by Lori Ryan
“I’ll see you soon?” He was surprised his statement came out more as a question.
“Yeah,” she said. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Jake!” Becca called.
He turned, putting a finger to his lips. “Shhhh.” He moved his finger around the store. “Store. No yelling, remember?”
Lina laughed, then turned to Jake, the soft sweep of her dark lashes framing her eyes.
Desire pulsed through his body and he knew he needed to leave but something about her kind expression held him in place.
“You better go,” she whispered. “She’s been testing your limits, but five-year olds can only take so much before they lose it. Especially when ice cream’s at stake.”
Jake laughed, the bewitching spell broken. Without thinking he leaned in and brushed a soft kiss against her cheek. Her skin was smooth and warm beneath his lips. Pulling back slightly, he stared at her for a long moment. “Thanks again.”
“Jake,” Becca called out in a loud whisper from her spot near the door. The gesture was so comical, it had both of them laughing.
“Gotta go,” he said. Then, before he did anything stupid, like press his lips to hers, he walked away. He took Becca’s hand in his and they pushed through the front door but not before he glanced back over his shoulder.
Lina stood in the same spot, one hand pressed against the cheek he’d just kissed as if trying to preserve it, the other wrapped around her long hair, the blue tips entwined with her fingers.
He smiled once, then succumbed to the tiny hand that was pulling him out with more force than he’d ever imagined a five-year old could have. Glancing down at Becca he realized he could never underestimate this dynamo. She was his after all.
Chapter Nine
Jake sat on the couch in his mother’s home, half listening as his Aunt Sally and Becca played a game he didn’t understand.
His phone buzzed in his pocket for what had to be the tenth time that day. Knowing he couldn’t ignore it any longer, he pulled it out, not surprised by the sheer number of messages.
Everyone—staffers, volunteers, even the senator—wanted to know one thing. When was he coming back? It was a valid question, but one Jake still didn’t have an answer to.
He chuckled to himself thinking of Todd dealing with everything on his own. The guy could barely tie his own shoelaces himself, Jake had indulged him so much.
He thought about his job now compared to when he’d first started with Todd’s campaign. It was nothing like he dreamed it would be when he was a freshman at Berkley involved on campus in grass-roots causes. Much like what Lina was fighting for now.
Lina. Nope, he couldn’t think about her too long.
She was beautiful and obviously driven, motivated to make the world better. Something he’d been sure of, once upon a time, until politics had gotten in the way. Now his time was splintered between running a campaign and keeping Todd’s on track with their agenda.
Jake had discovered over the years that Todd wanted to be liked. In fact, he needed to be liked. His desire was so great that when special interest groups and politicians wanted him to join them for some political action or senate bill, he would often cave just to gain their admiration.
“No, no, no.” Aunt Sally shook her head. Obviously Becca wasn’t understanding the "game," but to her credit, neither did he.
“You want to learn everyone’s names right?” Aunt Sally asked.
Becca nodded.
“When I point to a person you have to shout out their name.”
“What if I can’t?” she asked, her face forlorn.
Jake feared this may be too much pressure for Becca. After all, he had six brothers, four of whom had significant others, not to mention his second cousins and aunts and uncles. Thankfully not all his extended family was here tonight, but still, Becca had at least fifteen names to remember.
She’d only met most of them once. Jake hadn’t wanted to overwhelm her when they’d first arrived to Canyon Creek less than a week ago.
“Then I give you the cue word,” Aunt Sally said. “Do you remember what that is?”
“The word that helps me remember that person.”
“Right!” Aunt Sally said, shooting one finger in the air in triumph. “Like Jakey here. What did I tell you his cue word was?”
Becca giggled. “I remember his name.”
Aunt Sally shrugged. “Humor me.”
“Donkey,” she said quietly.
“Donkey?” Jake looked from Becca to Sally. “Why donkey?”
His aunt leaned down and whispered in his ear. “Because I didn’t think jackass was appropriate for a kid.”
Jake huffed out a laugh. “That’s a first.”
“What?” Sally stood straight up, hands on her hips.
“You being concerned about the impressionable minds of children.”
She stuck her chest out. “Becca is my first grand niece. Of course I want to impress the best upon her. Isn’t that right, Becca?”
Becca stood quietly, staring between the two.
“Just nod,” Sally said.
Becca shook her head and smiled.
“Smart girl,” his brother, Ben said, walking up next to them. “Never trust Aunt Sally.”
Sally swatted at Ben. “Cue word, Becca?” She pointed at Ben.
“Gay!” Becca shouted triumphantly.
“What the hell?” Ben scowled at Aunt Sally.
“What?” Sally asked, “it’s Ben Gay, the ointment us old people have to use.”
“Dollar!” Becca shouted, sticking her hand out toward Ben.
“Nice,” Sally held out a hand for a high five.
Becca slapped her hand and turned back to Ben. “One dollar for cursing, Uncle Ben.”
“I thought we agreed on a quarter,” Jake said.
“That’s for immediate family,” Aunt Sally said.
“I’m immediate family,” Ben said.
“Actually,” Jake said, “for my daughter, you’re extended family.” He was surprised at how easily the word “daughter” rolled off his tongue.
“That’s so weird,” Ben said, reaching in his back pocket for his wallet.
Jake smirked, watching as Becca stood still, her hand extended, palm up. She was a child in constant motion, until someone said a bad word.
Ben pulled out a one-dollar bill and set it in Becca’s hand.
“Thank you,” she said, handing it to Aunt Sally.
“What the heck?” Jake said, sitting up straight. He was already learning to control his potty mouth. “Why did you give that to Aunt Sally?”
“I’m her investment banker.” Aunt Sally smiled proudly. “We intend to make a mint on Max.”
Ben chuckled. “You’ll be able to fund your whole damned college fund with Max’s mouth.”
Becca stepped closer. “One dollar, Uncle Ben.”
Ben’s gaze traveled around the three of them. “I already paid you.”
“You said another bad word,” Becca explained.
“Finally,” his mother exclaimed, coming to sit beside Jake. “Someone who can clean up these potty mouths.”
“You still owe a quarter, Jakey,” Aunt Sally said.
“Ugh,” he moaned. “I’ll have to get back to you. I only have bills.”
Becca walked over to one of the book shelves in the large living room and grabbed the swear jar, carrying it back to the coffee table and sitting it down with a bang, rattling the coins. “I can make change.”
The room erupted in laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Max asked, coming in to sit in a chair beside the couch.
“I’m making change because Jakey uses a lot of bad words,” Becca said.
“That he does.” Max laughed.
“But not as many as you, Uncle Max.” She turned to Jake’s brother and smiled.
“Good job!” Aunt Sally gave Becca a high five. “I didn’t even have to give you a cue word.”
“What the hell is
a cue word?” Max asked.
Everyone pointed to the jar.
Max groaned and reached in his pocket, pulling a twenty-dollar bill from his money clip. He stuffed the entire thing in the jar. “Paying in advance.” He nodded.
Becca pushed the money down further into the jar. “Thank you.” She smiled.
“She’s good,” his mother whispered.
He turned to stare at her, brow raised.
“What? You’re finally getting your just rewards,” she said, pinching his cheeks before rising. “Come on, Becca, I need to finish a few things in the kitchen.”
“And I can help you?” Becca said, excitement in her voice as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
“Of course you can,” Aunt Sally said, coming to take her other hand. “Your grandma is a horrible cook. She needs all the help she can get.”
Becca stared up at Sally, her brows furrowed. “She’s not a bad cook.”
Jake smiled as Becca stood in defense of his mother.
Sally shrugged.
“Aunt Sally, it’s not nice to tell fibs,” Becca said. “That’s what Grammy says.”
“Oh, hell, you got schooled by a five-year old,” Max snorted.
“Jar,” all three of them said in unison.
Max pointed to the jar. “I’ve got credit, remember.”
“Eighteen,” Becca said.
“Great, she does math, too.” Max leaned back and chuckled.
“You’d do best to watch yourself,” Jake said, glad that someone else was bearing the brunt of Becca’s masterful mind.
“All right, half pint, eighteen.” Max called out to Becca.
Becca smiled triumphantly and let his mother and aunt lead her into the kitchen.
Ben leaned in closer. “Dude, that girl is a genius.”
“You’re so fucking screwed,” Max added.
Jake and Ben pointed to the jar.
“To hell with that, half pint has to hear it, not you two dipshits.”
Jake laughed, leaning back. “Aunt Sally was right.”
“About what?” Max asked.
“Your mouth alone will fund Becca’s college education.”
“Fucking-A,” Max said, laughing.
“So, how’s it going?” Ben asked. “With Becca, I mean?”
Jake glanced over his brother’s shoulder at his daughter, standing on a chair, leaning against the kitchen island as she “helped” his mother and Aunt Sally finish preparing dinner.
“I think she’s doing as well as can be expected,” he said.
Max glanced toward the kitchen then back to Jake. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a great job.”
“Have the DNA test results come in?” Ben asked.
“Not yet. Any day now the lab said.”
“I mean it can’t be easy,” Max said. “None of us have a clue how to be parents.”
Ben turned and studied his brother. “Well you better man-up, dude. You’re going to have twins in like…” he glanced down at his watch.
“I know,” Max huffed out a groan, running a hand through his hair, “I know.”
“Where’s Devlin?” Jake asked, wondering where Max’s fiancée was.
“She’s on bed rest for a few days. Her mother’s with her now.”
Ben scooted closer. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah,” Max shook his head. “It’s me you should be concerned for.”
Jake stared at him. “Why?”
“Have you met Devlin Darby?” he asked. “Keeping her off her feet is like trying to tame a mountain lion. No one walks away unharmed.”
Jake and Ben laughed.
“What’s going on?” Ben asked after they settled.
Max glanced over toward the kitchen and scooted closer. “She’s been spotting again.”
“Oh, no,” Ben said.
“Yeah, Aaron and Doc Olson are keeping a close eye on her, but her OB/Gyn is thirty minutes away if we don’t hit traffic.”
Jake’s brother Aaron had been a world-class cardio thoracic surgeon in Chicago but had recently relocated to Canyon Creek after being diagnosed with a career ending tremor that affected his hands. He’d been practicing at the medical clinic in town while he decided what his next move would be. Although judging by the way he and Kayleigh Montgomery, the town vet, were getting along, Jake was pretty sure his brother was in town to stay.
“Well, it’s a good thing Aaron is here, I guess,” Ben said.
Max grimaced. “Dude, do you know how gross it is for your brother to have his hand halfway up your wife’s taco?”
“Taco?” Jake laughed.
“What do you want me say?” Max snarled.
“How about vagina?” Ben said.
Max pointed to his brother in warning. “Shut it, asshole. Do not talk about my wife’s cooter.”
Ben scooted forward, putting his forearms on his legs. “Hey, wait a minute. Do you realize you just called Devlin your wife?”
Max fell back in the chair, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “Don’t get me started on that topic.”
“What?” Jake stared from Ben to Max. “What’s wrong?”
Ben nodded toward Max. “He’s a male chauvinist and wants his ‘woman’ married when she gives birth.”
“That’s not a chauvinist, asshole. Is it a crime I don’t want my kids to be bastards?”
“What’s a bastard?” Becca asked coming into the room.
All three men turned and stared at her, mouths open.
“Where is Emmett when you need him?” Ben muttered.
Emmett was Jake’s older brother and a best-selling author. If anyone could explain his way out of this mess it would be Emmett.
“It’s…” Max stumbled, scrubbing his jaw, “it’s a bad word, half pint. I shouldn’t have said it.”
“What does it mean?” she asked again.
Max glared at Jake and nodded toward Becca.
Before Jake could figure out what to say, his mother’s voice came from behind him. “Becca, you don’t need to worry about what the word means.”
Becca looked up at his mother. “Someone in my daycare called me a bastard once. I didn’t know what it meant.”
The room fell silent and Jake’s heart squeezed tight in pain.
“Come here, Becca,” he said quietly, holding out his hands.
Becca slowly made her way to him.
He lifted her onto his lap. “Bastard is a bad word and no one should call you that or say it.” Jake glared at Max who had started this whole conversation. But it was Jake’s job as Becca’s father to make sure she understood.
Becca wasn’t like most five-year olds, he knew that, so his explanation had to make sense or she’d never let it go.
He drew in a deep breath, bracing for a parental moment he wasn’t prepared for. He glanced up at his mother and she gave a small nod of encouragement. “The word bastard has several meanings.”
“Like the word ‘date,’” she said, smiling.
“Right,” he nodded. “Like date. It can mean a day of the year.”
“Or going out with your boyfriend.” Becca smiled. “Did you and my mom go on a date?”
Just when he thought things couldn’t get worse.
“That’s not the point,” he said, trying to skirt the issue that he’d never taken Jenni on a single date.
He glanced around the room, not surprised that everyone had stepped closer and they were all staring at him, awaiting his answer like it was story time at the library.
“One meaning of bastard is a child whose parents aren’t married when they’re born.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” she said.
“I don’t think it’s bad, but some people do.”
“So, I am a bastard,” she said, “because you and Mommy weren’t married?”
What did he say to that? Hadn’t Jenni addressed this issue? “Did your mommy talk about this with you, about me not being around when you were born?”
&nbs
p; She shook her head. “Mommy said I was special, like Tinker Bell. She said she spread pixie dust on her bed and wished on a star for me. She said that’s how God put me in her tummy.”
Jake swallowed down a lump in his throat. He glanced up at his mother, who had tears in her eyes, her hand covering her mouth.
He drew in a deep breath. “That was only part of the story,” he said, not wanting to argue anything Jenni had told this sweet, adorable innocent child who’d been caught in a situation not of her own making.
“Do you know what it means when your grammy said I was your dad?”
Becca didn’t answer, only stared with wide eyes.
“It means your mom and I made you together. She might have wished for you, but it takes a mother and a father to make a baby. Sometimes they’re married and they raise the baby together. Sometimes they don’t.”
“Oh,” she said, staring off, pondering his explanation. “What’s the other meaning, Jakey?” Her voice was quiet.
“Well, the other meaning is a bad word. It means someone’s not a nice person.”
Becca’s eyes went round. “But I’m a nice person, aren’t I?” Tears pooled in her eyes.
“You’re the best person I know, frog face.” He gripped her tight and hugged her to his chest, thankful they’d come up with the game of calling one another the silliest pet names they could think of. “The best person,” he repeated.
“And that kid should be punched in the face for calling you bad names,” Sally said, breaking the tender moment.
Becca sat straight up and turned her head. “Aunt Sally, it’s not nice to hit people,” she scolded.
He watched as Aunt Sally stiffened. They all went quiet, remembering that his aunt had come from an abusive marriage but thankfully had escaped when Jake’s cousins were small.
“You’re right,” his mother said, coming to scoop Becca up. She glanced around the room. “No hitting, and no more bad words.”
Jake, his brothers, and Aunt Sally all remained quiet at his mother’s reprimand. God, he was nearly thirty and his mother could still command the room like he was a little kid. He had a lot to learn.
“Come on sweetheart,” his mother said, “I need you to help me set the table.” His mother turned to walk away but Becca stopped her.
