny is gonna take care of you for a bit.

Trust me, you want to stay on her good side because when you’re old enough to eat, she makes the best cranberry scones you’ve ever tasted. ”

“Ginny’s watching Hayden?” Stella asked, half-asleep.

“I called ahead.”

Stella pointed out the window. “She must have seen us pull in.”

Ren turned just as Ginny opened the back door of the Audi and leaned over the baby. Hayden made a gurgling sound and grabbed her finger. “Well, good Lord. Who would imagine you two agitators could make a baby so calm.”

Stella laughed as she stretched. “Oh, he has some of my DNA, don’t worry.”

Ginny unbuckled him and took the infant. “Well, I bought out the baby aisle at the market. Got all the supplies and a stuffed duck that quacks. I even borrowed a crib so he can sleep over, or you can come get him later.”

Ren stepped out of the car. “Thanks, Ginny.”

“Glad you came back.”

Stella came beside him, and Ren took her hand. “Hey, look.”

Ren followed his wife’s extended arm to the back of the house, where a bird circled and dove beneath the bluff.

“The cliff swallows are back,” Ginny said. “A pair nested as soon as I took down those damn peppermint pouches. The eggs are due to hatch any day.”

“Come on. I have a surprise for you.” After kissing his son and waving goodbye to Ginny, Ren led Stella into the house and up the stairs to the second floor.

Ren had hired Lowell and a crew to restore Cliffside to its former glory.

The exterior had been repaired, the deck rebuilt, and the inside was freshly painted.

At the spiral staircase leading to the rooftop cupola, Ren urged Stella in front of him, and they climbed the steps.

When Stella reached the top, Ren smiled at her soft gasp. “Oh, Ren.”

Stella

S tella stared at the scene. A small, round table was set with fruit and chocolates. A bottle of champagne rested in a standing ice bucket. At the base of the surrounding picture windows, votive candles illuminated the glass room.

The daybed where she had once unsuccessfully tempted Ren was draped with decorative pillows and a faux fur throw.

Stella shivered when she felt Ren’s lips on her neck. “We’re going to work up an appetite first.”

With the help of a therapist and some very convincing temptations on Stella’s part, Ren had shed most of his issues about being watched. He kissed her in public, and they even had some NC-17-rated encounters on the beach at night. But this was something else.

Making love in this room was a demonstration of what she meant to him. It was a symbol of how far they had come.

“This is incredible.”

“I’m going to eat you for dinner,” he growled as he unbuttoned Stella’s blouse from behind her.

“When does everyone else arrive?”

Ren discarded her bra. “Not sure.”

Stella laughed then moaned as his hand moved south. “They could walk in on us.”

Ren dropped to his knees, taking her jeans and panties with him. “Don’t care.”

“Not even my father?”

Over the past several months, Stella and Senator Peter Branch had begun the painful but gratifying process of building their relationship. It was going surprisingly well.

Ren growled, “He’s not due until tomorrow. And please do not mention the man when I am about to do some truly obscene things to his daughter.”

Thirty minutes later, Ren held Stella’s sated body pinned against the fogged glass, their panting breaths mingling. In the ensuing silence, she heard the luring song from the cliffs drifting through the open transom above them.

Ren heard it, too.

He lifted his head from her neck and listened.

“The first time I heard it, you told me the song was a message to never trust a woman.”

Ren touched his forehead to hers. “I’ve revised my theory.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“The Siren Song isn’t a warning; it’s an opportunity—a chance to shatter the past and find your home.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, Stella. Always and forever.”

Over Ren’s shoulder, Stella saw headlights on the road. “I think some of our guests have arrived.”

Grumbling, Ren carried Stella to the daybed and set her down. “I’ll unpack the car. Do you want to get Hayden from Ginny’s?”

Stella smiled. “No, I’m sure Ginny will let us know when she’s had enough. Where’s Newton?”

Ren stepped into his pants. “I expect he’s asleep in his usual spot. I kept that old recliner when I replaced the furniture.”

Stella snatched her panties from the floor. Ren bent down to kiss her, toying with her breast.

“Luggage.” Kiss. “Dinner.” Kiss. “Then we’ll pick this back up.”

Ren

T he long rectangular table ran the length of the rebuilt deck.

The candles had burned down to nubs, casting a low light on the petals of the white jack-in-the-pulpits that were spaced evenly in bud vases.

Platters bore the remnants of tri-tip, roasted potatoes, and grilled asparagus.

Stella replaced the empty salad bowl with a decadent chocolate cake, which Emily sliced and distributed.

Calliope passed around a bowl of whipped cream.

Ren sat with his back to the Atlantic with Stella on his left.

Cam and Even, Nathan and Emily, Tox and Calliope, Finn and Twitch, Steady and Very, and Miles and Clara were all gathered.

Laughter and conversation blended with the gentle music of the cliff, creating a magical melody.

The children were in the front room being overseen by Finn and Twitch’s oldest, Auggie—except for Hayden, who was still with Ginny, and Steady and Very’s new daughter, Harper, who was currently napping in the crook of her father’s arm.

The clinking of a wine glass silenced Steady and Tox’s debate over whether to turn the spare lot next to Tox’s house into a soccer or a T-ball field. Nathan refilled his goblet and stood.

“Five years ago, I broke from my family business to move to South Carolina and run a small security company. Since that time, we have worked for diplomats, celebrities, peacekeepers, and political leaders all over the world. You all have protected vulnerable people and saved lives.

“We’ve also saved each other’s lives. Emily, I know you saved mine.” He bent and kissed his wife. “We’ve all found more than a fulfilling career—we’ve found our partner and our purpose.”

Ren put his arm around the back of Stella’s chair, and she leaned close.

“Since starting Bishop Security, we have added four wives—seven by the end of the summer.” Nathan tipped his glass to Very and then to Clara. “One future husband—”

“Finally!” Finn pumped his fist in the air as the group laughed.

Nathan continued, “We’ve reunited brothers, reclaimed Finn, and brought Cam, Calliope, and Stella to the Bishop Security team. With the births of Hayden and Harper, we have nine children among us.”

Cam interrupted with his arm around Evan. “In seven months, it will be ten.”

Finn leaned forward to see his friend. “In seven months, it will be eleven.”

“No way.” The two men stood and embraced.

Evan looked over at Twitch. “They act like they’re going to be doing all the work.”

Twitch giggled. “It’ll be fun to be pregnant with a friend.”

“Actually,” Emily moved her cake and leaned across the table. “It will be twelve.”

Twitch’s eyebrows flew up. “I noticed you weren’t drinking!”

Steady handed Nathan a Cohiba, which he lit before adding, “Any other announcements? Tox?”

“Not us, brother. We’re waiting for Miles and Clara. We want the little cousins to be close.”

Nathan nodded to Ren with a warm smile. “Why don’t you take over?”

Ren stood and held up his glass. “We are Navy men and no strangers to rough seas. As we say in the SEALs, the only easy day was yesterday. We stand up for what’s right and fall at the feet of the women we love.

Nathan, you’ve called us a family for years, but I didn’t truly get it.

Now, I do. Finding you all, and especially Stella—” Ren pulled his wife to her feet beside him, “Has been the greatest miracle of my life. To family.”

The fourteen people at the table raised their glasses and, with love and joy, repeated Ren’s words, “To family.”

THE END