by Taylor Hart
Irritated, he followed, wanting to tell her she was on bed rest.
When she opened her door, both his parents stood there with big grins on their faces. “Hey.” Her mother evaluated the situation and then tugged her into a hug. “Are you okay, sweetie?”
Addison started to cry.
His mother held her tighter, and his father cooed, giving him a dismayed look. When Jace threw up his hands, his mother frowned at him and shooed him away. “Let’s come in and talk. What’s wrong?”
Once they got her seated on the couch, she cried harder. “I thought my house was clean, but Jace said it wasn’t.”
Both of his parents scowled at him.
“I never said that,” he said defensively.
The whole scene threatened to dissolve, with Addison crying more and his mother fawning over her and taking her hand and soothing her.
His father broke away and kept frowning at him.
“I never said that,” Jace said, less certain this time.
His father scoffed and then let out a breath. “Hormones.”
Jace nodded, feeling a bit overwhelmed, but then he remembered. “She needs to eat.”
His mother shot to her feet. “You haven’t eaten yet?” She checked her watch. “It’s almost half past eight.” Dismayed, she turned to Jace. “I told you to have her eat the first thing when she got up.”
Addison stood, patting her face. “He tried.” She defended him. “He had it all ready when I woke up but I am the one who delayed eating.” She went to the table, and his parents followed, hovering over her. She looked up at them. “Thank you.”
His mother took her hand.
At that moment, Jace realized he had no idea what was going on in his life.
After six hours of working on things around the house, with his dad as his partner, they had tackled most of the projects, including fixing sprinkler heads.
To Jace’s amazement, every time he went inside, he would find his mother in a different room and Addison propped up on a bed or on a bed of pillows in the hall, chatting away. One time, he went in and they were laughing so hard his mother was doubled over.
It warmed him, but it kind of made him sad it’d never been this way with Stacy. This was temporary. He reminded himself, shaking his head at how easy that was to forget.
By the end of the day, everyone regrouped in the kitchen. His mom was finishing cleaning out all the cupboards, and Addison was sipping some herbal concoction and eating the crackers his mother had brought with her.
When his eyes met Addison’s, something passed between them, and she winked at him. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve it, or if she was just happy, but a deep sense of satisfaction wound through him.
Addison nodded to the bathroom. “Go shower. I ordered pizza, salad, and dessert.”
His mother tsked. “We talked about this, young lady. One piece for you of that dessert could spike your blood sugar and have you in the hospital again.”
Addison sighed, but agreed. “Okay.”
His mother pointed to the hall. “You heard her. Hit the showers, boy.”
When he came out, they were all sitting around the table and his father was telling a story about him. It was one he had heard many times repeated over and over. “Jace had felt so bad that he buried the mouse and put a little stick in the ground to mark the grave.”
Addison practically glowed as she listened, her eyes twinkling.
His mother, once again, had a light hand on her arm. “It was … he was the sweetest young man. He might not think so, but he is. He was always bringing home stray animals.”
“Oh yeah,” his father said in agreement.
They stopped talking, and Jace’s eyes met Addison’s. He scrunched up his face. “I was not sweet.”
“Well.” Addison sighed. “Thank you all.” She winked at him. “And thank you, Jace, for telling your parents I’m a slob.”
His parents laughed.
“I never said that.”
A loud knock at the front door interrupted them.
Before Addison could get up, Jace was out of the chair and headed to the door.
When he opened it, he stared almost eye level with an African American woman, holding a bag of groceries. She glared at him. “I guess you’re the football player who moved in with my best friend.” She shoved past him.
“Yeah.” He jumped out of the way, taken aback by the determination in her eyes, and watched her bustle in, hesitating only briefly at the table.
Addison’s face lit up. “Laura!” She pushed her chair back and stood.
“Sit.” Laura commanded, going toward her and hugging her.
Laura didn’t give his parents the evil eye. She actually smiled and did polite introductions with them. “Addison texted me she had cleaning fairies over today.” She flashed them a smile.
Addison winked at Jace. “Laura, this is Jace.”
Laura gave him a skeptical look but nodded and took his hand. “I didn’t like the fact that someone else was taking care of my best friend. I’ve asked her to move in with me and Sam for a couple of months now.” She flashed an irritated look at Addison. “But she’s refused.”
Addison waved a hand into the air. “No, no. Let’s not talk about that. Sit. Visit with us. We were just talking about how sweet Jace is.”
Laura looked like she’d rather do anything except that. She hesitated. “I brought some groceries. Let me put these away first.”
“No.” Addison now had the same kind of determination in her eyes. “You keep the food. I have plenty.”
Laura hesitated, and Jace didn’t know if she was just being protective of Addison or if she really didn’t like him.
Slowly, he went back to his seat at the table.
Addison pointed to the counter. “Put the bag on the counter. Then come sit and chat.”
Suddenly, there was another knock at the door.
Jace popped up again and glanced at Addison. “Were you expecting someone?” He headed back to the front door.
“No.” Addison called after him.
This time, when he pulled the door back open, there stood Mrs. Hensley. She was wearing an apron with her hair pulled back into a bun like an old librarian, holding a bag of apples in one hand and a cat in the other.
“Hello, Mrs. Hensley.”
Mrs. Hensley gave him a mischievous smile. For some reason, it appeared the cat lady liked him. He guessed he was grateful for that. Nodding to the driveway, she peeked inside. “I’ve noticed Addison’s had company all day. And now another car.” She shrugged. “I figured I better come over and check out what’s happening.”
“Come in, Mrs. Hensley. Laura’s here and so are my parents.”
He stepped back, and Mrs. Hensley held out the bag of apples to him. “Cut some of these up, won’t you, dear? Apples are good for regulating blood sugar.”
He watched as Mrs. Hensley sauntered over, keeping her cat and greeting every person at the table.
Jace shut the door and did as he was told, going to the kitchen and cutting up apples.
His parents, Laura, Addison, and Mrs. Hensley, all seemed to get on famously and were chatting away.
Before he knew it, he heard his father let out a whooping laugh.
Glancing up, he saw him take the cat into his hands and begin petting it. Since when did his father like cats?
Then his mother and Mrs. Hensley broke out into an old song. Their voices melded together. “That’s the way Phil got back to Disneyland.” His mother hopped up and went to her side, and soon they were hitting hands and saying this whole chant.
Meanwhile, Addison and Laura were clearly in their own world. Laura had pulled a chair closer to Addison and was furtively glancing at him then back to Addison.
His mother and Mrs. Hensley went into a couple more hand clapping, folk-type songs.
It felt weird.
And strangely comfortable.
When he finished the apples and brought them
to the table, his father’s eyes met his. The humor in them was unmistakable.
He paused next to him.
His father winked at him and took an apple slice, popping it into his mouth before the cat could sniff it. “Women folk,” he said through a mouth full of apple.
Suddenly, all of the women erupted into laughter, startling him.
Addison watched him, and she laughed even harder. He caught Laura’s eye and then noticed all the women were staring at him.
“What?” he asked.
They laughed harder.
He didn’t know what the joke was, but he didn’t mind that it was at his expense. He liked to see Addison so happy.
“Jace, why don’t you come sit by me and let me grill you properly?” Laura patted the chair next to her.
Jace put the apples in the center of the table and moved to sit by Laura. Who, for some reason, made him nervous. “O-kay.” He sat stiffly at first, but seeing the playful look on Laura’s face, he relaxed.
His mom turned her attention to them and winked at Mrs. Hensley. “Oh, the best friend is going to grill him. We better watch.”
Mrs. Hensley laughed, and it ended up sounding almost like a witch cackle.
Addison’s face had gone bright red. Her eyes were on Laura’s. “Laura, watch yourself.”
He didn’t understand what was happening.
Laura leaned back and crossed her arms like she was interviewing a criminal. “Why did you move in with my best friend?”
His mother let out a light laugh. “Addison, I like her.”
Laura turned to his mother and flashed her a brilliant smile then turned back to him. “Are you going to answer?”
Leaning back into the chair, he crossed his arms and gave her the same look. “Because she passed out in my arms.”
“Addison passed out?” Mrs. Hensley asked, taking the cat out of his father’s arms and pulling it into her for comfort. “Why wasn’t I informed?”
Addison shook her head and widened her eyes at Jace briefly before reassuring Mrs. Hensley. “I put you down as an emergency contact.”
This seemed to assuage her anxiety.
Laura only lifted her eyebrows. “That’s why you took her to the hospital, but why did you move in with her?”
Addison gently touched her friend’s forearm. “Laura, stop. He offered his help because I needed help.”
Jerking her gaze to Addison, Laura narrowed her eyes. “I wanted you to move in with me and Sam.”
Jace thought the whole scene would be comical if he wasn’t the one on the receiving end of Laura’s scrutiny.
Laura turned back to Jace. “So why did you move in?” She pressed. “Is this some publicity stunt?”
Jace scoffed.
Addison shook her head. “Laura, he’s just being nice.”
Laura nodded to his parents. “If they weren’t here, I’d give you a piece of my mind.”
This dumbfounded Jace. “What?”
“You moved in with my best friend and never consulted me.” She demanded.
“Consulted you?” He questioned.
“Stop.” Addison stood. “I’m tired. I think it’s time to call it a night.” She gave Laura a pointed look.
The others in the group seemed to sense the change in the fun atmosphere and stood as well.
He and Laura stared at one another, and Jace felt like he was in the middle of a Wild West movie, facing off in the town square. The problem was he didn’t understand why.
Finally, his mother cleared her throat. “Well, we’re going to head home. Addison, you need to get in bed and get some sleep.”
“Thank you.” Addison began walking them out.
Mrs. Hensley followed, briefly putting a gentle hand on Jace’s arm. “Let me know if you guys need anything.”
He broke eye contact with Laura, following the group out. Laura didn’t leave.
Addison hugged everyone else goodbye.
His mother gave him a look that told him she would ask what the deal was later.
Then they were all gone.
Except Laura.
After Addison shut the door, he turned back to her. She stood in front of him scowling.
He put his hands up to surrender. “What?”
She cast a look to Addison then back to him. “I’m warning you, football player. If you hurt her, you die.”
Chapter 12
Over the next few days, things fell into a rhythm. Jace cooking; Jace pampering her; Jace becoming more and more a part of her life.
Thursday, she got up from her afternoon nap and glanced at her phone and wondered if Jace would be home soon. Then she caught herself.
Home? This wasn’t his home. It was hard, but she tried to keep her distance as much as she could. To prevent herself from getting too attached, she sequestered herself at night, trying not to spend too much time with him.
She looked at her calendar and saw she had a Lamaze class the next day. She thought about skipping, but she kind of wanted to go. After all, she needed to be prepared. This baby was coming soon. She wanted to have the baby naturally, and she knew she needed training.
Walking out into the living room, she marveled at how clean and in perfect shape everything was. Then she moved down the hallway toward the baby’s room and thought she’d give the crib another shot.
When she got to the door, she sucked in a breath and grabbed the wall for support. The room was done. The crib was put together with a mobile hanging over it. The walls had been painted a pale pink. All the clothes were organized and put away. A rocker rested on a fuzzy pink rug in the middle of the room. The changing table stood at the ready.
Tears filled her eyes, and she moved to the chair and sat.
Putting together the furniture was something she’d mentioned to Jace’s mother while they were talking about how she wanted the room to look. Feeling herself breaking down, she let the tears flow and started rocking, loving the feel of it.
Jace stood in the doorway, beaming at her.
“You did this?” she asked.
“Well, you have been avoiding me every night.”
She let out a light laugh, unable to believe his kindness.
“My mom ordered everything. I just put it all in here and put it together the way she told me you wanted it.”
More touched than she had ever been, she cried harder.
He knelt beside her, taking her hand. “Don’t cry, Addison.”
She tried to tug her hand back. “Don’t give me the sports hero smile. I can’t take it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your mom told me you were the champ at football at CSU before getting recruited to the Storm.” She sniffed. “Well, maybe I knew that. Maybe I know a lot about you from online.”
He chuckled and squeezed her hand. “You are so adorable.”
Her heart beat faster in her chest. She frowned.
“What?”
She didn’t want to broach the subject. Adorable wasn’t anything. It was like a little sister, right? “Nothing.” She tried to stand, but couldn’t.
“Just sit.” He kept her hand. “Why do you do that?”
“What?”
“Shut down?” His brow furrowed, and he lightly put his other hand on her forehead. “Every time I … that I feel like we’re connecting, you push me away.”
Hesitating, she decided she had to tell him the truth. “Because … I was married. Happily married to Tim, but well, now I don’t think I was happily married. But still.” She wiggled her hand free and shook her head. “On some level, I was attracted to you, and I … Tim didn’t want kids, and this all …” She gestured around the room. “Your parents, especially your mom. I mean, it just feels like I’ve always known her or something.” She swallowed. Her throat felt clogged with emotion. “It’s stupid. I know you’re leaving and you only moved in because I had no one to help me. I know that, but I start to get confused sometimes, and that’s not good. I mean that wouldn’t
be good for me.” With care, she pushed herself up and started out of the room.
“Don’t leave,” Jace said.
She paused.
Jace moved next to her, taking her hand again. “I … I’m not leaving you, Addison. I mean, we’re friends, right? I’m seeing this through with you. End zone, baby.”
“End zone?” she asked.
He took her hand. “That’s what I do—get the ball to the end zone. That’s what we’ll do together.”
“So the baby is the touchdown.”
He grinned. “I’ll even catch her if you want me to.”
“No,” she said quickly, feeling a bit strange thinking about him in the delivery room, and self-conscious in general.
“Just trust me. Will you? You’re my refugee, remember?” Gently, he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “At least, you’re my friend, right?”
It felt like he was saying the complete opposite though. Which couldn’t be true. Jace Harding couldn’t be attracted to her, could he? She focused on his words. “Right. Friends, right?” Yes, this was better.
“Exactly.” He agreed. “As your friend, I don’t think I’ve told you how grateful I am for you letting me help you.”
Her pulse beat loudly. His other hand squeezed hers. All of her insecurities surfaced, but she forced them down. She needed to be grateful for what she had. For what Jace had brought into her life. She felt like a fool for admitting she was attracted to him because all he wanted was to help her like she was a refugee. How come it didn’t feel so great to be on the receiving end of this? “You act like I’m doing you a favor.”
Seeming to deepen the connection with his gaze, he grinned. “You are. Like you told me a long time ago, I’m selfish.”
Annoyance surfaced as well as the tears that hadn’t fully gone away. “I didn’t … you weren’t …” she said stammering.
He gently pulled her into him. “Shh, I know.”
Feeling herself melt, a million questions whirled in her brain.
“I mean it. I’m grateful to be part of your life.”
Pulling back from him, she saw the sincerity in his eyes and was touched by it. The tears she’d been holding back blinked out and down her face. “No, I’m grateful. For you. I should have told you that sooner. Thank you for everything.” She was truly humbled by him.
