Page 6 of Forged in Secrets

That was apart from the small fact that he and Grace were pretty much polar opposites. He respected her, sure, but she drove him completely insane, and he was sure he annoyed her just as much.

It would never, ever work. And he had no intention of letting her get hurt by pretending for even a second that it could. If she did have feelings for him, they would pass. She’d find some handsome guy who drove a Tesla, played golf, and didn’t buy his t-shirts in packs of five at Walmart.

And that would be that.

“Hey, guys,” Reilly said, interrupting his thoughts. Recovering quickly, Ben extended a hand before engulfing his cousin in a good old-fashioned bro hug.

“Congratulations, man. I can’t believe you’re a dad, let alone twice over.”

“I’m still not sure I believe it,” Reilly joked. “I’m already in love, though.”

“What are their names?”

“Clara and Josefina. Josefina after Lauren’s abuelita.” Reilly said. “She can’t really leave the nursing home, but we hope they’ll be healthy enough to bring them to her for a visit soon.”

“I’m sure she’d love that,” Ben said. He’d heard quite a lot about Lauren’s grandmother. She’d practically raised Lauren, and though she suffered from dementia and didn’t always know what was going on, he was certain she was happy that her granddaughter had turned her life around.

When Reilly had met her just a year ago, she’d been running drugs for the Iron Prophets down in El Paso. Forge Brothers Security had helped her to escape gang life, and had made sure that both she and her abuelita got a fresh start here in San Antonio.

The fact that she’d married and had children with the man who’d helped to free her was probably icing on the cake.

“She’s going to love the girls,” Reilly agreed, glancing over at his wife. “And Lauren just wants to show them off to the whole world.”

“Rightly so.”

Ben followed Reilly’s gaze to the other side of the room, where a large window let in the cheerful morning glow. Lauren and Grace were sitting on a green pleather couch, curled up with several hospital-issue pillows, and Asher was standing nearby with a twin girl in each arm.

Ben couldn’t help but to stare at Grace as she chatted animatedly with Lauren.

Unlike everyone else, who had no doubt made a beeline straight for the adorable, brand-new babies, Grace had focused on the new mom.

Despite his better judgment, he felt a rush of admiration for sweet, thoughtful Grace. She always knew how to bring her light to the person who needed it most, no matter where she was or who she was with.

Still, even as she joked and laughed with Lauren, her blonde hair gleaming in the sunshine, he could see the worry hiding beneath the surface.

Ben clenched his fists for a long moment before releasing the pressure.

As soon as they finished with their visit, they’d talk to Gabe about her missing friend, and he’d make sure to back Grace up. He hated to see her looking so anxious.

“It’s my turn, Asher,” Grace was saying, getting up from the couch and reaching out to take one of the wriggling bundles. Reilly took a seat next to his wife, planting a gentle kiss against the side of her head.

Ben watched as Grace looked down at the little girl in her arms, smiling and cooing to her as though no one else in the room existed.

After a moment, she looked up at Ben, the peaceful smile never faltering on her lips.

“Hey, why don’t you take the other one off his hands?” she suggested, tilting her head in Asher’s direction.

“The other one is Josefina,” Asher said, feigning offense.

Lauren laughed. “Actually, you have Clara.”

Before Ben could wonder how on earth she could tell the two babies apart, Asher was shuttling little Clara into his arms.

“Sorry,” Asher said to the baby. “You get heavy after a while.”

“She weighs nothing,” Ben retorted, shifting Clara into a better position as her eyes fluttered open for a moment and then closed again. Ben felt like more of a giant than usual as he watched her sleeping peacefully in his arms, her chest rising and falling with the inhale and exhale of her tiny lungs.

“Aren’t they perfect?” Grace asked, taking a couple steps closer with Josefina cuddled up against her chest. “It’s always so amazing to me that God lets us take part in the work of creating. Like, He created the universe from nothing with only His words, and yet He allows men and women to come together and bring new human beings into the world. It just blows my mind.”

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