Forever Surprised Page 3

“Kenna, Dani, and Paige are hosting a surprise one hundredth birthday party for the Rose sisters in two days!”

  Pierce put down the wrench and wiped the grease on his jeans. “Wow, the Rose sisters are turning one hundred?” Pierce grinned as he looked at one of his discarded projects in the far corner of the room. “I have the perfect gift for them.”

  Tammy shook her head. “Those things go faster than an ATV. You can’t give them to three little old ladies!”

  “They’ll love it. What are we supposed to do for this party?” Pierce asked, already thinking of some modifications he needed to make for the electric scooters.

  “I’m supposed to bake five hundred cookies by tomorrow night, and you’re supposed to bring enough corn on the cob for the entire town,” Tammy told him. Her small, fairylike face crunched up as she thought. “I think I’ll call the principal and see if the sisters-in-law can bake at the school tomorrow. I’ll start tonight at home, but using the commercial kitchen can really speed things along.”

  “Good idea. What is everyone else bringing?”

  “Your brothers are bringing the meat. Miles just texted you and your brothers. They’re meeting at six in the morning to take the steers to the butchers. Then each of the sisters-in-law is baking desserts or appetizers. It’s going to be at William and Betsy’s house. Aniyah is in charge of getting them there.”

  “We need to call the kids and see if they can make it,” Pierce said, taking his phone from Tammy. “The Rose sisters mean so much to them. They’ll be disappointed if they’re not here.”

  “Piper will be able to make it,” Tammy said, nodding as she sent their eldest child a text about the party. Piper was living in Keeneston but owned a private nanotechnology lab in Lexington as well as being a founding scientist for the Rahmi International Lab. Piper was tall with dirty blonde hair and the signature Davies hazel eyes. It was the exact opposite of Tammy. Tammy was five-one on a good day with light blonde hair and wasn’t scientifically inclined at all. Piper, on the other hand, inherited her desire to work with viruses and nanotech from her father. Tammy looked down at her phone. “Piper is in. Kenna has already asked her to bring napkins.”

  Pierce sent a text to their youngest. Piper and Cassidy were always the easiest to get hold of. Cassidy was interning for the summer at the university in Lexington, teaching German and French. While not science-based like Pierce, Cassidy had an ear for languages and could become fluent in a new language in mere months. “Cassidy said she can make it, and she’s in charge of streamers and balloons.”

  “Now let’s see if we can find our two sons,” Tammy chuckled. Dylan, their second-born child and eldest son, never told them what he did for a living. Tammy knew it was military-based. Wasn’t hard to determine that when he’d disappear with no notice for an undetermined length of time and had a body his Uncle Miles would have been jealous of during his time in the Special Forces. Tammy just prayed her baby would make it home every time he disappeared. She had faith in him, though. He may be quiet, but he was a fierce protector. And it was better for him to do this when he was still young, only twenty-six years old, and then settle down rather than having a midlife crisis and doing something dangerous like her husband and his brothers were doing. Of course, Pierce wasn’t Special Forces so he was the decoy. He took the worst doctored photos imaginable to prove they were fishing or skiing during their brothers’ trips.

  And then there was Jace. Her sweet boy was in medical school after coming back from a humanitarian trip in Africa. He wanted to join an emergency response medical team. Unfortunately, that meant he’d be traveling all over the world. Which is what had given her and Pierce the idea to begin stepping back from their jobs and traveling themselves.

  “I’ll call Jace. You try to get hold of Dylan,” Tammy said, calling her son.

  “Hello,” came the tired voice.

  “Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry I woke you. I was wondering if you got a text from Kenna?”

  “Hold on,” Jace mumbled. He was in Chicago working with doctors to vaccinate children and provide heath care to those without the means to do so. He worked all hours of the day and night. “I see it. I think I can make it. I was supposed to have two days off a week ago and never took them. Then I’m supposed to have another two days off starting tomorrow but was called in to help. I’ll see if I can work a half day tomorrow and then come home for a couple days.”

  Tammy did a little happy dance. She loved having all her babies under her roof again. “Your father and I can’t wait to see you. I’ll let you get back to sleep. We love you.”

  “Love you too, Ma.”

  Tammy looked at Pierce sending a text. “Anything from Dylan?”

  Pierce shook his head. “But I know how to find him.”

  “No!” Tammy lunged for the phone. “You can’t call John Wolfe. He might let it slip to Miss Lily about the party.”

  “I wasn’t going to call John. I was going to call DeAndre. He’s freaky fast at finding this stuff. I think he has access to NSA servers or something.”

  Pierce sent a text to DeAndre and then slipped his hand around his wife. “Why don’t I help you with the cookies? Let me program the corn picker and it’ll pick enough corn for the party by the morning.”

  “You know I can’t resist a man in the kitchen,” Tammy teased.

  Pierce winked. “I know. Why do you think I help cook so much?”

  Tammy laughed as she headed for the kitchen while Pierce scheduled the machinery to pick the corn. Ten minutes later, Pierce had his arms around her from behind as she mixed the batter. His hands roamed her body as she put in the chocolate chips. “I know what we can do while the first batch is in the oven,” he whispered in her ear as his hand showed her exactly what he meant.

  “Too bad your phone is ringing,” Tammy said, looking over her shoulder and kissing her husband.

  Pierce grabbed the phone. “It’s Dylan,” he said, surprised. “Hey, son.”

  “I got an urgent message to call you. Are you guys okay?” His son’s deep voice sounded far away.

  “Yes. The town is throwing the Rose sisters a surprise hundredth birthday in two days. Your mother and I wanted to see if you could make it. Is that gunfire?” Pierce asked as his wife spun around and grabbed for the phone. Pierce put it on speakerphone.

  “Yeah, I’m just playing a video game with my friend. He has killer surround sound,” Dylan answered.

  “Hi, honey,” Tammy said as her hands twisted into her apron with worry.

  “Hey, Mom. So the Rose sisters are turning one hundred? I thought they were older than that.” Dylan chuckled as Pierce recognized the distraction.

  “Where are you?” Pierce asked instead.

  “At a friend’s house,” he said vaguely.

  “Do you think you can make the party?” Tammy asked.

  “Two days from now? I think I can. I’m helping my buddies with a project, and if we can get it finished, I’ll be there. But they’re waiting for me, so I better get going. Love you both.”

  “We love you too, son,” Pierce told Dylan before the line went dead. His wife looked white as a sheet. “He’ll be okay. Whatever he’s doing, he’s brave, strong, and smart. He’ll come home to us.”

  Wrapping his wife in his arms, he felt her nod against his chest a moment before the first tear fell.

  “Will it make you stop crying if I help you bake while wearing nothing but an apron?” His wife laughed.

  “I do believe it would.” Tammy sniffled as she dried her eyes.

  “I’m always eager to please,” Pierce said, wiggling his eyebrows and shoving his jeans to the floor.

  * * *

  “I thought I’d find you in here,” Cy said, eyeing his wife from the patio door. Gemma was sitting on an outdoor lounge chair in the summer’s night working on her laptop.

  “Hold on. I just have to blow up a helicopter.” Gemma’s fingers flew over the keyboard as her eyes never left the screen. His wife had been hit with a
scene for her new book in the middle of dinner. She’d dropped her fork, shoved her chair from the table, and disappeared into the night to work.

  Cy watched her brow wrinkle and then she gasped. Five minutes later, she finally appeared to breathe again.

  “Ah, there was a time I remember actually blowing up a helicopter in real life,” Cy sighed, remembering the glory days. Though he did get to fire an RPG during his last brothers’ trip. Good times.

  “I was so inspired by a story Layne told me about one of the veterans she was helping with physical therapy that a whole book developed on the spot,” Gemma said, closing her laptop. “Sorry I ran out on dinner.”

  “It’s okay. It’s in the fridge for later. I thought you’d like to know there is going to be a surprise party for the Rose sisters’ hundredth birthday in two days,” Cy told her, taking a seat next to her.

  “Wow! That’s going to be so much fun. Who’s putting it on?”

  “Kenna, Dani, and Paige. Kenna texted that I’m to bring a steer and you are to bring five gallons of your famous potato salad.” His wife blinked at the large number.

  “Are we feeding the whole town?” Gemma asked.

  “Sure are. The party is at William and Betsy’s house. The entire town is invited.”

  “When do the boys get back from their rodeo?” Gemma asked as Cy held open the door for her.

  “Probably around midnight. Why?” Cy asked.

  “Does it look like I have seventy-five pounds of potatoes sitting around?” Gemma teased as she sent a text to her twin boys, Porter and Parker. “I’ll have them pick up the potatoes on their way home so I can work on it all morning.”

  Cy leaned against the counter as his wife went through the kitchen and sent a grocery list to the boys.

  The two brothers had just graduated from college and were spending the summer on the professional rodeo circuit, much to Gemma’s displeasure. She believed they needed to get a real job—one that wasn’t so dangerous.

  “Hey, do you think something is up with Reagan?” Cy asked about his daughter as he looked down at his phone.

  “Why do you ask?” Gemma called from the pantry. He and his wife had different opinions on how to look out for their twin daughters and Cy hesitated a moment too long in answering. “Are you tracking her again?”

  “No,” Cy said, turning off his cell phone. She’d managed to circumvent the tracking program he put on her cell. Right now it said she was in Italy. She should be at her house at the back of the farm that she used to share with her sister, Riley, before Riley had married and moved out.

  “Cyland Davies. Reagan is almost thirty years old. You need to stop spying on her,” Gemma said, coming out of the pantry with her hands on her hips. “I’ll never get grandchildren if you keep this up. If I don’t get grandchildren, I’ll make you pay for it.”

  Cy was pretty sure the growling sound he heard was coming from him, but by the way his wife was staring him down he wasn’t sure. He didn’t want any man touching his daughters, even if that man happened to be her husband. His wife read his thoughts and rolled her eyes.

  “I think the brothers are going on another guys’ trip.”

  Gemma shook her head as she looked at her spice rack while Cy tried to distract her. “If you want adventure, why don’t you start a private military or security firm or maybe a training facility? Isn’t that what Abby does?”

  Abby Mueez was Ahmed and Bridget’s daughter. Ahmed was an even scarier version of Cy. And that was very hard for Cy to admit. And Bridget was no slouch herself, having grown up and served in the military.

  “So she says. The guys she brought with her when Sophie needed help were not private contractors. They had military stamped on their foreheads.” Cy paused. “However, that’s an interesting idea. The guys want to go camping so I’ll bring it up and see what they say about it.”

  * * *

  Bridget pulled back her right hand and slammed it into her husband. Ahmed absorbed the hit to his shoulder as his wife followed with a hook. He deflected the punch and swept her feet out from under her. She had seen it coming and had begun to jump, but Ahmed managed to snag a heel and that was all it took to send her off balance and falling to the matted floor of their workout room.

  Bridget lay breathing heavily on the floor and smiled up at him. “I’ll get you next time.”

  “I might just let you, depending on what we wager.” Ahmed sent her a wink as he used his teeth to pull loosen the Velcro on the sparring gloves. In quick work, he placed his gloves on the bench and helped Bridget take hers off.

  “Now for my prize.” Ahmed pulled his wife in for a kiss, but they were interrupted by the constant buzzing on their phones.

  “Hold on. My phone has been going crazy.” Bridget gave her husband another quick kiss and reached for her phone. “Honey, it’s the Rose sisters’ hundredth birthday day after tomorrow.”

  Ahmed raised his eyebrow. “Are you sure about that? I’m pretty sure they’re older than that.”

  “Don’t you know better than to question a woman about her age?”

  Ahmed knew better than to say anything in response. “What’s the plan then?”

  “The party will be at Ashton Farm. They gave us some things to get for tomorrow.” Bridget handed him the phone to look at. “I bet Kale could get here for the party, but what about Abby?”

  Ahmed grunted in response. His wife was used to his non-answers. “She should move home. I don’t like her being so far away when using weapons.”

  “You mean you can’t have a drone follow her anymore.”

  “She shot my last one down,” Ahmed grumbled.

  Bridget wrapped her arm around his and leaned against him. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think she’s ready to come home yet. And I know you’re worried about her, but remember who taught her everything she knows—me,” his wife teased as she looked up at him. “You’ll have to be satisfied with Kale coming home after his internship.”

  “After his internship with the CIA, he won’t be coming home. Not if they’re smart. He has computer skills that Nash and Nabi could only dream of,” Ahmed said with pride about his son.

  “Yes, but Kale also likes to dance around the legal line. I’m guessing the government would frown on that.”

  “I wouldn’t assume all government organizations would mind someone who could tiptoe around the law,” Ahmed shrugged.

  “None that would admit to it anyway, I guess,” Bridget said, wiping her face with a towel.

  Ahmed nodded. “Agreed. But cyber warfare is a dirty business. The people waging the war don’t care for the laws, so you need someone who can play just as dirty on the good side.”

  Bridget sighed. “So what we’re finally realizing is our birds have flown the nest. With that sad thought, I’m glad I have an upcoming spa trip with Annie. We can cry together that our children are all grown up.”

  “Oh,” Ahmed said, trying to contain his pleasure, “you have a girls’ trip? That’s good, because Miles asked if I wanted to go camping with his brothers.”

  “Sure. Though I never knew you to be the camping type.”

  “Uh, well, remember that time I told you about having to hike across the Pakistani mountains while pursuing my target? Camping with the guys will be a luxury compared to that trip.”

  His wife didn’t look convinced. “Whatever you say. I’ll be relaxing in a seaweed wrap. But now we need to focus on the Rose sisters.”

  Ahmed pulled Bridget flush against him. “And I have a prize to claim.”

  5

  Trey Everett carried the heavy suitcase down the stairs and set it with the rest of the boxes and suitcases. His wife, Taylor, was running through the checklist of everything their youngest son, Knox, would need at summer football camp. In less than five days, their youngest would be off to college on a full football scholarship. Unlike Trey, who had been a running back for the Georgia Vultures in the NFL, Knox was one hell of a quarterback.

  Trey loo
ked at all the football gear, bedding, and electronics sitting by the garage door waiting to be loaded up. Trey began coaching after he retired as a player. He started off by coming back to Keeneston High School to coach, but when Mo Ali Rahman and Will Ashton, his football idol, started an NFL franchise in Lexington, they tapped Trey to become a coach. Will had played quarterback in the NFL and then had been one of Trey’s high school coaches.

  When Knox began to show interest in football, especially the quarterback position, Trey had asked Will to help him out. He did more than that. He had let Knox work out during some Thoroughbred practices, and as a result, Knox was looking at a starting position as a freshman come fall.

  “I can’t believe they’ll both be gone,” Taylor sighed. Knox was now eighteen and heading off to college while their elder son, Holt, was twenty and making a name for himself in Nashville as a country singer.

  Trey kissed his wife’s head and hugged her. She was still as beautiful as she was the first day he met her. She’d been a bouncy blonde knockout when she visited her “uncle” Cy in Keeneston. Cy had basically adopted the young actress when he was undercover as a stuntman in Hollywood. And luckily for Trey, that meant he got to know her outside of the Hollywood lights. They’d attended Vanderbilt together and then were married while he was playing for the Vultures. Taylor had taken some time off from acting here and there through the past twenty years, but as she got older her passion was turning solely to directing.

  “We’ve done good, babe,” Trey whispered into her hair. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was feeling the loss of having both sons out of the house as well.

  “Mom! Dad!” Knox called as all six feet four inches thundered down the stairs. “Did you get a text from Miss Kenna?”

  “I haven’t looked. I’ve been busy carrying your things downstairs,” Trey said sarcastically. His son’s exuberance was one of the things he loved best.

  “What is it, dear?” Taylor asked, pulling her long blonde hair into a messy bun.

  “They’re throwing a surprise party for the Rose sisters’ hundredth birthday in two days. I won’t have to miss it! They asked me and the rest of the football team to help. I guess they have a tent, table, and chairs they need help setting up.”