by Taylor Hart
He didn’t care if she liked it. “The point is”—he stood—“I’m staying at her house until she has the baby. Could be a month, maybe less. I hope you guys will be kind to her. She doesn’t have anyone.”
His parents both stood, and his mother put down her teacup. “Okay. Well, I guess we need to meet this girl.” Her eyes narrowed. “But I’m not falling into the same trap I did with Stacy. I tried, and she was horrible. I’m not cooking tonight, so don’t think I’m making anything special to eat.”
He hated that his mom was comparing this thing to his marriage with Stacy. It wasn’t like that at all. Surrendering, he agreed. “No problem, Mom.”
“Yes.” His father nodded, a stern look on his face. “I’m tired. I’ll meet the girl, and then I’m going to retire to the den early, so don’t expect too much.”
When Addison knocked at the door, Jace could swear he felt more nervous for this than when his parents had met Stacy for the first time.
His mother was gracious and welcomed her in. His mother was always gracious.
Surprising both of them, Addison reached out and hugged her. Tears were in her eyes. “You raised a good son. I’m grateful.” She pulled back. “I lost my mother a couple of years ago, and my father left when I was little, so this means a lot.”
His mother froze, and she put her hand on Addison’s forearm and asked, “You have no mother?”
His dad was at the door, shaking her hand and allowing Addison to hug him too.
“Why don’t you come in?” His mom offered. “I was just about to make dinner. I’m sure you’re hungry.”
“Yes,” his father said, hovering. “Come sit down and get off your feet. Jace said you should be on bed rest. Would you like to go lay down?”
“No,” Addison said, smiling and meeting his eyes. “No, thank you. I’ll just put up my feet.” She turned to Jace’s mom. “I’d love to talk to you in the kitchen.”
Hearing that, his mother’s face went blank.
“I wish I could help. I love to cook.” Addison waved a hand into the air. “I promise after the baby comes and things calm down I’ll have you guys over sometime and make you my specialty.”
Before she finished speaking, his mother flung her arms around Addison again, holding her gently. Jace was speechless.
“Honey,” his father said, gently touching his wife on the shoulder and giving Jace a look of chagrin. “Let’s get dinner.”
“Right.” His mother straightened her shirt, blinking tears out of her eyes. “Jace,” she said, turning to him, “why don’t you push that recliner into the kitchen by the table, so there’ll be room. That way, Addison can talk to me while I get things going.”
An hour later, over grilled chicken and salad, the four of them laughed at one of his father’s “dad jokes.”
“Oh man,” said Jace, smiling at Addison. “He’s breaking you in good tonight.”
Addison turned to him, giving his arm a slight shove. “Hey, I like his jokes.”
It felt so strange and right to Jace. All of them together and chatting happily over dinner. As he turned back to his parents, he saw they’d noticed too. It just felt natural.
Addison picked up her glass and took a sip of water, gently resting her other hand on her belly. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright, and once again, he noticed her fruity scent. The increasing attraction he felt for this woman was insane.
His mother cleared her throat then stood. “Well, Addison, you are officially invited over on Sundays. Believe me, it’s nice to have a woman to talk to.”
Addison stood, but Jace gathered her dishes before she could try to clean up. “Nope, you sit. I’ll whip these out, and then we’ll go.”
“No.” His father stood, helping as well. “You two go. I’ll get these done.” He winked at Addison. “The cook cooks, and the peasants do the dishes.”
Addison smiled back.
Jace’s mother called out and ran toward the kitchen. “Wait a sec! I’m going to get some things together for you two.”
Jace was still baffled at the way his parents had responded to the whole situation. For a second, just a second, he thought that this was what it should have been like with Stacy. He quickly pushed that thought out of his mind.
Addison stood, and they walked to the door together. She put up a hand. “I have to go potty,” she said half apologetically.
Simply pointing down the hall, he smiled at her. “That way.”
He got to the front door and waited. His father trailed after him, putting a hand on Jace’s shoulder. “I think helping the girl out is the best decision you’ve ever made, son.”
His mom rushed back with a Wal-Mart bag full of snacks. “You make sure her blood sugar doesn’t dip again. I put some apples in here. They’re good for keeping the blood sugar level up. I threw in some oatmeal with cinnamon and some crackers that are a good complex carbohydrate too.”
Jace was dumbfounded.
His mother stopped, cocking an eyebrow. “Put your mouth together. Don’t you know you catch flies like that?” She smiled and pinched his cheek. “You were right. This is the right thing to do.”
On cue, Addison walked back out, and both of his parents were drawn to her like magnets. She hugged his mom, telling her how much she loved her hair, which his mother soaked up. Then she hugged his father, complimenting him on his jokes.
“Oh brother, it’s getting deep in here now,” Jace said.
They all laughed.
Jace helped her down the steps then waved back at his parents as he got her into the jeep. As he pulled away, he wondered if he’d just spent the evening in the Twilight Zone.
Chapter 10
Later that evening, Addison sat out on the swing. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders to protect her from the cool night air. Thinking about the entire day filled her with more happiness than she’d felt in a long time. Since she was a child, she thought.
No, wait, she’d felt that much happiness with Tim. Hadn’t she? Tim’s family lived back east, and they’d never been close to them. With her own parents gone, she’d always longed for dinners like the one tonight.
No, she hadn’t felt that much happiness with Tim. The realization was bittersweet.
At Jace’s home, it had been kind of surreal, like she’d stepped into one of those Hallmark movies. Satisfaction wove through her, and she leaned back. When she’d come out to the swing, Jace had been tinkering in the garage, telling her he wanted to fix some things for her while he stayed.
She still couldn’t believe he was staying here.
The door to the back porch opened, and she heard Jace come out. He gestured to the swing. “Is there space on the swing for me?”
Grinning, she nodded. “Still some room, even though I’m as big as a house.”
He tsked and frowned. “You’re not big as a house.”
“Okay, half a house.”
Looking at her tummy, he shook his head. “Naw, I’m pretty sure I still outweigh you.”
Dang it, she hated that his smile was so boyishly handsome that it filled her stomach with butterflies.
When she thought about it, she realized she didn’t know that much about him. Sure, she’d learned some things over dinner, but she wanted to know more. She didn’t know how to ask without feeling like this was a date, which was stupid.
He was Jace Harding. The guy she’d semi-stalked this past year on the Internet. She’d told herself it was only because he’d been her neighbor, but now, her heart fluttered. This was the guy who caught the winning touchdown. The guy who could have his pick of women.
“Colorado summers are the best. We have a cabin up at Dillon Lake, and it’s so peaceful. It’s probably my favorite summer spot.” He shrugged. “Of course, the ranch is home.”
She liked the way he said home.
“What are you thinking?” Jace asked her.
“What?”
“Your whole expression changed when I said that.”
“Oh.” She didn’t say anything for a moment then opened up to him. “I want my baby to have a home like the way you say it—with such certainty.”
Close up, she saw his hazel-green eyes had flecks of gold. They were gorgeous. He smelled good too, like some cologne she couldn’t put her finger on. Tim had never worn cologne. “Where did you grow up?”
She shrugged. “Everywhere. My mom worked in computer systems, and we moved around a lot for her job. She helped train people on new programs.” She shrugged. “Since my dad left when I was young, I missed having siblings. I hated having to always make new friends every two years in school. I longed for something like your ranch.”
“Hmm.” He nodded. “The funny thing is I wanted to get away from it.”
This took her by surprise, and she laughed. “Why?”
He shrugged. “There’s a lot of responsibility on the ranch. My parents wanted me to take over. Fortunately, football worked out for me.” He flashed her a grin. “Then the Storm drafted me, so I stuck around.”
She took measure of him. “You want to go play somewhere else?”
He scrunched up his face then let out a breath. “I do. I can’t say I would mind if the Storm refused to pay what I want and a California team picked me up.” He let out a breath. “The beach is nice, ya know?”
It annoyed her he wanted to leave, which was stupid. “Sure,” she said noncommittally.
They both sat in quiet for a few minutes, looking at the stars.
“Hey, Addison!”
Addison jerked, startled by Mrs. Hensley’s voice. It tended to be more on the shrill side. She turned to her backyard. “Hey Mrs. Hensley.” She called out.
“Who’s over there?” She hollered out. The old lady stood on her porch petting a cat on the table next to her.
“Oh.” She suddenly felt nervous, not wanting to tell her Jace was there.
Jace stood, calling out. “Hey, Mrs. Hensley, it’s Jace Harding, your old neighbor from across the street. I’m staying to help Addison out for a few weeks.”
“What?” The old woman looked out of sorts.
Jace trotted to the fence, went through the gate, and was gone.
She could hear him talking but not what they were saying.
Only imagining what the old woman would tell the rest of the neighbors, she felt a bit awkward.
A couple minutes later, Jace was back.
She saw Mrs. Hensley wave to her. “Feel better, Addison. I’ll check on you all tomorrow. Good night, Jace. I always knew you were better than that cheating wife of yours.”
Jace rejoined her on the swing, letting out a sigh.
Mrs. Hensley’s comment was funny, but Addison tried not to laugh.
Jace met her eyes and shrugged. “I guess you’re not so bad either,” he said under his breath.
Putting her hand over her mouth, Addison let out a light chuckle.
Giving a slow smile, he relaxed back into the swing. “She always likes to say it how it is, doesn’t she?”
Addison felt herself relax. “Yep, it’s funny. I know she can get annoying, but I kinda like that she cares so much.”
He pointed at her. “Because she makes it feel like home.”
Addison smiled. “Yes.” She found herself wanting to talk to him. “As I said, we moved a lot. My mom was always working. She grew up pretty poor and always wanted more for me.” A pang of sadness fell through her, thinking about her mother. “I’m grateful my mom worked so hard, but I missed her. Time with her.” She tried not to let her pregnancy hormones distort her sadness to bigger proportions. “I feel guilty now because the only reason why I have this house, in the first place, is because I used the life insurance money, she left for me, to buy it.” She shrugged again. “More than anything, I wish she was still alive. I wish she would get to meet—”
“Lila,” he said reverently.
She hadn’t expected to tell him so much. Suddenly, she felt awkward. He was just staying with her because he felt pity for her.
He would leave soon. She had to remember that.
Neither of them said anything for a couple of moments.
Addison sighed. “It’s so cool to see the way you are with your parents. I’ve never had that. That normalcy.”
“Where are Tim’s parents?”
“Back east.” She shrugged, not wanting to talk about them. “Your parents were so great tonight.”
“Yeah, they were.” He sounded surprised. “It wasn’t like that with Stacy.”
She held her breath. She’d wondered a lot about him and Stacy, but it was kind of embarrassing.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“No, you looked like you were thinking something.”
“Don’t accuse me of that.”
He snorted, trying not to laugh.
She squirmed in her seat. “I … I have my office in the front corner of the house, and I admit I was a nosy neighbor. Sometimes, I wondered what it was like with you and Stacy.”
“You spied on me.”
“No.” She protested.
“Yes.” He nodded. “The more I think about it after seeing your office, you have a clear view of my house.” He dipped his head to the side. “Can’t blame you.” He flexed an arm. “These guns are hard not to notice.”
It made her laugh. She rolled her eyes, not wanting to admit she had spied on him. “Whatever.”
“Yeah.” He muttered, sucking in a breath and looking at the sky. “I just wanted the regular story—a wife and kids, the white fence kind of thing.”
It was more or less what she’d always told Tim she wanted.
They were silent for a little bit, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable.
“Yeah,” she said, feeling the need to say something.
“Tell me about after the accident,” he said suddenly.
“What?”
“Mrs. Hensley said you’ve been depressed.” He stared at her.
Feeling put on the spot, she cleared her throat, wishing now Mrs. Hensley wasn’t such a busybody. She steeled herself. “The accident was hard. Really hard. I didn’t do so well for a while.”
Jace didn’t respond.
Strangely, she couldn’t stop herself from talking about it. “Sad thing was, Tim wasn’t excited about the baby. So there’s that.”
“What?” He looked dumbfounded.
“Don’t look at me that way.”
“What way?”
“With pity.” She pulled at a string on the side of her pants. Emotion welled in her voice but she pushed it back.
He rested his hand on hers, startling her. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.” She smiled briefly, but pulled her hand back. “When I told Tim I was pregnant, all he could talk about was how the business wasn’t where he wanted it and he didn’t have time for a baby.” She knew there was no reason to talk about this, but the words gushed out all the same. Flustered, she stood and wiped at the traitorous tear that streaked down her cheek. “Oh man, why am I doing this?”
“Hey, it’s fine.” He leapt to his feet.
“No, it’s not.” She rushed toward the house. “Sorry. I should go to bed.”
“It’s only eight thirty.” He called out. “How about some television, and I’ll rub your feet?”
“No.” That would just be way too weird, she thought, as she headed into the house. No, no, no. Jace Harding rubbing her feet was not going to happen.
Chapter 11
Jace sat on the porch swing. She’d refused him and he had felt like an idiot.
Refused to watch television or get her feet rubbed, which made him sad for her. Her feet were swollen and he imagined how uncomfortable she would feel. Not that he would ever say it.
Once again, it was funny he had even offered. Maybe he had seen one too many television shows where the woman needs her feet rubbed because she’s pregnant.
All the events of the day washed over him, and he went through them like he w
as analyzing each of his plays after the game was finished. Breakfast. Meeting his parents. Dinner. Sitting on the porch swing.
He thought of her and Tim. She said he hadn’t wanted a kid yet, which made him sound like a jerk. Jace wouldn’t judge. Or—okay, yeah, he would.
After getting up, he went to the house, opened the door, and walked into the kitchen. He looked around and thought about how he wanted to get her house into tip-top shape. It wasn’t in bad shape, but it could be better.
His phone buzzed. His mom must have been reading his thoughts. Does she need help at the house? she asked.
Letting out a soft laugh, he texted her back. Sure, come over tomorrow and bring your cleaning stuff.
The next day, Jace made breakfast again. Before coming out, she showered and put on a blue top with little white flowers and some white capri pants. Her hair flowed down her back, and she wasn’t wearing makeup.
Beautiful, that was how she looked to him. It seemed odd to him because she was pregnant. Was it weird to be attracted to a pregnant woman?
“You don’t have to make breakfast for me every day,” she said.
He shook his head and pointed to the fresh fruit in the bowl and the oatmeal. “My mom called this morning to make sure I didn’t add too much cinnamon to the oatmeal and told me to use a packet of stevia because that would sweeten it but keep your blood sugar low.” He rolled his eyes. “She also wanted to know if she and my dad can come over a little bit later to help get the house in good shape for the baby. I told her I would be working on some projects today, and she insisted she could help with the cleaning.”
Letting out a breath, Addison smiled. “I didn’t think it was that bad.” She took the oatmeal and went to the table.
Worried he’d offended her, he took his own bowl of oatmeal and fruit to the table, too. “It’s not. It’s totally not.”
Her smile faded, and her lip trembled. “I know I haven’t been able to keep up with everything, but I thought I did an okay job.”
“You did. My mom is just an over-helper. Seriously, it’s her nature.”
Just at that moment, the doorbell rang. He stood. She stood too, blinking back tears. “It’s my house, Jace. I’ll get it.”
