was as full as it had been this morning. This time though

there was a fresh worry inside him and a new space for

contemplation. He hadn't been joking when he'd said he

could have smacked Riley for thinking he'd back away at

the first sign of trouble. He chalked it up to shock, though,

and thought little more on the matter. Instead, he

concentrated on the little girl who had been bought to

Dallas looking for a daddy. Children were something

dancing around the edges of his life plans. To maybe adopt

and to extend his family with Riley was one part of his

future. He just hadn't taken the thoughts any further,

including not mentioning them to Riley. Hayley may well

be a destined part of their family. It wouldn't be easy taking

on an eight-year-old whose momma had just died. She was

currently being taken care of by an aunt, and she had lost

her momma. Jack's heart ached for the little girl and her big

world of scary monsters.

Riley interrupted his thoughts by murmuring in his

sleep. Jack strained to listen but couldn't make out the

restless words. Compassion welled inside just because he

felt sure Riley's dreams were not good ones. Wondering

whether he should wake up his husband, he rested a hand

on Riley's arm, but instead of shaking his lover awake, he

smoothed a hand up and down over taut muscles in a rhythmic motion. He didn't stop until Riley turned closer and buried his face in the juncture of Jack's neck and shoulder. Shifting slightly, he allowed himself to sink lower in the sofa, Riley naturally curling into him and following the movement. Lulled by Riley's rhythmic breathing and the huff of each breath warm on his neck, it didn't take Jack long to chase him into sleep.

C

HAPTER

3

The plane touched down early evening and taxied to the private area at Love Field. Jack woke Riley, and together they were ready to disembark as soon as the door opened. The steps to the tarmac were steep, and Jack was so lost in thought he wasn't concentrating. He stumbled a few down from the top only stopping himself from tumbling to the ground by gripping Riley. They stopped. Jack because his heart was suddenly racing with adrenaline, and Riley because Jack had his arm in a grip so tight he knew there would be bruises.

"You okay?" Riley looked worried and glanced from Jack's hand to his face and back again. Jack didn't release the grip. Suddenly it hit him that, when their feet hit Texas soil, nothing would ever be the same again. Whether they were dads to Hayley or not, a very different path had been chosen for them. They were no longer just a couple. He needed to tell Riley everything spinning in his head. Things like his husband shouldn't worry about what was happening. Or Jack would stay with him whatever happened, and he was excited at the idea of meeting a littlegirl version of Riley. He raised a free hand and traced Riley's angular face, settling the fingers into his short blond hair and staring deep into hazel eyes that looked greener today. Love and lust and need clutched at him, and he wondered, not for the first time, if he would ever get enough of this man.

"I love you," he offered gently. Riley's concerned expression relaxed at the simple words, and he smiled. They met in the middle and sealed the private moment with a gentle kiss before Jack released Riley's arm and they continued down to the black strip. Their luggage sat in a small pile, and each picked up a large bag and a case. There really was nothing Riley or Jack could do about Hayley until morning, and home was where they needed to be right at this moment. They passed through customs, and Eden was waiting in the private parking for the VIP landing zone, and with little ceremony, the two men placed their bags in the trunk. Riley pulled his sister close for a sibling hug, and they held each other for a long time. Jack was relieved he did this rather than launch into a thousand and one questions. However, it all changed as soon as Riley climbed into the shotgun seat, confining Jack to the back seat.

"What else can you tell me? Tell us?"

Jack noticed the correction and met Riley's gaze in the mirror with an encouraging smile.

"It started two days ago. I tried not to phone you before I needed to," she began as she pulled out of the main gate and headed east. "We had a visit from this woman in her seventies, toting along a little girl. Said she was a great aunt to the girl's mother, a woman called Lexie Samuels, and she was looking for Riley Nathaniel Hayes. She had a letter that she was given to her by her niece, naming you as the father of a child, and a whole bundle of paperwork. She said she was coming back tomorrow at nine, and there needed to be something in place for the child. Then she said, right in front of the little girl, she needed a placement fast as the mom had just died."

"What kind of person does that?" Jack commented.

"She seemed distraught. I'm not sure she was thinking."

"Still, does she even have a freaking heart?"

"She was exhausted, and she looked ill. She'd tracked you to the Hayes house. The new owners said we'd gone and sent her to the D. Donna called me, and I got there as soon as I could. We asked them to stay."

"At the D?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, but she said no. Said Hayley wasn't staying until she'd spoken to Riley."

"So what happened? Did she take the child somewhere else? To a hotel? Is she okay? Do you know where they went?" Riley's questions tumbled haphazardly out of him. Eden held up a hand to still her brother. She could stop him talking with that single action as effectively as Jack could with two ropes and a jar of lube.

"They went to the Oak. They'd been dropped off at the D by cab, so I drove them to the motel."

"Do you think she's mine?"

"Hell, Riley, there's no doubt she's yours. She looks just like me when I was her age. She has our hair, our eyes. I don't for one minute think she is anyone else's but yours." They reached the outskirts of Dallas, heading for open country, and she put her foot down as they moved onto clearer roads.

"Lexie was my girlfriend," Riley said wistfully. "Eden, do you remember I brought her home?" Eden shook her head and punctuated the action with a huge sigh.

"To be honest, Ri, I don't remember her, but I'm surprised this hasn't happened before. Considering the amount of girls you went through then and since, you're lucky you're not the father of twelve." Eden wasn't laughing. She was actually deadly serious, and Riley didn't rise to the sibling censure, but it still made Jack wince.