“Can’t let him lick you, honey,” I quickly tell Kelty, ignoring Jude for now. “Even wearing your mask. It’s possible to catch things from a dog too, especially when your immune system is compromised. You’ll also have to make sure to wash your hands real well after you play with him.”
“Are you ignoring me?” Jude mumbles, his lips against my ear.
“I’m setting priorities,” I tease him, turning in his arms and tilting my head back. “And I’m sorry, but you weren’t it.”
“Ouch, woman. Way to put a guy in his place. Not only do I play second fiddle to my daughter, but to her dog as well. You’re lucky I love you.”
I am—both loved and lucky—I can read it in his deep brown eyes.
“I am,” I confirm before adding, “but I thought Rascal was supposed to be my dog?”
He tugs my head back and kisses me sweetly.
“Same difference,” he whispers against my smiling lips when Kelty pipes up.
“Ewww, you guys.”
23
JUDE
“Good to have you back.”
I fold Trisha in a bear hug, which she only allows for a second before virtually shoving me off. She’s always been bristly at best. Tough, opinionated, and direct, which is oddly what makes her fit in so well with the rest of the crew. Mandy is our mother hen, even though she’s younger than most of us, with the exception of the part-time summer help and Penny, who is our resident innocent.
Daniel is the tease, Melissa is the clear head, and I’m the dreamer.
Mika—with her quiet strength—has become an integral part of the team over the summer, slipping from one role to the other, depending on the circumstances. She’s the adaptable one.
“She still here?” Trisha curtly points out as Mika walks in from the kitchen.
“To stay,” I inform her, which appears to surprise her.
“No shit,” she mumbles, looking at me curiously. “It’s like that, is it?”
“It absolutely is.”
“Well, dayum. Didn’t think she had it in her,” she shares just as Mika walks up.
“Good to see you, Trisha. Who didn’t have it in her?” Her smile is friendly enough but her eyes are sharp.
Trisha being Trisha, she doesn’t hesitate to give her a straight answer. “You. Thought you’d’a been gone by now. Back to your fancy life in Boston. Coulda knocked me down with a feather, seeing you still hangin’ around.”
“Nothing to go back to. I’m not planning on going anywhere.”
It’s a challenge if I ever heard one, especially when she slips her arm through mine, facing off with Trisha. With them on either side of me, I’m starting to feel like the monkey in the middle, and wonder if maybe I should duck.
Trisha surprises me when she starts to chuckle. “There’s the fire. Maybe I could learn to like her after all,” she addresses me as if Mika isn’t standing right beside me.
“I’m thinking that’d probably be a good thing, seeing as she sleeps with your boss.”
“Jude!” Mika pokes a disgruntled finger between my ribs, and when Trisha laughs, she pokes the same finger at her. “And don’t you encourage him,” she adds before snagging her tray and marching out to the patio.
“She’ll do.”
“Cove Side Cooker.”
“Ya left yaw phone.”
“Dad? What’s up?”
I tilt my chair back so I can see the front of my house through the window.
“Mawk called. It’s time.”
I shoot up so fast my chair slams into the wall.
“Cassie?”
“Sounds like. Give him a call.”
Cassie had a few scares before, but each time they were able to slow down her contractions. Now at thirty-seven weeks, I guess the baby is ready.
I’m already walking out of the office when Mark picks up the phone.
“For real this time?”
“You wouldn’t ask me that if you saw the claw marks on my arms,” he shoots back, sounding a little rattled, something I’ve not heard before from the man. I guess it’s not every day you become a father.
“We’re on our way.”
“That’d be good. This lasts much longer, and I may need a spare set of arms while these are stitched up.” I can hear Cassie cursing at him in the background and chuckle as I hang up.
All I have to do is meet her eyes across the restaurant and it’s as if she can read them like a book. She doesn’t even hesitate as she stalks over.
“It’s time?”
“Apparently.”
“Go on then,” she urges, as she starts pushing me to the door. “You don’t want Kelty to miss it.”
I grab her hand when she threatens another shove to my shoulder. “I want you to come with me.”
“I can’t. The restaurant,” she mutters as her eyes dart around.
“Trish is here, they can handle it,” I insist when I see the veiled excitement in her eyes.
“Cassie may not want me there.”
“You should know by now that’s not how it works. Cassie is all about family, and fucked up as it may seem to an outsider, family is what you and I are to her.”
Her eyes shimmer but her lips pull into a smile. “Let’s go then.”
“Mandy!” I call out. “It’s time, we’re outta here.”
“We’ve got it, Boss. Don’t worry about Rascal; I’ll look after him. Good luck!”
It still takes us half an hour before we’re all piled in my truck heading for Boston. We all had to pack a quick bag in case we’d be staying the night, and Mika almost forgot her camera.
Dad’s in front with me, and Mika sits beside Kelty in the back. My little girl is almost vibrating she’s so excited.
Turns out an hour and a half is a long time to be confined in the car with a kid hopped up on adrenaline. Feels like we’ve gone over every possible name for a boy, or a girl, by the time I park the truck. The girl’s almost in meltdown mode when I insist she wear her mask before getting out, but a sharp look and admonishing, “Kelty,” from her grampa averts a crisis.
“You guys wait here, I’ll go see where they are.” I point at the waiting room before heading over to the nurses’ station.
“Mr. Sommers already alerted us you’d be coming. I’ll tell him you’re here.”
I remember this from last time, the sense of wonder that permeates labor and delivery, knowing that behind each one of these doors a new life is about to start. A new family is born.
“Jude.” I hear my name and turn to find Mark rushing toward me, his face a mask of tension.
“Everything okay?” I immediately ask.
“They say she’s ready to push.”
“That’s good news,” I assure him.
He doesn’t look like he believes me. “I don’t know who this woman is. I’ve never heard so much cursing in my life.”
I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing. I remember this part too. Cassie had made me feel about an inch tall with her sharp tongue while she was delivering Kelty. She’d even smacked me because I was breathing too loudly.
“Hang in there, man. She’ll be back to her old self once that baby is born.”
“Fuck, I hope so. This Cassie scares the crap out of me. You’ve done this before, maybe you should go in.”
This time I don’t hold back and laugh out loud. “Fat chance of that, my friend. She’s all yours. You’d better get in there before you miss the best part. We’ll be in the waiting room, cheering you on from a distance.”
“Asshole,” he mumbles, but grabs onto me when I give him a quick hug.
“You’ll be fine. Trust me on this.”
He nods once, and walks back down the hall, his pace a little slower.
Entering the waiting room, I have to disappoint Kelty when I mention her mom’s a little too busy right now for visitors. Mika’s gentle reminder that she’ll be a big sister soon puts a smile back on her face.
Forty-five minutes later, a
rather disheveled looking, but broadly smiling Mark sticks his head around the door.
“It’s a boy. Isaiah.”
MIKA
“I think aftah this weekend, it’s time for me to head back home.”
I’ve just started counting the little holes in the ceiling tiles again, in an effort to pass time, when Jude’s dad speaks up.
“Don’t you like being with us, Grampa?”
He smiles at Kelty and I’m struck by the similarities I suddenly see between Jude and his father. “Oh, but I do, Peanut, and I’ll still be comin’ to visit, but I haven’t seen mah friends in a good long while. Also been thinking about taking a trip on one ‘a them cruise boats.”
“Dad, you know we’d love for you to stay,” Jude adds.
“I do, Son. I also know yaw stawtin’ something new that don’t need an old man hangin’ around. Glad to see ya happy, though.”
“Jim,” I start, but he doesn’t give me a chance.
“I was hawd on ya…regret that. Always wanted the best for mah boy, just took me a while to see maybe the best is just what yaw.”
I grin at his gruff delivery, it’s clear the man is marshmallow underneath. “Thank you, that’s a really nice thing to say.”
He harrumphs, brushing me off with a wave of his hand. “Time faw me to move out, and you to move in. Not like yaw not spendin’ every night togethah anyways.”
“You could’ve let me ask her, Dad,” Jude says a tad irritated.
“Takin’ forevah, Son. Didn’t think you were evah gonna. Just movin’ things along.”
“Will you?” The question comes from Kelty and is directed at me.
I love that little cottage, but I would love waking up with Jude, without him running off at the crack of dawn more. Besides, I’ve been thinking of another way to hang onto that cottage.
“I think if your dad would ask me, I’d probably say yes.”
“Probably?”
I grin at an indignant Jude. “Yeah, it would depend on whether you’d be interested in letting me continue renting the cottage from you, so I could turn it into a photo studio and gallery.”
“That’d be so cool,” Kelty pipes up, her face all smiles as she looks expectantly at her dad.
“Sounds like I’m outvoted,” he grumbles playfully.
“Bullocks,” Jim says, and I start giggling just as the door opens and a grinning Mark sticks his head in.
So tiny.
I zoom in on Kelty’s hand carefully cradling her brother’s little foot as she counts his toes. He’s perfect. The surprisingly thick, dark blond hair hides his slightly cone-shaped head and his face is pure perfection, with the same little button mouth Kelty still has.
“He looks like you, honey,” I tell her, as I zoom out to capture Cassie gently pressing her lips to the little boy’s head just as her daughter kisses his foot.
I’ve been snapping like crazy since Mark proudly introduced us to Isaiah. Pictures of Mom and Dad with baby, pictures of honorary grampa with baby, and a few with Jude holding that little bundle with Kelty looking on. Some great shots, but I already know this last one will be my favorite.
“Put that camera down for a minute, Mika,” Mark says. “Don’t you want to hold him for bit?”
I hesitate, looking at Cassie first, who just smiles at me. “Absolutely,” I finally say, handing my camera to Jude.
Mark takes Isaiah from his wife and hands him to me. I immediately bring the tiny boy to my nose, closing my eyes as I inhale his baby scent deeply. When I peek up, Jude is looking at me with a deep concern in his eyes. I try to reassure him with a smile.
“We do have something to ask you, Mika,” Mark announces, breaking through my thoughts as I see him share a significant look with his wife. She grabs his hand and entwines their fingers. “You should probably sit down first, though.” He waits until I have a seat before he continues, “Cassie and I would like to name our son, Isaiah Jameson Sommers, if that’s okay with you.”
Immediately my eyes blur with tears and I can’t even see Jude stepping closer, but I can sense him.
“We want to make sure he’ll always be a part of this family,” Cassie adds in a kind voice.
“Thank you,” I choke out before burying my nose in the little baby bundle.
With Jude’s hand on my neck grounding me, and Kelty’s sweet weight leaning into my side, I feel my heart heal a fraction more.
EPILOGUE
JUDE
“If you don’t ask her, I will.”
My eyes drift outside, where the first snow of the season is starting to come down.
“It’s not that simple, Cassie.”
“I know it’s not, but the longer you wait the harder it’ll be. It’s in two days, Jude. Do you think she’s not been aware of the date?”
“I’m sure Mika’s well aware, but that doesn’t make it any easier to tell her about—”
“Tell me about what?”
I look up to find the subject of our discussion standing in the doorway of my office, a scowl on her face.
“Busted,” Cassie snickers in my ear. “I’ll leave it in your capable hands.”
“Thanks,” I mumble, but I don’t think she heard me; the line is already dead.
“Tell me about what?” Mika repeats sharply when I put down my phone.
“Baby, come sit,” I plead.
“I think I’d rather stand for this, thanks.”
I have to bite down a grin at her sharp sarcasm, because I have a feeling that wouldn’t go over to well right now.
“All right. I’ll tell you.” I get up and walk toward her, noticing how she folds her arms over her chest when I get close. “That was Cassie, she’s been on my case to talk to you about a party she’s organizing for Kelty.”
“So why haven’t you?” she asks, looking at the ground but not before I see a flash of hurt in her eyes.
Fuck.
“Because she has it scheduled for this Saturday.”
She lifts her face, a confused frown between her eyebrows. “Saturday?”
“The one-year anniversary of Jamie’s death, I know, babe. But it’s also been a year since Kelty’s transplant.”
“I know that, Jude. Why do you think I’ve been at the cottage all morning, baking her a cake?”
Shit. Don’t I feel like an idiot? “I thought—”
I feel her hand on my chest. “I get what you thought, and I appreciate you trying to protect me, but you’re missing the point here.” She steps closer and loops her arms around my neck, looking up at me with those gorgeous blue eyes. “I’ve celebrated that heart beating for thirteen years. My son may be gone, but that heart is still beating, and I’ll be damned if I stop celebrating it now.”
“Fuck, baby.” I tighten my arms around her until she is plastered against my front. “I love you so goddamn much.”
“I love you too, but you’d better get on that phone and call Cassie back to tell her we’ve already got a cake, or I may reconsider.”
MIKA
To say I’m a little nervous is an understatement.
It’s the middle of the day and the house looks packed. From what Cassie’s told me over the phone yesterday, I’m about to meet both her family and Mark’s.
I’ve gotten to know the Parks family pretty well, these past few months, so I know there’ll be at least a few familiar faces.
I haven’t been around a lot of people outside of the restaurant. Aside from a few visits to Boston, I’ve been focusing on my photography, editing the massive amount of images I took over the summer, and turning the cottage into a cute little gallery. I display my prints as well as the work of some local artisans. Trisha told me about her sister, who makes gorgeous jewelry from sea glass, and I’d been surprised to discover Giles has a knack for woodworking, and creates the most amazing sculptures out of driftwood.
I’m in my element there, and I can handle people if they don’t know me from Adam, but a houseful of Kelty’s family members—who
all know who I am and what day this is—may be a bit much.
“Come on,” Jude says, walking ahead up the driveway, carrying the cake I made. “It won’t be nearly as bad as you think.”
I’m not too sure about that.
It’s Kelty who opens the door, a huge smile on her face.
“Can I see?” I guess her mom told her I’d be bringing cake.
“You can see later,” Jude says firmly. “Hello would be nice just about now, though.”
She grins up at him and plasters herself against him. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hey, Princess.”
Then she turns to me, trying very hard not to stare at the big parcel I have in my hands as she gives me a hug. “Happy heart birthday, honey,” I tell her, dropping a kiss on her head.
She leans back and looks up at me. “Are you sad?” She asks me that from time to time, and I try to be truthful.
“I’d be lying if I said no, but it’s funny: today I’m sad and happy at the same time.”
“Wanna feel?” She takes my free hand and presses it to her chest, where I feel her heartbeats steadily under my palm.
“I love you, honey.” I smile down at her, and her bright blue eyes smile up at me.
“Love you too, Mika.”
I’ve forgotten the names of half the people I was introduced to, but everyone’s been really nice.
Still, I volunteered to change Isaiah so I could have a little breather. I’m upstairs in his gorgeous nursery when Jude walks in.
“You’re timing is off, honey,” I tell him, peeling back the tabs on the baby’s diaper.
“Jesus,” Jude blurts out, his hand slapping over his nose. “That can’t be normal.”
“You’re such a lightweight. I bet you changed plenty of Kelty’s diapers.”
“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure hers didn’t smell like that,” he claims.
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