by Heather Lyn
“So, tell me something about yourself,” I begin, using his words from last night.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything, but for now, whatever you want to tell me.”
Jace makes a show of thinking of something, and I laugh at him.
“I have a nephew, Paxton. He’s almost one month old, and I swear, Stella, he is the coolest baby in the entire world.”
“Drew’s little boy?”
He laughs. “No, my good friend Brody. He and his older brother Garret are like brothers to me, so I consider Paxton to be my nephew. Garret has been my best friend for a long time. We were partners for over a decade, but he’s moved up in the department. He’s a detective now, working big cases. He’s one hell of an officer.”
“You sound pretty proud of him,” I muse, turning in my seat to face him.
“Yeah, I really am. I miss working with him, that’s for sure. But Eli Holt, my new partner? He’s pretty awesome. I trust him, and that’s the most important thing.”
“Oh, I’m sure. You have to know the person you’re riding with every day has your back.”
“Exactly.”
We pull into the diner, and he turns to me with a large grin. “Ready?”
“Let’s do it,” I tell him, and my stomach growls again, causing us to laugh.
We walk inside together, and Jace grabs my hand while we wait to be seated. When we’re taken to a booth in the corner, he waits until I’m sitting down before sliding in across from me.
“So, what else do you have planned for today?” I ask, reaching for the menu.
“Up to you. Whatever you’d like to do,” he tells me with a wink, peering at me over the top of his own menu.
“Oh yeah? Okay. Well, I’m totally down with having a movie marathon of chick flicks, and wine and chocolate and—”
“Okay, fine. I’ll take the reins,” Jace cuts me off with a grimace.
I go to say something more, but an older woman steps over to our table, her smile growing wide when she trains her eyes on my date.
“Well, Jace Miller, I haven’t seen you in almost a month. How you doin’, sweetheart?”
Jace laughs and gets up from the table, pulling her into a bear hug.
“Doing great, Aunt May. How are you? How’s Uncle Eddie?”
“You know your uncle. The old geezer is still busy making me crazy.”
“Good ole Uncle Eddie. I haven’t talked to Gen in a while. How’s she holding up?”
A look of sadness crosses her face, and I watch a similar look pass over Jace’s.
“She’s doing all right, honey. We’re hoping things will change, but you know my daughter. Just as hardheaded as her daddy. But enough of that. Who’s this pretty thing with you?”
Jace hooks his arm around his aunt’s shoulders and turns her toward me. “Aunt May, I’d like to introduce you to this pretty lady here. Stella Cole, this is Aunt May, my stunning and favorite aunt.”
Reaching out to shake her hand, I give her a warm smile that she returns. “It’s very nice to meet you, May. Jace told me this was the best place in town for breakfast.”
“That’s my nephew, always doing good by his family. And breakfast here is all right. It was better when I was the one cooking it, but now I just host and mingle with our customers.”
“Well, what would you recommend? I’m up for anything,” I tell her, setting my menu back down on the table.
“Veggie omelet, home fries, and bacon. Best we have.”
“Sounds perfect.”
After some more small talk, May heads back over to the counter, and we’re left alone.
“She’s really sweet,” I muse, looking over my shoulder at her. I have to force back the prick of tears when I realize just how much she reminds me of my mom.
“Aunt May is the best. She’s married to my dad’s younger brother, and she’s my godmother. We all grew up together. Our family is super close.”
“Who is Gen?” I ask, brushing my hair off my shoulder.
“My cousin. She’s a few years younger than me, but we were best friends growing up. She’s a schoolteacher a few towns over. I haven’t seen her in way too long. She’s dating this guy who’s a real piece of work. We’re all worried about her.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, reaching across to grab Jace’s hands. He smiles at me, and goes to continue when he’s interrupted by the waitress finally coming over to our table.
“Hi, I’m Stacy, and I’ll be taking care of you today. What can I get you?”
I order May’s suggestion, and Jace orders enough food for an army. I raise an eyebrow at him, and he laughs. “I’m a growing boy, what can I say?”
“Pretty sure you’re full grown,” I mumble, my cheeks heating when I realize how that came out.
Jace just laughs at me, and after a minute of dying from embarrassment, I laugh along with him.
Stacy comes over with a pot of coffee and a couple mugs a few moments later, filling them for us and then leaving us alone.
“So, you said you have an older brother. You guys tight?” Jace asks me, taking a sip of his black coffee.
I stir cream and sugar into mine and nod at him.
“Yeah, he’s my best friend. He’s five years older than me, but we’ve always been really close.” I avoid telling him that he raised me after Mom and Dad died; I’m not ready to have that conversation. Different time and a different place, maybe.
“In case I didn’t tell you, you look beautiful this morning.” He gives me that devilish smile of his.
“Thanks. I didn’t feel like bothering with makeup, so I apologize for the bags under my eyes. A certain handsome cop wore me out last night.” I wink.
He reaches across the table and cups my cheek, leaning over to give me a soft kiss. Pulling back, he gently rubs his thumb over my bottom lip. “I like seeing your freckles.”
“If you say so,” I mumble, then turn my head away from him as the waitress brings our food over. My stomach growls at the plate of food in front of me. It smells delicious, but I start laughing when I see Jace has three in front of him.
“I’d love to know where it’s all gonna go,” I tease him, reaching for my fork.
“Good genes. Plus, I work out every day. I mean, you saw my smokin’-hot bod, Stella.”
“What mirror do you look into, Miller?” I ask, reaching for the napkin ring next to me.
“The one in my bathroom,” he retorts, not missing a beat as he reaches for his cup of coffee.
Rolling my eyes at him, I dig into my food and instantly know I made the right decision asking May what she suggested. The food is incredible, and I watch Jace practically inhale his.
“Told you,” he says between bites. “This place is the best.”
“I’m coming here every single day,” I groan, shoveling more home fries into my mouth and then giggling around it when Jace shifts around in his seat, clearly uncomfortable.
“Can you not make noises like that, Stella? Jesus, the things that does to me.”
“Poor baby.”
We finish our breakfast while making small talk, and I swear every time he smiles, I melt. Jace just has a way of drawing you in, and it’s not hard to find myself under his spell.
While we wait for the check, he reaches across the table for my hands and holds them tight in his.
“So, a couple blocks over is this great nursery. Wanna help me pick out some flowers?” I ask, laughing when his eyes widen in shock.
“Like help you pick them out or push the cart? ’Cause I know nothing about gardening.”
“Like spend some time with me and push the cart,” I tease, which earns me a wink in return.
“I’m in.”
Stacy brings the check and Jace grabs it, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet and then leaving a few bills on the table. Helping me up from my seat, he walks me out of the restaurant, kissing Aunt May on the cheek as we pass by her.
“So nice to meet y
ou, sweet Stella!”
“Nice to meet you!”
Waving at her, we head out the door and step out onto the sidewalk. Jace looks down at me, squeezing my hand tight.
“Let’s go get you some flowers, Stella Cole.”
§
An hour later, I’ve got a push cart loaded with hanging plants and a couple potted plants for my window boxes. I’d hoped to find some lilacs, but they didn’t have any, and since I’m only renting my house, it’s probably for the best anyway. Jace bought a giant hanging pot of the most vibrant-colored annuals for his mom, and it’s left such a sweet spot for him in my heart. He is unlike any man I’ve ever met, with a such a big heart and just the most incredible smile. He reminds me so much of my own dad, and the thought causes tears to prick the corner of my eyes, but I brush them away and busy myself with finding a hair elastic in my purse to pull my hair up and off my neck.
We’re next in line, so I pull the cart forward, and the woman running the register begins to tap away at the calculator in front of her, adding up the flowers.
“And one large annual hanger?” she asks.
Before Jace can object, I nod, holding out three twenties to her. She’s handing me my change when Jace moves next to me and drops a kiss to my temple.
“Thanks, Stella. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to. Just don’t go throwing a caveman tantrum because I bought you some flowers.”
Jace busts out laughing, and I rest my hand on my hip.
“What’s so funny?”
“Caveman tantrum?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, go all alpha and refuse to let me pay? Isn’t it something that makes most men uncomfortable?”
“I’m not most men, and I would never go all alpha on you. Unless it involves what I did to this sexy fucking body last night. In which case, I’m always down for that.”
I shake my head at him, and he grins and pushes the cart toward his car. When we reach it, he pops the trunk, and we place most of the flowers inside, except the one for his mom.
“I can hold this one, if you want,” I offer, moving to take it from him.
“Thanks.”
Once I get into the car and am buckled, he hands the planter to me and I settle it on my lap, laughing when I realize I can’t see out my window or the windshield. Jace climbs behind the wheel a moment later, and when he notices my predicament, he laughs and pulls out his cell phone.
“Do you mind?” he asks, and I shake my head, smiling when he snaps a picture. A little over twelve hours ago, I didn’t even know him, and now I’m posing for photos, laughing and enjoying the little things with him. It’s a heady feeling, but one I could certainly get used to.
When we pull away from the nursery, I notice he’s headed in a different direction than my house, but I don’t question it and just enjoy the drive. His fingers toying with the hem of my shorts, I force myself to ignore the butterflies in my stomach and reach over to his stereo, turning the tuner knob to a different station.
“This okay?” I ask, and he nods, focused on the road.
I hear him groan a second later when the next song comes on, and I laugh as I turn it up as loud as I can and sing along.
“I didn’t take you for an eighties fan,” he shouts.
“Best genre besides country.” I keep dancing around as best I can in the confined space.
“If you say so.”
“Oh come on, Jace. Loosen up. It’s ‘Love Shack.’ Everyone loves this song.”
Jace turns the radio down a bit, but I don’t pay any attention. The song is about to finish when we turn down a long dirt road. Moving the flowers a bit, I realize we’re pulling up to a house I don’t recognize. It’s a beautiful white Cape Cod set on a large lot with a wood fence running the length of the front yard.
“Where are we?” I ask.
“My parents’ house.”
My eyes widen in shock, but before I can protest, he parks in front of a large two-car garage.
“Jace, I don’t think I should be meeting your parents. We only just met last night,” I tell him earnestly.
He laughs, dropping a fast kiss to my lips. “They’re not home, Stella. I’m just dropping these on the porch for Mom.”
It’s not until he’s out of the car that I breathe a sigh of relief. I’m not ready for that.
But as I watch Jace jog up the steps, hanging the flowers from the railing, my eyes completely drawn to him, I realize that maybe it wouldn’t take much for me to be ready.
CHAPTER FIVE
JACE
Sweat dripping down my forehead, I push myself to finish this last mile, feet pounding the pavement as I race back toward home. I have a date with Stella in an hour, and I still need to get showered and changed. Today was a shit shift, and I’m more than ready to spend some time with my favorite person.
We’ve been on a total of three dates in the last two weeks. We both have time-consuming jobs, so although we’ve made an effort to see each other as much as we can, it’s still not enough. Not for me, anyway. Clearly, a one-night stand with her wasn’t something that could stay just one night, and I think deep down we both knew that from the start. She slept curled up to me the entire night, and it took everything in me to not drag her to Vegas and beg her to marry me right then and there so I never had to be without her.
Stella Cole is a game changer.
She makes me laugh and forget about all the shit I see every single day, and I know it’s the same for her. As a social worker, I’m sure she’s had her fair share of crappy days, but she’s always so upbeat and happy that it’s hard to stay down when you’re around her.
Twenty minutes later, I step from the shower into the steam-filled bathroom, wrapping a towel around my waist. Knowing I don’t have enough time, I grab my electric razor and bring my stubble down as close to my skin I can, then quickly run a brush through my damp hair. I told Stella to dress comfortably even though she has no idea where we’re going, so I follow my own instructions and change into jeans and a T-shirt.
I’m heading to the kitchen to grab a water when my cell phone starts chirping in my pocket with an incoming call. Pulling it out, I’m greeted with the photo I took of Stella a couple weeks ago, and I swipe to answer with a smile on my face.
“Hey, you.”
“Jace, hi. I’m so sorry. I hate to do this, but I’m gonna need to cancel tonight.”
Disappointment washes over me, but I push past it. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, my brother just had a work emergency come up. Something about his clients not having the right paperwork for the closing tomorrow, so he has to rush over and redo something. I have no idea, I’ve never understood real estate.”
“Makes me glad the sale of my place went easy. So what does that have to do with us?” I ask, confused about why I can’t still take her out.
“Jules, my niece. She’s only ten, so Mason asked me to watch her tonight for a couple hours while he goes and straightens everything out. Can we do another night this week?”
It only takes me about three seconds to decide. I hope she’s okay with it.
“What if she comes with us?” I offer.
“What?”
“Yeah, I’d planned on taking you out for burgers and then mini golfing. Bring Jules with us. I’d love to meet her.”
There’s silence on the other end of the call, and I realize she’s whispering to someone. I wait for her to come back to the line, and when she does, I hear screeching in the background.
“Mason is here dropping her off and said it’s okay. Jules is excited, if you couldn’t hear.” She laughs. “Thank you, Jace. It’s sweet of you to share our date with her.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Stell.”
“We’ll see you in a little bit, then. Bye.”
We end the call, and I grab my navy hoodie off the back of my couch. Checking to make sure I have my wallet and keys, I swing out the front door, locking it behind me. Minut
es later I’m on the road, country music quietly playing from the speakers. It’s been on that station since our last date, and I have no desire to change it.
Ten minutes later, I pull into Stella’s driveway. Parking next to her car, I climb out and head up her short walkway, reaching out to ring the doorbell. A second later, the door is pulled open to reveal the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, a smile pasted on her face. Reaching out for me, she winds her arms around my neck, and I take her lips with mine, smiling against her mouth.
“You look fucking beautiful,” I mumble, pulling back to place a kiss on her cheek.
“Stop.” She blushes, and I just shake my head at her. Her long hair is up in some sort of bun, and she’s in a pair of skintight jeans and a loose white blouse that exposes one of her shoulders.
“Never.”
She invites me inside, and I hear footsteps come running around the corner. The kid I assume is Jules skids into the room, a massive smile on her face. She has long brown hair like her aunt, and they even look similar except for Jules’s bright blue eyes.
“Hi, I’m Jules. Are you Jace?”
“I am. It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Jules. I’m happy to have you with us tonight.”
“Me too! Auntie Stella said we get to go mini golfing. I can’t wait!” Her excitement is infectious, and Stella laughs, reaching out to drape her arm over Jules’s shoulders.
“Shall we go?” I ask.
With a nod from Stella, I pull the front door open, ushering them outside. Stella locks her front door and walks hand in hand with Jules over to my car. Opening the passenger side door, I fold the front seat down and motion for Jules to climb in. She squeals with excitement and I chuckle, making sure she’s all set before pushing the front seat back in place for Stella.
“I’ve missed you this week,” Stella whispers to me before stealing another kiss.
Reaching up to cup her cheek, I pull away to look into those brown eyes I love.
“Missed you more.”
After helping her in, I stride around the hood of my car and get in behind the wheel. Starting the engine, I look into the rearview mirror to find Jules dancing to the music, then over to my girl.