I didn’t correct him that I was still a paid employee and had yet to agree to Jake’s proposal.
“There are so many memories, good and bad. Maybe a remodel and redesign will do this house some good,” he said.
I laughed, though the idea appealed. “Have you been binge watching HGTV again?”
“Only when you are,” he joked.
There was a twinkle of mischief in his eye that I liked. It was like he had new purpose and wasn’t giving up on this life. But his words turned somber.
“Jake isn’t sleeping in his room. We both know why.” That went without saying. “I could trade with him, but I think he wouldn’t like being with you in his parent’s room.”
Though Jake hadn’t talked about it, the memory of being drugged haunted him. And like Ford, I wanted to do something to help ease his mind.
He drifted off to another topic. “I’m not afraid of dying anymore.”
That came out of nowhere.
“Ford—”
He held up a hand. “I don’t have a death wish, Honey. Though I wouldn’t mind seeing my Martha again.” He took a long pause. “It’s just when I go, I know Jake will be fine because of you.”
Talk about choking up with tears. I rounded the island to hug the man.
“I love you, Ford,” I said and kissed his cheek.
“Oh, don’t tell my son. He’ll be jealous,” he teased.
Then the man himself came in. “Dad,” he said, straight-faced. “Are you flirting with my woman?”
“Of course I am,” Ford said.
I gave Jake’s dad another hug before I walked over to Jake, still choked up over his earlier statement.
Outside, I searched for Jamie and found her in the horse pen with Ed. Though Jake would have checked on her before we left, it was instinct for me to.
When we drove off, I asked, “Where are we going?”
He took my hand. “Do you trust me?”
I nodded and squeezed his and left the questions to answer themselves when we arrived at our destination.
The ride took us along a winding, bumpy road, but it wasn’t a terribly long journey. We arrived in front of a two-story house that reminded me of moderate-sized, old plantation houses with columns. It wasn’t as eye-catching as Jake’s ranch, but that was my taste.
Interesting, I thought. Not sure whose place it was.
He parked right up front in the circular drive. Before we got out, Jacque came out the double doors, answering my question. Then Jake was on my side, holding out a hand to help me out. But he didn’t let go once I got out. He held on as we approached the short stairs that led to the wraparound porch.
“I was wondering when you’d come to gloat,” Jacque announced.
Jake and I just stared at the woman. He seemed to be as surprised as I was by her statement, which only made me more curious as to why he’d brought me. Had he changed his mind about me doing the talking to her about loan papers and a possible sale?
“I guess you’re speechless that you can’t bring me the news. Sorry, I got that for myself. I agreed to sale to someone else. I’ll admit it was to spite you. But you had the last laugh, didn’t you?”
“Jacque,” Jake began.
“Don’t bother to explain. My lawyer called me the other day and said there was a lien on the house. Furthermore, according to the documents, your family already owns this place by default.”
Had Ford gone and told someone or filed the paperwork?
She wasn’t done. “A twenty-year-old debt with compounding interest is one I can’t pay, not without selling. My lawyer said someone down in the courthouse had messed up and this should have been brought up during the reading of Woodrow’s will before the land was deeded to me. Someone should have checked for a lien. It had been properly filed years before I was married to the man.”
Well, Woodrow had been a standup guy. He must have had his lawyer file the loan and lien papers without Ford knowing.
“Look, I’m still willing to buy the land,” Jake offered.
She laughed. “How can you buy land you already own?” When Jake attempted to answer, she stopped him. “Look, I know what you think of me. But I’m not Tara. I didn’t marry Woodrow for his land or his money. I loved him. He was good to me. Yes, he was older, but he always treated me kindly.”
She glanced my way and sighed. “Karma is a bitch and it bit me in the ass. I was jealous that Jake didn’t want me and I said some rotten things to you. For that I apologize. He’s a good man, a good catch. Any woman would truly be lucky to have him.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of the woman, but I nodded graciously.
“Now, Jake.” She paused. “The land is yours, but the house is mine.” She let that sink in. “Technically, I owe you rent.”
Jake interrupted. “I’ll buy the house.”
She waggled a finger at him. “The house isn’t worth as much as the land. So don’t you try to do that white knight thing. My lawyer told me what it was worth. It’s enough. He’s sending the proposal to Landry. And with that money, I’m going to buy a salon in town and make something of myself. I’m tired of being the talk of the town and not in a good way. I’m going to be respectable.”
I couldn’t help but respect her if she was being truthful, which it seemed like.
“I didn’t want this,” she said.
“I know.” She pursed her lips. “If there’s one thing I know is you didn’t do this. Woodrow did. It will be fine. I’ll be fine. The only thing I ask is if you can find a place for my hands. Some of them have family to take care of.”
Jake nodded. “I will.”
Before we left, I said to her, “Good luck with your salon.” I fluffed my hair. “I really need a place close I can get my hair done.”
She smiled at me. “The first cut is on the house. Now if you excuse me, I’ve got packing to do.”
We all turned to go our respective ways.
On the ride home, I asked Jake, “Are you okay?”
He squeezed my hand that he hadn’t let go of except to get into the car.
“I guess I have to be. It still feels like stealing.”
I understood Jake’s reluctance. He didn’t feel as though he’d earned the property.
“At least she’s okay with it,” I said.
He nodded but didn’t say much on the ride back to his house.
Over the next few weeks, things seemed to settle down. Jake, though, had been a little distant. When he called me out to the back porch after Ford and Jamie had gone to bed, I worried he was going to tell me he was done waiting and was moving on.
When I arrived, I couldn’t have been more surprised if zombies walked by. The screened in porch was lit with flickering candles that surrounded him as he waited on bended knee. I lost my breath, saying the only word I could.
“Sugar.”
His smile made my heart kick into gear.
“When you Ubered into my life, I couldn’t have guessed how much you’d change my life for the better.” He pulled out a box and flipped it open. “It’s not new. It’s my mother’s ring. She wanted me to give it to the woman I gave the rest of my life to.”
Tears ran like rivers down my cheeks and I was powerless to stop them.
“Sugar,” I said again like it was a prayer.
“I want you to be my wife. No.” He stopped and I panicked. “No, I don’t want you to be my wife.” Surely I wasn’t hearing him correctly. “I need you to be my wife. I can’t live this life without you. What do you say?”
For weeks I waited for a sign that things were moving too fast. What I realized was I was moving too slow. I needed to catch up.
“Yes,” I said, sobbing and reaching for him.
“Yes, what?”
I knew what he wanted to hear.
“Yes, Sugar, I’ll marry you.”
Epilogue
The only day that could eclipse this one was the day Tara’s mom brought Jamie into my life. I stood watching my li
ttle girl toss flowers out of a basket on her way down the aisle.
When she reached the end, I moved forward and took her hand in mine. I brought her to stand next to me and didn’t let her go sit. She was my best girl and I needed her by my side. We waited while Dad walked my future wife down to me.
Out in the small crowd, I spotted her mom. I’d convinced Honey to invite her to the wedding. Though she balked, she wanted to connect with her brother, who sat by their mom’s side in the front row.
They’d arrived a few days before, all smiles and questions about my net worth on the pretense they wanted to make sure Honey was well taken care of. Though I’d been curious if Honey’s stories were even a little exaggerated when she’d told me about her mother, I would be glad when they were gone. The funniest thing was when her stepdad thought he should be the one to do the honors of giving Honey away.
I hadn’t said a thing, but Honey had politely asked the man why he would want to give her away when he’d already done that. I gave her mother points for not saying shit as the man sputtered.
Though, I did worry for her brother and the influence his parents had on him. But one good thing to come out of it was they’d agreed to let him spend the summer with us. It made Honey so happy, I was actually looking forward to it.
As my bride neared, everything else became unimportant. God, she was stunning from head to toe in a dress that clung way too much to her sexy curves. Last thing I wanted was for any man to fantasize about my woman. So I might have snatched her hand a little too eagerly from Dad, which got a chuckle from our guest.
Words were spoken from the heart, from our souls. We made promises I would forever keep. Jamie also said I do, at our request. Honey and I were in agreement that she was as much a part of us as we were.
But it wasn’t until after the ceremony and the reception, when it was just the two of us under the stars that everything became perfect.
I’d walked us to Mom’s grave and introduced my wife to her. As per mom’s request, though Honey balked, we had the diamonds in Mom’s ring reset. Mom wanted to pass on something old, so she could be a part of my wedding. But she was insistent that she’d wanted the woman I chose to make something new out of it.
I kissed the ring Honey had designed. It was perfectly her. She’d added two smaller diamonds on the side to represent Dad and Jamie.
“God, I love you.”
I may have said it a million times before, but each time felt new to me.
“I love you too, Sugar.”
We kissed in that lingering way that made me want to go all caveman with her.
“Are you ready for our honeymoon?” she asked.
Was I?
“It will be different when we come back,” I said.
She nodded. “You’ve agreed to the changes.”
I had. Dad thought we should remodel and Honey convinced me it was a good idea. We were reconfiguring the space, including a total redesign of the bedrooms with an addition.
Currently that left Dad bunking in Honey’s old room. That left her, Jamie, and me holed up in the office, which left no privacy. Added to that, with neither of us having reliable family, Jamie and Dad were coming with us on the honeymoon. It wasn’t ideal, but Honey said it was fine. She billed it as a family vacation. If she was cool with it, so was it.
But when we returned, everything should be complete. Honey and I would get a brand-new master suite and my old room would be split into two new guest rooms. With her brother visiting, we needed the space.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked again.
My mind had drifted off. “It’s great. Everything in my life couldn’t be better.”
My blood test had all come back clean, which had been my biggest worry. So when Tara had been given a light sentence, I let my anger go. She hadn’t come around as dictated per our agreement. I’d also heard she’d miscarried while in custody. I was a little sad. The idea of a baby in the house had been appealing.
But Tara was out of our life for good. She did, however, write. Not right away. But once in a while over the last several months, we’d gotten a letter here and there.
Jamie helped me build a chest for the letters she received. The ones I’d given her. A few had been ranting, like the first one, and I’d tucked those away. But others were fine.
“You’re too quiet.” Honey prodded me again.
“I’m sorry.” I stopped near the creek and glanced up at the stars. “Tell me something. How opposed are you to getting that dress dirty?”
She grinned. We snuck to interesting places so I could get her naked since construction started.
“I don’t mind getting dirty,” she said, biting her lip.
Damn, she was sexy as fuck. The dress fell victim to my greedy hands. To make it up to her, I made her come more times than either of us could count.
“Oh, Sugar,” she moaned with my face buried between her thighs.
About five years later
Jamie was tall for her age and far too beautiful for my liking. It was only a matter of time before boys came sniffing around.
“Where’s your mother?” I asked her as she came out of the house texting on her phone.
“She’s helping Grandpa,” she said without looking up.
Jamie had grown out of her stuttering. And I stared at her in the light of day and thought about the paternity test my lawyer had advised me to have done shortly after all the custody papers were filed. He said it was in case Tara got Rory to make waves. Landry wanted me to be prepared should that day come. So I’d done it, swapping Jamie’s cheek as she slept. I hadn’t ever opened the results. Though Landry had a copy, I’d asked him not to tell me.
So much had been happening between me getting married, expanding the ranch, and the remodel, I didn’t want to think about Jamie not being mine. Besides, I’d never seen her as anything else.
Then Cody and Clay came tearing out the house. Jamie rolled her eyes at her brothers as they raced down the road, kicking up dust. One had a car or something the other wanted. I couldn’t remember having that much energy. I must have. Dad reminded me daily they were just like me.
Jamie continued to focus on her phone. She was at the age when it was slightly less important than family or so I’d hoped.
“Can you watch your brothers while I check on Mom and Grandpa?” I asked her.
She looked up and nodded. As I headed back to the house, she yelled their names and threats of death if they didn’t listen.
I shook my head, bursting with so much joy from the life Honey and I’d created. When I entered the front room, Dad was complaining to my wife about not needing any help.
“Stop bickering, old man,” I said with a smile.
“I don’t need this walker. I’m fine,” he muttered, tapping his cane.
“Ornery old man,” I muttered, glancing at my pregnant wife, who wore a bemused grin.
“I told him heaven was waiting, but we weren’t.”
She meant no malice and kissed Dad’s cheek. Though he waved her off, he tried to hide a smile.
“I’m not dead yet,” he bemused. “Martha’s not going to mind if I’m a little late.”
It was the anniversary of Mom’s death and every year we did the walk. On the way, we’d talk about Mom, especially her life with Dad. It was a way to honor her and something Dad enjoyed. His memories allowed her to live on in our lives.
“Dad, it will be dark soon. Maybe we should drive.”
He glared at me. “You’ll see.” He waved a finger at me. “It sucks to be old.”
I chucked as it was a recurring argument.
“It’s not for you, old man. It’s for my pregnant wife.”
That pacified him as he glanced at her belly. “Okay, we’ll drive this once.”
He used his cane to hobble out of the front door, waving off any help from us.
I sighed. But once the door closed, I nuzzled Honey’s neck.
“Dad’s going to take a whi
le. Why don’t we go back to our room?”
She slapped my hand from her breast. “This is why I stay pregnant. We’re going to have to build up soon.”
I kept kissing her neck, hoping she’d change her mind.
“Or we can move Dad permanently into the retirement home,” I joked, letting my other hand drift to cup her ass.
She swatted my hand away. We’d turned Jacque’s house into a retirement facility for aging members of our community and the broader county. We’d used the extra money coming in from new orders I was able to fill.
But I’d suggested it because Honey was more than a mother. She had a gift and used it and her nursing background to run the place, make sure only quality personnel were brought on. Dad needed a place he could go and chat up people he’d known growing up. It was a win-win for everyone.
“Jake, I’m serious,” Honey said, trying unsuccessfully to get away from my wandering hands.
“I’m serious too,” I whispered in her ear. “I can’t look at you without getting hard.”
She giggled, which was the sole reason she was always pregnant. It had become my weakness hearing that sexy laugh.
I caught her hand and rested it on my erection. She used that moment I’d let her go to evade my capture. She nimbly ran giggling for the door. I sighed when it closed, unable to hold back the darkness that settled in.
After all this time, I’d gotten a call late one night. I hadn’t yet told Honey about it. I didn’t want her to worry. She didn’t need stress so close to our daughter being born.
I took the moment alone to head into the office and pulled out the dreaded manila envelope. If I could have done anything to avoid this moment, I would have.
But the man on the other line late the other night had given me no choice. He wanted money to stay away from his daughter. At least that was his claim. He didn’t sound like the Rory I remembered. But it had been over ten years since I’d heard his voice and we hadn’t spent that much time together.
So I unsealed the letter. It opened easily as time had made the glue weak.
I pulled out the paper with my heart in my throat and reminded myself that no matter what it read, Jamie was my daughter and screw anyone and anything who said otherwise. Still I read.
Sugar: A Single Dad Romance (Honey Book 2) Page 8
