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“That’s very kind of you, Colton.” Da says.

“Not at all.” Colton nods. “My girls have two private detectives and two bodyguards with them at all times, including when they’re at school. They were nearly killed once when someone tried to blow my truck up, and then a kidnapper tried to take them, so I'm no stranger to trouble when it comes to my kids.”

Caleb nods. “That’s along the lines of what I was thinking. We have a private detective on the case now, since it doesn’t look like the police are going to take this matter as seriously as we’d hoped.”

“I certainly would.” Colton agrees. “Although I'm not downplaying the job that our boys in blue do, we certainly send them enough work, that sometimes they can’t keep up. Our kind tends to attract troublemakers, unfortunately.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Colton.” Mama interjects. “I know that at Caleb and Laney’s wedding, we need to be extra careful.”

“Yes, definitely.” He nods. “How many were you thinking would be attending?”

Caleb and da exchange a look. “Laney and I would like a small wedding, however, with this family and with the business, I'm not sure if that’s possible.”

“Especially since the list seems to be growing, even with non-relevant people.” I add, letting da and Caleb know that I overheard their conversation earlier.

“Weddings of this caliber shouldn’t be taken lightly, son.” Da argues kindly. “Caleb is well known in the media, as is most of this family, and so is Laney and her family. We cannot disregard that. And Caleb and Laney have discussed it and have decided that as long as they can get married quickly, before the adoption papers are final, they are fine with having a larger wedding than originally planned.”

Colton sits up higher. “Well, I hope I'm not overstepping, but my wife Julia and I, and my family, have discussed it, and we’d be honored if you’d host your wedding at our ranch house in South Carolina. I have top-notch security there, and the horses are better than any security guards could offer.” He looks around the room. Da is frowning and nodding, so is Caleb. “Think about it all you like, and there is absolutely no pressure. We just felt that we could help in this regard, seeing as our family’s karma has been shot recently, and perhaps giving back might be the best solution here, no matter how hokey that offer sounds.”

“It’s not hokey at all, Colton.” Caleb says. “I appreciate it very much. It’s not often that business associates try to lend a hand like that. I’ll talk to Laney and see what she thinks.”

“Logistics wouldn’t be a problem, either.” Colton adds. “After all, we own an airline, and my brother is a pilot, plus Julia’s father owns a private jet. We could get everyone to the wedding safely and quickly.”

“That sounds great, Colton.” Caleb says.

“Oh, one other thing.” Colton volunteers. “We have an annual fundraiser at the ranch, and so I have access to a lot of charities and advertising, things like that. My sister in laws run it with Julia. If you wanted to ask for donations in lieu of gifts, that can easily be done, but again, that’s up to you.”

As I sit here, witnessing this exchange, I start to understand more and more why Freya does what she does. The warm glow I'm getting inside at just the thought of giving, makes me smile. Caleb, after helping Gretchen and Peg, and now adopting Peg, seems to be a changed man, for the better, and not just because he fell in love, but because he’s doing all these things that he never did before. I don’t know if it’s just because Colton Ford, one of the richest, most respected men in the business, proudly gives of himself, but I feel like we’ve caught a bug here in this family.

...and it feels good.

Chapter 10

Freya

Trudy sits with me on the floor, as we eat pizza right out of the box, watching a trashy movie. The wine is out, the pyjamas are on, the chocolate is flowing from the little fountain she picked up on this website called Death by Chocolate. “I’m going to puke if I eat much more.” I say, mouth full of chocolate and strawberry.

“I’m telling you, pace yourself.”

“But I'm drunk, and if I don’t fill my gut with food, I'll pass out.”

She shrugs. “Enjoy. Quit worrying.”

“I’m not worrying. I just told you I'm drunk.”

“I know you’re still thinking about him, and you can stop.”

I lift a brow. “I am not.”

“Weak. You know, Freya, I'm your best friend, and I can honestly say that I've kept my mouth shut about Ethan for long enough. He’s all that you’ve thought about since you met him. Even when you broke up, you still thought about him.”

“Can you blame me? He’s the only love I'll ever know, Trudy.”

“God, that’s depressing.” She sighs. “And that’s after all the chocolate, booze and pizza. You’re incorrigible, Freya.”

I want to change the subject. “Want to know something weird?”

“Always.”

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