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  When Parker saw Briella walking up, she went over and jumped in Kason’s lap, trying to make it look as though she had been there all along. Kason tried to push her off, but she tightened her arms around his neck and leaned in to kiss him. He stood up out of the chair, only to have Parker cling to his neck.

  “Get off me now, Parker. I won’t put up with this. I have tried to get you to understand…”

  “Understand what, cowboy? That you want me? You know you do.”

  “Understand this…You’re fired.”

  Parker stared at him. “You really think so?”

  Kason looked confused as Parker went on. “Don’t you think that my sexual harassment lawsuit will ruin your budding little career?”

  Kason’s face turned dark red. “You’re fired. Don’t come back here or else I will call the cops. Now leave!” he shouted.

  He turned around and saw Briella standing right behind him. He realized that she watched the whole scene. Her eyes were dark with fury as she looked at Parker.

  “Didn’t I tell you to leave?” Kason ask to his former housekeeper.

  Parker grabbed his arm as he went to walk away. That was when someone had enough.

  “Missy, I think you need to let him go,” Charlee said as she stepped right up into the fray. “It seems as though you’ve caused enough trouble already!”

  “Who the hell do you think you are, Grandma!” Parker shouted at Charlee.

  “You bitch!” Briella yelled at Parker. She had finally snapped, and the anger felt wonderful! Invigorating! She charged toward Parker with her fist swinging. The first blow landed on Parker’s nose, even though the woman tried to avoid the strike. Parker stumbled.

  “That was for my Mom,” Briella hissed.

  She punched her again. This time Parker fell backward, holding her face in her hands, moaning as she curled up into a fetal position. “And that was for Kason because he’s too nice to hit a girl, no matter how much she deserves it.”

  Parker rolled over and over on the ground, howling and crying. Dexter was the first to come forward. He helped her up, then led her toward the house, speaking to her all the while. Everyone was silent as Parker was led away.

  When the show was over, Kason’s friends either patted her on the back and congratulated her, and said they wished they had a girlfriend with her spunk, or they kept their distance, trying their best to ignore her. It was s curious blend of attitudes and emotions that made Briella hate Parker even more.

  After most of Kason’s friends left, Briella finally began to relax a little. She opened a beer and slammed it. She opened another to drink more slowly, and sat down with Kason. Then she noticed an older couple walking towards them.

  “Kason, who are they?” Briella asked, and pointed to the couple. They were joined by a girl of about twenty-one, who was running to catch up to them.

  “Uh, surprise! That’s my family,” Kason said. He immediately looked nervous.

  “Oh my God, why didn’t you tell me?” Briella’s hands went to her hair, then to her belly, where she already had butterflies.

  “I didn’t know they would show up,” he said, taking her hand and leading her toward them.

  He introduced his mom, dad, and sister to Briella. The moment was decidedly awkward; Briella realized that his family had heard plenty about her, but she had heard almost nothing about them. She shook their hands, and they sat down to get to know each other.

  Briella offered them some food and drinks, which they gladly accepted. She was nervous and thought that she might spill something on one of them. She stammered and stuttered, making an utter fool of herself. Kason picked upon her nervousness and pulled his mother aside.

  “Mom, do you think you could kind of take it easy on Briella? You’re scaring her to death. You know how I feel about her, and I hate to see her like this. She looks like she’s ready to have a heart attack,” he pleaded.

  “I’ll be nice, I promise,” his mom said.

  They walked back over to where Briella was sitting with Kason’s dad and sister. Mrs. Harris put her hand on Briella’s shoulder, and asked if she could talk to her privately.

  Briella nodded and swallowed hard. She got up and followed Mrs. Harris down to the beach, dread filling her with each step she took.

  “So, my son tells me that he is head over heels in love with you.” Mrs. Harris started, and Briella let out the breath she had been holding. “I assume you feel the same way for him. I see the way your eyes light up when he’s around. I want to see my son happy, and I know that’s how he feels when he’s with you. I don’t know you yet, but I do know that you’re good for my son.”

  Briella sighed in relief. “I am so glad you said that. I was so worried…”

  “Don’t be. He speaks so highly of you, and I want to get to know the person that he knows. I know that you’re nervous around me, but there is really no reason to be.” The woman chuckled. “Quite honestly, I’m a little nervous around you. I’ve never met anyone that my son has been so taken with, and it’s a little startling. Besides, I want you to like me…I don’t want to be the horrible mother-in-law. I have one of those myself, and I vowed never to be like her.”

  Briella’s face went red and her heart started to pound. Mother in law? She took a deep breath and pretended she hadn’t heard the implication in that.

  “I’d really like to get to know you too. Kason means so much to me, and I don’t want his family to misjudge me. I guess I was more worried about making a good impression than being myself. Do you think we could start over?” Briella asked.

  Mrs. Harris smiled. “Sure. Hi, I’m Raelynn Harris, Kason’s mom. You can call me Raelynn.”

  “Hi Raelynn, I’m Briella Fox. It’s so nice to meet you. Have any baby pictures with you?” Briella said, and they both laughed.

  Raelynn hugged Briella as they turned and walked back Kason’s beach. By the time they got back, they were sharing a smile with each other, and Kason beamed with pride to see them getting along so well. He ran up and grabbed Briella’s waist and swung her around, laughing and kissing her.

  Charlee came over and introduced herself to Raelynn and Bruce, Kason’s dad. They talked about Briella and Kason and their careers and successes. They were soon lost deep in conversation.

  Briella and Kason took Aubrie, Kason’s sister, out on the boat. Dexter and Mila were out on the jet skis, trying to race with them. They were all having fun and relaxing, but they came back to shore as it started to get dark.

  Charlee needed to head home, so she said goodbye to everyone. Kason’s family wasn’t too far behind. Soon, it was just the four of them. Briella spread out a blanket on the sand and sat down. Kason came and lay next to her, watching the sunset.

  “Your family is really nice, Country Boy. I’m glad your mom confided in me. I felt a lot better after that. Your friends are pretty cool too.”

  “My family loved you almost as much as I do,” he teased and kissed her. “My friends think you’re great. I think there are a few of them I need to look out for. They might try to take you away.”

  “It’ll never happen. I’m perfectly content being with you.”

  “Content, that’s it?”

  “Well, I’d be a lot better, but you fired your maid today, and that means I need to clean up this mess,” Briella joked.

  “Hey, I’m sure she’d gladly come back if you want me to call her. I wouldn’t even have to pay her, just offer her sexual favors.”

  Briella jumped on top of him and started tickling him. “I don’t want to hear you joke like that. You’re mine, and I’m the only one who gets those favors.”

  “You’re right. Don’t forget it,” Kason said, completely serious and intense. He kissed Briella, then got up. “Come on, let’s clean up this mess and get inside.”

  Dexter and Mila helped clean up the beach. They brought everything inside and went to watch TV.

  “Hey, I forgot to give you this,” Dexter said, and threw Parker’s key to Ka
son.

  “Ah, perfect.” He caught the key, then threw it to Briella. “You’ll need this at some point. It works in both the front and back doors.”

  “Are you sure?” Briella asked.

  “Yeah, I know for a fact it works in those doors,” Kason laughed. “Yes, I’m sure I want you to have a key to my house! Besides, tomorrow you’ll want to do stuff while we’re at work. You don’t want to be stuck in the house all day.”

  “You’re right. I think we have some plans for tomorrow, at some point.” Briella winked at Mila, since the guys didn’t know they’d be going into their office for a few hours a day this week.

  “Well, you can take my SUV. I’ll ride in with Dexter,” Kason said, and gave her the keys to the vehicle. “Now that that’s settled, let’s go to bed. I need to get up early in the morning!”

  They all said good night and went to bed. There was no more sensual fun this time; Briella and Kason took a quick shower, cuddled up and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, Kason’s alarm clock buzzed promptly at six. He tried to shut it off before it woke Briella, but it took too long because one of his arms was underneath her. She yawned and stretched as he shifted his arm and pushed the button to silence the alarm.

  “Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you up,” he said, and leaned over to kiss her.

  “It’s okay. I don’t think I could’ve slept much longer anyway. I’m too used to getting up early. Besides, with the time change, it’s really seven for me.” Briella smiled and patted his bare behind. “Go take a shower. I’ll make you and Dexter some breakfast.”

  “You’re the best. You know that?” Kason asked, and gave her another kiss before he headed to the bathroom.

  Briella put on her new powder blue robe then headed to the kitchen. She cut up some apples and added them to pancake batter. She took out the griddle and poured the batter onto the surface and added some bacon and sausage.

  Just as Briella was taking the first batch of food off the griddle, Dexter and Kason walked into the kitchen. “Wow, it smells great! What’d you make?” Dexter asked.

  “Apple cinnamon pancakes, bacon, and sausage. Now both of you sit down and eat so you aren’t late for work.” Briella set the plates on the breakfast bar and went to pour the guys their coffee. “Is Mila still sleeping?” Briella asked Dexter.

  “Not anymore. I woke her up to say goodbye before I left the room. She’ll probably be down soon,” Dexter said, with his mouth full of food.

  Briella laughed at Dexter and took a bite of pancake that Kason offered her. “So, make yourself at home here today,” Kason said to Briella, and she nodded. They talked until Kason finished his breakfast and got up to leave. He put his plate in the dishwasher, and turned back to Briella.

  “I’ll call you when I get a chance, and we’ll be home around four-thirty. Have fun!” Kason kissed Briella goodbye, and walked out the door with Dexter.

  Briella went about the kitchen, cleaning up from breakfast. She ran the dishwasher and left the kitchen spotless. Who needs Parker anyway? Briella thought to herself as she left the kitchen.

  Briella went in search of Mila to see if she was getting ready for the day. She found her friend lying face down on the bed in Dexter’s room. “Hey! Get up and get ready. We need to go into work soon!” When Mila didn’t move, Briella sat on the bed next to her. “What’s up, Mila?”

  “It just feels too perfect being here,” Mila said, her voice muffled by the blankets. “Kind of makes me not want to go home, you know?”

  “I know. You should have seen me downstairs just now. I made breakfast for the guys and then I cleaned the kitchen. It was so damn funny, almost like ‘Family Ties’ or something,” Briella laughed.

  “You’re getting all domestic,” Mila teased.

  “And I have to admit, it’s great waking up in Kason’s arms in the morning, not to mention other things,” Briella giggled.

  “No kidding!”

  “But our life’s in New York, isn’t it?” Briella asked, not sure herself anymore.

  “I know, I know. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if we moved here. Would we still feel the same way about the guys, or would we feel stifled?” Mila asked. “I just don’t want to have any regrets, no matter what I do.”

  Since when had they started talking about moving to Texas? Though the thought had been in the back of Briella’s mind, she had no idea it had also been in the back of Mila’s. The thought of it made her both excited and scared at the same time.

  “Well, it’s going to take some time to figure it out. It’s not an easy decision,” she said with a nonchalant air. “So get your lazy butt up into the shower. We need to get to the office.” Briella rolled her friend off the bed, then went back into Kason’s room and took a shower of her own.

  An hour later, Mila met Briella downstairs, both of them dressed in sharp business suits. Briella called her mom on her cell phone so that she could give them directions to the office. They got into the SUV and Briella headed downtown.

  Fifteen minutes later, Mila and Briella walked into the reception area of the architectural firm. The receptionist told them how to find Kason and Dexter, and let them through the locked glass door that led to the offices.

  Briella and Mila entered the ‘Think Tank’, which was a big room in the middle of the hallway. Ten architect desks and ten regular desks were spaced throughout the room, along with a conference table. There were about 15 people milling about, and two of them were Kason and Dexter.

  Briella and Mila stood and watched them work for a few minutes before making their presence known. Briella walked up behind Kason and whispered, “Aren’t you that famous Residential Architect of the Year?”

  Kason spun around, shocked to see Briella standing there. He pulled her down on his lap and said “Yup, sure am. You’ve come to the right place. I can design any type of house you want.” He laughed and gave her a quick kiss. “What’re you doing here?”

  “Mom wanted us to come and check the place out. Plus we have some work to do too. We’ll stay out of your hair, don’t worry,” Briella said. She watched as Dexter showed Mila the project he was working on. She knew Mila wasn’t paying attention to his work; she was just enjoying her time with him. Briella looked around the office and saw some people standing around, pretending not to watch them.

  One of the guys walked up to Kason and Briella and said, “Hey man, what’s that girl sitting on your lap? I thought you were gay!”

  Kason nearly choked. “Gay? What made you think that? This is my girlfriend, you know, the one whose picture is hanging in my office?”

  “I thought that girl in your office was your sister. Aren’t you dating a guy named Billie?” the guy asked.

  Briella gave Kason a look that said See, I told you so. She extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Billie Fox, but my friends call me Briella.”

  The guy looked at her in shock. “You’re Billie Fox? I admire your work.”

  “Thanks. I just wish I was half as good as Kason here,” Briella said with a smile.

  The guy walked away mumbling to himself about how Billie was supposed to be a guy. Briella and Kason laughed. Kason started showing her the designs that he was currently working on. When she tried to stand up, he held her there, keeping her on his lap.

  “This isn’t appropriate for the office,” she said.

  “I happen to know the boss loves me,” he grinned.

  Charlee walked into the room and said hello to the four of them. “I just called a brief meeting to introduce Mila and Briella, since they will be in and out all week,” she told them as they headed to the conference room.

  Kason pulled Briella aside. “All week?”

  “Yes, is that going to be a problem?” she replied, worried that he didn’t want her there.

  “No, no problem at all,” he said, smiling. “Well, actually there is a problem. You look absolutely irresistible today. I don’t
know how I’m going to keep my hands off you.”

  Charlee had two empty seats waiting for them at the front of the room. They took their seats, and as soon as the rest of the employees filtered into the room, Charlee got up and began.

  “I’m sorry to call this meeting on such short notice. I know we all have our deadlines, so I won’t keep you too long. I wanted to introduce two very important people who will be around this week, and hopefully a lot more in the future. The first girl is like a daughter to me. She works for a firm in New York and recently won the award for Interior Designer of the Year, presented by the Architectural Society. Her name is Mila Lockheart.” Charlee motioned for Mila to stand, so she did and nodded to everybody.

  “The next person is someone you have all heard of in one way or another. She was awarded the Commercial Architect of the Year, and also works for a firm in New York. She is my pride and joy, my daughter Briella Fox, better known as Billie Fox.” Briella stood and smiled as everyone sat there in awe.

  “They have offered to help anyone who has questions on commercial or interior designs, but they also have their own work to do this week. Feel free to ask them for help, but don’t abuse their generosity. Any questions?” Charlee asked. No one said anything. “Thank you for your time, you’re all dismissed.”

  Charlee started walking to the door and stopped. “I forgot to tell you, all of your stuff is at the desks next to Kason and Dexter. That won’t cause a distraction, will it? I can give you private offices instead.”

  “No, that’s fine Mom. It’s not like we’re going to slack off just by being near each other,” Briella said. “At least I hope not…”

  Charlee smiled and headed out the door.

  Briella gave Kason an apologetic look. She felt like she was intruding on Kason’s ‘turf’. Once Mila and Dexter had left the conference room, leaving Briella and Kason alone, she told him how she was feeling.

  “Briella, don’t be ridiculous. You aren’t invading at all. I’m actually happy to have you here, especially since there are some ideas I want to run by you. Besides, I think you could help some of the people here with their designs. And, this means I can spend even more time with you,” Kason told her, his eyes dancing with joy.