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

by Melissa Foster

“You spoil her, you know,” Daphne said as they passed a boutique.

  “It’s a picture. I didn’t buy the house. That would be spoiling her.” He kissed Daphne, and they continued window-shopping.

  They walked through a bookstore and passed a restaurant. When they came to a jewelry shop, they admired the pieces in the window. Hadley dropped Owly, and Jock picked it up and said, “How about I hold on to him for a little while?”

  “Okay,” Hadley said, and rested her head on his shoulder.

  “I want to grab a card,” Daphne said as she opened the door.

  Jock went to say hello to the person behind the counter, and Daphne snagged a business card, taking her time admiring the sparkling jewelry displays.

  After the jewelry store, they crossed the street to visit Jules in her shop before stopping for lunch. Color burst from every shelf and tabletop in the cheery gift shop. There were so many things to look at—candles, mugs, stuffed animals, toys, greeting cards, jewelry, and beachy signs and pillows emblazoned with cute sayings about love and sunshine. Dream catchers hung from the ceiling, and cool scarves were draped over displays of shirts and totes.

  “You came!” Jules squealed as she rushed toward them. The ponytail on top of her head spread out like a fountain over the rest of her long tresses. She hugged Daphne and Jock and tickled Hadley’s belly. “Great timing. Tara’s on her way here with pictures from last night. How do you like our island?”

  “I am so in love with this island, it’s ridiculous,” Daphne said. “I can’t wait to come back.”

  “My house!” Hadley thrust the flyer toward Jules.

  “That’s your house?” Jules eyed Daphne and Jock curiously.

  “Not really. She saw it in the window at the real estate office and spoiler over here got her the picture.” Daphne touched Jock’s arm and said, “I have to teach him the value of saying no sometimes.”

  Jock flashed a panty-melting smile and said, “But, angel, you love saying yes.”

  “I don’t think I want to know this about you two,” Jules whispered.

  Hadley tried to wriggle out of Jock’s hands, and he said, “There’s a lot of breakable stuff in here, princess. I should probably carry you.”

  “She’s fine. Let her down,” Jules urged. “We have kids in here all the time.” She pointed to the other side of the store, where two young families were hovering around displays of stuffed animals and pillows.

  Jock put Hadley down and said, “How about I hold your picture?”

  Hadley gave him the flyer. “No lose it.”

  “I wouldn’t dare,” he promised.

  “Stay with me, Had,” Daphne said.

  Jock patted his pockets, his brow furrowed. “Shoot. I think I left O-W-L-Y in the jewelry store. I’ll run and get it while you look around.” He kissed Daphne’s cheek and touched Hadley’s head lovingly. “Be right back, princess.”

  Daphne sighed as he headed for the door.

  “Girl, you are so in love with my brother,” Jules teased.

  “Yes, I am,” Daphne admitted, earning another squeal and a hug from Jules.

  The door to the shop opened, and Tara breezed in, carrying a large messenger bag. “I’m so glad you’re still here,” Tara said. “I can show you the pictures I took. I got some great ones.”

  “Mommy, look.” Hadley toddled toward a display of colorful wands with fuzzy stars on the top.

  “Don’t touch,” Daphne said. “I’d better follow her.”

  Jules and Tara walked with them. Tara took a folder out of her bag and said, “Jules, look at this picture of your parents.” She handed her a picture of Steve and Shelley embracing. Steve’s hand was low on her back, fingers spread, like he wanted to hold as much of her as he possibly could. His eyes were closed, but his expression conveyed that everything he ever wanted was right there in his arms.

  “This is so them. I want to be that happy one day,” Jules said.

  Tara rolled her eyes. “If you were any happier, you’d explode.”

  Jules giggled. “I mean with a guy. I want to be loved like my mom is loved, with everything a man has. I want be looked at the way Jock looks at Daphne and feel like Daphne did when he walked out of here.”

  “I highly recommend finding the person who will make you feel all of that,” Daphne said. “Can I tell you guys a secret?”

  “You don’t have to ask. The girl code is always in effect on the island,” Tara said as they followed Hadley to a display of plush children’s blankets.

  Daphne whisper-gushed, “It’s scary to be this happy, to see my little girl so in love with Jock. A good kind of scared. Sometimes when it’s just the three of us, there are these moments when everything feels so intense and our love feels so big—when he’s holding Hadley, or we’re just sitting together, or putting her to bed, or when it’s just me and him and he looks at me that way. I hold my breath sometimes because I’m afraid if I breathe, I might wake up and find out it was all a dream.”

  “I want that,” Jules said breathily.

  “We all want that,” Tara said. “I have good news for you, Daphne. You will never have to worry that it’s just a dream again, because I caught your reality in two perfect pictures. I have a ton of pictures that you’ll love.” She flipped through the folder. “But these two are magical.”

  She handed Daphne a picture of Hadley sitting on Jock’s lap, stuffing cake into his mouth. They were both smiling so big, it brought tears to Daphne’s eyes.

  “If you think that’s good, look at this one.” Tara handed her another picture, in which Daphne was nestled in Jock’s arms as they danced. He was holding her protectively, like he’d give his life for hers and never wanted to let her go. Their faces were a whisper apart and they were gazing into each other’s eyes.

  Everything she felt was right there—the intensity, the love, the hope.

  Jules put her arm around Daphne and said, “I think Tara’s right. No more holding your breath.”

  Tara showed them more fun pictures of everyone. She’d even caught Archer smiling during Jock’s speech, with Jock watching him from where he stood. Daphne asked for copies of many of the pictures, including that one. “We’ll be back in two weeks. Is that long enough to get them done?”

  “Definitely. I’ll have them ready,” Tara promised.

  “And I’ll have our girls’ day all planned!” Jules said. “The three of us—and I’ll see if Belly wants to come. If so, I’ll schedule Noelle to fill in. She works on an as-needed basis for me. Maybe Mom and Grandma will want to come. We can do the Bra Brigade! I wonder if I can get Leni and Sutton to join us. We’ll take my parents’ boat to Bellamy Island. Or as Belly calls it, her island since she’s named after it.” Jules pulled her phone from her pocket and began texting.

  Tara nudged Daphne and said, “See how she did that? Get used to it. She just makes plans and we all go along with them.”

  “I love it, but shouldn’t I make sure Jock doesn’t mind?” Daphne asked.

  Jules slanted her brows, like she was thinking about it, and then she waved her hand dismissively and said, “Nah. He’ll love that we’re hanging out. Wait! I have a better idea. Let’s do half of a girls’ day; then later in the afternoon we’ll go on the boat and bring Jock and Dad. Maybe by then Archer will even come.”

  “Can I ask Levi and Joey to come?” Tara asked. “Joey loves girls’ days.”

  “I’ve already got them covered. Group text,” Jules said, her thumbs flying over her phone’s screen.

  Hadley toddled by dragging a pink blanket with a princess on it. “Hadley,” Daphne called after her. Hadley turned around, and Daphne said, “We have to put the blanket back, baby, so it doesn’t get dirty.”

  Hadley clutched it to her chest and shook her head. “Pwincess.”

  “Guess you’re taking that home.” Tara laughed.

  “That can be my birthday present to her,” Jules said excitedly. She crouched in front of Hadley and said, “Do you like that blank
y?”

  “I love it.” Hadley clutched the blanket with all her might. “I’m Dock’s pwincess.”

  “Yes, you are.” Jules gathered the bottom of the blanket in her hands and said, “Let me tell you something special about this blanket.” She moved Hadley’s free hand around the bundled blanket. “It has magic powers. It can make you smile and feel better when you’re sad. It can even help make all of your dreams come true. But you have to take really good care of it. Do you think you can do that?”

  Hadley nodded, eyes wide.

  “Okay, then it can be your birthday present from Auntie Jules.”

  “Thank you!” Hadley ran to Daphne and said, “It’s mine. It’s magic!”

  Daphne admired the blanket and said, “I think Auntie Jules is going to make a great mommy one day.” She looked at Jules. “Thank you.”

  Jock came through the door carrying a bag, and Hadley shouted, “Dock!” She ran to him and showed off her new blanket.

  “Where did you get such a special blanket?” he asked, winking at Daphne.

  “Auntie Jules. You have my house?”

  “Of course.” He handed her the flyer and glanced at Daphne. “She’s so smart. She never forgets anything.”

  “Owly?” Hadley asked.

  He pulled the stuffed toy from his pocket and handed it to her. Hadley snuggled it against her cheek, and Jock said, “How’s it going, Tara?”

  “Great. I’m glad I got a chance to see you guys before you left,” Tara said.

  “Wait until you see the pictures Tara took last night,” Daphne said.

  As Tara showed him the pictures, he studied the ones of them and of Archer for so long, Tara said, “Keep them. They’re just proofs. I’ll give you better copies when you come back.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “I appreciate that.”

  “What’s in the bag?” Daphne asked.

  “I stopped in at the café and got sandwiches for lunch. I thought we’d take Hadley to the park around the corner and eat there.”

  “You went to Trista’s and didn’t bring me anything?” Jules teased.

  Jock opened the large bag and pulled out a smaller one. “Do you really think I’d go to your favorite café and not bring you something? You can share it with Tara.”

  “I knew I loved you.” Jules hugged him. “Thank you.”

  “It’s all yours, Jules,” Tara said. “I have to head out to Fortune’s Landing. I’m doing an engagement photo shoot with a couple from the Cape.”

  “Tara, can I get your number?” Daphne asked. “Jules, you, too? I’m putting together a list of contacts for Shelley’s event clients. It would be great to have a local photographer on it, and we can pimp out Jules’s shop as the perfect place to find unique bridesmaid gifts.”

  “Yesss! I am so adding you to our group texts!” Jules exclaimed, and the girls exchanged numbers.

  Jock laughed. “And so it begins…”

  AFTER LOTS OF goodbye hugs and promises about an upcoming girls’ day that Jock was happy to hear would include Daphne and Hadley, they left Jules’s shop and headed down to the park to have lunch. Hadley ran for the swings, and as Jock pushed her, Hadley pleaded, “Higher!” He worried about pushing her higher, and though Daphne said Hadley could handle it, he couldn’t escape the new sensations of worry tightening inside his chest. The thing was, he didn’t want to escape it. He loved that little girl as if she were his own.

  When they finally settled in for lunch beneath the shade of a giant oak tree, Hadley made a bed for Owly with her new blanket, set the picture of her house beside him, and planted herself in Jock’s lap as she ate her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

  “You have a new bestie,” Daphne teased, glancing at Hadley.

  Jock kissed the top of Hadley’s head and said, “It’s nice. Unless it bothers you?”

  “It doesn’t. All I’ve ever wanted was for her to be loved.” She bit into her sandwich and said, “This is delicious. There’s cranberry and nuts in the chicken salad. Yum! We’ll have to stop by the café and get a menu for Shelley.”

  Jock pulled a menu out of his back pocket.

  “You’re the best.” Daphne leaned forward and kissed him. Then she kissed Hadley’s head. “I love it here. The island is so close to home, but it feels like we’re worlds away. It’s hard to believe such a great day started with a fight. How’s your jaw and your ribs?”

  He’d forgotten he’d been hit. Something happened to him when he was around Daphne and Hadley—nothing else registered, or mattered. “They’re fine.”

  Daphne was about to take a bite of her sandwich, when she stopped, lowering her hand as she said, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Like what?” he asked, though he knew the answer. There was no hiding how he felt.

  Her cheeks pinked up, and that sweet and sexy smile he adored appeared. She lowered her eyes and said, “Never mind.”

  “Like you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen?” he asked, and she lifted her eyes to his. “The most incredible friend I’ve ever known? The perfect mother?”

  “Jock…?” she whispered.

  “Like I want to wake up next to you every day for the rest of my life?”

  She inhaled shakily.

  He kissed the top of Hadley’s head and said, “Like I want to be there for Hadley when she starts first grade? When she has her first boyfriend? When she graduates from college?”

  Daphne’s eyes teared up.

  “Because that’s what I feel when I look at you. I have a confession to make. Leaving you-know-who at the jewelry store wasn’t an accident. I wish I had been there when Hadley was born so you could have had this the whole time.” He reached into the lunch bag and pulled out a velvet bag from the jewelry store. He shook out the gold charm bracelet he’d bought, and as he put it on her wrist, he said, “The little-girl charm is for Hadley.”

  “Me?” Hadley leaned forward to inspect the charm.

  “That’s right, princess. That little-girl charm is you.”

  “Pwetty,” she said, and took a bite of her sandwich.

  His and Daphne’s eyes connected. He touched the book charm and said, “This charm is because you are my muse, angel. I wouldn’t be writing if not for you. And the muffin…well, that was where we started, wasn’t it? And you know how much I love your muffins.”

  She lifted her wrist to look at the charms, and a tear slipped down her cheek.

  He pulled her into a one-armed hug, his other arm circling Hadley. “I love you, sweetheart, and this is just the beginning.”

  “I love you, too, so, so much. It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

  “Mommy cwying?” Hadley put her hand on Daphne’s arm.

  “Happy tears, baby,” she said, wiping her eyes.

  “I have something for you, too, princess.” Jock withdrew Hadley’s charm bracelet with the tiny crown charm from the bag, drawing more tears from Daphne. He took Hadley’s sandwich and put it on a napkin. As he put the bracelet around her wrist, he said, “This is yours, because every princess needs a crown.”

  “Look, Mommy, a cwown!” She thrust her little hand toward Daphne.

  “It’s beautiful, honey.” Daphne sniffled and wiped her eyes. “What do you say to Jock?”

  Hadley threw her arms around Jock’s neck and said, “I love you, Dock!”

  Jock hugged her tight and said, “That’s even better than a thank-you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  DAPHNE HADN’T STOPPED looking at her bracelet since Jock had given it to her. He’d been this close to proposing. The urge had pounded inside him like a second heart, but he’d worried it might be too fast for Daphne, so he’d held back. They were sitting on opposite sides of the couch in the living room, playing footsie. Jock’s parents were outside with his grandmother, and Jock was supposed to be writing while Hadley was napping, but he was watching Daphne pluck away at his mother’s laptop, creating the lists she’d been talking about all day.


  She ran her toes along the arch of his foot, and her eyes flicked up to his as she said, “I don’t hear magic happening over there.”

  “I’ll show you magic.” He set the laptop on the floor and scooted forward, lifting her legs over his so they would straddle his waist when he got closer. She set the laptop on the floor as he moved forward. He put his arms around her and pulled her into a kiss. “Mm. Now, that’s magic.”

  “You think? I’m not so sure.” She brushed her fingers lightly along the back of his neck and said, “Maybe we should try again.”

  “God, I love you.” His mouth descended over hers devouringly despite the twinge in his jaw. Oh yeah, we’re magic all right.

  Hadley whimpered through the baby monitor, and their lips parted. “Sorry,” Daphne whispered.

  “Don’t be.” He pressed his lips to hers and said, “I’ll get her.”

  “We’ll both go. I bet she’s excited to ride the ferry again.”

  Jock grabbed her butt on the way up the stairs and stole a kiss on the landing. They held hands on the way into Hadley’s room. Hadley looked pale, but the apples of her cheeks were pink. Too pink. The hair on the back of Jock’s neck stood on end.

  “Mama,” Hadley said weakly. “My Dock.”

  “We’re here, baby.” Daphne reached for her, and Hadley whimpered. Daphne touched her cheek, then put the back of her hand on Hadley’s forehead. “She’s burning up. Do you know if your mom has a thermometer and children’s Tylenol? I didn’t bring either.”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I can look. If not, I’ll run to the store and get some.”

  When he turned to leave, Hadley cried, “Dock.” Tears streamed down her cheeks, one little hand reaching for him, the other clutching Owly. “Want my Dock.”

  “Would you mind staying with her and I’ll go ask your mom?” Daphne asked.

  “Of course not. I’ve got you, princess.” He lifted Hadley into his arms, and she slumped against his chest. Her skin wasn’t just hot. It was boiling. Panic flared inside him. “Daphne, she’s too hot.” He pulled his phone from his pocket.

  “Who are you calling?”