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Chapter 1

Moira

"Cannon," I call up the stairs "I need you down here right now so I can get your shoes on We're going to be late"

And God knows I totally don't need your father s hi late

"Cah--" Jaime says as she points at the stairs With blue eyes and chocolate-brown hair sticking out in tufts all over her little eighteen-month-old toddler head, she's the miniature version of Zach Well, Cannon also looks just like Zach with the sa look that is descended directly from Zach's DNA

"Cah--" she says again, trying to say her older brother's name Two years separate the separated froo up the stairs by themselves and sweet, little babies that toddle around like drunk monkeys half the time need to stay doith Mommy

"Can-non," I annunciate slowly as I squat down in front of her Giving her a sain "Can you say Can-non?"

Her lips quirk upward in a grin, showing her cute baby teeth With an evil twinkle in her eye, she says, "Boom!"

I rollto kill your father for teaching you that"

Zach thought it was hilarious to yell, "Boom!" every time Jaime tried to say Cannon's na the same

Yup need to kill Zach for that one, and I'd be happy to oblige if I could actually get fifteenhis neck Damn, but I miss that man All he ever seems to do these days is work, work, and oh yeah,with the kids, affording me an extra-blessed hour of sleep while he feeds and dresses the with theet up, he hands -breath hts, I'm lucky to still be ahen he slides into bed, so exhausted he does nothing ht, Moira I love you," before he's falling dead asleep

I sort of knew that e your life

For the better, of course

But I also knew, compliments of , your priorities as husband and ould coe First and foremost, our lives now revolve around Cannon and Jaime Secondly, around Cannon's Depart to prove hi to make his way in the corporate world, and he couldn't rest on the laurels of just being godson to CEO, Randall Cannon No he has to go out there and show everyone that he has what it takes to run a major business

Sometimes just soo back to the Amazon rainforest where we first met and live by ourselves I want my wild and uncivilized man back who only had eyes for h to give me a once over before he falls asleep

Tiny feet pounding down the stairs snapinto the den, holding his shoes in his hands

"Up on the couch," I tell hiles to pull herself up beside Cannon She's getting good at swinging herself up, , but sorab her by the waistband of her jeans and do just that

"Is Daddy going to eat with us tonight?" Cannon asks with exciteuilt floods

When had we gotten to the point that it was almost a miraculous event for Zach to sit doith his family for a meal?

"He sure is," I say with a smile as I tie his shoelaces into double knots

And I can say that with assurance since it was Zach's idea no wait, it was his coer to celebrate I internally sot the job

Not just any job

The Job!

The job of all jobs!

It's the very one I've been waiting for, and I'et back to work

When I first got pregnant with Cannon, Zach and I were still living in Evanston, Illinois where I was teaching in the anthropology depart There was so work to stay at home with Cannon, but that never manifested It was more of a dream that I didn't think could co on one income

Granted, Zach's education was all paid for by Randall, but we still needed to put food on the table because while Zach grudgingly accepted help with his education, he refused to takeelse I think the way he reasoned it in his mind was that when he finally went to work for Cannon's Department Store, he'd be able to pay back the education costs with hard work and dedication It's one of the reasons why ether because he's alorking so darets over his faith in Zach Not that Randall ever would

Things finally fell into place for us after Zach received his MBA and we o to work full tiht-hand man We were able to afford not only a really nice house in the pretty suburbs, but ere also able to afford the luxury oftime away from work to raise the kids

It wasn't a peroal to be a stay-at-hooal to us both I wanted to spend as much time with the munchkins as I could before they started school, and Zach was all for that I think that was so the Caraican tribe in the Amazon where the men went out to hunt the meat and the women stayed home to raise the children and cook said meat

I snicker, because while Zach has truly beco, there's still a caveman buried deep down inside of hiy lately, I think he'd be very happy to keep nated forever

But in reality, while I lovea bit antsy I'et back to work, and I don't think I have it in me to continue on for another two and a half years until Jaime can start Pre-K

So Zach and I talked about it, and he suggested I look for some part-time work that would satisfymy brain on an adult level

And that's as offered to me just yesterday

The job!

It's as a project anization that puts together and ical research expeditions It is "the job" because I can work reh the corporate headquarters are in Irvine, California While it is far reht up anizational whiz All I have to do is help to create the design of the project using various e the project from my end on a computer Easy as pie!

When Zach slipped quietly into our rooht up in the bed, al a word to hiot the job"

"Yes," I squealed as I cairl on the mattress

Zach held my eyes for just a second before they were draard towithhe'd like that As I was just a tad closer to thirty-seven than thirty-six, gravity decided to leave my boobs alone for now, and Zach was definitely a boob h just a moment before, his face was lined with exhaustion, noas filled with desire He dropped his briefcase to the floor and his hand ca on his tie

I've seen Zach in a variety of dress and undress, from completely naked and covered in the dirt and sweat of the Ao Boss suit, and I have to tell you I never get sidetracked by either extreme because it's really his eyes that always hold me captive

They proive et what a lucky woht that had me captivated as he walked toward me

Zach crawled onto the bed, pushed s apart He then went down on , "I' your pussy," and "I love you so o celebrate at Vortex toht"