by Dahlia Rose
“Yes, I would, because I knew her nature,” he answered with a sigh.
“But did I know your relationship with her?” Eden asked. “I met her once and then a few weeks later, she showed up at my door, the very same day I found out I was pregnant. So yes, I ran because as you can see, I cannot afford to fight you or her for my baby.”
“May I hold her?” Jacob asked. There would be more time to hash this out but at this point, his arms ached to hold his child. He saw Eden’s arms tighten protectively and he implored, “Please, Eden.”
She met his gaze and with a sigh, she stood and placed his daughter in his arms.
Jacob had never held a child before because his sisters did not have children as yet. But somehow, he knew how to hold the squirming six-month-old that didn’t want to lay in his arms but to stand on little legs and stare into his face. Jacob was instantly in love. His heart was filled with it for both Eden and his daughter.
“Well, hello there,” Jacob said gently. “Aren’t you the prettiest baby in the world? Are you Sera, is that your name?” It delighted him to see her smile and make babbling sounds at him. Sera drooled, there was a lot of it, and he wiped her lips gently, so it wouldn’t get on her clothes.
“She’s teething, they are giving her a hard time, so the drool is because of that,” Eden explained standing close by as if expecting him to run with the baby.
“You moved home to have help with her, didn’t you?” Jacob asked bouncing the baby and listening to her happy coos.
“My parents live close by. They babysit when I have to go into work.... I’m not moving back to Texas, Jacob. Don’t even ask because our life is here now, you took care of you and yours for a more than a year. I took care of us and this is our home, and she loves it here, close to her grandparents. I’m not running away but I’m not going to be forced to leave either.”
“I wouldn’t expect that...’ Jacob sighed. “I don’t know what I expect, but I want to be in her life and yours.”
“I won’t stop you from being a father and the logistics will more than likely be you flying back here to see her.” Eden met his gaze as she took the baby. “But there is no us, Jacob not anymore, we share a child and that’s how it will be.”
He stood. “For now, but know this, Eden. I never stopped loving you and I never will. I will work my ass off to have you and my daughter in my life. I won’t be giving up easily, just because you try to send me away.”
“Jacob don’t, please don’t make this any harder,” Eden pleaded. “I had to rebuild my heart for her, let me keep it that way.”
Jacob searched her face and even as she tried to hide it, he could still see the love in her eyes. He would take it slow, but his intentions would never change. “This is going to be her first Christmas,” Jacob said thinking about the time of the year it was. “I’m glad I didn’t miss it.”
Eden sighed. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
Jacob smiled. “Not in the least. I will have my bright and clear sky and my moon in my life.” He leaned over to kiss the baby’s head and inhaled the soft scent of baby lotion and powder. “I’ll see you both again, soon.”
“Oh Jacob, what are you planning?” she asked helplessly.
“My life with the people I love,” he answered.
When he left, he saw her standing at the door holding the baby and it took everything in him not to rush back in and take them both in his arms. Instead, he gave a small wave and drove off while his mind worked and formed a solid plan and a way to proceed. It seems Texas wasn’t going to be home anymore. Arizona had the two most important people in his life, living within the state. And Jacob was going to be exactly where they were. He would pull out all the stops to make Eden his again and by Christmas, they would be together... holding little Sera under the tree.
Chapter Four
Eden paced the room because she didn’t know what else to do, even after a whole night of thinking and worrying. Sera was napping and the only person she could call was her mother after of course, calling Lisa to chew her out.
“You told him where to find me?” Eden went into her bedroom, so she could loudly hiss the words at her friend without waking the baby.
“Who?” Lisa sounded genuinely confused.
“Jacob,” Eden stated flatly. “He found my house and now he knows about Sera.”
“Oh no, no. Not from me,” Lisa said. “Me and Jordan haven’t spoken in months, you know, bad breakup and all that.”
“He was supposed to be in some blissful marriage in Japan,” Eden said helplessly. “Now, he’s telling me his mother died and he just found out what she said to me. Then I denied that Seraphine was his...”
“Eden!” Lisa laughed. “That baby could be his clone with light brown skin. She literally has his eyes.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Eden muttered. “Now what do I do?”
“What does he want to do?” Lisa asked. “Does he want partial custody?”
“We didn’t discuss any of that,” Eden answered feeling helpless. “If he’s back, he’s in Texas, and I’m not moving back...”
“You got some logistics to work out.” Lisa sighed. “Is he gone... did he say if he was coming back?”
“You are asking questions I have no answers for,” Eden admitted. “I have to call my mom and let know her know, so she can smooth the way with my dad.”
“Oh yeah, Dad Kinsley was not pleased about the missing baby daddy,” Lisa said. “Maybe letting your dad kick his butt will put some sense in his head.”
“I just wanted a quiet first Christmas with my baby,” Eden moaned. “Sorry I jumped down your throat. Now I need to call my mother and get her over here.”
“That is not going to be a hard task.” Lisa laughed. “Your mom would move in to be with Sera if she could.”
Eden smiled. “Yeah, I know, it’s like I don’t exist. I will keep you updated.”
“I know you will, talk soon,” Lisa said. “Sending love and kisses to her highness for me.”
Next, was calling her mother and when Lee Kinsley retuned to the house, Eden related the whole story, even the parts she never told her mother. Eden watched her mother’s face as she spoke, looking for signs of anger or disappointment.
Instead, when Eden was finished talking, the older woman sat for a few minutes digesting the information. She was always the calm one. “Well, that is a lot isn’t it?” her mother said.
“Yeah it is... what do you think Dad will do?” Eden asked.
“Retired police officer, his baby girl who gave him a grandchild he dotes on, then the father of said baby comes back,” Lee mused gently. “I’ll keep an eye on his guns.”
“Mom, seriously!” Eden said dismayed.
Lee Kinsley laughed. “Your father as has a temper, especially when someone messes with his baby girl. Do you still have feelings for this Jacob?”
“Seeing him again, brought it all back, especially...” Eden shook her head and sat down. “I had settled myself into thinking he was married, there was just me and Sera to worry about.”
“And now he’s back and you don’t know what to feel,” her mother said knowingly.
“Mom, he looked at her like she was perfection and I could only think about the months she’d missed...they’d missed together.” Eden sighed helplessly.
“And you are in there somewhere,” her mother spoke as she came and sat next to Eden. “Sweetheart, if you still love him, why can’t you give this another try?”
Eden gave a sad laugh. “I tried that once and got the rug pulled out from under me. Yes, his mother lied, but God knows what other family or secrets he has hidden in the woodworks. It’s not just me that can be hurt right now, its Sera.”
“You can’t deny Sera knowing her father,” Lee Kinsley pointed out. “That wouldn’t be fair either.”
“I know mom.” Eden heard the tinkle of her phone and picked it from the coffee table. It was a number she didn’t recognize but the Texas
area code made it clear who it was.
She pressed the connect button and put it on speaker, “Hello Jacob.”
“Hi, I um wanted to know if I could come by this evening to see Sera and you,” Jacob said hesitantly. “I want to run some plans by you and see what you think.”
Eden looked over at her mother who nodded a bit too eagerly. She finally answered, “Yes, that would be good. Um, my parents will be here is that okay?”
“I would like to meet them, yes,” Jacob said without skipping a beat.
“Does seven sound okay?” Eden asked. “Sera is usually down by eight, she’s not sleeping through the night yet, so I’m up about one...” Eden cut her words off knowing she was babbling.
“Seven is perfect, I’ll see you then,” Jacob replied. “Thank you for this.”
“See you in a bit,” Eden answered not knowing what else to say.
“He sounds charming,” her mother spoke up after she disconnected the call. “I guess I should start cooking something, I mean he does know you can’t cook.”
“Yes mom, he did all the cooking, he’s amazing at it,” Eden answered while wringing her hands. “Mom, I’m terrified of this.”
“I know you are,” her mother said comfortingly. “Some of the worst jumps are the ones we can’t see through the darkness and fear to take. But when we do, it’s beautiful and the best ride of our lives. Besides, he should be worried about your father now, as he’s the one who has to be won over tonight.”
“Oh god,” Eden muttered.
The baby woke up in her bassinet with a soft wail because she got up cranky until she figured out where she was.
She went quiet and Eden’s mother was by the bassinet in an instant. “I think this one needs a new diaper,” Lee Kinsley said. “She’s making a poopy face.”
“I’ll handle it because you said you’re making dinner.” Eden walked over to the portable crib and grimaced. “Oh yeah, come on pudding baby, let’s go get cleaned up for your dad who is coming to visit.”
“Exciting, exciting!” Her mother cheered happily walking into the kitchen.
“Glad someone is happy,” Eden muttered.
Her mother had the house smelling like homemade biscuits in no time and called Eden’s father as well. By the time he showed up and Eden opened the door, she couldn’t tell if he was happy, sad or indifferent.
Steve Kinsley had a serious face, a cop face that revealed nothing. Yet, when he saw the baby in Eden’s arms, his face visibly softened when he stepped across the threshold into the house. “There’s my peanut, the sweetest peanut in the world,” he crooned taking the baby.
“Hi Dad, your daughter is here too,” Eden said with a smile.
“I see you, this one smells like baby, and is much more appealing,” he teased a smile pulling his lips upward and he used a free hand to pull her into a side hug. “Hey, baby girl.”
“That’s better.” Eden took a minute to press her nose into his chest and feel the same security she felt as a little girl growing up. He always smelled like his aftershave lotion, peppermint and sometimes a cigar or a hint of whiskey. This time, she caught the hint of his cigar which meant he’d gone out with his retired buddies earlier that afternoon. “Mom’s going to smell that cigar, Dad,” Eden said in a low voice.
“Not if I have new baby smell all over me,” He actually did smile this time, broad and rare for the man she called father.
“Using your granddaughter as a cover,” Eden teased shaking her head.
Her father sat down with the baby and commented mildly, “I hear we’re having a guest for dinner.”
Eden glanced at him. “And how do you feel about that?”
He shrugged. “We shall see.”
“Dad, no threats subversive or not, he didn’t know about Sera and I stopped all contact after his mother—”
“Your mom filled me in on the phone, while we were golfing,” Steve Kinsley answered. “Took down my average.”
“Dad, seriously.” Eden shook her head and laughed. “At least, you’re not threatening to kill him.”
“That is still on the table, I’m just not mentioning it.” Sera grabbed her grandfather’s finger and tried to put in in her mouth. “You need to get some waffles for her to chew on, the cold and the texture will sooth those gums instead of her trying to eat my fingers.”
“Is that healthy, I mean won’t a chuck come off?” Eden asked worriedly. “I have teething rings I can put in the fridge.”
“Nah, by the time it defrosts, you’ll see anyway.” He lifted her baby high. “Tell your mama it worked on her just fine. She didn’t need any fancy-schmancy teething rings.”
“Crazy man.” Eden kissed the top of his head.
Her mother came out of the kitchen while wiping her hands. “Okay, we have dinner ready, a lovely seared roast, mashed potatoes, and sautéed asparagus. There is a triple chocolate cake cooling and I’ll do a chocolate ganache with cherries in about ten minutes.”
“How come he gets the good chocolate cake and we’ve never met him?” Her father demanded to know.
“We are making a good impression, Dear.” Her mother pressed a kiss on her father’s lips. “And you promised to be nice.”
“I made no such declaration,” he stated firmly. “I said I would be polite.”
Promptly at seven, her doorbell rang.
Eden smoothed her hands down the front of her jeans to get rid of the clammy nervous dampness. She opened the door.
Jacob stood in the doorway, looking as delicious as ever. His hair seemed a bit longer, which she hadn’t noticed that before.
Maybe it was because she was too busy being terrified that he wanted to take her baby.
His eyes were kind, excited and so much more emotions swirled in their dark depths. Jacob wore a dark suit jacket over a blue button-down shirt, black slacks that matched his coat. and in his hands, he held flowers and an assortment of boxes.
“Hi Jacob,” Eden said looking up at him. “Come on in.”
“Thank you,” he answered politely. Jacob entered the living room that felt much smaller with him in it.
Eden had almost forgotten how much of a presence he was by stature and his personality. He was able to make her feel like she was the most priceless piece of art in the world. But that glass house had been shattered instantly after talking to his mother.
“These are my parents, Steve and Lee Kinsley,” Eden said hating the formality.
“Nice to meet you both.” Jacob extended a hand after trying to juggle the packages and flowers then shook first her mothers and then father’s hand. “Sorry I went a little overboard.”
“There is no such thing, let me help you.” Her mother smiled and took some of the packages.
“These are for you Eden.” Jacob handed her the flowers.
She looked down at the bloom of roses and lilies. “They are very beautiful, thank you, I’ll go put these in water.”
Lee Kinsley plucked the bouquet of flowers from her daughter’s hand. “I can do that and get dinner on the table. You go open the packages Jacob brought... Is it okay if I call you by your first name?”
“Have a seat,” Eden encouraged.
“Yes of course,” Jacob answered. “Mrs. Kinsley, you may call me whatever you wish. You both are the grandparents of my daughter.”
“So, tell me Jacob,” his father said casually. “I don’t see how a man goes to Japan and doesn’t even try to find the woman he was in love with. Sounds to me, you had the means and just gave up.”
“Dad wow, no...” Eden began.
“I can answer this.” Jacob looked at her directly. “I feel you should all know what happened since then. I did in fact search for her, Sir. But your daughter meant not to be found and I didn’t know about her family being in Arizona. It was my intent to hire an investigator but in Japan, I hit the ground running for our tech company and then my mother got ill. To try to appease her, I tried to be the son she wanted me to be. I even gave in
and met the girl she wanted me to marry and her family. That did not go well, because I couldn’t stop thinking about Eden and after my mother died, I actively began to look for her.”
“Did you wait for your mother to die, so she wouldn’t still disapprove of Eden?” Her father asked bluntly.
Eden felt her heart drop even more at her father’s direct question.
“No sir,” Jacob answered. “In our culture, as the oldest and the only son, it was my duty to see to her until she passed. To honor tradition and her, I became that person and made sure the rest of her life was one of peace. Then I dealt with mine.” He focused on Sera who was busy trying to get her grandfather’s watch with tiny uncoordinated fingers. “If I had known Sir, it wouldn’t have been a question. I would’ve been here for Eden and my daughter. It breaks me to know I missed watching her grow in her mother’s belly and her birth. But now, I’m here and I will not be leaving again.”
“Jacob, don’t say that,” Eden pleaded. “Things happen in life and I’m not dropping my life or my work to chase behind you.”
“I have no intention of asking you to leave,” he answered. “This is part of why I wanted to see you today. I have made arrangements to move to Arizona. Work will be done remotely, and travel will happen if or when necessary.”
“You can’t uproot your whole life, Jacob.” Eden couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“And yet, I have,” he answered mildly. “There is nothing in Texas to hold me there. You and my child are in Arizona and here is where I will be. I know you don’t trust me right now Eden, but we will get to that place again. So many walls were brought up between us but yet, I found you. This beautiful baby you blessed us with.... I’m still amazed. I’ve been called a businessman, tech genius and now, the most honorable is father. Now, it’s time for us and you will see, I mean to earn your love again.”
“Well, that was a mighty speech,” her father said after silence reigned for a few moments. “I look forward to seeing if you will actually stand by your words.”
“I intend to sir,” Jacob said with certainty.
Eden felt shaky after his speech. It was something she didn’t know how to deal with. “What’s all these boxes?” she asked as her mother placed the flowers in a crystal vase.