For the Sake of Their Son by Catherine Mann Read Free Book Online Page A

need to order the firework display for a finale.”
    Lucy Ann pulled a tight smile, doing her best to be polite. “Romance is in the air.”
    “I hope this isn’t going too late for you and the little guy.” She flicked her red hair over her shoulder. “You must be exhausted from your flight.”
    “He’s asleep. We’ll be fine.” If she left, Elliot would feel obligated to leave, as well. And right now she was too emotionally raw to be alone with him. Surely Hillary had to have some idea of how difficult this was for her, since the alum buddies had been party to the kidnapping.
    Her eyes slid to the clutch of pals, the five men who’d been sent to a military reform school together.
    Their bond was tight. Unbreakable.
    They stood together at the beachside under a cabana wearing matching tuxedos, all five of them too damn rich and handsome for their own good. Luckily for the susceptible female population, the other four were now firmly taken, married and completely in love with their brides. The personification of bad boys redeemed, but still edgy.
    Exciting.
    The Alpha Brotherhood rarely gathered in one place, but when they did, they were a sight to behold. They’d all landed in trouble with the law as teens, but they’d been sent to a military reform school rather than juvie. Computer whiz Troy Donavan had broken into the Department of Defense’s computer system to expose corruption. Casino magnate Conrad Hughes had used insider trading tips to manipulate the stock market. He’d only barely redeemed himself by tanking corporations that used child-labor sweatshops in other countries. World famous soft rock/jazz musician Malcolm Douglas had been sent away on drug charges as a teenager, although she’d learned later that he’d been playing the piano in a bar underage and got nabbed in the bust.
    The groom—Dr. Rowan Boothe—had a history a bit more troubled. He’d been convicted of driving while drunk. He’d been part of an accident he’d taken the blame for so his overage brother wouldn’t go to jail—then his brother had died a year later driving drunk into a tree. Now Rowan used all his money to start clinics in third-world countries.
    They all had their burdens to bear, and that guilt motivated them to make amends now. Through their freelance work with Interpol. Through charitable donations beyond anything anyone would believe unless they saw the accounting books.
    Now, they’d all settled down and gotten married, starting families of their own. Was that a part of what compelled Elliot to push for more with her? A need to fit in with his Alpha Brothers as they moved on to the next phase of their lives?
    Lucy Ann looked back at Hillary. “Did you know what Malcolm and Conrad were up to yesterday?”
    “I didn’t know exactly, not until Troy told me, and they were already on their way. I can’t say I approve of their tactics, but it was too late for me to do anything. You appear to be okay.” Hillary leaned on her elbows, angling closer, her eyes concerned. “Is that an act?”
    “What do you think?”
    She clasped Lucy Ann’s hand. “I’m sorry. I should have realized this calm of yours is just a cover. We’re kindred spirits, you and I, ever organized, even in how we show ourselves to the world.” She squeezed once before letting go. “Do you want to talk? Need a shoulder? I’m here.”
    “There’s nothing anyone can do now. It’s up to Elliot and me to figure out how to move forward. If I’d let him know earlier...”
    “Friend, you and I both know how difficult it can be to contact them when the colonel calls for one of their missions. They disappear. They’re unreachable.” She smiled sadly. “It takes something as earth-shattering as, well, a surprise baby to get them to break the code of silence.”
    “How do you live with that, as a part of a committed relationship?”
    She couldn’t bring herself to ask what it felt like to be married to a man who kept such a chunk of his