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

by Melissa Foster

  “How’s it going, Jack?” Grant’s familiar baritone voice was a welcome sound.

  “Not bad,” Jock said, giving him a manly embrace. “Did you just get here?”

  “Yeah. Bellamy and Keira texted and gave me hell for staying home.” He took a drink and said, “Can’t say no to them.”

  “Gotta love younger sisters.”

  Grant shook his head. “Right. Did you know Jules comes by my place all the time, trying to sprinkle her happiness around like she’s a magical fairy or something? Do me a favor and run interference if she comes over. I haven’t had enough alcohol for her brand of happy.”

  “She means well. Spreading happiness is Jules’s thing. You know that.”

  “Yeah, I do. So, are the rumors true? You here with a girlfriend and a kid?”

  “Yes, Daphne. She’s the blonde talking with your mom over there.” He pointed out Daphne and then Hadley, who was following Joey and two of Lenore’s friends’ grandchildren toward Steve. “That’s Hadley, Daphne’s daughter.”

  “Good for you, man. You finally turned that corner, huh?”

  “Mostly. I’m a work in progress.”

  “How’d you do it? You were pretty fucked up.”

  “I know. I met Daphne, and let me tell you. When you meet the one, you know it, and you do whatever it takes to be the man she deserves.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” Grant took another swig of his drink. “You can have the one, two, three and all the rest of them. I’ve got no need to be told what to do.”

  “It’s not like that, Grant. But I get it. I’m sorry about everything you’ve gone through. Losing your leg had to be tough. I’m glad we didn’t lose you.” Jock worried about his old friend. They’d seen each other for a few minutes here and there when their holiday visits had coincided. But they’d lost touch this last year, and Jock hoped to fix that, too. “I know we didn’t suffer the same losses, but grief is grief, and I know how it can fuck a person up. I’m here if you ever want to talk. You’ve got my number. Use it.”

  Grant swirled the alcohol in his glass and said, “I appreciate that.”

  “Can I give you one bit of advice?” Jock asked.

  “Why not? Everyone else does.”

  “Talk to someone. Get that shit out of your head, and don’t push away the people you love. I lost a decade I’ll never get back.”

  “I’ll take that under consideration.” Grant gazed across the grass at his younger brothers heading their way with Levi. Fitz and Wells were as clean-cut as Grant was shaggy. Tension drew Grant’s mouth into a fine line.

  “What’s up with you three?” Jock asked.

  Grant shrugged. “I just don’t have the patience for bullshit anymore.”

  Jock understood that, too. Harsh realities brought everything into focus, including nonsense. But he knew Grant’s brothers loved him and worried about him.

  “Look who finally made it.” Wells put an arm around Grant and said, “Good to see your smiling face, bro.”

  Grant shrugged him off. “What are you two up to?”

  “Checkin’ out the ladies.” Fitz pushed a hand through his sandy hair and said, “Sutton and Leni are looking mighty fine.”

  Levi glowered. “Like they’d give you the time of day?”

  “Who said anything about day?” Fitz snickered.

  Archer came through the crowd like a man on a mission, shoulders back, eyes locked on Jock. He strode up to the group and said, “The prodigal son comes home and he’s the life of the party, huh?”

  “Give it a rest, Archer.” Jock held his gaze. “No one wants to hear that shit.”

  Archer scoffed. “What’s wrong, golden boy? Don’t want all that attention anymore?”

  Levi, always the peacemaker, clapped a hand on Archer’s shoulder and said, “Did you see Indi checking you out?”

  “That’s the sexy little blonde, right?” Wells asked. “Man, she’s so frigging hot. If you don’t want her, I’ve got an itch that needs scratching.”

  Archer shot him a narrow-eyed stare. “Dude, she’s Leni’s friend. Back off.”

  “She’s a grown-ass woman. I bet she’d love a piece of this.” Wells spread his arms out and looked down at his body.

  “First she’d have to find it.” Archer chuckled.

  “All the girls grew up while I was away. Did you see Mouse in that dress?” Grant whistled and said, “Damn.”

  Levi smacked him upside the back of his head.

  Grant grinned. “Sorry, biker boy. I didn’t know you were hittin’ that.”

  “I’m not.” Levi held his gaze. “Show her some respect.”

  “How do you know we’re not all hittin’ that?” Archer taunted.

  Levi glowered. “Because you don’t have a death wish.”

  Archer knew better than to mess with Levi. Archer had a size advantage, but Levi was as lethal as a grizzly. He might look like he was kicking back and enjoying himself, but fuck with the people he cared about and he’d rear up and take you out with one solid punch. There was only one reason Archer would mess with him.

  He was looking for a fight.

  Not tonight, buddy.

  “Excuse me, but my beautiful girlfriend looks like she might want to dance.” Jock finished his drink and set his glass down on the bar.

  As he walked away, Archer said, “It’s a good thing you’re not driving.”

  Jock stilled. Fire seared through his veins as he turned and grabbed Archer’s arm, getting right in his face, and fumed, “You got something to say to me, Archer? Say it to my face.”

  Archer didn’t flinch. “I said, it’s a good thing you’re not driving. At least this one will make it home alive.”

  Jock saw red. He cocked his arm, but Levi shoved him back and inserted himself between them, arms outstretched. “You’ve got an audience. Cut the shit.”

  Jock looked at the crowd; all eyes were on them. Fuck. He glowered at Archer. “This isn’t over.” He stalked away, feeling like a grenade about to detonate and trying to tamp down his anger before reaching Daphne. Jock walked past his father, who was holding Hadley, and mouthed, Sorry. He tried to form a reassuring smile, but he couldn’t force it.

  “Dock!” Hadley called after him.

  Jock stopped, struggling to rein in his anger. He looked at Hadley holding her owl in one hand, her other arm outstretched, her little hand opening and closing as if she could reel him in by sheer will. The rage eating him up inside was no match for the sight of her trusting eyes. He felt it crumble to pieces and fall away. He inhaled a few deep breaths, making sure he was under control, before heading for them.

  “I’ll take her, Dad,” he said, reaching for Hadley.

  “You sure?” his father asked.

  “Yeah. Sorry about that. It won’t happen again.”

  His father shook his head as he handed Hadley over. “Don’t kid yourself. I ought to throw you two in the ring.”

  “Please don’t,” Daphne said as she came to Jock’s side.

  “I won’t, darlin’. Don’t worry,” Steve reassured her.

  “Are you okay?” she asked Jock. “It looked like you two were going to fight.”

  “I’m sorry, Daphne. He said something and I just about lost it.”

  “What did he say?” she asked.

  “What he say?” Hadley mimicked.

  He winked at Daphne indicating they could talk about it later and said, “You know what, princess? I can’t remember. But they’re getting ready to serve dinner, so why don’t we sit down?”

  His father said, “Actually, your mother and I thought you might want to announce dinner tonight.”

  Jock had dozens of fond memories of his parents telling funny and touching stories about their grandmother when they announced her birthday dinner. It was an honor to be asked, but he wasn’t sure he deserved it. “Really? Even after that scene?”

  “You call that a scene?” His father cocked a grin. “You have been away from the island fo
r far too long.”

  Jock chuckled.

  “Here, give me Hadley.” Daphne reached for her.

  “Baby, you okay?” Jock asked.

  She caressed his arm and said, “If you are, then I am.”

  “Thanks, babe.” He kissed her and stroked Hadley’s back. “How about a kiss for good luck, princess?”

  Hadley grinned and puckered up, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Luck.”

  “I’ll have three beautiful ladies by my side tonight,” Steve said, guiding Daphne toward the table.

  Jock moved to the front of the crowd and said loudly, “I’d like to invite everyone to sit down for dinner.” He waited while everyone took their seats.

  Lenore sat at the center of one of the tables, and Jock was surprised to see his father seating Hadley between her and Daphne. Lenore took Owly and wiggled him like he was dancing in front of Hadley. Hadley was smiling, and beside her, Daphne watched with a joyous expression. A wave of guilt washed over Jock as he thought about Kayla and Liam and what might have been. He assumed his brother had been in love with Kayla and that was why he’d turned his back on Jock. If she and Liam had lived, would they be sitting with Archer tonight? Would he and Archer have remained close? Could they have co-parented Jock and Kayla’s child?

  For the first time, those memories and questions didn’t leave a trail of anxiety. Thanks to Daphne, they no longer felt like torturous secrets trapped in a dungeon. They were no less painful, but they had a place now, an accessible place where he could think about them, or talk about them, without losing his mind.

  If only he could figure out how to help Archer do the same.

  He looked out at his friends and family, trying to clear his thoughts, and said, “Thank you all for coming out to celebrate our grandmother, Lenore Dawson’s, seventy-eighth birthday.”

  A round of cheers rang out.

  “I think most of you call her Grandma, like we do, so I’m rolling with it. I have a lot of good memories about both of my grandparents—family dinners, riding on the tractor with Grandpa, stumbling upon Grandma and her fellow Bra Brigaders.” Laughter rumbled around him. “I’m still trying to recover from that. Not that you ladies aren’t beautiful, but there are some sights young boys shouldn’t see. I think I avoided Grandma Osten for two full years after that eye-opener.” More laughter rang out. “I have lots of other crystal-clear memories, and then I have some that are not so clear, which I’m pretty sure is because when Grandma and Grandpa babysat, they swapped mine and Archer’s juice in our sippy cups for wine.”

  Another round of laughter sounded.

  “That’s right. Remember that, Archer?” He looked at his brother, hoping to break the ice, but Archer looked away. Jock tried not to let his disappointment show and said, “We’d conk out right after dark and wake up in the morning without a single memory of what had happened the night before. Funny enough, when we’d turn on cartoons in the morning, the television was always on that adults-only channel.”

  Everyone cracked up, including his grandmother. Archer cracked a smile, but he quickly schooled his expression.

  “Gotta love Grandma,” Jock said with a nod. “She didn’t believe in punishing in the conventional sense, as many of you probably remember from our night of attempted skinny-dipping in the resort pool.”

  “We were blinded by the light of the full moon that night!” his grandmother shouted, earning another round of laughter and applause.

  “By the way, Gram, you’re not babysitting Hadley,” he said, earning more chuckles. “Daph, check her sippy cup, will you, please?”

  Lenore winked at Daphne and said, “Don’t you dare. Grannies are allowed their secrets.”

  “In all seriousness, I couldn’t have asked for a better grandmother. Here’s to the reigning queen of the Bra Brigade. If only we could convince them to put up warning signs before taking off their shirts.” Everyone laughed, and Jock said, “Thank you all for joining us tonight. I love you, Grandma. Happy birthday.”

  Cheers and applause rang out again.

  Jock waited for a moment, giving his grandmother her due, and then he raised his hands, and when the din of his family and friends quieted, he said, “Just a quick side note, which is not about Grandma or her birthday. I think you’re all aware that I lost a very good friend last year, Harvey Fine. He saved my life. He was family to me, and one hell of a jokester. Most of you have heard Daphne call me Jock, and many of you have asked about it, while others have looked at her like she didn’t know my name, which I assure you, she does.”

  More chuckles ensued.

  “Harvey coined the nickname Jock for me as a joke, but it stuck. Over the many years that I worked with him, I healed and I grew as a person. I became Jock, and honestly, it felt good to leave that other guy who made some big mistakes behind.” The lump in his throat threatened to steal his voice, and he looked at Archer. Archer blinked several times, his jaw tight, as if he were just as affected by Jock’s words as Jock was. His eyes remained trained on Jock as Jock said, “I know now that there is no leaving Jack or the mistakes I made behind. I can’t change the past, but I can and will continue to make better decisions in the future. I’d like to honor the man who saved my life by using the name he bestowed on me. I know it’ll take some getting used to, but I hope you will join me in honoring Harvey Fine by accepting this change and calling me Jock.”

  Applause rang out. Jock was acutely aware of Archer still watching him as he said, “Thank you. That’s all I’ve got. Enjoy your dinner.”

  As he made his way toward Daphne, Archer yelled, “Jockstrap!” causing an uproar of laughter.

  “Jockhole!” Wells called out.

  And so began the start of many nicknames Jock hoped would not stick, and a crack in his brother’s armor he hoped would set them both free.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  DINNER WAS DELICIOUS, and the company could not have been better. With a cool ocean breeze sweeping over the hills, the festive, twinkling lights, and Jock’s family and friends telling funny tales of their younger days and filling Daphne in on all the sights they thought she should see tomorrow before heading home, Daphne couldn’t imagine a more perfect evening. Even Archer had kept his attitude under control.

  As the table was cleared, Jock put his arm around her and said, “In case I haven’t told you lately, I love you, beautiful.”

  “I will never tire of hearing that.”

  He had been whispering sweet, sexy things and holding her hand throughout dinner, and when Hadley had gotten whiny, before Daphne could pick her up, he’d settled her on his lap. Hadley’s head rested on his chest, a small smile gracing her tiny lips. It had been a big day for her, and she’d held up like a champ. It had also been a big, trying day for Jock, and he, too, had held up like a champ.

  “That’s good, because now that I’ve uncorked that bottle, there’s no stopping my love for you.” He kissed Hadley’s head and said, “For both of you.”

  Daphne was wrong. The evening just got even more perfect.

  Lenore began telling a story about Archer, and everyone quieted to listen. “It was the Easter parade, and Archer had begged his parents to let him be the Easter bunny on the winery float.” Lenore looked at Archer and said, “We all know our Archer is always prepared for anything, and even as a little boy he was one step ahead of the rest of us. He asked his mother to sew a fly into the suit in case he had to use the bathroom, and of course Shelley was happy to oblige. Little did she know that while everyone else was waving to the crowd, Archer was peeing off the back of the float in front of the whole town and waving like a king as he did it.”

  Laughter filled the air.

  “I was five,” Archer said loudly.

  “You were six,” Lenore corrected him. “I remember because that was also the year you came home from school and announced that Grant Silver had told you where babies came from.”

  “Someone had to do it,” Grant shouted from the other table.


  Lenore pointed a finger at Grant and said, “I sure hope you’ve learned the right way to make babies by now, Mr. Silver. I’m sure anyone who was pregnant on this island at that time remembers Archer pointing and shouting, ‘She got a back rub, too!’”

  Daphne laughed along with everyone else. She could listen to their stories all night.

  Shelley stood up and said, “Okay, kids, let’s get dessert.”

  As all of Jock’s siblings got up to help, Jock tried to hand Hadley to Daphne, but Hadley shook her head, clinging to him.

  “It’s okay. I’ll go help.” Daphne stood.

  “Sit, sweetie.” Lenore took her hand and pulled her back down to her seat. “You’re a guest. You get to relax.”

  “I don’t mind helping,” Daphne said.

  “And we appreciate that, but as a mother, I remember what it was like, never having a minute that wasn’t spent working or taking care of someone.” Lenore looked at Jock and said, “What did your grandfather always tell us?”

  Jock cocked a grin. “Enjoy each and every day. No one else can do it for you.”

  “Your grandfather would be mighty proud of who you are, honey. I want you to know that.”

  “Because I remembered what he said?” Jock teased.

  “Smart-aleck. You know what I mean.” Lenore looked at Daphne and said, “Know what else my once-in-a-lifetime love said?”

  “What?” Daphne asked.

  Lenore glanced at Jock, and they both said, “‘Why pussyfoot around when you can jump in with both feet?’” They cracked up.

  “I want you two to promise me that you will embrace Grandpa’s words from this day forward,” Lenore said with a serious lilt to her voice.

  Jock gazed at Daphne, and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was as she said, “That’s easy. We already have; we just didn’t realize it.”

  “Love you, baby,” Jock said loud enough for others to hear. As he touched his lips to Daphne’s, Hadley said, “Love you, Mama.”

  “I love you, too. Both of you,” Daphne said as Jock’s siblings filed out of the winery with the desserts and set them on the table by the bar.