“You think Ace needs manly bubble baths?”

  “No, I think Ace needs grenade bath bombs for his Green Beret rubber ducks.”

  Val stopped and turned. “I’m sorry, did you say Ace has Green Beret rubber ducks?”

  Saint laughed. “He does. Gio had them specially made for him for Christmas one year. There’s a whole story behind it, though. The military sometimes calls training rifles rubber ducks. Ace had an incident with one back when he first started his Army training. You’ll have to ask him to tell you the story, it’s hilarious. Anyway, hence Green Beret rubber ducks.”

  Val shook his head with a chuckle. “Why am I not surprised?”

  They finished shopping, and Saint had to admit that was the most fun he’d had buying toiletries, underwear, and pajamas. By the time they’d left the shopping center, Saint was past done with shopping. He could only do it for so long, and he wasn’t about to replace his wardrobe in one day. A few pairs of jeans, some T-shirts, socks, and a couple of dressier shirts were all he needed for now.

  Inside the truck, he’d just turned the engine on when his phone rang. “It’s Fitz.” He answered with a smile. “Hey, Fitz.”

  “Hey, sweetie. How are you and Val doing after last night’s insanity? Jack told me everything when he got home, and I couldn’t believe it. Actually, I could, which is the sad part.”

  “We’re good. Actually, we went to visit my parents this morning.”

  Silence.

  “Fitz?”

  “How did it go?” he asked, almost hesitantly.

  “Great. My mother’s probably already planning the wedding.”

  The squeal Fitz let out had Saint quickly moving his phone away. Next to him, Val laughed as he leaned in.

  “Hey, Fitz.”

  Saint chuckled and put the phone on speaker. “You’re on speaker.”

  “I’m so happy for you two! That’s so amazing. Did I mention I knew you two were meant to be?”

  “You might have,” Saint teased.

  “Smarty-pants. Oh, I almost forgot the reason I called. Well, I called to check in on you, but I also called because Leo will be released from the hospital today, and we’re planning a little party for him at Colton’s tonight. Can I count you two in?”

  “Like you have to ask,” Saint said with a snort. Val nodded his agreement. “We’ll be there. Want us to bring anything?”

  “Everything’s covered. See you tonight at seven.”

  “See you then.” Saint hung up. “I’m so glad Leo’s coming home, though I’m sure no one is as relieved as King. Do you think he told Leo about what happened with Adrian?”

  “If he hasn’t already, I’m sure he will,” Val said, taking Saint’s hand and squeezing it. “So. What do you want to do until the party?”

  Saint cast his boyfriend a wicked glance. “I have a few ideas, Chief.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  TWNETY ONE

  So this was what it was like to be part of the Kings family.

  Val sat on the couch, his arm around Saint’s shoulders as he observed the boisterous group. So many different personalities, yet so much laughter and love.

  Colton and Ace’s mansion seemed to be the gathering place for all their get-togethers and parties, which made sense because no one else owned a place big enough. Plus, it didn’t hurt that their Ponte Vedra mansion had a huge pool, an outside barbecue area, and a private beach.

  Red was in the kitchen with Mason, both cooking and never once running into each other as they moved around. Whatever they were cooking smelled amazing and made Val’s stomach rumble.

  Laz documented everything, and no one batted an eye at him, snapping photos with his fancy digital camera. In fact, Fitz sat on Jack’s lap, blowing kisses at the camera and posing. Jack and Joker both watched something on Joker’s phone, and they burst into laughter at the same time. Val couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle. They were like a couple of schoolboys, those two, always snickering and getting into mischief together.

  Colton was setting the extremely long and expensive-looking wood dining table. Did he and Ace have to get a new table every few years to accommodate their growing pack? Speaking of pack…Chip and Cookie chased Duchess around the house, probably trying to commandeer the stuffed squeaky frog in her mouth. Did the frog have a crown? It was nice to see Chip and Cookie off-duty and just being dogs.

  Val missed having a dog. He’d never had one himself, but the firehouse always had dogs, usually ones rescued from fires. Maybe he’d talk to Saint about getting one.

  Gio and Saint chatted about Saint’s charity idea, and from the looks of it, Gio seemed very excited about it. Something told Val plans would soon be underway. Ace and Lucky were…. Val wasn’t sure what they were doing. They each had a handheld game console and were very absorbed in whatever they were playing. It was obviously some kind of driving game because Ace moved his console like it was a steering wheel.

  “Yes!” Lucky jumped to his feet, arms thrown in the air. “Yes, I did it!” He thrust a finger in his cousin’s face. “Ha! Take that! That’s what you get for throwing that red shell at me! Malviviente!”

  Ace glared at Lucky. “You only got lucky because I got distracted by my husband’s ass.”

  Val glanced at Colton, who paused as he was putting a plate down and looked over his shoulder at Ace.

  “Don’t use my ass as an excuse,” Colton said. “Face the music, darling. You lost at Mario Kart to your cousin.”

  “Never!” Ace said, getting to his feet. He thrust a finger in Lucky’s face. Someone was going to lose a finger eventually, Val was sure of it. “I beat you at Rainbow Road,” Ace growled. “So that’s, like, a hundred extra wins right there.” The two promptly started arguing in Spanish.

  It was a shame Ryden couldn’t be here, but with everyone here tonight, someone had to man the Four Kings Security building, and according to Saint, Ryden was happy to be that guy. He’d quickly become a trusted member of the Four Kings crew, and that meant the world to him.

  When Ace received a text from King that they were on their way, Val was astonished by how the room got quieter. Not quiet, because this was a lively bunch, but the volume lowered, and Val wondered if it was because of Leo. They’d all spent so much more time around him than Val, so obviously, they knew him at a much deeper level, but Val had come to notice how attuned everyone was to Leo.

  As much as everyone at Four Kings Security would have loved to welcome Leo home, Val knew Leo would find it overwhelming. So instead, the employees had a giant Goldfish cracker-shaped card made, and they all left him little messages and signed it.

  The party was orange and white themed, and of course, there were bowls filled with Leo’s favorite fish-shaped snacks, along with fish-shaped sugar cookies and…. Val stood and hurried over to the table.

  “Are those…?”

  “Fish-shaped pastelitos, yes,” Colton said, his smile wide. “Don’t worry, Leo doesn’t actually want his fish-shaped food to taste like fish. They’re guava, guava and cheese, beef, and shredded chicken.”

  “That sounds amazing,” Val said, practically salivating.

  “Which one?”

  “All of them.” Val patted his stomach. “I’m going to have to join a gym if I’m going to hang around you guys.” Between Red’s Southern cooking, Lucky and Ace’s Cuban food, Mason’s barbecue, and Colten’s and Gio’s catering, there was always so much delicious food around.

  The dogs charged into the living room. All three skidded to a halt, ears perked and tails wagging so hard there were three butt wiggles.

  “Guess who’s home,” Colton said with a chuckle.

  Everyone got up and turned to face the door, so Val joined Saint and did the same. The door opened, and everyone cheered as King walked in with Leo. They all chimed in, welcoming Leo home, and Leo’s smile couldn’t get any wider. His cheeks were pink, and his eyes glassy.

  “You did all this for me?” Leo asked, walking into Fitz’s arms first to give him a hug. Val didn’t blame him. Fitz always had on the softest-looking sweaters. Then Leo went down the line, making sure to hug each and every one of them. He even hugged Val.

  “I heard you and Saint are dating now.”

  Val nodded. “We are.”

  “Good. That’s a very sound decision.” Leo spotted the table and gasped when he saw the spread. “This is amazing!” He picked up a fish-shaped pastelito and bit into it. “Oh my God, this is so good.” It took Leo three bites, and he’d finished off his fish pastry. “Thanks, guys. I love it all so much.”

  Leo walked into the living room, the three dogs trailing behind him and looking up at him adoringly. Val marveled at how sweet and gentle the dogs were with him, and it was easy to guess who their favorite person was. They didn’t jump on him or knock him over. Chip jumped on the couch and put his head on Leo’s lap while Cookie lay down at his feet, while Duchess gracefully hopped up on Leo’s other side and sat next to him. She leaned against him and daintily licked his cheek.

  Everyone went back to conversing until Red announced it was time to eat. Then they got up and took seats at the table with Colton at the head and Ace at his side. King sat at the other end of the table with Leo beside him. Then everyone else took their seats. Everything was served family-style, passing huge plates around with various protein and side dishes.

  Saint leaned into Val and whispered in his ear. “Don’t worry, I have an idea how we can work all this off later.”

  Val shivered and then glared at his boyfriend, who laughed knowingly. “Little shit.”

  “Not sorry,” Saint said as he served himself a heaping spoon of cheesy hash brown casserole.

  Damn it, now all Val could think about was Saint in bed. Ooh, the things he was going to—

  “King and I are getting married.”

  The room plunged into silence, and everyone’s head shot up, all eyes on Leo. It was so quiet and still that when Ace opened his mouth, his fork fell and hit his plate, scaring the shit out of everyone.

  Val put a hand on his chest. “I’m going to end up on blood pressure meds around you guys. I just know it.”

  And then Ace screamed.

  “What is happening right now?” Val asked, grabbing Saint’s arm as Ace flew from his seat and started running laps around the dining room. Occasionally he’d stop next to King, thrust a finger in his face, and yell, “Ha!”

  Val was so confused.

  Colton ignored his husband. “That’s incredible! Congratulations!”

  That broke whatever trance everyone seemed to be in, and they all cheered and congratulated the pair. Leo beamed at them, and Val couldn’t help but ask.

  “How did it happen?”

  King chuckled. “Well, Leo asked me.” He seemed to think about it. “More like told me.”

  “Told you?” Saint asked.

  Leo shrugged. “King was helping me get dressed, and I realized that I’ve never felt as happy and safe and loved as I have with King, so I told him we should get married.”

  King’s smile reached his eyes. “He literally said the words, ‘We should get married.’”

  “To which you replied….” Joker prompted.

  “Okay.”

  Fitz sighed dreamily. He knew the two very well. “Aw, that’s so romantic.”

  Everyone laughed because King and Leo, despite seeming like such complete opposites, could not have been more perfect for each other. They were both so direct and to the point, and they were in sync like no couple Val had ever known.

  Joker flipped a hand out at Jack and tapped his palm. “Pony up, loser.”

  With a grumble, Jack reached into his pants pocket and removed his wallet. He grabbed a bunch of bills and smacked them into Joker’s hand.

  “What was the bet?” Saint asked.

  “I bet him that Leo would ask first.”

  King sighed, and that was when Val noticed Ace was hovering over his friend. “Get it out of your system.”

  Ace hummed and put a finger to his lips. “Hold on. I’m recalling a memory. It’s way, way, way, way back in the recesses of my mind.”

  “We could be here all night then,” Joker said, laughing when Ace flipped him off.

  “Wait, it’s in there somewhere,” Ace said. “Searching, searching. Going way back to—”

  “You have until I finish chewing this piece of chicken,” King said, placing a forkful of food in his mouth.

  Val had to press his lips together not to laugh.

  “Found it!” Ace swept an arm out dramatically. “The year was 2006. George Clooney was named Sexiest Man Alive, Pluto was reclassified as a Dwarf Planet, and Microsoft launched Zune.”

  Colton shook his head. “He can’t remember to take out the trash, but he remembers when Zune was launched.”

  “What’s Zune?” Saint asked.

  “Exactly,” Leo said with a snicker.

  Ace cleared his throat. Loudly. Everyone quieted down again.

  “As I was saying, the year was 2006, and we were in a hole-in-the-wall bar in the middle of sandy nowhere, throwing back a few beers and sharing our relationship—or lack thereof—woes when Ward Kingston said he was never getting married.”

  “Why?” Leo asked, sounding more curious than anything.

  King shrugged. “I believed that life wasn’t for me.”

  “But why?” Leo asked, studying King.

  “Because I didn’t think there was someone out there who would love me as I was.” He took Leo’s hand, his smile warm and eyes filled with adoration. “Never thought someone like you might be out there.”

  Everyone aw’d then cheered and catcalled as Leo threw his arms around King and kissed him. Holy crap, King and Leo were engaged! Of all of them, Val had to admit he had not seen that coming. He would have expected Jack and Fitz to be next. They all congratulated the pair again, and although Leo had no idea when they’d be getting married, King confirmed it would be a small intimate affair with only their closest friends and family.

  Ace sat down and stilled, his head slowly panning toward King. When he spoke, his voice was almost a whisper. “Bachelor parties.”

  King’s eyes went comically wide. “No.”

  “Yes!”

  “Isn’t the best man in charge of the bachelor party?” Jack asked.

  “Exactly,” King said. “And since neither of us have thought that far ahead, no bachelor party plans are to be made.”

  “Yet,” Ace said as he shoveled a forkful of food into his mouth and waggled his eyebrows. It was pretty clear Ace had already begun to scheme.

  They went back to eating and talking, and Val enjoyed himself greatly. When he and Frank first joined the firehouse, they used to hang out with the guys all the time. Once Frank had left and Val become chief, he’d get invited to barbecues and such, but the get-togethers stopped. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed that until now.

  When dinner was over, they helped Red and Mason clean up, and then Val had an idea. He took Saint’s hand and pulled him to one side.

  “You know, it would be a shame if we didn’t take advantage of the private beach. How about you come for a walk with me?”

  Saint’s smile stole Val’s breath away, and again he asked himself how he’d gotten so lucky.

  “We’re gonna go on a little stroll down the beach,” Val told Colton, who nodded and smiled knowingly.

  “Towels and flip-flops are in the cabana if you need them.”

  “Thanks,” Saint replied, following Val outside.

  There was an incredible breeze coming in off the ocean that felt amazing. They grabbed a couple towels just in case and traded their shoes and socks for flip-flops.

  It was a beautiful night, nothing but the sound of waves crashing in the distance, the night sky filled with stars, and the moon shining its glow on the water’s glittering surface. They headed down the wooden walkway that led from Colton’s mansion to the beach and headed for the shore.

  The sand was cool beneath Val’s feet as he walked with Saint’s hand in his. They’d just reached the wet sand by the shore when Saint spoke up.

  “He left a note on my truck.”

  Val frowned. “What?”

  “Adrian. That day I went back to my apartment to get an overnight bag after Frank suggested I help you with the tavern. He left a note on my windshield.”

  “Saying what exactly?” Val asked, annoyed that Saint had kept this from him.

  “To get away from you, or I would be next.”

  Val stopped walking and turned to meet Saint’s gaze. “Are you telling me Adrian threatened you, and you’re just telling me this now?” He shook his head in disbelief. “What the hell, Saint?”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to worry.”

  “Damn right, I would have worried, and with good reason. Sweetheart, the man tried to blow you up. Twice. And you didn’t think to mention it to me?”

  Adrian had been unpredictable, and he’d been growing increasingly paranoid. It had been bugging the hell out of Jack, and he couldn’t let go of the fact that Adrian had somehow gotten back into Florida without him knowing. And although Adrian hadn’t pre-planned to murder Val, he had paid cash on his drive down to Florida. He’d even paid cash at the motel where he’d stayed. Jack had spoken to several people who knew Adrian, and they’d all said the same thing. Adrian was not mentally stable, and he was starting to worry them. Val just wished things hadn’t turned out the way they had, or that Adrian had been able to get so close to Saint.

  “I don’t suppose you reported it to the police?” Val asked.

  Saint arched an eyebrow at him, and Val hated that Saint was right. The police wouldn’t have been able to do anything.

  “I reported it to Mason, and before you get mad at Mason, I was the one who told him not to say anything. He was going to get Leo to try and find the printer it came from. Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. I’m sorry.” Saint pulled Val close. “I thought I was protecting you.”

  Val sighed. “I know.” He cupped Saint’s face and rubbed his thumb over his stubbled cheek. “No more secrets. Promise me. If something happens at work, if you’re hurt or in danger, I want to know. You have a dangerous job, and I get it. I just don’t want to have to be wondering if I’m being left out of the loop.”