by KB Winters
Jace’s smile brightened twenty watts and his eyes softened. “Really?”
I smiled back and nodded, tears pricking at my own eyes. “Yeah.”
Jax raced into the room, butt naked, Hilda quickly following behind with his discarded bath towel in her hands. She was laughing, but kept her voice stern, “Mr. Jax, you get back here so I can dry you off!”
Jace turned his face away but I heard the snicker of laughter as he ducked into my shoulder. I smiled but heaved off the couch. “Come on Jax, mama will get you into some PJs. Then Jace and I have something we want to talk to you about.” At this part, Hilda shot me a questioning look. “You too, Hilda.”
When we returned minutes later, Jax wrangled into his jammies, Hilda was seated next to Jace on the couch. “Well!” She demanded, a smile on her face. “That was quite the cliffhanger dear!”
Jace smiled at me and I looked down at Jax and then over at Hilda. “Jax, what would you think if Jace were to come and live with us?”
“Yay! Yay! Yay!” He shouted, as he started hopping around the room. Mickey joined in and the two of them started their own parade up and down the hallway, leaving all three of us laughing in the living room.
“That’s wonderful dear! Congratulations.” Hilda smiled and squeezed Jace’s hand. The two of them had become quite close in the past months, bonding over their mutual love of Jax. Truthfully, I knew that Hilda would love anyone who loved me.
And Jace did. More than I could have ever imagined.
While Jax continued his celebration, Jace explained the surgery in more detail to Hilda and me, and although I knew that nothing was guaranteed, a tiny spark of hope ignited in my chest. Jace wouldn’t be able to go back to tattoo art, not without his hand, but without the chronic back pain and fatigue from combating it, he might be able to relax enough to find his new passion.
And while I kept it to myself, secretly I began to hope that maybe my dreams of expanding my family weren’t that unrealistic fantasies after all.
Chapter Nine — Jace
As Kat and I began to make plans for the future, things fell into place, everything going smoothly, until the time came to tell her asshole ex-husband, Mitch, about the new arrangement. We both went to drop off Jax for his weekend, and even before I got out of the car, I could feel his hatred radiating towards me from the front porch.
“It’ll be fine,” Kat assured me, rubbing my arm before pushing her door open.
“I know.” I nodded and flashed a smile at her. I knew she was more nervous about it than I was. She had enjoyed the relative peace between her and her ex and was afraid that telling him about our plans would unravel things and they’d go back to warring constantly, something that would only get more and more damaging as Jax aged. In my mind, it wasn’t something to stress about because as she’d told me, he’d been put in his place by the lawyer I’d hired for her and if he stepped out of line, Kirk Folger was only a phone call away. However, I understood that she didn’t want to keep putting Jax through that. I didn’t either. But as I told her, she couldn’t control what Mitch did, that his choices were on him.
Kat got out of the car and I let her lead the way inside once she got Jax and Mickey out of the car. On the porch, I extended my hand to Mitch. “Nice to see you again.”
Mitch took my hand but didn’t offer a smile or a greeting, releasing my hand almost as soon as he took it.
“Mitch,” Kat hissed.
He flicked a casual glance to her and then turned away. “See you on Sunday, Katherine, and Jack? Was it?”
My muscles tensed, and a snarl formed on my lips. Kat placed a hand on my chest, backing me down without a word. I relaxed my shoulders back, but the anger pulsing through my veins was still red hot as I stared at her ex. He was so far the opposite of me in every way, clean cut, dressed in slacks and a polo shirt, and I’d have been willing to bet had never so much as stepped a toe in a tattoo shop, and he sure as hell hadn’t seen anything like the horrors of war or held a gun in defense of his life. He was a rich, fat cat, corporate drone that had a nice house, garage full of cars, and used his money to get what he wanted.
As I studied him, I wondered what Kat had ever liked—loved—about him. Had he been different when they’d gotten together? Or, had she? Was there still a part of her that wanted all of this? The house, cars, money, prestige?
I shook away the questions, they could be answered later, and focused my attention back to the moment, knowing Kat would need me to back her up. “Actually, it’s Jace.” I gave a tight lipped smile with the correction. The dickhead just shrugged.
“Mitch,” Kat warned again. “We actually have something we need to discuss, with you and Hannah.”
Mitch’s face remained masked with smarmy contempt, but there was a flicker of a question in his eyes and I got a thrill, hoping he was picturing Kirk Folger and remembering the thinly veiled threat the family court judge had given him about stirring up trouble. Just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, leaving his eyes frosty and hard again. “Fine, but it’s going to have to be quick. Hannah and I have a function to get ready for.” He turned without further explanation, going through the entryway and leading us to the living room, where Hannah was sitting with their six month old daughter, Emmaline in her lap. Jax was at her side, dangling a toy in front of his baby half-sister just like he would if he were trying to get Mickey to play with him. Kat smiled at the sight, and my heart ached, knowing that she was wishing it was her with a baby.
Something I dreamed of giving her one day.
“They need to talk to us,” Mitch informed Hannah. I noted that he barely looked at her and their daughter. Clearly, this guy is missing a chip.
Hannah looked up, and registered that Kat and I were standing there. “Oh, hello Katherine, Jace.”
I nodded and offered her a warmer smile than the one I’d given her husband. Kat had told me that she and Hannah had become friends during the months I was deployed. Although they didn’t go shopping or out to lunch together, they were on good terms, and I knew Kat was hoping that she would be an ally once we broke the news. “Nice to see you, Hannah. Your home is beautiful.”
“Thank you.” She set her squirming daughter on the floor. “Come on in, sit anywhere that’s not buried in toys. Does anyone want coffee? Tea?”
“No thanks, Hannah. We won’t be long,” Kat answered. She rounded the couch and sat down. I followed her lead and took her hand as soon as we settled together on the couch. Mitch joined Hannah, but remained standing. Jax and Emmaline were busy climbing on Mickey, and didn’t pay much attention to us.
I cleared my throat. We’d decided ahead of time that I would be the spokesperson. “Kat and I wanted to come over and let you guys know that I’m going to be moving in with her and Jax later this month.”
Hannah smiled brightly at Kat and then over at me. “That’s wonderful! Congratulations!”
Mitch’s expression made it clear that he wasn’t on the same exuberant page as his wife. “Move in together? Are you getting married?”
Kat shook her head. “No, not right now at least.”
Mitch made a scoffing sound and rolled his eyes. “Of course not.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kat demanded, her voice sharp.
“Well, I don’t think that’s the best example to set for our son. Although, I suppose you’ve basically been shacked up for a while now, so really, what’s the difference, right?”
Kat’s hand in mine began to shake, and I gripped it tighter, reassuring her that I was still there with her. “Actually, we haven’t been shacked up, Mitch. And, since when did you become the morality police? I hardly think you have much ground to stand on.” As soon as the spiteful words left her mouth, she shot an apologetic look at Hannah. “I’m sorry, I just mean—”
“It’s all right.” Hannah held up her hand. “Mitch, don’t be rude. They came over to tell us there will be a change in Jax’s life—that was very considerate of them.”
Kat nodded, and swallowed hard. “Thank you, Hannah. That’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re not here asking for permission, it’s already been decided, and Jax is very excited. We just didn’t want you to hear it from him and thought it would be best to come over and tell you ourselves before it happened. Jace has been watching Jax almost full time since I’ve been so busy with work and school, and it just makes sense to take that next step and be a family.”
Mitch visibly riled at this, unable to hold his opinion back. “How quaint. The single mom, her biker trash boyfriend, and my son. A family.”
Kat jolted up from the couch. “Wow, Mitch.”
Hannah sighed loudly, and tugged on her husband’s arm, but he jerked it away. She stood, and scooped their baby off the floor. “Come on guys, let’s go to the playroom. Jax say bye-bye to mom and Jace before we go.”
Jax waved at us and then chased off after Hannah down the hall.
“We’re done here,” Kat growled at Mitch once they were gone. She stormed from the room, but I hung back for a second, still glaring at Mitch.
“What? Is there something else you have to say?” He taunted.
I crossed the room in three strides, ignoring the pain in my back at the force of each harsh step. When I reached him, I grabbed his collar with my good hand, dragged him to the nearest wall, and slammed him against it. He tried wrangling free, flinging expletives at me, and trying to punch me in the gut, but I slammed him back against the wall again. “Listen, ass wipe, you will not make trouble for Kat over this. You lost her. It’s done. I don’t know how you could have been so stupid to not keep your fucking dick in your pants in the first place, but whatever, that’s your deal. She’s mine now, and I won’t let you hurt her anymore. Make one more rudeass comment to her, or to me, and I will fuck you up. Trust me when I tell you Folger’s team will be so far up your lying ass, you won’t be able to breathe without them knowing about it. They’ll find those hidden assets and I will personally take you to court and drain every last drop to give Kat what is rightfully hers.”
“You son of a bitch—”
I slammed him back again. “I wasn’t done talking.” I moved in close enough that I could feel his frantic breath as I tightened my grip on his collar, winding the shirt up tight around his throat. “After that, I’ll have Kat press charges for fraud and send your sorry ass to jail so long that your own daughter won’t know who you are. And by the way, you think I’m rough? You have no fuckin’ clue what you’ll run into on the inside. I guarantee you won’t make it out because you’re too fuckin’ stupid to know not to run your mouth off to the wrong people. You think just because you have money that makes you invincible, but I got news for you, dickwad, in there, your money ain’t shit. So, if I were you, I would get your ass out there, apologize to Kat, and vow to never speak to her that way again.”
Mitch squirmed, trying to get out of my grip. “I’ll press charges! This is assault!”
“Really? You’re going to press charges against a highly decorated, disabled, war hero? Yeah, good luck with that.” I laughed. “All right cupcake, you ready to go apologize?”
Mitch spit in my face. I reared back and punched him in the gut before he even saw it coming. He doubled over, sputtering and gasping from the force of the blow. “Fuck. You.”
I hit him again, and he dropped to the floor. “Tell you what, I’ll do it for you this time. But next time I see you, you better be on your best behavior or we’re gonna have some real problems.”
I stepped over him, leaving him to writhe and hold his side where I’d struck him, and left the room without another word.
When I got outside, Kat was already in the car. I slid into the passenger side, and she turned to me, her eyes ringed with red. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, shaking her head, as though still in disbelief over how Mitch had acted.
“It’s all right.” I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “He’s not gonna bother us about it anymore.”
Kat’s eyes widened. “Jace…what did you do?”
“We had words, it’s fine now.”
Kat studied me for a moment longer, and I knew she didn’t fully believe me, but after a little while, she turned on the car and backed out of the driveway. She didn’t ask about it again, and later that night, Mitch called and apologized to her and told her that she had his blessing.
She thanks me for whatever I’d said, and we spent the night together, all talk of the past gone, and only thoughts and dreams for the future.
Chapter Ten — Kat
“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” I asked Jace. I knew it was the hundredth time I’d asked, but I had to make sure.
Jace laughed. “Yes. Kat, please, stop asking. I’ll be fine!”
I pulled on my jacket, and turned back to him. He was propped up in a sitting position, a mountain of pillows behind him. His laptop and phone were within arm’s reach, he had the sandwich I’d made him sitting on the bedside table, and was smirking at me as I made a mental checklist of what else he might need before I left the house. “What about—”
“Katherine…” he scolded, still smiling. “I’m fine. Please, get out of here before you end up being late. That would be pretty sad on your last day.”
I smiled back at him, a jolt of excitement pinging through me. It was my last day of interior design school. Each student would receive a comprehensive assessment of their final project, be presented with their grades, and by the end of the night, the entire class would be participating in a small graduation ceremony where we would receive our certificate of completion.
If we passed.
Jace had undergone surgery while I was working on my final project, and while everything had gone according to plan, and he was now back home and working through recovery, it had taken more emotional and mental energy to get through than I’d expected, and the fact that it had coincided with my final project—an extensive hotel lobby design—I wasn’t feeling as confident as I should’ve been about walking into my instructor’s office to get my assessment.
“Baby, I saw the pictures, they’re gonna love it,” Jace told me, studying my tight, worried expression. “You have nothing to worry about. I’m fine, Hilda’s right next door if I need anything, I’ll call her. You just go, get your kick ass report, and I’ll see you tonight at graduation.”
His confident words patched up my fragile, anxiety riddled mind, and I squared my shoulders, straightening my jacket, and fastening the buttons. “All right. How do I look?”
“Smoking hot. If I wasn’t worried about internal bleeding, I’d take ya right here, right now,” Jace replied, his voice light and teasing.
I rolled my eyes. “I was going for a professional, ready to take on the world, business woman look…”
“Right. Well, whenever I look at you, I just see you naked. Your professor probably won’t have the same issue.”
“You’re impossible.” I laughed and Jace winked at me. I went to the side of the bed and gave him a kiss. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Knock ‘em dead, baby girl.”
* * * *
As Jace had predicted, my instructor gave me top marks on my final project, and when I walked out of her office an hour later, I had a glowing letter of recommendation and the names of three design firms that had seen my final showcase and wanted to meet to discuss project consultations. Not only was I going to graduate, but within a few weeks time, I could potentially have enough work to keep me busy for months. My head was spinning, and my heart was pumping, by the time I got to the auditorium where the graduation was to take place. The course was offered through the community college, and although I wouldn’t have a new degree to show for my work, I had a certificate, and a portfolio bursting with examples of my work.
I scanned the parking lot as I walked in, looking for Hilda’s car. She was going to be bringing Jax and Jace to the ceremony, and although I knew it was too early for them to be there, I couldn’t help but look for them.
It was hard not to text or call with the news of how my assessment had gone, but it was something I wanted to do in person. I went inside and followed the instructions on where to stand and where to go when my name was called. The instructions were all very simple, but I paid extra attention in order to keep my brain occupied.
Half an hour later, everyone was in place, and as we all filed out on stage, the small crowd erupted with cheers and applause. I looked out and spotted Jace immediately. I smiled when I saw Jax standing on the bench next to him, jumping up and down and clapping wildly. When the applause died down, I heard his little voice rise above the crowd, “That’s my mama!” The crowd chuckled and my eyes filled with happy tears.
After the ceremony, I rushed out to the foyer to find Jace, Jax, and Hilda in the crowd. Jax spotted me first and bolted across the room, flinging himself into my arms. “Mama! We have a surprise!”
“You do?” I pressed a kiss to his head and let him lead me back to where Jace and Hilda were. Jace was sitting in a chair and I knew he was probably feeling the effect of all the exertion. He hadn’t been out much since his surgery and the doctor had told him it would take at least a couple months before he would feel better and not need his pain medication anymore. I ran a hand up his back and rested it on his shoulder. “I hear you have a surprise.”
Jace shot a look at Jax, a flicker of panic in his eyes. “Jax, remember what I told you?” Jax nodded and put a finger to his lips. We all laughed at his sweet gesture and solemn expression. “As it so happens, we do have a little something up our sleeve, but you are just going to have to wait and see what it is.”