The boys had tumbled out of bed surprisingly early, apparently too excited by the thought of no school to sleep late. Stephanie had predicted their behavior, which meant she'd left his bed around four in the morning. He'd slept until he'd heard not-soquiet footsteps on the stairs about quarter to seven. He was tired and his eyes felt gritty, but lack of sleep was a small price to pay for spending the night with a woman who defined female beauty and sexuality.

He quickly checked his thoughts, knowing that if he dwelled on all they'd done together while in bed, he would end up in a very uncomfortable state. It didn't seem to matter how many times they made love; he always wanted her more. Last night had been no different.

He heard the front door open, then the sound of footsteps on the porch.

“They should be here any minute," Stephanie said as she stopped beside him and leaned against the railing. She glanced at him. "Are you sure you're going to be okay with your mom and stepfather staying here?" He smiled. "I'm more than fine. I'm actually looking forward to their visit." She didn't look convinced. "I would buy that a lot more easily if you hadn't told me you and your stepfather didn't get along."

“The problem's all on my side," Nash admitted, for the first time feeling comfortable with the truth. "Don't worry."

“I'll try not to." She turned toward the street, as if watching for cars. "If they're going to be staying here, we're going to have to be more careful about our sneaking around."

“Good point." One he hadn't considered.

She turned back to smile at him. "It will make things more exciting."

“I don't think that's possible. Not without one of us having a heart attack from the stress." Her smile broadened. "Are you saying your affair with me is stressful?"

“I'm saying it's already more exciting than I thought possible. More excitement could be dangerous."

“But you're a big tough guy. Don't you live for danger?" Her teasing words produced a predictable reaction. He ignored the sense of heat and heaviness flooding south. Good thing, too, because about eight seconds later a four-door sedan pulled up behind his rental car.

“They're here," he said.

Stephanie straightened. The humor faded from her eyes, replaced by worry. "Do I look okay?" Despite the potential for an interested onlooker, he leaned forward and dropped a kiss on her mouth. "You look perfect." Her expression cleared. "Excellent answer." They walked to the porch steps, then onto the pathway. As they approached, the car doors opened. Nash's mother, Vivian, stepped out onto the sidewalk and smiled.

“What a lovely town. It's so charming. Nash, I swear, you're still getting taller." He chuckled at the familiar claim, then folded her into his arms. "Hey, Mom. How was the trip?"

“Great." She kissed his cheek, then smoothed back his hair and rested her hands on his shoulders. "How are you?" The question was about more than his state of being that day. He knew she wanted him to move on with his life, to let go of the past. To find someone else and settle down. He figured it was a "mom" thing.

“I'm good."

“Really?" Her gaze searched his face. "I hope so." The car door slammed and she turned toward her husband. "Doesn't Nash look taller, Howard?"

“Viv, I'm going to guess our boy stopped growing a few years back," Howard said affectionately. He circled around the car and offered Nash his hand. As they shook, he patted Nash on the shoulder. "Good to see you. Life treating you well?"

“Always." Nash stepped back and introduced Stephanie. "She owns Serenity House," he said. "You haven't lived until you've had her breakfasts."

“Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Harmon," she said. "I hope you'll enjoy your stay."

“Please call us Vivian and Howard," his mother said.

“Thank you." There were a couple of yells from around the side of the house. Stephanie glanced in that direction. "I have three sons you'll meet later. While we live on the floor above your room, please don't worry. We're not directly overhead."

“We're going to have a lovely time," Vivian said, then tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "How long have you had the bed and breakfast?" she asked.

“Almost four years. Would you like to see your room?"

“That would be nice." Vivian turned to her husband. "Do you need me to carry anything in? I don't want you doing all the work." Howard smiled at his wife. "I like taking care of you. Go on in and register. I'm sure Nash is going to insist on carrying the heaviest bag. We'll be fine." Vivian nodded and touched Howard's arm. The contact wasn't anything special, just a brief brush of fingers, something Nash could remember having seen his mother do hundreds of times before. Yet for the first time, he saw the affection between the couple, the expression of happiness and contentment on his mother's face. She loved this man-she had for nearly twenty years.

The two women walked toward the house. Howard opened the trunk and laughed when he saw all the luggage. "Now you know why I had to rent a full-size car at the airport. Your mother isn't one to travel light. She always brings extras, just in case. I figure she packed enough for us to take a trip around the world, although she wouldn't agree. I guess if we ever did that, she'd want to bring the whole house. Just in case." He shook his head, then started removing suitcases. Howard talked about the flight and who was looking in on their house while they were gone. As he spoke, Nash realized that there wasn't any strain between them. At least not on Howard's part.

They carried in the luggage and found Vivian and Stephanie by the registration desk.

“I was just telling your mother that the boys are pretty well behaved," Stephanie said. "There shouldn't be much noise." Vivian shook her head. "And I was telling Stephanie that I miss the noise of having my boys in the house."

“I doubt that," Nash said. "You were always yelling at us to turn down the music or the TV or to stop revving our car engines in the driveway."

“Was I?" Vivian asked with a laugh. "I don't remember that at all."

“Would you like some lunch when you've unpacked?" Stephanie asked. "I don't have a restaurant here, but I would be delighted to make sandwiches, and I have several kinds of salad."

“That sounds lovely, dear," Vivian said. She linked arms with Stephanie. "Show me the way to the kitchen and I'll help while Howard and Nash take our things upstairs." Stephanie looked a little startled by the suggestion. "You're a guest."

“Nonsense. I want to help. Or at least keep you company. You can tell me about your boys." Stephanie glanced at Nash who gave her a smile. "You'll be fine," he said.

“Of course she will be," his mother said. "Now where's the kitchen?"

“Extra cheese on my sandwich," Howard called after them.

Vivian waved her fingers at him and laughed. "He always reminds me," she said as the two women turned down the hall. "As if I ever forget." Nash picked up the key Stephanie had left on the desk and the two suitcases he'd brought in. "Ready to take these upstairs?" he asked.

“Lead the way." They climbed to the second floor. Nash noticed right away that his room wasn't close to theirs, which meant he and Stephanie wouldn't have to tiptoe back and forth once everyone was in bed. Good planning on her part, he thought with a grin.

The room she'd chosen for them was large, with a king-size bed and a big bay window. Howard set his suitcases on the bed, took the ones Nash had carried and dropped them on the other side of the mattress.

“How are things going here?" Howard asked as he opened a garment bag and pulled out a suit, a sports coat and several dresses. "When Kevin called he said you two had already met your brothers."

“We've had a few group functions, as well as a lunch. When the whole Haynes family gets together, there are dozens of people. Everyone is married and has kids."

“Are they really all in law enforcement?”

“Except for Jordan. He's a firefighter." Howard hung up the clothes. "Interesting. You and Kevin have followed in their footsteps. Gage and his brother, too." He returned to the bed and opened the largest suitcase. "Are they good men?" Nash nodded. "Even the firefighter." Howard chuckled. "Your mother worried about how things would go when you and Kevin arrived. Would the other brothers accept you two? Would you accept them? We're both glad it worked out." He scooped out toiletries and carried them into thebathroom. "We keep telling each other that you're grown up enough that we don't have to be concerned anymore, but maybe parents never let go of that." Nash followed his stepfather into the bathroom. "You don't mean me," he said. "I wasn't the one getting into trouble." Howard set two zippered cases on the counter. "True, but we wanted the best for you. You haven't been yourself for a while. I'm glad to see you getting back to normal." He headed back to the bedroom and Nash followed. He knew that he'd been burying himself in his work, but he hadn't realized anyone but his boss had noticed.

“You mean because I'm finally taking a vacation?" he asked.

Howard shrugged. "That's part of it. Mostly you're smiling again. It's been a long time."

“Since Tina's death." Nash wasn't asking a question.

“No. The change happened before that." Howard picked up several shirts, then set them back in the suitcase and faced Nash. "There wasn't anything wrong with Tina. She was a perfectly nice young woman. But your mother and I never thought she was right for you. She was flighty and impulsive. Despite the parts of your job that force you to make split-second decisions, you're a thoughtful man. You consider your options. You use reason. Tina wasn't a good match for that." Nash didn't know what to say. Howard's comments stunned him. Apparently Howard and his mother had thought his marriage to Tina was a mis- take from the beginning, but they'd never said anything.