"Off-white—"

"—jacket. Under a bull and trampled into the dirt."

Eden and Jack were laughing big time now. Riley tried to act affronted, hell, he loved that jacket. He couldn't last long and soon he too was laughing with his sister and husband.

They made their way to the table in the corner and Sean immediately had his arm around Eden. Despite the laughter over the damn jacket Riley had just enough tension left in him that it transferred instantly to the man who was messing with his sister.

She wanted permanent, she wanted a husband and kids, and they may be engaged but Sean was not what she needed. He was a journalist, a good one, he had books under his belt, yet he still insisted on going off on these research trips. Why was he risking life and limb going to these crazy-ass places he didn't need to go? Putting himself in danger and making Eden worry was not what Riley wanted for his sister. Maybe he should make Sean some kind of offer, a financial incentive to stay in Texas.

Stupid idea. Eden would kill him. Hell, Jack would kill him.

"When do you leave for your next trip?" Jack asked.

"Day after tomorrow."

"How many more visits?"

Riley caught the end of a conversation and pulled himself together to listen. Sean was talking.

"Just this last one and I'm back in Texas full-time." Sean made it all sound so simple. Riley observed Eden gripping tightly to Sean's hand and could see the light dim a little in her eyes. She didn't want him going to wherever the hell it was and put his life in danger any more than Riley did.

"Then we're going to plan the wedding," she said.

"Can I be a flower girl?" Hayley piped up.

Thank God for small children breaking the tension. Riley looked on as his daughter and his sister discussed color choices and flowers. Sean listened with a smile on his face and slowly, very slowly Riley's irritability grew, which was stupid because clearly there was nothing he could do about it. He really needed to stow his big brother concerns. Eden wasn't a child and was plenty old enough to do all her worrying for herself.

"You okay?" Jack asked. He took a deep swallow of his beer after he asked and Riley pulled his gaze away from the way Jack was holding the bottle and the way his throat moved as he swallowed and instead focused on his husband's expression. Familiar blue eyes held concern and Riley kicked himself for being a downer on a day like today.

"I'm fine," he said. Raising his own bottle, he swallowed a mouthful of cold beer and decided to select a safe subject. "Why did you pick the red-colored over the white one for prettiest horse?"

Jack shook his head in mock horror and Riley smiled inwardly. He loved it when Jack got all horsey with him and he listened as Jack explained the differences between breeds and histories. Sean joined in with his own interpretation of the colors of horses and then Eden and when they were all laughing, Riley felt the tension leave him. Everything was going to be okay. Just because the Hayes family history was mired in tragedy and covered in shit didn't mean Eden couldn't be any less happy than Riley was at this very minute.

They left a little after nine and Riley carried their sleeping daughter from the car to the house. Jack unlocked the door and Riley took her straight to her room. There was no point in waking her up to get her to brush her teeth. Instead he simply removed her shoes and took off her jeans then covered her with the lightweight blanket. She mumbled something he couldn't understand and then reached up with sleepy arms. He came closer and went in for the patented Riley/Hayley snuggle. She smelled of the outside and of cotton candy and barbecue. He left her with a gentle kiss, pulled the door closed, and turned to find Jack there waiting. He stood with arms crossed over his broad chest and a look of expectation on his face.

"We need to talk," he said.

Riley felt his heart turn in his chest. Even after two years and knowing Jack loved him as much as he loved Jack, those were words designed to carve fear into another person.

"What did I do?" Riley instantly said.

Jack looked confused and then gestured for them both to move away from Hayley's room and through to the kitchen. Riley noted through the open door as they passed Eli's room that the space was empty and that Eli wasn't asleep in bed.

"I meant about Austin."

"We don't need to talk about him." Riley couldn't have kept the relief from his voice if he'd tried.

"I just want you to know he came and talked to me. Not the other way around," Jack said so firmly that Riley immediately felt he should say something. Only he wasn't really sure what to say. He filled the coffeemaker and pressed the button to start the process. Jack always commented on Riley drinking coffee this late at night, said he wouldn't sleep, but Riley pointed out nothing except sex kept him awake these days.

"I know he did."

"I didn't ask him to touch me, or talk to me, or even freaking smile at me."

"I know." Riley repeated the words. "I didn't think otherwise."

"So we're good."

"Of course we are. Hell, didn't stop me getting jealous." He added the last with a smirk. Jack was pressing him back against the sink in seconds with his strong arms bracketing Riley and holding him in place. Riley shuffled his legs apart a little so they were equal in height and then he waited.

"You don't ever have to be jealous," Jack said.

"I remember you told me all about him. I know what he was like. It was the kind of stunt I would expect a guy who fucked around on you to pull." Riley reached up and carded his hands into Jack's hair. Gripping firmly, he guided Jack's lips to his and they settled into a kiss that was familiar and perfect. The slide of Jack's tongue and the taste of him, the feel of the smooth skin under the longer hair at the back of his husband's neck was so damned right. Riley could kiss and touch and just lose himself in Jack—the other half of him.

The knock on the door was gentle but enough to separate Jack from him and Riley cursed whoever was at the door.

"Sorry, boss," Robbie said. He had pushed open the door and looked a little embarrassed at having broken up the kiss.

"It's fine. Everything okay?"

"Daisy had a fine day. Catty is going through a stubborn stage, but we'll fix that soon enough. I had a message from Eli. He had to go into the city at three for this company that wants the photos. I didn't think you'd want him driving being as he's still unsteady on his feet, so I drove him in and I'm just going to pick him up."