He could see a future with her and he’d blown it.
“Morgan, I screwed up big time,” he said softly.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Aren’t you going to yell at me and tell me I blew it with Autumn?”
“No. I’m going to tell you that I’m sorry Taylor popped up like a weasel out of a hole and decided to play ‘let’s make a baby.’ And that if you give Autumn some time, maybe she’ll be receptive to talking to you again. But you better know your intentions when you do talk to her or she won’t want to trust you again.” She offered him some popcorn.
The ruckus coming from upstairs meant Seth and the kids were doing more playing than they were cleaning.
“I better go upstairs and see what’s going on. If you count Seth, I have five children.” Morgan sat her popcorn bowl on the coffee table and stood. “Every toy better be in its place when I get up there!” Morgan yelled toward the stairs.
“Kill joy!” Seth yelled down.
“Let me go up. It will give me something to do.” He stood up.
“Better yet. I’ll go up, and you and Seth can go commiserate at Tate’s cabin. His music studio is soundproof if you want to let out a good cry.” She poked him in the ribs.
Jared watched his baby sister fly up the stairs to fake-scold Seth and the kids. By the time she reached the room, there was a whole lot of giggling going on. She’d grown so much over the past seven years and now she was the wise one, giving him good advice. It did his heart good that she was this happy, but he’d been idiotic enough to let the same kind of love and happiness slip through his fingers.
CHAPTER NINE
Autumn looked at the clock, wishing she had the energy to get out of bed. It had been five days since she’d kicked Jared out of her life, and she felt like hell. He’d called several times, but she’d sent his calls to voice mail, not wanting to hear any lame excuses.
Summer and Bo had been doing their best to keep her spirits up, but she was struggling. Summer filled in for her at a marketing meeting with a new client, and Bo cooked all of her favorite meals in hopes she’d eat something. Cassidy stopped by with a houseplant and an offer to go to the spa, but Autumn couldn’t muster up the energy to go. At a total loss, she decided to ride the wave and get back in bed.
There was a light knock on her bedroom door. “Autumn, can I come in?”
“Not right now.” She sniffed. She’d never said no to her sis before, but she didn’t want her to see her in this condition. This was beyond the normal breakup blues.
“I have a surprise for you.”
“I hate surprises. Remember?”
“This isn’t a clown. I promise. But you have to let me come in so I can show you.”
“OK.” Autumn sat up and leaned against her headboard.
“I thought this would cheer you up.”
Autumn didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when Summer came into her bedroom sporting a bunny ears headband and a basket filled with things that they’d dubbed the ex-boyfriend survival kit. It was filled with an assortment of chocolates, cookies, beef jerky, a box of tissues, eyedrops, a water gun, and other essentials one needed when getting over heartbreak. She saw a photo frame edge peeking out from behind a box of gourmet chocolate chip cookies, so she pulled it out. It was a picture she’d taken of Jared on the beach. He was shirtless and looked gorgeous even though her twin had gotten creative with the graphics. Summer had added devil horns, a potbelly, tail, and put a pitchfork in his hand.
“Thanks, Sis. You’re the best.” Autumn opened a bag of caramel popcorn and stuffed a handful in her mouth.
“Anything for you. I also have a bottle of wine chilling in the kitchen.”
“Isn’t it too early?”
“It’s never too early to celebrate your independence. So how about you grab a shower and change into a new sweat suit today?” Summer ran a hand over her hair. “Don’t forget to wash your hair too.”
“And here I thought I was falling apart.” She let out a dry laugh. “Where’s Bo? I thought you were having lunch with his parents today on the ranch?”
“He went by himself. He totally understands that we need this time together. He said he’s cooking something for dinner that will help cheer you up.”
“I’m going to gain ten pounds. I don’t want your plans to change. You still have time to meet him and his parents for lunch.”
“Hey. I hurt too.” Summer slid under the covers with her and picked up the picture frame. “You know it was hard finding a bad picture of Jared to cheer you up, so I got creative.”
Autumn smiled and wrapped her arms around her sister. “Thank you.”
“And I have the development team working on a new game titled Architect’s Ambush.”
“You do love me. You’re creating a revenge-themed game for me.”
“But vague enough so we don’t get sued.” Summer waggled her eyebrows. “I know this is rough on you. I could cite the twin thing, but I could tell you cared for Jared. I really thought he was the one.”
“But he ended up acting like a number two,” she murmured.
“Jared was just a bump in the road. If nothing else, you’ll have another date lined up next week. You’ll get back out there in no time.”
Autumn looked at the picture of Jared again. She was known to rebound fairly quickly from her brief relationships, but this time it felt different. He wasn’t like the typical guys she normally dated.
“I don’t think it’s going to be that easy this time.” She sniffed.
Summer hugged her tighter. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.”
A few minutes later there was a knock on the bedroom door. It was Bo. “Ladies, is it OK if I come in?”
“Sure, if you don’t mind the mess.” Autumn waved him in. “What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you changed your plans too?”
“It was necessary.” He shrugged. “I have a surprise for you.”
“Better than the breakup survival kit?” She held it up for him to see.
Bo sifted through the basket and chuckled. “My gift isn’t as titillating, but I think you’ll like it.”
“Bo does give awesome gifts.” Summer smiled.
“As we can attest by that diamond doorknob on your hand. Lay it on me.”
Bo left the room and returned a few minutes later with a box in his hand and big smile on his face. Autumn’s heart melted when a white Labrador retriever puppy popped his head out of the box and was trying to get free. She managed to catch him as he leaped from the box.
“His name is Bingo,” Bo said. “He’s six weeks old. He’s already had his first round of shots. I bought him some food and toys. And I signed him up with the doggie day care that has several clients in the building.”
“He’s adorable.” Autumn cradled Bingo, who was trying to lick her face. “Thank you, Bo. I love him.”
“Summer said that would put a smile on your face.” He winked at his fiancée.
“Aren’t I lucky to have a twin sister who knows me so well?” Autumn smiled.
“So why don’t we get out of this bed and see the neat things Bingo has to play with?” Summer said.
“Just give me a minute to freshen up.”
Autumn played with Bingo a few more minutes before she pulled the covers back and went into the bathroom to brush her hair. The pup trailed after her but only after finding a sock on the floor that caught his eye.
She looked at herself in the mirror and laughed. This was probably the longest she’d gone without makeup. She looked weathered, but thanks to Bingo she was feeling better than she had twenty-four hours ago. Jared was probably somewhere ironing out his deal with Taylor now that he was totally free to do so. She hoped he thought about it some more before deciding to go ahead with it. Being a long-distance dad didn’t seem to suit him, nor did conceiving a child with a woman under weird circumstances.
It would take some time, but she was determined to get over him. Too bad she’d already fallen in lo
ve with him.
* * *
The last thing Jared wanted to do was talk about work, but Charisma had done such a good job keeping the office going while he was away that he felt guilty for not paying attention. He’d been back in Philadelphia for a couple of weeks and he felt like crap. She’d been instrumental in keeping his clients happy while ironing out the details for the renovation of the Slap Shot.
“Oh, the Branson group was pleased with the design and sent a contract. It’s on your desk. I made notations of the things you may want to modify, and I also took the liberty of scheduling the phase two meeting for nineteen days from now.”
“Wow. That’s great. You are super-efficient.”
“Comes from years of plotting and scheming.” She let out a dry laugh.
He laughed too. “Now you get to use your evil powers for good. Seriously, you’ve been doing a great job.”
“Thanks, Jared. For the job and for giving me a chance. I know you must have had some reservations, especially with my history with Morgan.”
“She has faith in the new leaf you are turning over. I believe it too.”
“Morgan suggested you give me the job?” Charisma squeaked.
“Yes.”
“Well, I won’t let you down. I won’t let the family down.”
“Charisma, nobody’s judging you or making sure you keep promises you made about being a better person. That’s why they call it personal growth. I just want you to be happy. Really happy. Not just some version of happiness you think everyone wants you to have.”
“Thanks.” Charisma paused for a second. “So why don’t you take your own advice?”
“Come again?”
“Look, I could beat around the bush, but you know our family has a bigger grapevine than a California winery. I think it’s lovely you considered gifting your ex-wife with something she wanted for a brief moment, but what about what you want? Because you looked like you were falling hard for Autumn Waverly and you were enjoying it. And I know it’s affecting you because my cousin Jared always looks like he stepped off the cover of a men’s fashion magazine. The past few weeks you’ve looked like a hobo.”
He ran a hand over his face. “Really? A hobo.”
“Well, a hobo that wears three-hundred dollar shoes. I think you left your happiness in Texas.”
Jared stared out the window at the magnificent view of downtown, wondering what Autumn was doing right now. He didn’t dare ask Morgan or Isabelle about her, for fear they’d tell him she’d moved on with someone else. It pissed him off to think of another man enjoying that magnetic personality and that electric smile. He missed Autumn. So much so, he couldn’t breathe anymore. He needed to see her, but he’d buried himself in work again. He’d already decided, with a heavy heart, to skip Bo and Summer’s engagement party. It was on Saturday. But he could try to talk to her there, and if she didn’t want to listen to him, he’d figure it out as he went along.
“Charisma, would you be able to take care of a few things at the Slap Shot while I went to Texas?”
She smiled. “I can hold down the fort as long as you need.”
* * *
Life was getting back to normal as Autumn funneled her energy into caring for Bingo. She had enough of blubbering over Jared and ended her pity party, but she gave herself extra time to make sure she’d be able to put on the dynamic, flirty persona people in her world had come to love. She had a business to run after all, and they had a reputation for a being a strong, confident duo of women taking the gaming world by storm. Pictures of her with a messy ponytail throwing food at the screen every time she channel-hopped to a romantic movie would definitely dispel her public image.
Tomorrow was Bo and Summer’s engagement party, and she needed to put her game face on. It was a celebration after all. Their family would arrive in Dallas tomorrow morning, and Jenna was kind enough to get them a block of rooms at the Crystal Lily hotel. Everything was ready to go, and she’d double-checked the RSVPs and saw that Jared hadn’t replied. It was a shame he wouldn’t be there to celebrate with his friends but screw him. They both knew if they broke up things would be awkward.
She’d been off for the week prepping and now all she had to do was secure the punch bowl. Apparently this punch bowl was a Blake family heirloom, and they had it at all their special occasions. Autumn promised Bo and Summer she’d get it, and after a few calls, she discovered it was probably at Morgan’s house.
So, on a Friday night, she arrived at the Twelve Horseshoes Ranch to pick up a bowl. The gates opened as soon as Autumn pulled up. She kept on until she reached Morgan and Seth’s house. She unfastened Bingo from his doggie car seat and walked up to the front door. As soon as she rang the doorbell, it opened immediately. It was Jake.
“Hi, Aunt Autumn. Cool puppy.” Jake beamed and patted the pup on the head.
“Hi, Jake. This is Bingo.” Bingo took an instant liking to Jake. He tried to jump from Autumn’s arms to the little boy. “You’ve grown since I last saw you, but I know you can’t reach the peep hole yet. How did you know it was OK to open the door?”
“I saw you on the monitor.” Jake pointed to an open panel on the wall that had a monitoring screen in it. “Dad says if I look at the screen and can see a family member, it’s OK to open it.”
“That’s sound advice.” Her heart clinched. Jake thought of her as family.
“I have to get back upstairs to my brothers. Mom is in the kitchen feeding Mackenzie. Can I take Bingo with me?”
“Sure. Let me know if he gets to be too much trouble. He likes to play a lot.”
“OK.” Jake scurried up the steps with Bingo in his arms.
Autumn continued into the kitchen. Morgan was sitting in a chair trying to get her little girl to finish up her food.
“Hi, Morgan.” Autumn waved at her.
“Hi, there, so nice to see you.” Morgan removed the bib from Mackenzie’s neck and pulled her out of the high chair.
“Sorry to barge in on you but—”
“It’s never a bother. You never need a reason to drop by.”
“That’s awfully nice of you.” Autumn started to speak, but she bit her lip. Then she pressed on anyway. “Especially after everything with Jared.”
Autumn didn’t know what to do when Morgan stood there for a minute bouncing Mackenzie on her hip. This had to be awkward, playing nice to your brother’s brief girlfriend, she thought. A lump rose in her throat. Their relationship ended before it really began.
“Mackenzie, Mommy always has you dressed in such nice outfits,” Autumn said to the baby. “I think you’re going to be a model.”
Mackenzie reached for her, so Autumn took her in her arms. The baby was fascinated with the jade necklace she was wearing.
“Sorry about that. She’s in that touching and tasting phase.” Morgan tried to unclench her daughter’s hand from Autumn’s necklace. “The kiddie glamour ensemble is Seth’s doing.”
“He has good taste.” It was plain to anyone with eyes that Seth doted on his little girl and it was sweet to see.
“I know with everything that’s happened with Jared things may be a little awkward, but I hope that doesn’t stop you from being part of this family. I know firsthand when an old flame pops up it feels like a punch in the gut. Anyway,” Morgan sighed. “Being my brother or not, I wouldn’t have suggested the matchup if I’d known it would turn into some weird triangle situation. No one deserves that.”
Autumn was taken aback when Morgan came closer and hugged her, then Mackenzie got in on the hugging too.
“Thank you so much for saying that. I know this family well enough to understand there were only good intentions when you orchestrated the meeting on the island. I’m just so sorry it ended this way.” Autumn dabbed at her stinging eyes to keep from crying.
“I didn’t arrange that. Jared called out of the blue one day and said he was finally taking the vacation. We were kind of shocked when you two came back together.”
&nb
sp; “You didn’t set it up?”
“No. We just thought it was an awfully big coincidence that the two people we’d been trying to matchup found their way to each other on their own.”
“Oh my.”
“Well, I have to change my messy fashion plate.”
“Oh. Of course.” She shook her head. “I just came by for the punch bowl. Summer said you guys always have it at family functions and she was insistent that I make sure it was at the engagement party.”
“It’s around here somewhere. Maybe you should check Jake’s tree house.” Morgan smiled and started for the door with Mackenzie.
“Jake’s tree house?”
“It doesn’t sound likely, but I found my engagement ring in there the other day.”
Autumn looked in the kitchen cabinets and the enormous pantry anyway and found no punch bowl. She then moved to the china cabinet in the dining room. Nothing. All out of indoor options, she opened the sliding door that lead to the backyard. As Autumn neared the tree house, she heard a voice that seemed to come from nowhere. She stopped at the steps and heard the message again.
“Handprint analysis required. Please place your hand on the screen.”
The tree house was truly one of Jared’s most magnificent feats. The two-story structure had windows, a winding staircase and lighting. He’d told her it had six rooms, one of which had a television for the kids to watch.
She bit her lip. She was sure she’d need help getting in but she knew Morgan was changing Mackenzie. What the heck. She’d give it a whirl until Morgan came back downstairs. She pressed her hand against the screen and hoped for the best.
“Identification confirmed. Welcome, Aunt Autumn.”
Autumn chuckled and clapped as she heard the good news. Jake had added her to the list of people privy to see his tree house. She ascended the stairs and opened the door. Her eyes widened when she saw Jared sitting on the floor in front of a table. She also noticed the punch bowl sitting in the corner on a crate filled with toys. Her heart immediately began pounding. She missed him. One look at him brought back home exactly how much.
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