by Ava Miles
“Come over here,” he said, staying in his office chair.
She shuffled forward, and when she reached him, he lifted her onto his desk. She sat there stiffly, not dangling her feet like normal. He reached for the bottom drawer of his desk and took out Mandy’s picture. Shoving aside all of the anger he still felt toward her, he handed Jess the frame.
“I thought you might want to put this in your room,” Riley told her. “I’m sorry I didn’t give it to you earlier, but… Well, I know it’s hard not having your mom around, and I didn’t want to make you sad.”
She held the frame on her little lap. “Other kids have pictures of their mom.”
Oh, baby, he wanted to say, but she wasn’t ready to hear it. “I get really angry when I think about your mom because I don’t really understand how she could choose her career over being here with you. I know you wish she were here, and I don’t always know what to tell you about her, but I want you to know that she is your mom. No one else will ever take that place. Not Paige. Not Sadie. But who we love is our choice, and that’s why we have women in our lives like Paige and Sadie.”
“But Sadie is your girlfriend,” Jess said. “Some of the other kids at school like Betty say she’ll become my mom if y’all get married.”
Part of him wanted to curse those kids for telling her such things, but they were probably from broken families too. Just like Jess, they were trying to make sense out of what had happened to them.
“Every family has a different way of handling things,” he said, “and it’s sometimes hard to know what’s right, but all I can do is love you. Jess, you’re my heart, my best girl, and the best daughter in the world. I know it’s only you and me. I wish your mom had made a different choice, but she didn’t, and that has nothing to do with you.”
“Maybe she’ll change her mind,” Jess said, lifting the frame to gaze at her picture.
He started to sweat. Over my dead body. Instead of sharing that gut reaction, he said, “I’m not sure what she’ll want to do, but I’ll always be your dad. Until you’re old enough to be on your own, you’re with me, and Jess, it’s the best gig on the planet.”
The right side of her mouth finally turned up. “Even better than saving the planet from evil villains?”
His heart seemed to explode into a millions pieces before settling back inside his chest. They were back. Just like that. “Even better than that. I love you, Jess.”
“I love you too, Daddy,” she said, resting the frame on her lap.
“Are you going to hug me, or am I going to have to wrestle you?” he quipped, feeling like they were back on solid ground.
When she set the frame aside and came into his arms, he wrapped her up tight, but she didn’t voice her usual complaint that he was squeezing the life out of her. No, she grabbed a hold of his arms and squeezed back with all of her might.
“Jess, I need to tell you that I really love Sadie, but that doesn’t change anything for you. You and me are still father and daughter, and nothing beats that. Okay?”
She leaned her head against his chest and looked up at him. “What if you get married?”
He chose his words carefully. “Then she and I will be like Mark and Paige, and we’ll all…ah…be a family,” he finished lamely. “But we’re only dating right now.”
“You love each other,” Jess said. “Isn’t that what happens next?”
Oh, sweet Christ. Save him from these questions. “Sometimes. Only if the two people just can’t stand to be without each other.”
The glimmer in her eye made him want to squirm.
“Isn’t that how you feel about Sadie? You bought a couple of new sport coats and shoes. You run out of the house whenever you have a date with her. It’s the same way you act when you take me to the newest superhero movie at the theater.”
She was way too smart. “I do love her, but I want to make sure we’ll be…compatible…and that you like her. We…I’m just getting to know her better right now, and I’d like you to do the same. But only if you want to.”
“I like Sadie, Daddy,” Jess said. “Everybody does. Haley already thinks she’s the best aunt ever, and Mrs. Bradshaw gets all teary-eyed sometimes whenever she talks about her.”
“You see everything, don’t you?”
She shrugged. “You always say you can’t draw anything if you don’t look at life. I…I think you really love Sadie. She makes you happy.”
“She does, but you make me the happiest.” He kissed the top of her head. “She’d like us to meet her family sometime. Would you be up for that?”
Her nod was enthusiastic. “Sure. Haley said they’re all totally cool. Especially Rye Crenshaw.”
He felt himself blush a little. It had embarrassed him and then some to learn the country singers whose names he hadn’t recognized on his first date with Sadie were actually her relations. “The country singer, right?”
She jumped off his lap and threw out her arms. “He’s like huge. I mean, everyone listens to his music. Except you. I know you don’t like country music because of my mom.”
His eyes narrowed. Was there nothing she didn’t pick up on? “I’ve loved New Wave since I was a kid. It’s more my groove. But have you listened to Rye’s music?”
“Yep, and Jake Lassiter’s too. He’s Haley’s uncle, after all.”
It surprised him a little that she’d hidden it from him—and pretty darn well—but he’d probably have to listen to their music too if he was going to meet them.
“You listen to whatever music you want, Jess,” he said. “It’s part of growing up.”
“Okay, that’s cool. I didn’t want to make you sad or mad by listening to it.”
“You don’t ever worry about that, honey. I can take it.” He made himself give her a wink.
“Do you think they know my mom?” Jess asked, jumping off his desk with Mandy’s picture in her hands. “I’ll have to ask them when we meet them.”
She skipped out of the room before he could form a coherent response.
Chapter 22
Sadie fingered Susannah’s blue-and-white textured curtain as she watched for Riley’s car to pull up.
“You’re as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs,” Shelby said from behind her. “It’s going to be fine. Once Jess meets everybody, everything’s going to get easier. Trust me.”
Her sister put her arm around her, and she leaned in. “It’s been better this week, but everything still seems so fragile.”
Riley had felt like Jess was mostly back to herself. Though she’d put the picture of her mom beside her bed, she’d also told her dad she wanted to meet Sadie’s extended family. Over their last date, Riley had confessed his worry that they weren’t out of the woods yet. She’d tried to reassure him. Heavens knew she was praying up a storm and had asked her siblings to do the same, minus Paige. She hadn’t felt comfortable asking that of her new sister.
They’d had a great quilting class this week. Paige’s skills and confidence were improving, and it was wonderful to see. But Sadie had gotten to know Paige enough to read her fairly well. Her sister was also worried about Riley and Jess.
“I love him so much,” Sadie whispered, clutching the curtain’s edge. “I want everything to be okay.”
“It will be,” Shelby said, giving her a loving squeeze. “Have faith.”
Faith. Yes, she’d been praying for more of that too. When she caught sight of Riley’s car, she smiled as she watched Annabelle and Rory run toward the driveway. She had a feeling she had J.P. to thank for the red-carpet welcome.
“See,” Shelby said as they watched Jess jump out of the car and take the flowers Annabelle extended with a huge grin. “Love always wins, honey. Always.”
“You sound like Mama,” Sadie said, leaving the room and heading outside with her sister.
“What a nice compliment,” Shelby said, hurrying down the front walkway with her. “Hey, Riley. Hey, Jess. Welcome. I’m Shelby.”
> Riley kissed her sister’s cheek. “Thanks. I…ah…brought white wine. Heard it was a fan favorite around here.”
Shelby grabbed the bottle. “It is indeed. Thank you. Come on inside. Jess, I see you’ve met Annabelle and Rory.”
“Yes,” Jess said, venturing closer to Riley and ducking her head. “Haley told me they were nice. I didn’t expect flowers.”
“Rory and me figured a princess should have flowers,” Annabelle said.
“We should put those in a nice vase,” Shelby said, giving her a smile. “Would you like to come inside and help me pick one out?”
“Aunt Susannah has tons of vases,” Annabelle said, reaching for Jess’ hand and leading her inside.
Shelby shot her a wink and took off with the kids, leaving Sadie alone with Riley for a moment. He caressed her face and leaned in and kissed her sweetly on the lips.
“Last night was…beautiful,” he told her softly. “I missed you when I woke up this morning. We’re going to have to find a way for us to wake up together after the sun comes up.”
She’d gone home around three o’clock after making love with him for hours. They were slowly exploring each other, and it was downright delicious. She hadn’t expected to laugh during sex, but Riley was so funny sometimes, teasing her about things like wanting to draw her naked with nothing but a jungle outfit on, à la Jane from Tarzan, or dressing her in nothing but a pirate hat adorned with parrot feathers. No surprise, he had quite an imagination, and beyond the sounds they made while loving each other, the laughter held a special place in her heart.
“We’ll figure it out,” she said, curling her hand around his. “Are you nervous?”
He kissed the back of her hand. “Me? Nah. This is going to be a walk in the park. Paige made it out alive. I figure I have a fifty-fifty shot of it going my way. Besides, your brother likes me.”
“So does Shelby,” she told him with a flash of a smile. “Mama is here. I mean…of course, she is. Just wanted to… Well, she and Paige haven’t met yet.”
“It will happen,” Riley said. “We should go inside. Otherwise, your family is going to think I’m a big weenie who needed a pre-game speech before meeting them.”
“You’ve already met Shelby,” she told him as they walked to the house. “Not too many more to meet.”
That was mostly true, but it didn’t seem that way as she walked him through the house, introducing him to people as they went. Thankfully, someone had suggested they not all cluster in one room and pounce on the newcomer like a pack of wild dogs.
He charmed Tory by asking if he could hold Boone, and his form of entertainment—funny faces and funnier voices—had the little boy cooing in moments.
“Hey, I’m a rockstar with kids,” he said in response to the compliments that came flooding his way. “We speak the same language.”
Sadie looked to the doorway where she’d noticed her mama quietly observing the scene. “You can tell a lot by the way a man handles a baby,” her mama said, stepping forward. “I’m Sadie’s mama, Louisa.”
Riley passed Boone to Susannah, who’d held out her arms for him, but kept a hold of Boone’s little fist when the boy wouldn’t release him. He had to extend his other hand to her mama.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. McGuiness. You have an incredible family here, and no offense to the other ladies else in the room, but your daughter, Sadie, is one of the best women I’ve ever met. She’s right up there with my daughter.”
His wink was downright cheeky, and she heard Tory bark out a laugh and say, “This one is as fast as a hot knife through butter. Rye’s going to have some competition.”
“I don’t know about butter, but I like chocolate,” Riley said, flashing Tammy a smile. “I hear y’all have chocolate fairies at your house. How can I get some to migrate to my place? Jess and I love the idea of waking up to a piece of chocolate each morning.”
“You’ll need to plant some chocolate-scented flowers and the like,” Tammy told him, her face cheery. “I’d be happy to give you some cuttings from my garden or make recommendations. It’s a good time to plant for the spring.”
“That would be great, Tammy,” Riley said. “Jess likes flowers, and so does my girl here. You know, the night of my second date with Sadie…”
Sadie half-listened as Riley shared his horror at discovering the daisies Jess had suggested he buy were still in the pot. Her mama had a soft smile on her face, but her eyes were watchful. Sadie could tell she was still gauging Riley’s character. Heavens, she hoped Mama would relax a little.
“Is anyone going to introduce Sadie’s beau to me?” Rye asked, standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. “I mean, everyone trusts J.P.’s opinion, but surely mine counts for something.”
Sadie found herself watching Rye closely. Oddly, his approval was important to her.
“Like I said, butter.” Tory rolled her eyes. “Your opinion isn’t the only one that counts. Rather like how things are at home.”
“Aunt Tory just busted your chops, Uncle Rye,” Rory told him with a grin. The little boy had snuck into the room without her noticing. Tory grinned and handed him a frosting-covered wooden spoon.
“She always does,” Rye said, crossing and pulling her close. “She knows it makes me crazy.” He kissed her hard on the mouth and then turned to Riley.
“I hear you’re making friends with my boy,” Rye said.
Riley stuck out his hand, and Rye took it.
“He’s a cute boy. Can’t seem to help myself around babies. They laugh at everything I do.”
“So you crave the spotlight too, huh?” Rye asked. “Well, I expect you can hold my son when you come around for these here family dinners. Usually the women line up and pass him around. I barely get to see him.”
Sadie knew what a big concession that was for Rye, and she flashed him a smile to tell him so. His wink was quick and cheeky.
“The cutest kids never want for admirers,” Riley told him. “Trust me, there will be moments when you’ll consider yourself lucky to have other people gushing over your kid.”
Rye studied him for a long moment and then slapped him on the back. “Do you drink bourbon?”
Sadie almost cheered, knowing Rye was giving his stamp of approval.
Riley shook his head. “No, that would be Paige’s department.”
Nice comeback, Sadie wanted to shout.
Rye’s mouth twitched. “I really like that girl, I have to tell you.”
“She’s the best,” Riley said with a nod. “I’d better see where Jess went off to.”
Tammy put a hand on his arm. “She’s outside with Annabelle, and I expect J.P. is watching them.”
“Still,” he said, flashing her a smile. “I’d feel better…”
Sadie inclined her head to the back door. “This way.”
Before they left the kitchen, Tory gave her a thumbs up, which made her laugh.
“Something funny?” Riley asked.
“You did great,” she said. And he had, from his first interactions with Boone to the way he’d batted words with Rye.
“Whew,” he said, swiping his hand across his brow. “I guess we’re halfway there.”
“Halfway?” she asked.
“Your mother is still inspecting me.” He squeezed her hand. “But don’t worry. I’ll win her over.”
She didn’t doubt it. He joined J.P. in the yard, where her brother was watching the two young girls run around.
“You have rainbow ribbon wands too, Annabelle?” Riley asked, bending over at the waist to talk to her. “We love rainbow ribbon wands, don’t we, Jess?”
“I’ve already told her, Dad,” Jess said.
Riley clutched his heart and sat down in the grass, leaning back and closing his eyes. “I’m the prisoner of an evil sorcerer. Will you help free me?”
Annabelle stopped running and cocked her hip. “There’s no evil sorcerer around here. You’re okay.”
He threw his arms o
ut dramatically. “You can’t see him. He’s invisible, and he’s tied me up. Right, Jess?”
“Right,” she responded, shaking her wand due east. “Please, we both need to free my dad. It’s the only way.”
Annabelle shook her head. “I still don’t see anyone.”
Sadie watched her brother cover his mouth like he was fighting laughter.
“It’s pretend,” Jess told her, dropping her wand. “Don’t you ever use your imagination?”
“Oh, pretend!” the little girl cried out. “I get it.”
Together they proceeded to shake their wands in the same direction, and then Jess trailed the ribbons over Riley, who still lay on the ground with his eyes closed.
“He’s not what I expected,” Sadie heard her mama say.
She looked over her shoulder to see Mama only a few steps behind her. “Dale says I’m being a tough cookie, given how close he is to Paige. As I was watching him, I realized that part of me didn’t want to like him.”
Sadie’s mouth parted. “But why?”
Her mama caressed her face. “Because I know they’re close… It seemed to me that if I liked him, I would probably like Paige too. It’s a horrible thing to admit, but part of me was hoping…oh good heavens… Part of me still blames Paige’s mama for what happened to our family. Even though I know that has nothing to do with Paige herself.”
“It’s okay to be angry, Mama,” Sadie told her, hugging her tight. “No one thinks less of you for that.”
“He’s a good man,” Mama whispered. “Your Riley. J.P. told me a bit about their conversation, and if that and your love for the man hadn’t been enough to sway me, the way he played with Boone in the kitchen would have done the trick. It won’t always be easy with the daughter, but I expect you know that.”
Sadie nodded. “I know that, but I keep praying. I never imagined falling in love with a man who had a child already. Part of me always thought we’d both…make that journey together first. But I love him, Mama, and part of me already loves Jess. I know I’m not her mama, and I pray for guidance about how to interact with her. Then I think about Dale, and I know how.”