Deadly Conflicts (Hardy Brothers Security Book 21) (9 page)

“This had better be good, Grady,” he groused. “I was in the middle of something important.”

Instead of Grady, he found two older faces staring back at him. Unfortunately, he recognized them both.

“Hello, Jake!” Rose Hardy, Ally’s mother, drew him in for a big hug the moment she saw him. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you.”

“Me, too,” Jake said, his mouth going dry. “I … um … Mr. Hardy.”

Louis Hardy wasn’t nearly as tickled to see Jake in his daughter’s robe. “Jake,” Louis said. “You’re here awfully early this morning.”

“Oh, Louis, leave the boy alone,” Rose said, slapping her husband’s hand. “They’re living together now.”

“You told me, but I chose to forget it,” Louis said. “That’s my baby.”

Baby.
Jake rolled the word through his mind and internally cringed. “I … were we expecting you?”

“Nope,” Rose replied. “We like to surprise our children so they don’t have a chance to cover up what they’re doing before our arrival.”

“Uh-huh.” Jake was completely thrown for a loop. “Um … Ally!”

“Where is my little darling?” Louis asked, pushing past Jake and walking into the living room. “I’m dying to see her.”

“She’s just getting up,” Jake explained. “We were at a festival last night. She was up late and needed her sleep.”

“What’s going on?” Ally asked, appearing in the doorway wearing nothing but Jake’s T-shirt. “I thought you were going to get rid of Grady and wake me up good and proper?”

“Oh, dear,” Rose intoned.

Ally’s cheeks turned crimson at the sound of her mother’s voice and when she shifted her attention to the other side of the room and found her parents staring back she was mortified. “Omigod!” She jerked the T-shirt down to make sure everything was covered and then scampered in the direction of the bedroom. Everyone could hear her screeching as she slammed the door.

Jake, for lack of anything better to do, tightened the sash on the robe and plastered a bright smile on his face. “So, who wants coffee?”

“
O
h
, who is the cutest baby in the world?”

Rose swooped in and claimed Avery from Emma’s arms before the new mother could even register her future mother-in-law’s presence. She handed the baby over willingly as she helped Jeff get settled in a chair and introduced him to a gushing Rose and smiling Louis.

“I’m so happy to see you,” Emma said, offering Rose a hug. “Did we know you were coming?”

“Ah, such a good question,” Jake said, his voice low as he stood next to James at the grill in his boss’s backyard. “I asked it myself this morning … when I was wearing your sister’s pink robe. Did I mention that?”

“Only about five times,” James replied, swigging from his beer as he regarded his happy parents. “What are they even doing here?”

“Ruining my life,” Ally replied, moving to the spot between her boyfriend and brother. “They did it on purpose. I just know it.”

“Did what?” James asked. “They came for a visit. You should be happy. They’re our parents, for crying out loud.”

“That’s easy for you to say because you weren’t the one they walked in on this time,” Ally shot back. “I was naked … except for Jake’s T-shirt.”

“Then you weren’t naked,” James pointed out.

“I wasn’t wearing underwear or a bra, and the T-shirt was white,” Ally hissed, painting a picture for James he wished he never had to mentally see.

“I’m going to have nightmares,” James muttered, taking a longer pull on his beer this time. “I don’t understand why they’re here. They gave us plenty of notice when they came to see Avery the first time. Why would they just pop in out of the blue?”

“When I asked that question they said you guys hide things from them if they give you notice,” Jake replied. “They said they wanted to catch you unaware.”

“They did that,” James said. “I was just about to carry my wife to the pool for a naked morning swim when you guys showed up. Thanks for that, by the way.”

“We didn’t have a choice,” Ally said. “They can’t stay with us. Our house is too small. We had to bring them over here to get them settled.”

James stilled, the ramifications of what Ally was suggesting drifting through his mind. “They can’t stay here.”

“Oh, they have to,” Ally said. “You have the biggest house. If you didn’t want guests, why buy something with four bedrooms and a guesthouse?”

“Because we like to spread out,” James replied. “I just … they have to stay with you.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen, man,” Jake said. “They saw me in a pink robe and then Ally came out and mentioned I was supposed to be doing something dirty with her. I can’t sleep under the same roof as your father. He’ll murder me the second I close my eyes.”

“I feel like murdering you for expanding on that story,” James said. “Now I have to picture you in a pink robe – which is downright funny – and my sister practically naked. That dulls the humorous effect.”

“That’s a total bummer for you,” Jake deadpanned. “Try being in my shoes.”

“They’re still not staying here,” James said. “They always stay with Ally when they come to town. It’s tradition.”

“Nice try, jerkwad,” Ally said, flicking her brother’s ear. “They don’t
always
stay with me. Before you had a one-bedroom apartment so they couldn’t stay with you. They stayed with Grady a few times.”

“Hey, that’s a good idea,” James said, brightening. “Let’s force them to stay with Grady.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Grady said, a pleasant smile in place even as his tone suggested otherwise as he joined Jake and his siblings around the grill. “Sophie doesn’t like being crowded and Mom keeps pinching her cheeks whenever she sees her. That’s not going to happen. I’ve already done my turn in the rotation.”

“It has to be you, James,” Ally said. “We have paint drying in the basement and a bunch of stuff stacked in the spare bedroom. There’s no other choice.”

“But … no,” James whined. “That’s going to totally ruin my holiday weekend plans.”

“Oh, suck it up,” Ally said, slapping James’ arm. “You have a guesthouse if need be.”

“I cannot put Mom and Dad in the guesthouse,” James said. “The bedroom is right off Mandy’s studio and that bed is full of sex cooties. We do it in there all of the time and we never change the sheets.”

Ally made a disgusted face. “You don’t have to put them in there,” she said, annoyed. “You can just sneak out there to do your business after they fall asleep.”

“I shouldn’t have to sneak around in my own house,” James groused.

“Well, that’s not my problem,” Ally said. “They’re staying here and if you try to weasel out of it I’m telling Mom exactly why you don’t want them living under your roof. She’ll accuse you of having a filthy mind and sit Mandy down for the talk.”

James knit his eyebrows together. “What talk? I’m pretty sure Mandy knows about the birds and the bees.”

“Not
that
talk. The one where she explains how to control a man’s urges by cutting him off from sex,” Ally replied. “She had it with me when I was eighteen. I’m still traumatized.”

Jake snorted, drawing a few curious stares from the patio furniture. “No offense, angel, but I don’t think that talk worked with you.”

“Don’t push me,” James warned, extending a finger. “She’s still my sister, no matter how annoying I find her right now.”

“I didn’t say the talk worked, just that I had to listen to it,” Ally clarified. “I’m not listening to it again and you’re going to want to make sure Mandy doesn’t have to listen to it because it will totally kill the mood for days.”

James was horrified by the suggestion. “Fine,” he said, blowing out a resigned sigh. “I’m going to do it, but I’m not going to like it.”

“Oh, I think that’s what Mandy says every time you get romantic,” Ally said, giggling maniacally as she darted around her brother’s swipe and moved away from the grill. “I’ll tell Mom and Dad the happy news.”

“This is just not my week,” James complained.

J
AKE TOOK
a breather from all of the family togetherness and excused himself to visit the guesthouse as a way to avoid the evil looks Louis kept shooting in his direction. He wasn’t keen on talking to the man, but he had to do it if he expected to make amends. He just wasn’t sure how to proceed.

Jake never considered himself much of a talker. He wasn’t mute for any specific reason, of course, but he only spoke when he deemed it necessary. After hooking up with Ally, he had no choice but to loosen up a bit on the talking reins. She was a general chatterbox. If he didn’t respond to her questions he found that a pouting Ally was absolutely no fun. So he talked, even starting conversations out of the blue sometimes. Ally was always tickled when he did it.

“You seem lost in thought.”

Jake jolted at the sound of Louis’ voice, turning a rueful smile in the direction of the man he hoped would be his father-in-law one day. “I was just … nice day, huh?”

For his part, Louis wasn’t thrilled with the state he found his daughter and her live-in love several hours before. He didn’t hold a grudge against Jake, though. He knew his sons – all three of them, for that matter – held the man in high esteem. That was good enough for him … almost.

“Let’s go inside,” Louis suggested, opening the door and gesturing before Jake could muster an argument to stop him. “I think we need to have a chat.”

“Sure,” Jake said, his heart heavy. “I kind of expected this.”

Jake entered the guesthouse first and headed straight for the bar. If Louis was going to pick a fight he needed something to dull the edges of his busy mind. Instead of immediately following, Louis took a moment to study the guesthouse with fresh eyes.

“This isn’t how it used to look,” Louis said, glancing around.

“Oh, no,” Jake said, pouring three fingers of Jack Daniels over some ice. “Do you want something?”

Louis shook his head. “Just to know what happened out here.”

“I … James didn’t tell you?” Jake was confused. “You know how Avery entered this world, right?”

“I thought I did,” Louis said, taking a seat at the booth built in the corner of the room. “I’m starting to wonder if I’m missing something.”

Jake was reticent as he sat across from Louis, worry twisting his stomach. “I’m not sure if I should be the one to tell you this. If James kept it to himself … .”

“Tell me,” Louis prodded.

“Well, I’ll keep it short,” Jake said. “Lance Pritchard escaped from prison and he was bent on getting his hands on Emma. We had everyone at the house but thought we had a line on him so we left Mandy and Emma here.”

“I know this part,” Louis said, nodding. “Emma went into labor and Mandy delivered the baby.”

“Not quite,” Jake hedged. “Pritchard made it through security and caught Mandy and Emma. Mandy delivered the baby and then … um … tried to sacrifice herself to give Emma time to escape with the baby.”

Louis was flabbergasted. “What?”

“Mandy fought off Pritchard and killed him behind the old bar,” Jake replied. He was already knee-deep in the story. He figured he might as well finish it. “It was a bloody mess and we weren’t sure if Mandy was alive when we got here. James found her behind the bar and … well … they spent a week at a hotel.

“During that week Grady took it upon himself to gut and renovate this place,” he continued. “He knew she would never be able to enjoy it again if it constantly reminded her of Pritchard. So he moved a few things and built a booth. It looks nothing like it did before by design.”

“Well, that’s quite the story,” Louis said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think I will take that drink now.”

Jake nodded as he got to his feet to retrieve another glass and some ice. “I’m sure they didn’t tell you because they didn’t want to worry you.”

“That seems to be the status quo with my children,” Louis agreed. “Still … poor Mandy. How did she handle it?”

“It was rough for everyone for a little bit,” Jake answered. “James coddled her and she couldn’t go into the guesthouse for weeks. When she finally did and saw what Grady had done … .”

“She’s resilient that one,” Louis said. “She always was. What about James? He had to blame himself for leaving her.”

“He did, but they worked through it,” Jake said. “I swear everyone is okay now.”

“I hope that’s true,” Louis said, accepting the drink from Jake. “What about you and Ally? Is everything okay with you?”

“Everything is great between us,” Jake said, clearing his throat as he sat again. “In fact, I’m kind of glad you followed me out here. There are a few things I want to discuss with you.”

“If this is about the pink robe … and what you two were doing this morning … don’t worry about it,” Louis said, waving off Jake’s concern. “I know Ally isn’t a baby. She’s still my youngest child and only girl. I’m a little protective.

“My sons think the world of you, though,” he continued. “They refer to you as if you’re another brother. I have faith in all of them. They would never let anything bad happen to Ally.”

“I would never let anything bad happen to Ally either,” Jake said. “As long as I have the power to protect her, I will. I would die for her.”

“Without a second thought, too, I’m guessing,” Louis said. “Son, I think you’re a fine man. I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t prefer my daughter married rather than shacking up, though.”

Jake smirked. He couldn’t help himself. “It’s funny you mention that,” he said. “I was standing out here by myself because I was trying to figure out a way to convince you to give me your blessing to ask Ally to marry me. I didn’t think you would after what happened this morning.”

Louis snickered. “I wasn’t thrilled with the scene, but it was fairly entertaining. Now it will be a funny story to tell.”

“So … that’s it?” Jake cocked an eyebrow. “Are you giving me permission?”

“You haven’t asked yet.”

“Oh.” Jake’s cheeks reddened. “Mr. Hardy, I love you daughter more than anything. I didn’t know it was possible to love a woman as much as I love her. I would be honored if you would give me your permission to marry her.”

Louis’ eyes grew misty at the man’s earnest expression and he opened his mouth to answer. He didn’t get a chance, though, because Mandy picked that moment to barge in with James on her heels.

“I knew it!” Mandy crowed, slapping James’ hand away when he tried to silence her. “I knew you were going to propose. I could feel it!”

“Keep your voice down, wife,” James chided, glancing back toward the patio before shutting the door. “Do you want to ruin the surprise for Ally?”

Mandy stilled. “You knew.”

James immediately started shaking his head. “No.”

“Liar,” Mandy hissed, extending a finger. “You knew and you didn’t tell me.” She stalked behind James as he hurried toward the bar and reached for the bottle of whiskey. “I can’t believe you lied to your own wife.”

“It wasn’t a lie,” James said, swigging from the bottle and making a face as the liquid burned going down his throat. “It was an omission. There’s a difference.”

“That wouldn’t fly if I omitted telling you something,” Mandy pointed out.

She had a point. James was caught, and he knew it. Instead of immediately responding he slid a look in Jake’s direction. “Are you sure you want to put up with this? They’re mean when they want to be.”

Louis chuckled as Mandy planted her hands on her hips.

“I’m sure,” Jake said. “Although … Mandy, I need you to keep this to yourself for a few days. I need to get the perfect ring and plan the perfect night. You can’t tell Ally.”

“I wouldn’t tell Ally,” Mandy scoffed. “She’s my best friend. I wouldn’t ruin this for her.”

“That’s exactly what I said,” James said. “I took up for you, baby. You should be happy with me.”

“You’re in big trouble,” Mandy said, wagging a finger in James’ face. “I’m going to make you rub me until your hands fall off. You’re also definitely being the shark for the foreseeable future.”

“Is that a euphemism for something?” Louis asked, confused.

“No, she just likes massages in the hot tub while watching
Jaws
,” James replied.

“
Jaws
.” Realization dawned on Louis as he glanced around the guesthouse, the shark motif making perfect sense now. He made his decision on the spot. “I guess that’s why you redecorated and didn’t tell me. It looks so much better out here.”