Siren Beloved

Chapter Twenty

Ten months later

“You’re doing what?” Lexi asked as Dani jumped up and down.

Julian smiled as he sat down at the wide outdoor dining table that graced the Barnes-Fleetwood Ranch’s backyard. It was a glorious spring day, and just about everyone she loved was enjoying a barbecue celebrating the fact that Lexi had finished her first book. It was a romance, and she hadn’t sold it yet, but her family insisted on celebrating every little thing.

“She’s opening a spa.” Julian looked odd in his terribly expensive shirt and slacks, with a hot dog in his hands.

“In Willow Fork?” Willow Fork barely had a beauty parlor, much less a spa. Of course, it was practically a metropolis compared to Deer Run.

Dani’s face was lit with enthusiasm. “It’s a dude ranch spa. There will be horseback riding and hiking and facials and massages. I thought maybe writers could use it for a retreat or something. I’m really excited about it. It’s my senior project.”

Lexi had to shake her head. The rich really were different. Most people would think of a senior college project as a paper analyzing different business practices. Not Dani Lodge-Taylor. Nope. When she did her senior project, she opened a multi-million dollar spa. “Well, I’ll be there.”

“You’ll love it. It turns out Julian owns a huge tract of land in Willow Fork.”

Julian shook his head. “Yes, I actually meant to keep that secret, but my wife turned out to be a bit nosy.”

“I didn’t tell her,” Finn said, sitting down next to Julian. “She was pissed at me, too.”

“Well, I’m not mad now. Now I’m excited. I just hired a manager. She used to run this resort in the Caribbean that catered to people in the lifestyle. Her name is Gaby, and she has two kids. She and her husband are from Texas. They thought it was time to come home. I am really excited about this project. It will bring jobs to the whole area.” Dani chatted on, but Lexi found her focus shifting.

Aidan and Lucas were standing together at the swing set. Olivia and Josh were sitting in swing seats, laughing as the men pushed them. They looked perfect standing together, talking as they entertained the kids.

“Hey.” Her mother curled an arm around her waist. Dani sat down with her husbands. They were arguing happily about budgets.

“Hi, Momma.” Love for her mother swelled in her heart. She let her head rest against her mom’s shoulder.

“I finished your book, baby girl. I am so proud of you. It’s great.”

“Thanks. I’m happy with it.” It might never sell, but it did what it was supposed to do. It told her story. Oh, the names might have changed and the circumstances, but at the heart it was about the love she’d managed to find. It was about the peace she’d come to.

“One day I hope you’re ready to try again,” her mother said. “The best thing I ever did was have you kids.”

Strange, mentioning having kids never scared her anymore. “I thought marrying Jack and Sam was the best thing to happen to you.”

“It was a great thing, but you kids, you were the expression of my soul. All three of you were the product of the love in my heart for the men in my life. I loved your father. It was a child’s love, but it was love. I love Jack and Sam with everything I have. I hope one day you want kids, Lexi, because those men love you.”

She didn’t doubt it. Not for a second. She looked down at the rings on her finger. Two thin wedding bands, connected. Lucas had put the first one on her finger when they had legally married. Aidan had placed the second on her and one on Lucas when they cemented their relationship at The Club. They were the O’Malleys. Lucas had legally changed his name. They were a family.

And she had no intention of it being just the three of them.

“We threw away the condoms last night, Momma.”

They had made love with nothing between them. Lexi wasn’t sure how long it would take to get pregnant, but she was ready for it.

“I’m so glad, baby girl.”

She stood there with her mother, the warm spring breeze playing through her hair. They each watched their men. Lexi hugged her mom and prayed she would be as good a mother as Abigail Barnes-Fleetwood had been.

Jack declared the burgers were ready, and everyone started to line up, chattering happily about their business deals and what the kids were doing.

Lexi stood with her mom and watched it all. They were a wild, weird, crazy bunch. And they were hers.

THE END

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