“Crazy bitch in the building,” Willow said and nodded her head toward the arched doorway of the Peaceful Musings Day Spa.

Both Talaya and Suri followed her gaze but had different reactions. Suri sat up straighter in the elegant white padded pedicure chair she’d been lounging in.

“We should jump that heffa,” Suri said already attempting to lift a foot out of the soaking tub.

“Girl, stop.” Talaya warned and, in an effort to halt Suri’s progression, extended an arm that didn’t even reach her since their chairs were made more like individual thrones complete with a white marble tub for their feet and matching marble armrests wide enough to hold their drinks and any snacks they ordered as well. “We are not in high school. Plus, she’ll have us arrested if we run over there and start beating her ass. No matter how much she deserves it.”

Suri cursed under her breath and dropped back into her seat. Sitting on the other side of Talaya, Willow sucked her teeth.

“Well, you’ve got a restraining order against her right?” Willow said. “You can call the police right now and say she’s in the same room as you which is a violation.”

“Yes, Pierce advised we get the restraining order once he traced that call, she made to my office phone last Friday. She’s not supposed to get within one hundred feet of me,” Talaya said.

Willow shook her head. “I can’t believe she was the one doing that shit all along. Now, that was juvenile.”

“And unnecessary,” Suri added. “Ridge didn’t want her ass and he’d proven that years ago when he stopped calling her. I don’t know why people don’t learn to play their position and keep it movin’ when their term is up.”

It was Saturday afternoon and they’d been at the spa for about three hours. They’d already had facials and a mud bath, followed by a scrumptious lunch in the restaurant on the lower level of this lavish facility. Now, they were once again dressed in those soft ass beige robes while their feet soaked in bubbling hot water. They were scheduled for manicures next and hadn’t yet decided if their ladies’ day were going to continue with shopping—Willow’s choice—or visiting a couple of museums—Suri’s suggestion. Talaya really wanted to go home and take a nap, but she didn’t dare announce that to either of them.

It had been weeks since each of their schedules had coincided to create today’s availability. And truth be told, she’d been looking forward to this time to catch up with them. Even though she’d already decided that what was weighing heaviest on her mind right now—the discussion she and Ridge had about Imani and Khady—wasn’t something she was ready to share with the two women she was closest to, just yet. Having close friends and confidants was still fresh territory, especially since it had only been a few months since she’d finally given Willow all the details about her past. Suri knew most of it because of all that had gone down with the family, but even she didn’t know everything. And, besides, Talaya wanted today to be normal and drama free.

What she hadn’t thought was that she’d run into Yolanda again. Then again, she hadn’t even considered that the calls coming to the office telling her that she was out of her league and needed to stop fakin’ it were coming from one of Ridge’s ex-girlfriends. Although Ridge’s breakdown of the few times he’d been with Yolanda didn’t really qualify as a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship in Talaya’s book.

“And she just saw you,” Willow said and they all watched as Yolanda’s cool glare landed on their threesome. “We should definitely call the police.”

“Or we can just get up now, go over there and drag her raggedy ass into that steam room down the hall.” Suri suggested with way too much seriousness in her tone.

Suri Donovan was a few inches shorter than Talaya. From pictures Talaya had seen of Ridge, his siblings, and their parents when they’d been at the flat Suri and Aunt Birdie shared, Ridge and Suri shared Maxine Donovan’s milk chocolate brown complexion. Suri also had her mother’s expressive hazel eyes. She’d been known to change her hairstyle as often as the weather shifted, but today Talaya’s future sister-in-law had her waist-length black faux locs up in a high bun. Despite her small stature, Suri had a big personality. She was vibrant and intelligent, quick-witted, and confident. From her bold fashion choices to what Ridge called her freakish talent with numbers, people were often deceived by what she was truly capable of. Talaya had known from day-one of meeting Suri that the petite woman was a force to be reckoned with and today Suri was itching for a fight.

“The last thing we need is another scene,” Talaya had said in what she hoped was a calm voice. She’d witnessed too many times when the brothers had challenged their younger sister—mostly Ridge because Roark dominated his siblings in a more mature manner than—the immediate push-back and defiance that rose in her. “Aunt Birdie will be fussing for days if she turns on the television and sees another story about the family.”

Now, that kept Suri still, her thick lips pressing into a line. While everyone in the family that Talaya had met so far treated Aunt Birdie with respect and reverence, Suri had a special relationship with the older woman, a bond that Ridge had told Talaya was sealed after their mum’s death when Aunt Birdie had come to London to stay with them.

“Welp, your guard just spotted her and he’s hustling her ass out of here.” Willow announced.

She was right, Dino had been sitting not too far away from them in a white velour armchair that looked to barely be supporting his bulky body. While Talaya had been trying to ignore that he and Jaheem needed to be everywhere she was—even in this luxury spa that was full of women—she had noticed that with each room they entered, Dino would periodically do a visual scope of everyone coming and going. He’d apparently caught sight of the new arrival.

They couldn’t hear whatever Dino said to her, but Talaya would bet it wasn’t nice. And the seething look Yolanda just tossed her way confirmed that fact. Seconds later, the woman flipped the bouncy curls of her long weave over one shoulder and turned to leave.

“I still can’t believe she thought calling me with insults and warnings to go back where I came from was going to get Ridge back,” Talaya said with a shake of her head.

Suri tsked. “I know you know crazy folks don’t know how to use logic.”

“That is the whole truth,” Willow said. “Remember I told y’all about that fool of a record producer who thought he was gonna force me into a threesome with the promise of a record deal?”

Willow James had worked with Talaya at the Addison Agency for the entire four years that Talaya had been there. In that time—and due to Willow’s exuberant persistence—they’d become friends. While she was good at her executive assistant day job, Willow’s dream had always been to become a famous singer. Now, with her debut album coming in just a few months, she was on her way to achieving that goal and Talaya couldn’t be prouder. In stark contrast to Suri’s petite stature, Willow was just an inch or two shorter than Talaya, so probably about five feet seven inches tall, with a honey complexion and shoulder-length black hair she now wore straight and held back from her face by two silver clips situated just above each of her temples.

Talaya did recall Willow telling her about her run-in with the record exec. It had been the day after Valentine’s Day, when Slay and Ridge had unwittingly planned a double date so the other could meet the special woman in their lives. It had been a happy shock to each of them, to learn that Willow and Talaya were best friends as well.

Slay had been the one to invite Willow to sing at the party where the music exec coincidentally was also going to be on Christmas night. The fact that the producer turned out to be a trash ass pervert hadn’t shocked Talaya as much as the way Willow had described how Slay handled the situation and at The Corporation, no less.

“Yeah, but I can’t really blame dude for wanting a taste,” Suri said from her seat. She didn’t look at Willow when she spoke but reached over to where one of the staff members had left the Sex on the Beach cocktail she’d ordered and brought it to her lips for a sip.

Willow lifted up from her seat just enough to toss a warning glare down to Suri and Talaya shook her head. Suri had been flirting with Willow since the first time Talaya had introduced them and while at first, Willow had been taken aback by Suri’s bold interest in her, over the past few months the two had settled into an easy friendship with Suri still looking and commenting about finding Willow attractive and Willow reminding Suri that she was strictly dickly. Today’s reminder came in the form of Willow’s raised brow look which Suri completely ignored.

“Anyway,” Willow said as she sat back again and Talaya grinned. “It’s a good thing Sage and Dino fixed the phone so it could immediately trace the next call you received at the office.”

Now, Talaya nodded. “Yeah. Once I told Ridge about those calls and text messages, he had them search the call logs on my cell and prepare to find out who was calling the office. And since her silly ass called two days after we’d just had that run-in at the party, Dino had been ready for her. I mean, I didn’t know it was her until I answered and recognized her voice from that Saturday night when I was about to punch her in her pretty ass face, but once the trace was complete Dino had police at her flat within the hour.”

“How stupid can you get calling to harass someone from your house phone?” Willow asked.

“Girl, I don’t know,” Talaya replied. “Dino said the caller ID system built into the phone cloaked the call as “unavailable,” but they’d already been in touch with their contact at the police station who immediately contacted the phone carrier and got the information they needed.”

“Like I said, crazy folks don’t use logic,” Suri chimed in. “And we knew Yolanda was a piece of work when we met her at Aunt Birdie’s party years ago. The way she clung to Ridge and even got uptight when I danced with him had stalker vibes written all over it. That’s why Ridge dropped her ass.”

That was basically the same story Ridge had told Talaya that night when she’d gotten home and Sage informed them that the restraining order was in place.

“Well, she’s gone now and I don’t want to talk about her jealous ass anymore,” Talaya announced. She wiggled her toes and groaned because the hot water was soothing her feet, she hadn’t even realized were as tired as the rest of her body felt. Today’s massage and pampering had been exactly what she needed.

“I hear you on that,” Willow said. “But still, it’s weird that Yolanda was the one calling the office with all that trash talking, but she wasn’t the one sending you those spooky ass text messages.”

That was weird but Talaya had been trying not to think about it. She’d only received one more text message after the one that came the day she’d been in the office and it had said the same thing—death becomes you. That shit was weird and scary.

“Sage told Pierce the text came from two different burner phones so they couldn’t trace it,” Talaya said. “But Yolanda wouldn’t be smart enough to use a burner phone one minute and then call the office from her landline.”

Suri shook her head. “How many times I gotta tell y’all that chick ain’t smart anyway.”

“You right about that,” Willow replied. “But, also, can we talk about how fine Agent Pierce Rawlings is? I mean, my heart and my coochie has Slayton Turner’s name written all over them, but a girl still has eyes.”

Now, Talaya reached for the mimosa she’d been nursing and sipped. “You and me both,” she said and licked her lips before setting her glass down again. “I don’t know if it’s the bald head or those smoldering eyes that make him so attractive.”

“Or those muscles, ‘cause I swear he always looks like he’s two seconds from busting out of those suits he wears. I mean, they don’t look like they’re too small for him, but every inch of that material always molds to his body perfectly,” Willow added. “He even walks like he’s got good dick.”

“Guuuurrrlll,” Talaya added and they both laughed.

Suri finished her drink and motioned for the staff member to bring her another one.

“I know you’ve noticed, Suri,” Willow said, looking past Talaya in Suri’s direction again. “You don’t miss a beat when it comes to fine men, or women, for that matter.”

And that was a true statement. Suri did not discriminate. She knew who she was attracted to and didn’t care what anybody thought of it. Her honesty and fortitude were refreshing and Talaya admired her for it.

“He’s okay,” Suri replied.

Willow looked at Talaya, and Talaya looked at Willow. Then they both looked at Suri and asked in unison, “Okay?”

Suri stared at them and blinked before frowning. “Yeah, he’s okay, like I said. Y’all two have men you’re all starry-eyed in love with so y’all looking and admiring don’t really mean nothing. For me, being perfectly content in my single lane, I can still see objectively and I’m telling you that’s he’s okay.”

“She’s drunk,” Willow said after a few seconds of silence.

Talaya nodded. “Definitely.”

The three of them laughed as the staff member brought Suri another drink. Then they all settled in while three nail technicians came over and began their pedicures.

* * *

“You good?” Trent asked the moment Ridge indicated he was alone and could talk.

“Yeah,” Ridge replied. “You?”

“I told you to stop asking me that shit. I finished physical therapy six weeks ago.”

Ridge grinned at the irritation he heard in his cousin’s tone. He liked fucking with Trent and since the man had almost scared the life out of him by getting shot on Christmas day, he’d gotten even more pleasure out of doing it now than ever. “Gotta make sure your old ass is healing correctly,” he continued. “You know things take a little longer to heal at this age.”

Trent was older than Ridge. And he was the only person on this earth that Ridge was closer to than he was to Roark or Slay. Honestly, Trent who was also a middle child and had dealt with his aggression by joining the Navy right out of high school, had always been more like a brother to Ridge than a cousin.

“Fuck you, man,” Trent said with a rich chuckle.

Ridge laughed too and continued down the hallway until he could close himself in the guest bathroom at Aunt Birdie’s house. They’d finished eating the hearty brunch spread that had been prepared and were now enjoying coffee or tea and sitting around the table chatting. Trent’s call had come at a great time because Aunt Birdie had just asked Suri if she planned to give her grand-nieces or grand-nephews either the natural way or by IVF if Suri finally decided women were her claim to fame. Ridge could do without hearing any parts of that conversation.

“Listen, I just talked to Cade,” Trent said.

“Wait, what the hell are you doing up so early? And Cade too, on a Sunday?” Ridge asked. Like the majority of the Donovan family, his cousins lived in the States so they were in a different time zone.

“You wanna hear what I’ve got to tell you or not?” Trent countered.

“Alright, alright,” Ridge replied with another chuckle. “Just curious, since I know resting helps the healing process.” That was something Talaya had said to him a couple of times this past week and he’d finally admitted she was right. Once he resigned himself to the injury he sustained in the accident last weekend, took the pain medication the doctor had prescribed and came home from work to rest instead of staying up playing games with Dino and Sage, doing more work, or even spending time with Talaya, he’d started to feel a lot better.

“You find out something new?” Ridge asked.

“Not much.” Trent delivered that news in a dry tone. “According to his wife, Eddie the third’s out of the country in South America. Cade reached out to some of his contacts in the DMV area where Eddie lives and rules over his sector of the MBs, but none of them ever heard of Cordell or Michelle DuPont.”

“Fuck!” Ridge slammed his palm against the back of the door. “How’s that even possible, if the DuPonts’s company is owned by Ewing.”

“Eddie the third just took over the reign from his father six years ago when Eddie, Jr. was killed in a car explosion. Junior had a brother and a sister—Danny and Brighton. Danny works within the mafia, but doesn’t hold any power, we suspect because of his long record and alcohol abuse, but we don’t have much of anything on Brighton at the moment,” Trent told him. “Cade’s on some high-profile case right now, but he’s got a call scheduled with Pierce sometime tomorrow.”

Ridge nodded. “Yeah, that’s what Pierce said in his text yesterday, so he’s meeting with me and Roark at Roark’s office tomorrow.” They’d all decided that since Michelle DuPont had been in Ridge’s office once and in the Donovan Oilwell building twice, they didn’t want to hold any more meetings there. Sage circulated Michelle’s picture throughout the security team in the building and had even set up some sort of facial recognition booby trap, as she called it, to activate when or if the DuPonts made another trip to the building.

“Then he’ll probably run down this same information and anything else Pierce has to add,” Trent said. “Depending on what they find in the next week, I might head over there to see what I can pull up on the ground. The Murphy Boys—you know the head of your security Que and his twin, Jus—they used to roll with some of the mercenary teams Dev and I led back in our later years in the business. They were younger than me and Dev so we thought we’d have to watch them and watch our back on a couple of missions, but they’ve got some pretty specific talents that proved valuable in the field. I wanna link up with them in person, get a better feel for this situation.”

Trent would always be a soldier even though he’d officially given that part of his life up many years ago. Running his own investigation agency now seemed to be enough to keep the aggression and need for action Ridge knew his cousin harbored, on a tight leash. But that didn’t mean Trent wasn’t always ready to jump into any fight that involved their family.

“Pierce has got a team over here and they’re actively working with Que and Que’s entire security company to get to the bottom of this. And Cade’s doing his part at Quantico since Eddie the third and his MBs are stationed there so that’s probably where we’re gonna get most of our answers anyway. You can stay your ass right there in L.A. with your wife and kids. You’re lucky we looped you in on this in the first place,” Ridge told him.

It was Trent’s turn to chuckle first. “Nah, y’all know there was no keeping shit like this from me or any of the rest of the family. That’s not how Donovans roll.”

Ridge did know that and so did Roark, which is why Roark had called Uncle Bernard and Uncle Henry right after Pierce had given them the news of who the owner of that Mercedes was.

“Well, Dane’s due to arrive tomorrow. He and Zera are supposed to stay until the inaugural fundraiser the first weekend of September.” Ridge ran his free hand down his face as he realized that was next weekend. Talaya had been working double-time this week to get everything organized in time after finally finding a venue at the last minute. More of his family members from the States were scheduled to come in, but they wouldn’t be here until a couple days before.

“Yeah, Bailey talked to him and I know she and Dev are planning to come out. That’s another reason I should be there to support you and Talaya. This foundation is gonna be huge. Aunt Max would be proud,” Trent told him. “I’m proud of you too, man.”

Ridge’s chest swelled with emotion at the mention of his mum and his cousin’s comments. “Thanks, man. Just trying to live up to this name,” he admitted.

“You always have,” Trent said. “Remember: No fear. No pause. No end.”

Ridge’s lips spread into a grin that he knew Trent couldn’t see him. It was a motto the two of them had come up with in their younger years, something they’d only shared with their siblings and cousins when something was going down with the family. The Senior Donovans likely had their own mantras that they stood by—something that encompassed loyalty and family, no doubt because of the way their great-grandparents had raised their kids—but for Ridge and Trent’s generation, this was their creed and Ridge would never forget it.

“No fear. No pause. No end,” he repeated.

There was a beat of silence before Trent said. “A’ight, well, I’ll sit tight for a bit, especially since the school year is just starting for Trevor and I gotta make sure that dude stays on point in class instead running around here bouncing that damn basketball all the time.”

That comment had Ridge’s thoughts going instantly to something else he had planned for this week. “Yeah? He looked like he had some real skills last year on the island, and he talked like he had a solid plan for his future in the sport.”

“He does, mostly because I keep drilling that shit in his head. We can hone his talent, I’d never try to stifle that in either of my children, but I want them to always think smart. Plan ahead, you know.” Trent continued.

“Yeah, I know. That’s good advice.” Ridge squeezed the bridge of his nose because he couldn’t believe what he was about to say. This wasn’t a conversation he ever thought he’d be having, and if he did have it, he would’ve thought it would be with his father. And since Gabe wasn’t here, he probably should’ve talked to Roark, especially considering little Rayder had just come into Roark’s life. But this felt more right for him, talking to Trent the way they used to talk about shit only the two of them had in common when they were younger.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” he asked before he considered changing his mind and getting off this phone.

“Yeah. What’s up?” was Trent’s reply.

Ridge cleared his throat. “Uh. Um.” He stuttered and then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he released the breath and opened his eyes again, he blurted out, “How did you know you were ready to be a father?”

The words fell into the silence on the other end of the phone and Ridge cursed under his breath. “Nevermind,” he said hurriedly.

“Nah. Nah. I’m answering, you just caught me off guard for a second,” Trent said, then he was the one clearing his throat. “I knew the moment I accepted the fact that I was in love with Tia.”

“Huh?” Ridge asked.

“Yeah, see I never thought about having my own kids. Especially not growing up. We come from a big family and all that so I always figured there were more than enough of us to keep the line going. It didn’t have to be on my agenda.” Trent chuckled wryly this time. “And you know, with my line of work I was always on the move. Always seeing a lot of violence, inflicting a good portion of it myself, and just mainly not thinking about things like PTA meetings, dentist appointments or basketball practice. But then I met Tia and the earth shifted beneath me.”

Ridge sighed because he knew that feeling.

“Every fuckin’ thing changed with her and as soon as I got a handle on that, I knew how the rest would play out. I knew she was the one I wanted to spend holidays with, build a home with, have children with.” Trent finished and Ridge’s chest tightened.

“Yeah,” he said. “I hear you on all of that.”

“So, you and Talaya thinkin’ about having kids? Have you guys even set a date for the wedding yet?”

“Nah,” Ridge replied and grinned. “You sound like Aunt Birdie with that wedding talk.” He scratched the back of his head with his free hand. “Honestly, I don’t think Talaya ever really planned for a wedding or having her own family, with all she went through in her childhood.”

“That’s understandable. But she accepted your proposal and she’s been hanging out with the family over these past months, so that’s a good sign,” Trent said.

“It is,” Ridge replied. “And, um, she kind of shocked me earlier this week with talk about this little girl in foster care.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right, she used to be a social worker. So, you think that’s a sign that she’s ready to be a mother and that’s why you’re wondering about being a father?”

“I think I’ve been considering it for a while,” Ridge said. “I mean, since the first day Talaya came to my house, I’ve been thinking about what type of father I would be, whenever it was time for me to be one. And now, I’m just like, we’re comfortable in our house together. You know, the day-to-day of being together, so what if there’s more? What if we…or I…could be comfortable as a father in addition to a fiancé, or eventually a husband?”

In the days that followed their initial conversation about Imani and Khady, he and Talaya had talked daily about their honest feelings where children were concerned. They talked about what they both felt they could offer children, what type of parents they’d like to be and if they were moving too fast. That last part was what had been plaguing him the most.

“You two been talking about it?” Trent asked.

Ridge nodded again, but caught himself, then replied, “Yeah. A lot in the past few days.”

“Then, that’s a good first step. Communicating your wants and needs is top priority in any relationship. Having kids is a decision you’re both gonna have to be on the same page with, so as long as you’re talking it through, you’ll make the right decision,” Trent said.

“But what if that decision is to become parents? And what if I’m not good at it? I sucked as a kid.” Ridge admitted and Trent laughed out loud.

“You damn sure did,” Trent said between guffaws. “Your ass stayed in trouble.”

“And you didn’t?” Ridge countered as he grinned. That was just another thing he and Trent had in common, neither of them had been the ideal son growing up. But they’d managed to turn into pretty decent men.

“We not talkin’ about me though,” Trent told him, then his laughter died down. “But look, you’ve got a great foundation. Uncle Gabe and Aunt Max were steady and stern with you. They were fair and loving, just like my parents. And you’ve got all of us man—me and Adam are just a phone call and a jet ride away and Linc’s over there with you now. Plus, Roark just joined the daddy club and all the rest of the male cousins that are building up the next generation of Donovans. You’re not alone in this. We got your back, always.”

“Thanks, man,” Ridge said and jumped when a knock sounded on the door.

“Ridge? You okay, baby?” Talaya asked from the other side.

He smiled at the sound of her voice, knowing that in just a few seconds he could have her in his arms and that it would be like that for the rest of their lives. Like Trent had just said, Ridge knew his family would always have his back. But now, so would Talaya, just as he planned to always have hers. If the two of them felt like they were ready to be parents despite all the bullshit trauma they’d been through, then that’s exactly what they would do and they would be phenomenal at it because he wouldn’t stand for anything less.

“I’m good, bae,” he replied. “Be out in a minute.”

“Go,” Trent said on the other line and Ridge could hear the grin on his cousin’s face. “Go get your woman. We’ll take care of this other shit that’s going on so y’all can go on to live your best lives.”

“Yeah, we will,” Ridge said. “I’ll hit you up later this week.”

“Cool. Oh and, Ridge?”

“Yeah?”

“You gotta name your first son, Trent, now.”

It was Ridge’s turn to throw his head back and laugh before finally disconnecting the call.