Don't Mess With Jess

by Megan McCoy

  “Fine. Do what you want,” Mac said.

  “Tell me,” she choked out, staring fixedly at her shoe. She liked her shoe. She’d paid thirty bucks for the pair of them two years ago. Did it matter? No. Did she want to hear what Mac had to say? No. Was she going to? Yes.

  “Sam’s biological dad had a cousin,” Mac started.

  Jessie hugged herself tighter and weirdly wished she was on his lap, snuggled close in his arms. Shoe. Shoelace. Focus.

  “This cousin is named Kelly,” Mac said. “She’s coming here to meet Sam tomorrow.”

  “No.” Jessie felt her heart ripping out. “No.”

  “She doesn’t want custody, Jess, she doesn’t. But Sam is her only living relative and she wants to be in his life.”

  “No.” She needed to break something, scream or something. How could you not fall in love with Sam? If she saw him, she would want him. No.

  “I have priority, Jess. My twin sister is more relative than a cousin Sam’s dad was separated from when they were ten. We aren’t worried, Jess. Look at me,” Mac said in a voice she had heard only a few times before. No. She needed to focus on her shoe.

  “Jess.”

  Her eyes left the knot on her shoelace and she forcibly pulled her eyes up to his. “Jess, we aren’t losing Sam. I promise. She will be just one more person to love him. Understand?”

  Not trusting herself to answer, she turned around and ran to Sam’s room. No. She could not lose him. Scooping the sleeping baby up in her arms, she settled into the rocker with him. Hers.

  “Well, that didn’t go well,” Ryan said.

  “I didn’t think it would.” Mac turned the monitor for Sam’s room toward him a little more and saw Jess rocking Sam.

  “So get me another beer and tell me what’s going on,” Ryan said. “I don’t think you are going to want to go out on the town tonight.”

  “You know me too well,” Mac said, opening the refrigerator and grabbing two cold ones from the shelf. “Good thing she stocked it. I’m sorry, Ryan. This isn’t much fun for you.”

  “Not doing anything else,” Ryan said. “I’m here for you, always have been, always will be. Jess seems real attached to that baby.”

  “My baby,” Mac said, twisting the cap off his bottle.

  “He’s a lucky baby,” Ryan said. “And kinda cute for a kid.”

  “I know. He looks just like me.” Mac clinked his bottle with Ryan’s.

  “So you and Jess?” Ryan asked.

  “Yeah, but she doesn’t know it yet,” Mac grinned. “She’ll figure it out sooner or later. She asked me to marry her, but I think just for the kid. I want a little more than that.”

  “So this Kelly.”

  “She’s coming to town tomorrow to meet Sam. She and Sam’s dad grew up together until they were ten and then were both sent to different foster homes for some reason.”

  “Tough childhood,” Ryan said. “What’s she do?”

  “She manages a chain retail store, so she figured out life,” Mac said. “She has no other family as far as we can tell, as far as the very expensive PI I hired can tell.”

  “But you don’t think she wants Sam?”

  “She can want him all she wants, but he’s mine. I’m Carly’s twin brother, I’ve got money, a house, I’m stable, and he’s got a really cool bedroom here.”

  “What’s with the pink?” Ryan asked.

  “You don’t mess with Jess,” Mac said.

  “Well, that just explains everything,” Ryan said, laughing.

  “Always has,” Mac agreed. “So she will be here tomorrow and I’m sorry this is happening on your weekend here.”

  “Don’t mind a bit, what are best friends for?”

  “Catch me up. How’s Libby and how’s Riley?”

  “Libby is great. She’s four now and knows everything, you just ask her. Smartest little kid in the world. Sweet like her mom.”

  “Riley still with what’s her name?”

  “Yeah, apparently, and she’s good with Libby, so what you gonna do?”

  “Long as the kids are taken care of,” Mac said. Ryan’s ex had left him for another woman and Ryan took it a lot better than Mac thought he would have. He’d kept Libby as the focus and moved on with life, but hadn’t had another relationship as far as Mac knew. “Work going well?”

  “Yeah, how’s yours?”

  “Cutting back, working on investing. I don’t want Sam raised by nannies. I want a regular job with real people hours.” Mac had always thought the almighty dollar was, well, almighty, but now he had other priorities. Spending time with Sam, watching him grow up, coaching his ball teams and hearing about his day at school was more important than the twelve to fifteen-hour days his job demanded.

  “You thought about just opening your own law office in a small town somewhere?” Ryan asked. “Doing divorces and DUI’s and my neighbor’s dogs keep barking kind of things?”

  “I have,” Ryan admitted. “I wouldn’t make as much, but it would be regular hours, and my investments would supplement it. Actually been thinking of moving back to Macintyre. Have some feelers out already.”

  “That’s a great place to grow up, and you could still play the stock market,” Ryan smiled at him. “So when is Kelly getting here? She staying here?”

  Mac shook his head. “No, I don’t know this woman, she can stay at a hotel. It’s going to be all I can do to keep Jessie from pulling her hair out by the roots as it is.”

  “She’s something, all right,” Ryan said. “Hey, I’m hungry. You want to go grab something or order in?”

  “Let me go talk to Jess a minute and then we can go grab something, bring her home a doggie bag, but I want to make sure she’s okay.”

  Mac knew she wasn’t but wasn’t sure what to do to make her feel better. He’d probably have to blister her ass at some point just to relieve her stress, but tonight would probably not be the best time. He’d just let her rock the baby tonight. He planned to marry this girl. When he decided that, he wasn’t sure. When she proposed to him? When she asked him to spank her in the hotel? When she made that amazing lemon chicken? When she supported Carly during the last month of her pregnancy? Nah, he’d decided years ago. He just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. It was about time he got around to it. Realizing he’d never even kissed her, he decided to remedy that sooner rather than later. Again, not tonight.

  Walking up the stairs, he heard her singing and stopped to listen. Who sang The Eagles songs to a baby? His girl, that’s who.

  He waited outside the door until the song ended then, knocked lightly and went in. “Jess, you doing okay?”

  She glared at him. “I’m fine.”

  “Yeah, you look fine.” Tense and upset was what she looked like. “Ryan and I are going out to grab something to eat. I’ll bring you back something, unless you and Sam want to come with us?”

  She shook her head. “Not hungry.”

  “Did I ask if you were hungry? I just asked if you wanted to go.”

  “Thank you, no. Sam and I are just fine here.”

  “Okay. We will be back in about an hour, you call me if you need anything,” he said, feeling helpless.

  “I won’t,” she said, not looking at him, but staring at Sam.

  “Jess, things are going to be okay.” He walked over, bent down and kissed Sam’s head, then kissed the top of her dark hair.

  “I know they are,” she said fiercely. “They are. I won’t allow them to be otherwise.”

  “And you don’t mess with Jess,” he said.

  “Darn right you don’t,” she said. “Have fun.”

  He’d been dismissed, apparently. “I’ll be back.”

  “I’ll be here,” she said. Had she even noticed he’d kissed her? He wasn’t certain.

  “She doing okay?” Ryan asked when he got back downstairs.

  “She’ll be okay,” he said. “Let’s go eat.”

  “Settle, Jess,” Mac warned her.

  Jess put her
hands on her hips and glared at him. “I’m settled.”

  “I can give you more if you need it,” he said. “Or want it.”

  “Shut up,” she informed him.

  How dare he? An hour ago, Ryan had gone out for ice and drinks, and he’d come down to the kitchen where she was making salads for the cookout Mac was having today. The cookout for her. Her. The interloper intruder evil woman. She’d been in a very sour mood, and while she couldn’t think of anything she’d said, he grabbed her by the arm and walked her into the living room.

  “Mac, what?”

  “Stress relief,” he’d said.

  “What?” She figured out what when he picked her up and threw her over the back of the couch. “Hold still.”

  “What?” Did she even know any other words? Seemed like she didn’t.

  “Ow!” Okay she knew another word. “Mac! No! Ow! What is that? Dang, stop it!” What was he smacking her with? Whatever it was, it seemed much larger than the wooden spoon. “Mac! No!” She tried to scramble off the couch, over it, something, but he put a hand on her back and held her down. “Mac!”

  “Better let me finish this before Ryan gets back, unless you want him to see you with your ass in the air getting it blistered.” Why did he sound amused? What was funny about this?

  “Mac!” she screeched. “That hurts! Ow, no more!” She could hear the swish of the nasty whatever, paddle, before it struck her. “Stop!”

  He acted as if he’d suddenly gone deaf.

  “Mac! That hurts! Ow!”

  “That’s the point. It’s supposed to hurt. Get your attention and get rid of that attitude.”

  “What attitu-oof! Mac! Please!” Well, maybe she had a bit of an attitude this morning. Who wouldn’t? She was going to invest in heavy jeans and wear them all the time. “Ow!”

  “Feeling better?” he asked.

  “Better!”

  “Oh, good!” The damn paddle smacked her four more times making her howl in pain.

  “I can’t, I can’t,” she whimpered.

  “Sure you can, your bottom is tougher than you think,” he said.

  “No, no! I’m sorry!” What was she sorry for? Anything he wanted her to be. “Please!”

  Four more fell in rapid succession and tears fell at the same time. “No, Mac, please please!”

  “Soon as I get the attitude paddled out of you, I’ll stop,” he said.

  He had to be enjoying this. Why else would he do it? Kicking her legs, she wiggled as hard as she could. Four more. Why the stupid number four? It was too much and she felt herself begin to panic. “Please! Okay, I’m better, enough enough!” Four more. Was he even listening?

  Sobbing, she gave one final jerk that surprisingly landed her on her feet. Knees shaking, she started to reach around to rub her throbbing bottom but he grabbed her hands and held them in front of her. She looked over and saw a long plastic paddle at his feet. She hated that paddle as much as she hated the wooden spoon. What gave him the right to spank her? Nothing did.

  “Let the burn sink in,” he said. Stomping her feet, she sobbed a few more times and sniffled before she could stop it. “You’re lucky I don’t have you go stand in the corner.” Wiggling in his grasp, she tried to stop her hitching breaths as she glared at him. Corner time? Oh heck no. He could overpower her physically but he could not force her to stand in a corner. Could he?

  “You’re cute when you wiggle,” he said. So she stopped and glared at him again.

  “You’re mean when you spank me,” she said, and couldn’t help wiggling again. It burned so bad. She just wanted to rub it.

  “I am not going to allow you to have an attitude today. You are going to be pleasant to the guest in our home, do you understand me? Because if you don’t, those shorts can come down and I can give you a repeat.” He looked at her sternly and she dropped her gaze. She did not want a repeat.

  “Yes, sir. I’d salute but you have my hands.” She sniffled again. “Okay if I blow my nose?”

  “Yes, and go wash your face. Better not rub that bottom, though.” He let go of her hands and she scrambled to the powder room. As soon as she shut the door, she rubbed frantically. Geeze that felt good. Why would he never let her rub? Why did he spank her in the first place? Attitude? Stress relief? Neither her attitude nor her stress level were any of his business. Next time he went to work, she was searching his room and tossing that paddle. What else did he have in there? She’d toss them too. He’d be lucky to own socks by the time she was done.

  “You okay in there?” Mac called.

  Sure, she was just fine. Did she feel her attitude had been adjusted? Not really, but she’d fake it better.

  “I’m settled,” she repeated and smiled at him as she came out to show him how settled she was. Glancing over at the monitor, she knew Sam would be waking up from his morning nap soon. Ryan should be back shortly with ice and beer and she intended to have a couple. Just to take the edge off. Mac may have thought he’d paddled the edge off, but he didn’t. No way was she letting him know that, though. Shuddering, she hoped he’d hidden that paddle from Ryan. Last thing she needed was Ryan knowing Mac spanked her. Who would think such a thing was probable, much less possible? No one who knew her, that was for sure. But it had actually taken her mind off Her for a few minutes, so there was that.

  She popped the pasta salad in the refrigerator and after putting bacon in the microwave to zap, began slicing grapes for the broccoli grape salad.

  “Did you make me an extra slice?” Mac asked.

  “Oh, sure,” she said. “I wanna be nice to the man who blistered my butt a little while ago. I could be sitting at the island, cutting these, but noo.” She turned her back and gave a little stomp and wiggle, just to show him she could.

  Mac laughed. “Ryan’s here. Behave yourself. I’m going to help him carry stuff in.”

  “I’m not the brutish one around here,” she sang to him, turning back to her grape slicing.

  “Brutish,” he snorted. She watched him walk out the door, from the corner of her eye, and shook her head. No, she was not going to smile. There was no reason to smile.

  What was this Kelly going to be like? Would she be their age? Or maybe she’d be old and wrinkled and very happy to see little Sam and send him Christmas presents and cards on his birthday? That was the best outcome, she thought. She’d zap old thoughts her way. Like that would help.

  The timer went off and she went over to check the pies she’d started earlier. Look at her, being all Martha Stewart and what did she get for it? A sore butt and it wasn’t fair. Not one little bit. She bent over to pull the pies out as Mac and Ryan came in with ice and beer. “We are just going to put this on the patio. Those smell good, Jess,” Ryan said. “You doing okay?”

  Blinking back sudden hot tears, she felt an overwhelming surge of affection for him. Had Mac asked? No. He’d just put her over the couch and spanked her like a – well, not like a child because no one spanked kids anymore. Hmph. Whatever. “Yeah, I’m good, thanks,” she replied. Finishing up the grapes, she heard Sam cry, washed her hands and headed upstairs. Priorities. Salad could wait. Her baby could not.

  “Hello, love,” she said. “You hungry and wet? Auntie Jess can fix both those things for you, because she’s all magic like that, yes she is.” Picking him up, she snuggled him close and inhaled his smell. He smelled like perfection. “You are such a good boy, you know that? Of course you know that. You get told every day, don’t you? But even if you weren’t a good boy all the time, I’d still love you. I always always will. Your mom loved you more than you know, and so did your first dad and your now dad.” Changing him quickly, she took the bottle from the warmer and sat down in the rocker with him, trying not to wince, dang Mac and his stupid paddle, humming his favorite Eagles song. Last week it was the Beatles, this week, the Eagles, what would next week be? John Fogerty? Yeah, that sounded good. He smiled as he took the bottle and reached for her nose. He loved to touch noses. “Hopefully, you wi
ll outgrow that before preschool,” she told him. He just smiled at her. “You’re a silly boy, yes, you are.” As soon as he finished his bottle, she headed downstairs. “You ready to be all cute and adorable?” He agreed he was with a smile, so she warned him, “Just don’t be too cute and adorable, okay?” Sam looked at her as if she had no sense at all. Maybe she didn’t. Who knew? Not her, anymore, but then this time last month, she didn’t think she’d be living with a guy who thought it was fine and dandy to spank her whenever the mood struck him. Life was weird.

  Walking into the kitchen, carrying Sam, she stopped short. There was a woman at the counter, chopping a red onion. “Hello,” she said. “You must be Kelly. Where’s Mac?”

  “Hi,” said the red head as she turned holding the big knife. Jessie’s eyes flew to the knife, and the woman laughed and put it down. “Sorry, I saw you were half done with the salad and decided to pitch in and help. And yes, I’m Kelly. You must be Jessie. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “I just found out you were alive,” Jess said, holding Sam closer.

  “And you think I’m here to make your life hell,” Kelly said. “Right?”

  Jess nodded, blinking back tears. Mac and Ryan walked in the kitchen, each holding two beers.

  “Jess, you okay?” Mac asked.

  Why did everyone keep asking her that? She was fine. She was the one holding Sam, after all. Nodding, she walked over to the sink and shifted Sam to one arm while she rinsed his bottle.

  Kelly turned back and finished chopping the onion, then opened the microwave and took out the bacon. “If you get the mayo, vinegar and sugar out, I’ll make the dressing. My mom makes this salad too. Got sunflower seeds?”

  This woman thought she was taking over. Taking over. No, she wasn’t. This was her kitchen. Mac’s kitchen that she was in charge of right now. That was her salad and this was her kid and she needed to take a deep breath.

  “Give me Sam,” Mac said in that stupid commanding tone she hated. However, her feet moved toward him. Kissing Sam on the head one more time, she handed him to his father. Her arms felt empty and bare and bereft. She clutched herself then took a deep breath and turned to Kelly. “Have a seat, and enjoy your drink. I can finish up.”