“Jack glanced at ken. "Lily is a brilliant woman when it comes to academics, but she;'s so blind when it comes to people." It was a small warning to keep Ken's anger from boiling over. "She's struggling to accept that Whitney needs to die, but she needs more time. The pregnancy also probably makes her more emotional when it comes to her father.""When the hell did you get so smart?" Ken demanded."I've been reading all the pregnancy books." jack sounded a little smug.”

“He glanced at Ken. "Why the hell does a women complete a family?"Ken shrugged and exchanged a small smile with him. "I don't know, but let's keep her. She's mellowed you out, and I didn't think that was possible.""I've always been mellow.”

“It's Mari, Jack," Ken whispered, needing to say it aloud. "What?" Jack jerked around, staring at the sniper as the eyes fluttered closed. "Are you certain?"Ken pulled the woman's belt loose and buckled it around her leg. "Either that or your wife is playing sniper for the other team. It has to be Mari. She looks exactly like Briony.”

“And Ken said I can't marry you."Jack felt his heart jump in his chest. He glanced at his sleeping brother. "Did he say why?""Yes." She kept her voice sober. "He said you have to ask me properly."Relief made him weak. His pulse beat at his temples, throbbed in his neck. For one moment his fingers closed in her hair in a tight fist. "Properly? If I ask, you might say no, so I'm thinking we'll just start off right and I'll tell you and we'll get the thing done.""Get the thing done?" Briony echoed.Ken snorted aloud. "Jack, I'll take over watch and you get some sleep. I think you fried your brain up there on the roof.""Pipe down over there." Jack said. "You're already stirring up trouble.""Get the thing done?" Briony repeated slowly. "The thing being what exactly?""The ceremony. The paperwork. Whatever the hell it takes to make it legal."Briony sat up and glared at him. "Take your 'it' and shove it, Jack.""There's no need ti be getting upset, Briony. We can't exactly go around with a bunch of kids and not do whatever the hell it is one does to make it legal.""Whatever the hell it takes to make what legal?"He shrugged. "How the hell would I know? I've never done this before. Sleeping together I guess.""So you are going to marry me so it's legal to sleep with me?""This isn't coming out right.""You think?""Don't get upset, baby,. I don't understand why you're getting upset.”

“On the other hand, she never looked as -big- as she did at that moment."What?" Rose demanded, glaring up at him.The warning signal flashed bright red in Kane's head. Telling a woman she was as big as a beach ball wouldn't win any points. How did one describe how she looked? A basketball? Volleyball? He studied her furious little face. Yeah. He was in big trouble no matter what he said. Description was out of the question. He needed diplomacy, something that flew out of the window when he was near her and she said the words like contractions.”

“You just like to piss me off,” Jack said.“Well, there’s that. On the other hand, we’ll find out really fast just how much of a bastard you’re going to be to live with—with your woman around. You get out of line, and I’ll have to take you out behind the barn.”“We don’t have a barn.”“I told you we needed a barn, damn it,” Ken said. “You had to have a shop. It doesn’t sound the same saying I’m taking you out behind the shop.”

“Speaking of the sick, twisted freak, have you caught sight of the bastard?"Jack gave a short, expressive snort. "Um, that would be a negative. I've never actually seen Sean.""I sent you an image.""Tails and horns aren't exactly the real deal, ken. You gave me a picture of the devil.”