Tempted by Love: Jack Jock Steele (The Steeles at Silver Island Book 1)

by Melissa Foster

  The girls exchanged knowing glances and laughed.

  “You’ve opened a can of worms with that statement,” Shelley said.

  “It has its perks and it’s downfalls,” Leni said.

  “Brothers, brothers everywhere,” Sutton chimed in.

  “On the other hand,” Jules said with a waggle of her brows. “Brothers’ friends everywhere. Nice eye candy.”

  Leni rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Levi kept eagle eyes on you when you were younger.”

  “I said eye candy, as in nice to look at. I didn’t say they were good in bed,” Jules said.

  Shelley looked in the mirror over Sutton’s shoulder, primping her hair, and said, “Are we pretending that none of my precious girls has experienced a Silver boy?”

  The girls said, “Mom!” in unison. Leni and Sutton eyed Jules.

  “Don’t look at me,” Jules said. “Sutton went out with Fitz in seventh grade, and, Leni, you dated Wells in high school.”

  “My money’s on Leni,” Indi said.

  Leni rolled her eyes and looked expectantly at Sutton.

  “Hey, I only let Fitz go to second base,” Sutton insisted.

  “You let Fitz go to second base in seventh grade?” Jules said incredulously.

  Shelley patted Jules on the shoulder and said, “Careful throwing rocks when you live in a glass house.”

  Leni gasped. “I knew you weren’t as innocent as you pretend to be.”

  “Whatever,” Jules snapped. “I think Indi’s right and it was you and Wells. You guys were always going down to the beach for a swim, which was probably code for sex.”

  “Didn’t he date Abby, too?” Sutton looked at Daphne and said, “Abby de Messiéres has been Leni’s best friend since they were kids.”

  “Yeah, until Abby and I found out he was two-timing us. Chicks before dicks,” Leni said.

  Jules nudged Indi and said, “I wonder if he was swimming with her, too.”

  “Way to keep it classy girls,” Shelley teased.

  “Mom!” all three complained.

  Hadley toddled over to Shelley and tugged on her pretty floral dress, scowling at the girls, making them laugh. Shelley picked her up and said, “One day you’ll be talking about boys, too.”

  “I a gurl,” Hadley said.

  Shelley hugged her and said, “And what a beautiful girl you are.”

  “Well, Jules, I didn’t think it was possible. But now you’re even more gorgeous.” As the girls complimented Jules’s hair, Indi said, “Who’s my next victim?”

  Jules hopped to her feet and said, “Do Daphne next!”

  “Let’s get her all sexed up for Jack,” Sutton said, guiding Daphne by the shoulders to the chair.

  Indi ran her hands through Daphne’s hair and said, “I bet Jack likes running his hands through these silky locks.”

  Daphne blushed.

  “What do you usually do with your hair and makeup?” Indi asked.

  “Not much. I feel lucky when I get to actually dry my hair or put on eyeliner,” Daphne answered. “Our mornings are usually a mad dash.”

  “That seems to be a common theme among moms. Let’s consider this your special night. What would you like me to do? Play up your eyes? Lip color? Add some soft waves to your hair?”

  “I don’t know.” Daphne shrugged. “I just want to look pretty for Jock.”

  “Girl, my brother thinks you’re gorgeous,” Leni said. “We all saw him salivating over you this afternoon, and when he sees you in that dress, he’s going to lose his mind.”

  Daphne sure hoped so. She’d decided to wear the pale-green dress. The crossover bodice and sweetheart neckline accentuated her assets and the A-line chiffon skirt gave the appearance of a cinched waist.

  “You should have heard Jack gushing about her over lunch when I saw him at the Cape.” Jules’s expression turned thoughtful, and she said, “Thank you for bringing back the brother I’ve missed.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Daphne said as Indi brushed her hair.

  “I don’t believe that for a second,” Jules said. “He’s a whole different person than he was just a few months ago.”

  “You said you met him last year?” Sutton asked. “Why did it take so long for you two to get together?”

  “It’s complicated,” Daphne said. “You know he had trouble around little kids.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.” Leni leaned against the windowsill in her pretty olive wraparound dress, patiently waiting her turn in Indi’s chair.

  “With good reason,” Jules said, narrowing her eyes at Leni.

  Shelley set Hadley down, and she toddled off to play with Joey.

  “I’m sorry I’m late!” an older woman with a blond pixie cut said as she breezed into the room waving her hands. The bell sleeves of her black-and-gold blouse flapped, and her bracelets jangled. “We got held up at bingo. You know how much Millie loves that game. But I’m here now.”

  “Grandma!” the girls yelled, rushing in for hugs, each of them exclaiming, “Happy birthday!” Joey joined in on the group hug, and Hadley toddled after her, saying, “Happy bufday!”

  Shelley waited for the girls to back off, then hugged her mother and said, “Happy birthday, Mom.”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now, tell me, who had a baby when I wasn’t looking?” Lenore teased, patting Hadley on the head. “I’m kidding!” She clapped her hands together, her eyes sweeping over Hadley to Daphne. “This pretty little lady in the pink dress must be Hadley.”

  “I Hadley!” Hadley said.

  “Hello, Hadley. I’m Grandma Lenore. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Bye!” Hadley ran back to the toys.

  Lenore’s amused eyes found Daphne, and she said, “You must be Daphne. Jack told me all about both of his lovely ladies. I’m Lenore, but you can call me Grandma. Everyone does.”

  “Hi. It’s nice to meet you,” Daphne said, noticing the girls checking out the red mark on Lenore’s left hand.

  “Not nearly as nice as it is to meet the woman who single-handedly turned our broody boy into a chatty picture of love.” Lenore squeezed Daphne’s hand and said, “I made you blush. Aren’t you adorable?”

  “It’s a family curse. My mom blushes, too,” Daphne said.

  “Blushing is a gift, honey,” Lenore said. “There’s no hiding your heart.”

  “Gram, Daphne was just about to tell us more about her and Jack,” Jules said.

  “Well, let me settle in, then. Move over, my pretty little namesake.” Lenore nudged Leni over and leaned against the windowsill.

  Everyone looked at Daphne expectantly.

  “Go on, give us all the deets on my grandson,” Lenore urged.

  “Mom,” Shelley chided. “Give her a moment. This is a lot of pressure. Daphne, sweetheart, you don’t have to share anything you don’t want to.”

  “I don’t mind.” Since Lenore hadn’t been there when they were setting up, she tried to give his grandmother as complete a picture as she could without boring the rest of them. “Jock—I know him as Jock, not Jack—is an amazing man. I met him last year, as I said, and Hadley clung to him like he was hers.”

  There was a collective “Aww.”

  “It was actually embarrassing, because as you know, he couldn’t be around her at the time. A few weeks ago, she did it again, and he kind of took off, leaving her crying. I’m not sure what changed, but that night when I was sitting outside, he stopped to apologize for walking away every time she tried to get close to him.”

  “He’s such a sweet young man,” Lenore said. “He loves children, honey. He really does.”

  “I know that now, and he is very thoughtful. I’ve never gotten apology presents before, but Jock brought them for both me and Hadley that night. That owl she won’t let go of was a gift from him. Anyway, over the next few nights we got to know each other better.”

  “Mm-hm. We know what that means,” Sutton teased.

  “Not like that,�
�� Daphne said with a laugh. “We played games and we talked for hours. We had an instant connection, and after a few days I realized how much I liked him.” She spoke quietly, so as not to gain Hadley’s attention. “I was falling for him and I knew I shouldn’t because Hadley had to come first. At the time, I didn’t know anything about Jock’s background and all he’d been through. But as I mentioned earlier, my ex-husband hadn’t wanted children, and I swore I’d never put Hadley in a situation like that again. So I told Jock that if he couldn’t be near Hadley, then I couldn’t be near him.”

  “Attagirl,” Lenore said. “Many women would see a handsome, wealthy man like Jack and put their desires above their children’s.”

  “Not me. Not ever. Not even for Jock.”

  “It must have been difficult for you to tell him that,” Shelley said.

  “It was, but when I told him, he told me everything he’d been through. My heart broke for him, for Archer, for your family, and for everyone who knew Kayla. His emotions were so raw, and he was so honest, when he said he wanted to try to get past his triggers, I knew he would find a way. He has fought for us, pushing past all those years of grief and guilt. I’m still in awe of how far he’s come. As he was working through his triggers, all three of our worlds got better. We just feel so right together. It’s hard to put it into words without gushing. It wasn’t easy for either of us to put our hearts on the line after what we’ve been through, but I think that’s why we have fallen so hard so fast. We understand each other, and we know how it feels to be hurt. That awareness brings a whole new level of clarity and effort into a relationship. He encourages me not to give up my dreams, and he started writing again—”

  “He’s writing?” everyone exclaimed, except Jules.

  “That’s amazing! When did he start writing again?” Leni asked.

  “Shoot,” Jules said with a troubled expression. “I thought I told you guys after I had lunch with him.”

  “No. You just raved about how happy he was and said he forbade you from talking about his life,” Leni said.

  “Oh yeah,” Jules said. “He did. Sorry.”

  “How did he start writing again?” Sutton asked. “He’s been trying since Harvey died, staring at blank pages.”

  Shelley’s eyes glistened. “Who cares about how or when? He’s writing, girls. Your brother is writing.” She swiped at a tear and said, “Our Jackie is back.”

  Lenore handed Shelley a tissue from her slacks pocket and said, “I think we’re looking at the reason he’s able to write again.”

  The love in the room enveloped Daphne like an embrace. “I think the reason he hadn’t been able to write before was because he’d held in most of what he told me for so long, it was clogging up his creativity. It didn’t happen all at once, and he hasn’t shown me what he’s written. He said it’s different from anything he’s written before, but he is writing every day.”

  “Of course it’s different,” Sutton said thoughtfully. “He’s not the same person he was when he wrote his first book.”

  “He’s not the same person he was a year ago, or even a few weeks ago,” Daphne said. “I could talk about Jock all night long. He’s loving and strong. He’s determined to be good for us, and for himself, and to fix things with Archer, and make up for all the lost time with you guys. He is facing all of his demons, and none of it is easy. You should be really proud of him. Hadley and I are lucky to have him in our lives.”

  Jules wiped her eyes and huffed out a breath. “Great, now I’m crying.”

  “You’re always crying,” Leni teased. She went to Jules and put her arm around her.

  “I can’t help it,” Jules said. “I like happy stories, and we’re talking about Jack.”

  “It sounds like you and Jack were meant to be together,” Indi said as she wound a lock of Daphne’s hair around a curling iron.

  “All I know is that I was with my ex for a few years, and I never felt anything like what I feel for Jock. I want him to be as happy as Hadley and I are. I hope he and Archer can work things out.”

  “Now, you ladies know I love all of my grandchildren. Archer is a fine, hardworking young man. He and Jack will get through this in good time.” Lenore raised her brows and said, “But it wouldn’t hurt to find a single lady to cast a sexy spell on him and deaden those angry brain cells.”

  “Grandma,” Sutton said with a laugh.

  “Honey, I was married for a hundred years,” Lenore said. “I know that a little hotsy-totsy goes a long way to get a man off his high horse.”

  Indi scoffed and said, “Good luck with that. That man is drop-dead gorgeous, but he definitely needs a dominatrix to whip him into shape.”

  Lenore went to Indi’s side and said, “Sweetheart, I’ve noticed you’re a tough cookie, and you handle that curling iron very well. How are you at wielding a whip?”

  That started a litany of jokes and laughter, which continued as Indi finished working her magic on Daphne, giving her gentle waves, smoky eyes, a hint of cheekbones, and soft-pink lips. Daphne felt like a princess in Indi’s capable hands, with the girls looking on and telling her how beautiful she was.

  As Indi was finishing up with Leni, the last of them who needed to be coiffed, Steve came into the room looking handsome in dark slacks and a gray button-down.

  “Look at all my gorgeous ladies,” Steve said.

  All the girls stood and twirled, and he whistled as he reached for Shelley, planting a kiss on her lips and a pat on her butt.

  “Gwampa.” Hadley toddled over to him, clutching Owly, and said, “Look at my pawty dwess.”

  He lifted Hadley into his arms, and she flashed a toothy grin. “You and Joey are going to be the belles of the ball.” He looked at the others and said, “Heads are going to spin tonight. Are we ready?”

  There was a collective “Yes!”

  “Wait. I want to get a picture of Jack’s face when he sees Daphne.” Jules hurried out of the room.

  “Oh my gosh,” Daphne said, turning to the others. “This is Lenore’s night, not mine.”

  Lenore put her arm around Daphne and said, “Sweetheart, I’ve had seventy-eight of these nights, and the man who looked at me like I was the pie in the sky is now looking down on me from that sky. Soak this moment up for all its worth. Revel in those butterflies in your belly, because these are the best days of your life, only to be outdone by all of your tomorrows.”

  Steve carried Hadley, and Joey held Shelley’s hand as they made their way down the hall, and one by one they filed down the steps. Jock and Levi were waiting at the bottom, giving them a hand off the landing.

  As Shelley and Joey walked down, Levi whistled and said, “I’m going to be the luckiest man at that party.” He took Joey’s hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. Then he offered her his arm. “My lady.”

  Joey giggled and took her father’s arm as they stepped to the side.

  “Go on, darlin’,” Steve said to Daphne.

  Daphne held on to the railing as she started down the stairs, nervous under the weight of Jock’s stare as he drank her in from head to toe. His dark eyes filled with heat, love, and everything in between. She had never felt more beautiful or more loved than she did at that second. The silence that fell around them was even more powerful than the fanfare from Joey’s adoring father. Daphne was vaguely aware of Jules taking pictures and the others looking on as Jock drew her into his arms and said, “My sweet love, you take my breath way.”

  When he pressed his lips to hers, Hadley said, “My Dock,” and everyone laughed. Steve carried Hadley down, and she wrapped her little arms around Jock’s neck. With one arm around Daphne and her baby girl clinging to him like a monkey to a tree, Jock looked at Jules and said, “Get a good one of me and my girls. This one’s going on the mantel.”

  THE SALTY SEA air was alive with music, laughter, and the din of close friends. Lights sparkled against the clear night sky, and in the distance, the lighthouse beamed brightly over the ocean. Lenore’
s friends had shown up en masse, and they were huddled together chatting. Tara mingled in between taking pictures of everyone. Jock had asked her to take extras of Daphne and Hadley. He wanted to remember every minute of their first evening on the island. He’d been proud to introduce Daphne and point out Hadley, who was busy playing with other kids, to their friends. He’d received a number of surprised yet approving looks, and there were several sideways glances at Daphne’s use of Jock rather than Jack. But as he’d expected, his friends had welcomed her with open arms. Everyone asked about his writing, and though he didn’t tell them exactly what he was writing, it felt fantastic to finally have an active and exciting—even if different—project at his fingertips. He had forgotten how good it felt to be surrounded by caring friends and family and to be part of a community that had known him since he was a kid.

  He stood by the bar sipping his drink, watching Daphne, who looked gorgeous in her fancy green dress. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to dance with her before the girls had whisked her away to introduce her to their friends. Moonlight shimmered in her eyes as she talked with Leni, Indi, and Sutton and Tessa and Randi Remington. Tessa was a private pilot, and Randi was a marine archaeologist currently working on a shipwreck expedition not far off the coast of the island with the famous treasure hunter Zev Braden.

  As if Daphne felt him watching her, she glanced over, sending a rush of awareness through him. How was it possible to miss her when she was standing just across the courtyard? Daphne waved and he winked. Randi gave Jock a thumbs-up, and then she touched Daphne’s arm, drawing her attention away from him. A minute later his mother and Margot Silver joined the girls, talking animatedly. This was what he wanted. This life with Daphne and Hadley, surrounded by family and friends. Archer walked into his line of sight, bringing his hopeful thoughts back to reality. Jock had caught a few sneers from Archer, but they had both kept their distance, which was probably best for now, so as not to ruin the party for their grandmother.

  Grant Silver sidled up to Jock with a slight limp, which Jock assumed had come from his prosthetic leg. His brown hair was long, his beard shaggy, and his eyes held the shadows of a man who had seen too much. Jock knew that look all too well.