by Melissa Blue
Monday seemed like ages ago, but their break was fresh. Had anything else happened that week, Jake would have cautioned his son more. He might have even explained that he and Bailey had an argument. But that push to keep their lives separate it wasn’t his subconscious, but Jake screaming as loud as possible on the inside the last person he wanted to see was Bailey.
But this week he had to tell his son the whole truth and nothing but. Refusing him anything else seemed cruel. “Okay, we’ll call her.”
Jake wiped his mouth, telling himself the likelihood of her answering a call from his phone number were slim. If she did, there was even a less of a chance she’d agree to be within spitting distance of him.
He gave Jayden his phone. The phone rang and rang. Just when he was sure the call would roll over to voicemail, Bailey answered.
“Hello?” Suspicion clouded the single word.
“Hi, Ms. Thorne.”
“Hey, Jayden.” She sounded…so happy.
He clenched his teeth and tried to ignore the tsunami of emotions pounding into him. More than once his mind had raked over their exchange—shit, how he handled it. There was a tinge of shame. He’d been his usual direct and honest self, but had he been an asshole? Could he have simply said let’s give things time instead of giving their relationship such a finality? Fuck, he didn’t know. Nothing was white or black so how could he know if things could be decidedly right or wrong?
Especially when…the ache for her hadn’t gone away. More than once he’d picked up his phone with the intent to text her an update about what was going on. He had almost convinced himself to because despite everything, she had been absolutely right—she cared about Jayden. She was his son’s teacher. It was a good idea to keep her in the loop. He couldn’t bring himself to do it though, because he knew deep down, he had just wanted to talk to her.
Jake rose from the squatting position and glared at the ceiling, trying to steel himself against the sound of her voice.
“Will you be able to make it to today’s game?” Jayden asked. “It’s the last of the season.”
Say no. Please, say no. His heart climbed in his throat as silence filled the air.
Bailey let out a breath then said, “I would love to, Jayden. Same place?”
Jayden looked to him to confirm. Jake nodded instead of speaking. Bailey ended the call first after a “see you in a bit.” His son smiled—no smirked. “Told you so. Come on. Let’s go.”
Somehow, he had to get ready to see the woman he’d broken up with. A woman he still wanted if he was being honest. A woman who probably hated him again. And as he was starting to realize, she might have every reason to.
*
“Where is he?” Xavier’s gaze roamed the bleacher’s stands.
To anyone else her brother appeared relaxed in his Howard tee, jeans and running shoes, but she knew that stubborn taut jawline. “Up top.” Pause. “Stop glaring at him. Let’s sit.” She gestured to the free space right in front of them.
He stomped his way up instead of replying. Bailey followed him. Now, she should have taken him to the opposite side of the field where the opposing team sat. That was her second mistake. Her first was stupidly answering Jayden’s call while her brother stood within ear shot. They had gone shopping for dinner since mom and dad had gone off again to the beach for the weekend. Her and her brother had never wrapped up grocery shopping so fast in their life.
Her brother’s broad back blocked her view of Jake, so by the time her brother sat at his side, all she could see was Jake’s confusion on his face. Recognition flared in his eyes a split second later and then his gaze narrowed on her.
“Jake, this is—”
“Xavier, her oldest brother.”
Jake offered his hand. She had zero doubt her brother tried to squeeze the man’s knuckles into dust. Xavier didn’t know the full story, but he knew enough. She and Jake had been dating. Things ended in a way that left her moping in the bakery area of the grocery store, which she never did. It was safe to say Xavier wanted Jake’s head on a platter.
The only reason she allowed him to come is that Bailey was sure he would have followed her with the groceries in the car. He wasn’t always pigheaded but goodness when he was…
She went to sit down. Xavier angled his body in a way that bumped her away from Jake and he settled in between them.
“I’m going to choke you,” she growled at her brother. “Matter of fact, later tonight when we’re cooking, I’m accidently taking a fingernail from you with the sharpest knife in your kitchen.”
Jake laughed. Both Xavier and Bailey glared at him. He put up his hands and focused on the field. She did the same, ignoring them both. She searched for Jayden, but he was too far from the bleachers and lined up along with so many other boys the same size.
Bailey had to ask, “What’s his number again?”
“Fifteen,” Jake said without hesitation.
Her gaze caught on the number within seconds. Of course. Jayden was the one kid who couldn’t keep still. He looked so small. “I’m glad it’s flag football,” she murmured.
Apparently, the words were loud enough. Jake replied, “Me, too.”
Their eyes met over her brother. She looked away first then jolted in shock at what she was actually fucking seeing. Trouble in the form of her twin brothers were bounding up the bleachers. Angry, she whirled on Xavier, “I cannot believe you right now.”
She pushed from the seat to head off Booker and Damien. In unison they smiled and said, “Hey, baby sis.” In sequence they plopped a kiss on her forehead, ignored her angry sputters, and waltzed past her. All she could really do was glare at them as they caged Jake in by sitting beside him. Booker made sure to grin as he scooted into Jake’s personal space. She was going to kill them all and then die from embarrassment.
There was only one thing she could do since murder would have to wait, and that was hit the concession. Maybe they’d get over themselves once fed. And maybe she could get rid of them. A long shot, but this was her damn life.
At the ten-minute wait mark in the food line, someone sidled up way too close to her. She had a sharp retort on her lips for any brother who was fool enough to…
Jake put up his hands in surrender, likely catching sight of her feral expression.
She sighed, some of the anger drained away. “I am so sorry about them.”
There was a light in his blue eyes. “Why? I…know you. You wouldn’t have sent your brothers to intimidate me. I can guess they did it all on their own. You will chew them out for it. I almost feel sorry for them.”
She so planned to but to him she only said, “Good. It’s good you get that.” She rolled her shoulders and stared straight ahead. “Why are you here at the stand, anyway?”
“I figured you were here and that you would need a hand.”
It sounded plausible if not for the glaring truth. “And you were trying to run away?”
“Booker, I think, asked me what was wrong with me. Because something must be wrong with me if I broke up with you. He also asked about my beard maintenance.”
That sounded like her brother. She was torn between a laugh and a scoff. “I am going to strangle Booker first.”
“They love you, Bailey.”
She had to look at him from the soft way he’d said the words. He wasn’t angry at her, or her brothers for their show of overprotectiveness. He was subdued. So same for her. For the past few days she hadn’t allowed herself to wallow in the obvious end of their relationship. Well, not much. Just enough for her brother to notice.
But…
She couldn’t help but question if maybe she had made a misstep. When he’d showed up to her home the day before Thanksgiving, Bailey should have told him about Jayden’s worries. She should have given him a warning. She’d known he faced things head on, except for that. The time had finally come when his son had toed close to asking the one question Jake dreaded. She wasn’t a villain for keeping quiet, but maybe she c
ould have handled it better.
Bailey put a hand on his forearm. “About what happened…I want to say I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted…” She searched for the words and then found being direct was the best option. “I didn’t want you to have to rip away Jayden’s childhood. I told him a truth and a lie that would buy you time. I should have told you though.”
His inhale was loud and filled with unspoken words. Eventually he nodded. “Thank you for that. I wasn’t mad at you for not telling me. It just…gave me doubts.”
Doubts. That word hit her right in the heart. They both looked away from each other. They both remained quiet, side-by-side in the concession line. She ordered half the food offered with every intention of getting a reimbursement after dinner from her brothers. He helped her carry it up to the angry bunch.
At some point everyone got enthralled with the game, especially cheering Jayden on. The boy beamed back at them whenever they did, and it was perfect. Or could have been if her heart still wasn’t aching.
Chapter Fifteen
The next few weeks bled into one another, all leading up to the winter break. Jake waited patiently for Jayden to pack up his books, the goodie bag from the classroom party and everything else his son felt he couldn’t leave behind during the vacation.
Jake should have been looking forward to the holidays. He’d shifted his schedule to go into work earlier. His face was the one Jayden saw at the end of the school day. That also meant Jake and Bailey saw each other way more often during the weekday post-break up than before…everything. And those moments of being face to face weren’t just in passing.
She was professional, if not a bit distant. He did his best to not look directly at her because the longing hadn’t gone away. He knew the emotion would show in his gaze. They didn’t need that added complication between them, especially when Jake was—fuck. He didn’t know. Was he coming? Was he going?
Was she okay?
Winter break. Right. They were on the brink of putting even more distance between the last day she’d touched him and the present.
Her laugh pulled him from his thoughts. She knelt beside Jayden. “Maybe you can ask your dad if he can hold some of your things. That way you won’t have to stuff everything into your backpack.”
“I got it, Ms. Thorne,” Jayden said with all the certainty reality didn’t offer him. “It’s not too much. Promise.”
Her brows went up. “You have a lot of books. Maybe—”
“We have to try them all. I don’t think Dad likes reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
She stiffened but didn’t look Jake’s way. “What makes you say that?”
“He falls asleep before me. I’ve had to wake him up all week.”
Bailey curled her lips in, but he could see the laugh bubbling up. She glanced at him then hurriedly broke the gaze.
He hated that. He hated that it was his own damn fault they could no longer share a conspiratorial laugh at something Jayden said. All because he’d been hurt, scared and pissed. Jake had every excuse in the book he could pull out to explain why he’d cut Bailey out of their personal lives. Given the anvil he dropped on Jayden, it was the right thing to do to focus solely on his son.
Wasn’t that what Jake had been doing since he’d picked up Jayden from the sitter almost five years ago? He’d dated women but never let them spend time with his son. Somehow, she’d—he’d let Bailey waltz around that boundary. Until her, he’d lived without realizing just how heavy the burden of the truth had been, and it wasn’t until recently that he’d finally known what it was like to share the weight that always sat on his shoulders.
So, maybe, it hurt like a son of a bitch she looked away from him. Fuck. Exhaustion pressed against his eyelids and his insides just felt raw.
He tried to speak around that, “Jayden, let me help. I’ll hold the books.”
Despite how much of an asshole he’d been to her, concern filled Bailey’s eyes when she looked at him again. “You okay?”
He’d shut her out and still she cared. He’d blocked all avenues for her to offer support and still like a friend…like someone who could be family, she didn’t hesitate to help. Some part of his brain finally remembered that should be the norm. He shouldn’t feel alone. He shouldn’t feel uncomfortable that someone wanted to help him.
And he remembered that because of her—because of Bailey.
“I’m sorry,” he said the words that had almost choked him daily.
She blinked and her mouth parted in surprise. “Okay. For what?”
“For how I spoke to you. You didn’t deserve that. If we needed boundaries about Jayden, I should have said that upfront, with a calm, cool head. Instead I pushed you away.” He took a breath. “And that just makes me think you were right to be wary of me. My track record is shit.”
Bailey lifted her chin then nodded. “It is.”
He laughed and it felt so good. “Thank you for always being on my case. It keeps me humble.” He glanced at his son. Jayden had been looking between the two of them. Jake cleared his throat. “We should go. I don’t want to hold you up.”
She stood then shrugged. “You’re fine. My only plans for the winter break is to catch up on every show I’ve missed.”
He wouldn’t lie and say relief didn’t sink into him. She hadn’t moved on yet. “Well…um…”
She crossed her arms. “Are you…being shy?”
“Blasphemy.”
“Then what is it you want to say?” She glanced down at Jayden. “I know we have ears intently listening, but ask me anything.”
God. He’d missed the shit out of her. “Is that, right?”
She pursed her lips and it did nothing to hold back a small smile. “I’ll let you know if you cross a line.”
He really, really, really liked her. But they did have “ears.” He pulled out his phone and sent her a text. It vibrated on her desk. She glanced at it then him. He gestured in her direction. Wary, but clearly curious, she went to see.
Jake: I’ve missed you.
She bit her lip.
Bailey: You haven’t acted like it.
His brows knitted in confusion. He shook his head at that.
Jake: I would love to say all my focus has been on Jayden, but I’ve missed our Friday nights. Our excuses to see each other on Saturday. The way you smell, laugh…and give me shit.
She was still biting her lip but that only made her smile lopsided.
Bailey: I’ve really missed giving you shit.
The smile faded.
Bailey: This is how it started last time with us.
Jake: We know better this time.
Bailey: Do we?
Jake: 1. We’re not lying about what’s going on between us.
Bailey: True.
Jake: 2. We have clearly tried and failed getting over each other and moving on.
Bailey: It’s the holiday season. Tough getting dates.
Jake: Even in text you’re a terrible liar.
Bailey laughed.
Bailey: Fine. That’s true, too.
Jake: 3. How about we go to Shayne’s tonight and stop being stubborn about this whole relationship?
Bailey’s phone clattered to the desk. “Relationship?”
When Jayden looked up, she put a hand to her mouth.
He stuffed his phone back into his pocket then walked over to his son and bent to be eye-level. Jayden’s gaze was wide, but his brows were up in curiosity, not confusion.
“Hey, listen,” Jake said. “I really like Ms. Thorne, and…” He looked to Bailey who nodded. “She actually likes me back, grumpy face included. I want you to know and to make sure you’re okay with it?”
“Does this mean we’ll go over to her house sometimes for ice cream?”
Both Bailey and Jake laughed, but it was Jake who said, “I think she will allow that.”
Jayden grinned. “Can we go over today?”
“I’ve actually asked her to go to Shayne’s. I think
we can talk Abigail into giving us ice cream. But, can you give me and Ms. Thorne a minute to speak?”
Jayden handed him the stack of books. “Hold those, please. They won’t fit inside my backpack.”
And like that, his son was fine with another new change in his life. Why had Jake been so scared? He looked at Bailey. Well, who cared? He wasn’t anymore. He went to her. Her brown eyes were bright and soft.
“You wanted to talk to me about something?” she asked and stood close to him.
He so noticed and tried not to act cool about it. “I have a proposition.”
“Do tell.”
“For the next two months, I would love to be your friend. After that—”
Her laugh cut him off. “Two months? Making our…relationship six months exactly.”
“Exactly six months. By then, you’ll know if you’re sure about me. If not, you can drop me on the spot.”
She bit her lip and seemed to consider his offer. “And after that six-month mark?”
“Hopefully you’ll trust me when I say I am head over heels for you. I want to be more than friends.” He smiled. “And if I’m lucky, you’ll kiss my face off.”
She pressed a hand to his heart. “Well, you do need friends that are women.”
“So how about it?”
She fisted her hand in his shirt and pulled him closer. She brushed her mouth along his then smiled, a twisted smile and let him go. “Let’s see how dinner goes first.”
God, he loved this woman. “But we already know, Bailey.”
“Yeah. We do, and I can’t wait to kiss your face off.”
EPILOGUE
Two Months Later
Jake and Bailey fell just inside her doorway in a tangle of limbs. Jake kicked the door closed then peeled off his suit jacket. She was already working on his shirt buttons when she said, “Which one of us was the stupid one who suggested we wait the full two months before falling into bed again?”
“Me, I was trying to be a gentleman.”
He kissed her. His mouth was urgent, hungry devouring any moan she offered him while his hands lifted the skirt of her dress up to her middle. She moaned for him. He worked on her panties next. She helped by lifting her hips so he could toss them over his shoulder.
