"Are you staying?" Riley asked.

"I'm going with Mom and Jim but I'll be back tomorrow to help clean up."

Riley glanced at his watch. The midnight hour was close and he stifled a yawn.

"We have a crew doing that, but I know Hayley would love for you to come over."

Jack stepped into their small circle and prized Eden away from Riley.

"My turn, brother-in-law privilege," he insisted.

Laughing, she cuddled in close.

"Are you staying?" Jack repeated Riley's question.

"She's going back with Mom and Dad," Riley answered for her.

Jack raised his eyebrows over Eden's head. Riley knew exactly what his husband was thinking. With the Hayes side of the family gone and with the Campbells just down to Hayley and the two of them, it meant that for the first time in many weeks they had the ranch nearly to themselves.

"Do you think Hayley would like a sleepover with her aunty?" Eden asked. Her voice was muffled against Jack's chest and she pushed away. "I don't want today to end and we could go shopping tomorrow." She brightened at the thought.

Riley tried to be the responsible parent. The last he had seen of Hayley she had been running circles around her cousin Logan, who watched her with that tolerant patience only a family member could find. For some reason she had latched on to Josh's eldest boy and it was a hundred kinds of cute to see Jack's nephew so happy to be with Hayley.

"I'll go find and ask her." Eden said this without waiting for an answer and quickly walked away to find her niece.

In small groups the guests left, then Eden with a hyper Hayley, followed by the caterers, and finally the group of cleaners that had left the ranch looking nearly as normal as it could be after hosting an event like a wedding.

Paparazzi had stayed away from the event, at least off of Double D property, and no helicopters had been seen, although Riley did wonder what kind of journalistic crowd people leaving had to get through to get off of the D. When finally it was just the two of them Riley felt relieved and expectant. A whole night with the buzz of champagne in his blood and his sexy husband within reach was surely a recipe for only one thing.

In unison they turned to each other.

"I'll check the horses—"

"I'll be in the barn—"

Jack gripped Riley's jacket and reeled him in for a hard kiss.

"Gimme ten," Jack groaned.

"Make it five, cowboy."

CHAPTER 3

Riley stretched in bed. Last night had been the first night they'd been alone in the house since Donna's wedding in February, and now they were so far into July that February seemed a long time ago. God bless Eden and her shopping trips enabling them to get some time alone. Last night had been so intense and he realized just how much time he was spending at work and away from home. That had to stop.

The early morning sun was bright through the partially drawn drapes and the combination of that and the sound of an alarm was pulling Jack from sleep.

"Your cell," Jack murmured against his arm. Riley leaned over and stole a kiss from his sleepy husband. The screen flashed with a voicemail and he pressed the button to play it on speaker.

"Hi. This is a message for Riley. Uhmmm. I don't know if he'll remember me but I shared a house with him off campus for a while? My name is Elijah Martin. I majored in business, minored in fucking up? I read this article about him… wait… you don't need to know that. Just. Can you maybe give him this message and give me a call back at some point? Thanks. Bye."

"Whozat?" Jack mumbled. Evidently his question was rhetorical as he moved in his sleep and settled again with a low snore. Riley eased himself back on his side of the bed, still as close to Jack as he could get, and clutched his cell to his chest. Elijah Martin, or Eli as Riley had known him. Wow. That was a blast from the past.

Riley remembered he was sassy and fun and short. Although considering his own height that wasn't difficult. Dark-haired and green-eyed with a small and lithe body, pre-Jack Riley may well have wanted to get to know him better if he hadn't been moving from one conquest to another throughout college. Well, pre-Jack Riley had not been done chasing girls so no, he wouldn't have gone near sexy, alluring Eli with a stick.

Eli was the product of a fucked-up family similar to Riley's. Riley recalled a dad who was in prison for some drug dealing shit and a mom who had featured in some kind of guys mag spread at the age of forty entirely nude except for a boa constrictor draped over her ample chest. Yep. Just as fucked-up as the Hayes family. He placed the cell on his bedside cabinet, crossed his arms behind his head, and closed his eyes. Sleeping with his husband was usually so easy but college memories flooded back in a rush.

Unsettled, he slowly rolled out of bed, and pulling on shorts, he moved as quietly as he could out of the room, taking his cell. Checking in on Hayley's room was instinctive and he chuckled to himself when he didn't see the familiar lump under the piled quilt. Having time alone with Jack was pretty freaking good but breakfast with Hayley was something special. He would never admit it but even with the hot sweaty sex and alone time he missed her. He couldn't really remember a time when she wasn't part of his life, of their life.

Recently he had been thinking maybe she needed a little sister or brother. What Riley wouldn't give for a miniature Jack running around the house all piss and vinegar and giving them a run for their money. Something to talk about with Jack later maybe? His husband had never mentioned a bigger family but then to be fair neither had Riley. Maybe it was time to at least say yes or no to the idea. Riley was about to turn thirty soon, not that he was counting the days or anything, but he didn't want to be too old to be a dad.

After making coffee he took that and the cell out to the new morning. The clock in the kitchen said six-thirty and briefly Riley considered leaving calling until later. The consideration took little more than a few seconds before he was pressing redial on Eli's number. Fucker needed repaying for the number of pranks he'd played on Riley in college.

"'Lo." The voice answered on the third ring.

Riley wasn't entirely sure this was Eli but whoever it was didn't sound sleepy.

"Eli? It's Riley. Riley Campbell-Hayes."

"Riley! Hey. Hang on a minute." Eli was clearly moving out of wherever he was and into an open area as the quality of the call changed from echoing to clear. "Still there?" he inquired.

"Still here."

"Sorry. Staying with Mom and she's entertaining." Eli imbued the word 'entertaining' with what Riley imagined was a raise of his eyebrows and a shake of his head. Eli had long ago given up on his exhibitionist mom who put the F in MILF.