Bed Buddies

by St. Klaire, Stephanie

  Cringing a bit, Jace turned to Connor, not liking how that sounded out loud. He’d mentally approved the what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her concept. Until now. “Uh, no, I haven’t…told her…yet.”

  Connor shook his head and let out a deep sigh. “Ah, man. You’ve been seeing each other for weeks now. How does your son not come up?”

  Jace cut him off before he could finish, correcting the assumption. “We aren’t seeing each other. Kinley isn’t interested in a relationship. She’s just…sticking it to Evelyn.”

  “Sticking it to Evelyn? Shirley? From what I hear, Kinley’s sticking it to you — or you to her rather.” Connor winked, pleased with his play on words. “How is being seen around town and having sleepovers with you sticking it to Evelyn?”

  “Don’t ask. She thinks it’s accomplishing something and calls it a fling. She says we’re bed buddies. I just think it’s her way of justifying it. She doesn’t talk about New York much, but that asshole she was engaged to did a number on her.”

  “And you’ll let her call it whatever she wants so long as you get to spend time with her. Is that any better than New York?” Connor concluded.

  Hands in his pockets, Jace dropped his head. “It’s not like that, man. Think about it, you’re a dad. I like her, I really do, and I’ll do anything to spend time with her because what if she does change her mind and this can be more? But if it doesn’t work out, I have JT to think about too. I can’t bring someone into his life and then have it fall apart. Not again.”

  “I hear ya. He has been through a lot — you both have,” Connor agreed.

  A subtle laugh escaped Jace. “Are we really having this conversation — talking about our feelings? I think we both left our man card back at the office. Seriously, though. I hear you. I plan to talk to her about him. She may not think we’re anything but a fling, but it has definitely become more than that. At least for me.”

  “Well, looks like that talk is coming sooner than later. Look who’s headed this way with Sadie. And if I’m not mistaken, that’s JT and the sitter right over there.” Connor nodded his head to the right toward the hopscotch court in the center of the park where JT was playing and his babysitter was sitting on a bench watching him.

  Surprised by the lack of nerves, Jace took in both JT and Kinley, nearly crossing each other’s paths already. A mischievous wink and nod to Kinley earned him a sassy grin and certain sway to her hips in response. Just as Kinley was reaching Jace, she was stopped in her tracks by a shrieking voice of excitement.

  “Daddy!”

  Jace swooped the little boy into his arms, equally happy to see him as the boy was to his dad. Jace didn’t hesitate or stall, only gave his son the affection he would any other day. It was now or never. Nothing like advancing a plan and executing off the cuff, then hoping it ended in his favor.

  “Daddy?” Kinley’s confused tone had Jace’s attention. “Did he just call you daddy?”

  So maybe this would be a little harder than he thought. “Uh, yes. This is my son, JT. Bud, this is daddy’s…friend, Kinley.”

  “You’re the prettiest,” JT said to Kinley with a sweet smile.

  It seemed JT was about to earn himself an ice cream, maybe two, given the smile that crossed her face.

  Jace took advantage of his son’s good timing and charming demeanor. “Isn’t she, Bud?”

  “Yap! In da whole wide park, Dad! Prettiest girl ’cause your hair is like chocolate,” JT offered.

  “My chocolate hair, huh? How old are you, JT?” she asked. Sadie and Connor stood off to the side, taking in the scene.

  “I’m free, but I’m almost four! It’s gonna be my birf-day soon! Wanna come to my party?” the tot pleaded with big brown eyes and a smile that would get him just about anything.

  A light tug at her sweatshirt gained Kinley’s attention. Her nephew Cooper was at her side. “Auntie Kinley, you gotta come! JT is having chocolate cake and balloons and pizza and chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream and every-fing!”

  “Every-fing, huh? I’m sensing a theme with the chocolate,” she teased, finding the toddler-grammar amusing. In fact, this was probably the first time since being back that kids didn’t make her itch. That was something. “Well, you don’t need to twist my arm. You said the magic words…chocolate and cake!”

  Jace set JT down, and the two boys laughed at Kinley’s joking reference to chocolate and cake, which happened to be two of their favorite things, before they ran off to play on the slide, Sadie and Connor in tow. It was understood, with a simple nod, they would watch the boys so Jace and Kinley could talk.

  “Really, Doc? A kid? Let me guess, you have a wife too.” Kinley looked around in an exaggerated manner as if searching for a secret wife just waiting to jump out in surprise as the boy had. “When do I get to meet her? Does she like chocolate too?”

  He placed his hands on her shoulders, guilt riding his conscience. Perhaps he had misjudged the situation. “I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner, but you said nothing serious, and a kid…well, it’s serious.”

  “So, you don’t deny the wife. Where is she? Can’t have a kid without a woman, so…” Kinley spun around, as if watching for the mystery woman

  Before she could finish, Jace closed his eyes tight and dropped a bomb she hadn’t expected any more than she had expected to meet his child. “Dead,” he said. “She’s…dead.”

  Wide eyes, a stammering jaw, and the absence of words spoke of the shock his words struck her with. “Dead? Oh…Jace…oh…I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t…know.”

  “I know you didn’t. How could you?” he admitted, guilty for the direct response. “You didn’t even know about JT. Look, I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner, but you wanted to keep things so casual, and a child…well, not very casual.”

  “I suppose not,” she reasoned. “I admit it’s a shock, but I didn’t mean to pry like that.”

  A long pause stood between them as both tried to decide what was next. What did either one say now, given the circumstance? How did they move past this, or did they? Jace was right, they were just casual, so what was there to decide or even say?

  “Come over tonight. Have dinner with me and JT. We can talk after he goes to bed,” Jace said

  “Oh, I don’t know...” Kinley wanted to say yes, but frankly, yes scared her.

  Jace’s voice dropped low. “It’s spaghetti night. I make a mean spaghetti.”

  The charming smile he tossed her way resembled that of JT’s just moments before — like father, like son. Kinley studied Jace’s expression, taking in the dimple on his left cheek she hadn’t noticed before today — something else he shared with his son. Deep down, she knew she should decline the offer, she wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, much less an entire family, but her words betrayed her, spilling out before she could rethink the decision.

  “What time should I be there, Doc?”

  Chapter 9

  “What was I thinking?” Kinley ranted while she helped Sadie close the dance studio for the night. “I fell for the smile and dimples…from them both. Oh my God, I don’t even like kids!”

  “Please! You love kids! You’re amazing with Cooper, and I know you love him like your own!” Sadie fired back, entertained by her sister’s anxiety.

  “I have to love him, he’s family. Plus, he’s super cute and looks like me,” Kinley mused.

  “You loved kids until New York. Hell, you loved Pine Valley, teaching dance, and everything else you seem to hate now until then. C’mon, when are you going to let New York live in the past and give it a real shot here?” Sadie took the opportunity and went for it.

  “When I’m ready to accept that I’ll never live my dream and be satisfied with being a no one, in dead beat town, with no purpose or talent for anything,” Kinley deadpanned in brutal honesty.

  Sadie stood still, surprised and saddened by her sister’s words. “Is that what you really think? Honey, dreams change all the time. I’m proof of that. My
life turned out anything but what I thought it was going to be. Sometimes that’s the point, sis.”

  Distracted by a loud, obnoxious song, a children’s song no less, Kinley turned to see what was going on directly behind her. Many of her students were standing on the sidewalk, overjoyed by the source of the musical headache: an ice cream truck. You wouldn’t find this on the streets of New York City, she thought.

  A crotchety old man, Mr. Moretti, stood in the window, ordering the kids to stand single file and find their manners or no gelato. To her surprise, they complied. How did he do that?

  “Hey, can you cut the music? Trying to talk here. You got their attention, let’s at least turn it down, will ya? Geez, more small-town crap.” Kinley’s tone and crass attitude surprised even her. He was just an old man selling ice cream.

  “Excuse me, miss. Can you take down the sign on your dance joint there, ma’am? Bit of an eye sore, and…well, it appears you just had their attention.” He scanned his hand in front of the line of dancers he was referring to.

  “Well, no. If I take down the sign, new dancers won’t know where to find us!” Kinley replied, appalled by the audacity of his request. Sadie just laughed.

  “Exactly, miss. Such is why I leave the music running, so they can find me. Now, if you move down the block instead of standing right in front of the speaker, I’m certain you’ll find it easier to hear yourself talk.” He smiled and nodded, excusing her from the discussion. “I’ll never understand this generation…young people…hmph.”

  Kinley made a dramatic turn, walking opposite the ice cream, or gelato truck, as noted on the side, Sadie snickering as she followed. Kinley returned to her thoughts, picking up where she left off with her sister.

  Was there still a dream come true out there for Kinley? Was this really just a setback, waiting to reinvent her in a new and improved light with the life she was meant to have? Kinley wasn’t sure, but her sister certainly did well for herself despite tragic obstacles that sent her in every which direction.

  Maybe that was Kinley’s destiny too. Maybe this was just a stepping stone to what she was destined to do. Maybe her dream was still alive and well, waiting for her to catch up. And maybe, just maybe, Jace was part of how to get there.

  “C’mon. Come upstairs and help me find something to wear. What the hell do you wear to dinner when a kid’s around anyway? Pretty sure the sexy boob display I had picked is no longer appropriate! Yoga pants? Put the assets on display without corrupting the child?”

  Sadie linked arms with her sister and pulled her around the corner to the steps leading to her loft apartment. “Sounds like a plan…”

  “He’s out like a light.” Jace laughed. “He played nice and hard at the park — he missed hanging out with Cooper.”

  “He’s a cute kid,” Kinley added. “Lots of energy in that one!”

  “Yeah. He’s pretty cool, and as far as energy goes…he hit the jackpot.” Jace laughed. “That was a lot to get used to and I’m around kids all day.”

  “Get used to?” Kinley questioned, his statement striking her as odd. “Was he born a ball of fire or what?”

  “I don’t know,” Jace answered honestly. “I didn’t know him then.”

  Well, this is odd, Kinley thought. “What do you mean you didn’t know him? Did you adopt him? You lost me, Doc.”

  “Nope. He’s all mine.” Jace took a seat next to Kinley on the couch. “I just didn’t know I had him for a while.”

  “Whoa. Come again?” Kinley leaned in. The story was getting interesting fast. “I’m not following.”

  “I got a call one day from an attorney — something about my presence being requested for a reading of a will,” Jace started. “I came out here to find the will reading was done prior to Veronica’s death. Veronica is TJ’s mom.”

  Kinley put up a hand to pause the story. “Wait…you can do that? I thought a last will and testament was literally that, and from the grave, essentially.”

  “Apparently, you can do whatever you want when you’re dying — people are pretty lax about protocol,” Jace teased. “Long story short, Veronica was my ex. We had been together a while, but just couldn’t make it work. She lived here in Pine Valley where her family business is, and I lived in Portland where my practice was.”

  Jace paused, gauging Kinley’s response thus far. He wanted to be honest with her but didn’t want to scare her off either. “She found out she was pregnant and came to Portland to tell me — she was willing to give up Pine Valley and give us a try there since there was a baby.”

  “So, what happened?” Kinley interrupted, waiting for a plot twist, or punch line…anything.

  “My secretary told her where I was, so she came to find me. Only…when she got to the restaurant, she saw me with another woman. She turned around and came home. I didn’t hear from her until I was summoned by her attorney.”

  “Wow. That’s how you found out? How old was JT by then?”

  “A little over a year. Veronica was ill, wanted Jace Tanner Detweiler to know his dad — hoped it wasn’t too late and I would raise him,” Jace said, drawing out his son’s name with dramatics.

  Kinley tilted her head to the side and smiled. “Oh, he’s named after you.”

  “Sort of,” Jace replied. “Roni did a bunch of research while she was pregnant — you know, stuff for the baby book. She didn’t want to interfere with my life and interrupt a new relationship with a baby, so she kept him a secret. In the event he wanted to know where he came from one day, she named him after myself and my father, his grandfather.”

  “Three generations of Detweiler men in one — that’s actually quite thoughtful,” Kinley added.

  “Not really.” Jace laughed. “My dad’s name is Howard. She researched the wrong Detweilers.”

  “No!” Kinley covered her mouth to muffle the laugh trying to escape.

  “Yes. There are no Tanners in my bloodline.” He laughed. “The thought was there, execution was poor.”

  “You could always change it. There’s a process for that. I mean, it was her wish for her son to be named after the men he’s born of.”

  “He’s not a puppy from the shelter.” Jace laughed. “You can’t just rename a kid when you bring it home and hope they catch on.”

  “Well…she really wanted that for him — how sad that she did all that work…for nothing,” Kinley defended.

  “She didn’t know,” Jace confirmed. “I didn’t tell her. Her time was limited, and she needed to know JT was going to be okay before she…passed. I took long weekends so I could spend them here, get to know my son, give him memories of his mother and father together. When the end neared, I took leave so I could be here…for them both.”

  “You loved her,” Kinley said.

  “I cared about her. But I didn’t love her,” Jace admitted. “We weren’t right for each other and we both knew it.”

  “But you clearly gave up everything and moved here, Jace. That’s a lot to sacrifice, that’s love,” she said, waving her arms out, indicating here as Pine Valley.

  “I wouldn’t move here for her — that’s why we went our separate ways,” Jace said. “I moved here for my son.”

  “Oh.” Emotion threatened to spill over as her eyes filled. “That’s one of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard.”

  “The relationship with my son was new, but he was mine, and I was determined to do right by him,” Jace went on. “He was losing his mom. I didn’t want him to lose everything he knew. Her family is still here, and they are very active in his life. That’s important, ya know?”

  “Jace Detweiler, just when I think you can’t impress me anymore…you do,” Kinley said, leaning in for a kiss Jace was happy to share until she abruptly pulled back with eyes wide. “The other woman!”

  “What other woman?” he asked, looking around, perplexed.

  “The woman in the restaurant! The woman Veronica saw you with…the new chick.”

  Jace shook his head with a li
ght grin. “Oh, that. Well, that’s a little bit of karma right there. Jules Walker — friend who’s an ER nurse.”

  “Oh no. She was just a friend and Veronica read it all wrong,” Kinley gasped.

  “Not exactly. I was rebounding after breaking things off with Roni — in a weird place, ya know?” Jace shook his head in embarrassment. “Jules came in with this…guy, a firefighter, Jack Decker and a baby who was left on his front step, supposedly his. I gave him a lot of crap for getting someone pregnant and not even knowing about it — tried to date Jules because he had an obvious thing for her.”

  “And she was into the other guy…” Kinley finished for him.

  “Oh, yeah. She didn’t realize it at first, so I was an ass for whatever reason and tried to date her.” He laughed. “She figured it out, though. They got together, and I was the guy with a surprise baby eating crow. He’s actually a really good guy and they’re supposed to be together. It all worked out…for them. That day Veronica saw me with Jules was the day Jules let me down easy.”

  “Karma…she’s a bitch,” Kinley said, thinking about what awful things she must’ve done to earn her dose.

  “She is, then she isn’t…” Jace reasoned, trying to explain karma. “It was a shock to find out about JT, a big shock. I had to decide between my practice in Portland and moving here. It all worked out the way it was supposed to, though. Moving here was the best thing I could’ve done for JT and me. A lot of my patients actually still bring their kids to me. They drive an hour away just…for me.”

  “That says a lot about you, Doc. They must really trust you.” Kinley took note of that — it spoke volumes to the type of guy Doctor Jace Detweiler was.

  “It’s humbling…that’s for sure.” Jace looked away, lost in thought.

  Kinley watched him as his grin grew, obviously thinking of something that delighted him, before he shook his head and snickered.

  “Anyway,” he said. “Enough about me…let’s talk about you.”

  “You know everything.” Kinley laughed. “Dreamed of Broadway, made it to Broadway for a minute, dream shattered with my ankle, now…back where I started.”