Free The Fighter's Secret Child (The Burton Brothers Series Book 3) by Leslie North Page A

Bryant with a set of building blocks.
    Arms crossed, Rachel told them, “I am going to have one spoilt child here.”
    Grinning, Alice looked up. “Only until he has new babies to give him competition. Besides, I looked up that procedures he needs. He’s going to be in the hospital for way too long.”
    Frowning, Beck came over to Rachel. “Is that true?”
    She nodded. “That’s why I made a deal with him. No more hospitals until he’s got to go in. When do you get the test results?”
    “Couple of days,” Mason said, heading into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around Avery’s waist. “Meaning we have time for a bar-be-que. And let me tell you, you haven’t lived until you’ve had a Burton bar-be-que.”
    Everything seemed to shift to the patio. Mason lit up the gas grill, Beck settled on the brick with Chaz and his building blocks and cars—it looked like they were constructing a garage. Avery and Alice started to carry out plates and set the table. When Rachel asked what she could do, Bryant pointed to a chair. “Relax, and keep yourself out of the traffic flow. Trust me, when the girls get going you’ll want to duck out.”
    Rachel found out what he meant after they’d eaten. Alice and Avery had gone shopping for Chaz. Shoes, T-shirts, pants, new underwear with Batman on them, shorts, sandals—if there was something they hadn’t bought for him, Rachel didn’t know what it was.
    “I can’t…we can’t—” Rachel said, stammering out the words.
    Beck swung an arm over her shoulders. “You can. For Chaz, you damn well can. Now be the sweet girl I know you can be and say thank you, Auntie Alice and Auntie Avery.”
    The two women grinned, and Rachel dug an elbow into Beck’s ribs. She turned to Alice and Avery. “Thank you. I’ll pay you back for everything.”
    “No you won’t.” Coming over, Avery swung her long braid over her back. She took Rachel’s hands. “We’re making up for missed birthdays and Christmas, and besides Chaz is going to try out everything we want to buy for our kids when they come.”
    Chaz never got his nap, but by eight he was asleep on the couch. Rachel took him to bed. He’d have to miss his bath tonight. Once he was in his new jammies, his doggy tucked into his arms, she stood over him, watching him sleep. She heard a floorboard creak and turned to see Beck. He came up to her side.
    “He’s going to be okay, Rach.”
    Tears started to fill her eyes. She sniffed them back. “You don’t know that.”
    “I do. You don’t become a fighter because you see other guys punching your lights out. You see yourself winning. We need to see Chaz winning—see him strong and running around like the hellion a Burton is supposed to be at his age.”
    She glanced up at him, a tight band around her chest. She knew then she would never stop loving this man. This was the Beck she’d fallen for—the guy who could say things like this. The guy who had been playing a video game with his son this morning.
    It seemed the most natural thing in the world to lean toward him, to stand on tiptoe and kiss his cheek, and then his lips. His arms came around her.
    She sighed as he kissed her, placing little butterfly kisses along her jaw line, behind her ear, and then back to her lips. He stroked his fingers over her face, and she tangled her tongue with his as he deepened the kiss.
    Pulling back, she whispered, her voice thick, “Your brothers.”
    “Are out. Mason’s teaching at the dojo tonight and Avery went out to dinner with Bryant and Alice. We’ve got the place to ourselves.” He swept her up in his arms. “And, honey, if you don’t let me make love to you, I think I’m going to explode. Please…please, Rach. I need you.”
    She glanced in his eyes and saw the truth. It had hit him harder than he’d let on, but the tests today—they would make it real. She knew about that. After Chaz had first been diagnosed, she’d gone straight to denial. It hadn’t been until