If he could help it.
Lydia and Callum were returning from their trip to Kentucky, and they were bringing a new family member home with them. He was equally nervous and excited about that. Being an uncle had always been a dream, but he’d accepted maybe it would never happen given the circumstances of both of his older sisters.
He loved them so much, and he wouldn’t trade their happiness for anything. Hoping for adoption in the future, for either of them, was his only option—now it was coming true.
On his way back to Lydia’s house, he kept thinking about what he wanted to say to Byron. American Sign Language wasn’t his strongest suit, but he’d do his very best to communicate with the little guy, and he just prayed the kid liked him.
“Uncle Jeb,” he said aloud, nodding. “That’s got a nice ring to it.”
Aunt Aggie, he added in his mind with a smile.
It was probably a far toss into left field, but he’d also been thinking about marriage. His parents had high hopes and dreams for all their kids when it came to finding Mrs.—or Mr.—Right. He was pretty sure it was safe to say it was now on his shoulders to carry on the McIntosh name; producing a few grandkids in the future with signature McIntosh green eyes was his responsibility.
But what if that wasn’t something Aggie wanted? Hell, getting her to open up about her past had been like pulling teeth—or no, like giving a root canal. Not that he knew what either of those things was like, but he imagined them to be equally difficult and frustrating.
Aside from the whole Mia fiasco, he’d always been an honest person. He didn’t hide things from the people he cared about. Asking for a little insight on her past wasn’t such a bad thing, was it?
Besides, none of it mattered. He only wanted to know about her. What she did before they met had nothing to do with him. Just as what had happened with Mia had nothing to do with anyone else; that was solely his stupidity and had almost gotten his family hurt.
Aggie’s sins couldn’t compare to his, ever. She hadn’t nearly gotten one of her family members killed.
God knew she could have been a serial killer and he’d still love her.
He had it bad and he knew it.
After parking behind his best friend’s Tahoe, he headed back inside and his stomach immediately growled from the delicious scent of food.
Lydia must be cooking, he thought, patting his stomach in anticipation. Good thing, cause I’m starving.
But he was very surprised when he entered the kitchen and found his gorgeous little minx serving eggs to his sister and brother-in-law at the table.
She sure made an apron look sexy...and he never thought he’d say that. His pants began to tighten as he imagined her wearing only that apron.
Damn it.
“Jeb! Welcome back,” she said cheerfully, hurrying over to him to press a kiss against his cheek. “Have a seat and I’ll make you some eggs. How do you like them?”
“Uh,’—he blinked, a little dazed and a lot aroused—“Any way is fine with me.”
“Any way?” Lydia echoed, breaking through his fog of lust. “He likes sunny side up, Ags.”
“Sunny side up it is!” Turning around abruptly, she hastened back to the stove, leaving him standing awkwardly in the center of the kitchen.
“Come have a seat, buddy,” Callum said with a mouthful of food. “I’ve got somebody I want you to meet.”
Tearing his gaze away from Aggie’s perfect backside, he glanced back at the table, and it was only then he noticed the pint-sized person sitting beside Callum.
The little fellow, who looked so much like Callum it was scary, peered up at him with big eyes and an even bigger smile—milk moustache included.
“Jeb, this is Byron. My son,” his best friend announced, gesturing to the child.
It took a few seconds for his brain to start working again, but when it did, he finally remembered the small bit of sign language he’d been studying while they were away.
...And while he wasn’t giving Aggie the best orgasms of her life.
“Hello,” he said softly, lifting his hand to his forehead to give a small salute.
Byron’s smile seemed to get bigger as he mirrored him, lifting his little hand upwards to say hello back. He giggled, which was the cutest thing Jeb had ever heard, and then looked to his father for further information.
“He. Is,” Callum said slowly, moving his hands with each word. “Your. Uncle.”
Byron gasped excitedly and whipped his head around to look at Jeb again. Pointing a finger at him, his eyebrows shot up on his forehead. He signed “uncle” again, as if he had to be sure.
Nodding excitedly, Jeb rounded the corner of the table and pulled out the seat next to him. Plopping down, he gave Byron a broad grin and signed the word back to him for confirmation.
Byron released a gurgle of happiness and threw his arms around his neck, hugging him with surprising strength.
“Oh, he really likes you!” Lydia laughed, clapping her hands together. “We’ve been showing him pictures of everyone and going over the signs with him. He’s been waiting to meet you.”
“He has?” He asked, blinking back the moisture in his eyes. Damn it, why was he about to cry? He didn’t cry over hugs from kids...but this kid was different, wasn’t he? And not because he was deaf; it was definitely because he was his nephew, and that put him in a league of his own.
Pulling away after a few seconds, Byron began to sign again and it was Jeb’s turn to look to Callum for guidance.
“He wants you to eat with him.” His best friend chuckled. “He loves to eat.”
“Well, we’ve definitely got that in common.”
And as if on cue, Aggie returned to the table with a plate of eggs, sunny side up, just for him.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” he said, catching her wrist gently and pulling her down for a quick kiss on the cheek. “This looks great.”
For the briefest of seconds, he forgot they weren’t alone, and it wasn’t until he heard Lydia’s delighted giggle that he looked up. His sister was absolutely bursting at the seams with happiness as she nudged her husband’s shoulder, and Byron cackled as if he’d just seen the funniest thing. When the boy started signing again, he glanced at Callum for translation.
“He wants to know if Aggie is his aunt,” Callum whispered loudly, as if they were in grade school, sharing secrets.
His eyes immediately flitted back to Aggie and he noted the blush on her cheeks.
Did she think about marriage, too, or had he just gone off the deep end?
“I’ll be his auntie, for sure,” she said, winking at Byron. “A cute kid deserves a cute aunt.”
But does she mean that in the way I’m taking it?
Probably not. She was just being friendly with the kid; marriage definitely wasn’t on the table at the moment. Maybe he just needed to focus on his food and stop thinking about it.
“You better not let Laney hear you say that,” Lydia said, and they all laughed.
After breakfast, which was amazing, Callum suggested Lydia and Aggie retire to the patio for mimosas while the guys cleaned up the kitchen. So, after they left the kitchen with Byron in tow, he started rinsing plates for the dishwasher.
“So, you and Aggie...”
“What about us?” He asked, carrying another stack of plates to the sink.
“What’s going on there, exactly? Are you two official?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure what we are at this point.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he glanced out the window and watched Aggie run around in the backyard with Byron.
So much for them catching up, he thought with a small smile. She sure looks great out there with him.
“Earth to Jeb,” Callum said, snapping his fingers in his face.
“Huh?” He blinked and turned his head to stare at his friend. “What?”
“I was asking if you two had a chance to, you know,”—he wiggled his eyebrows—“bond?”
“Bond?
Is that what you call it?” He snickered and shook his head. “We...we did something. I guess you can say it was bonding. She opened up to me a little more, which was nice.”
“It always is,” Callum agreed, leaning back against the counter and crossing his ankles. “When Lydia finally trusted me enough to talk to me about things, it was mostly smooth sailing from there on out.”
“Mostly?”
“Well, you know,”—he shrugged—“She’s a woman and women have their moments. Hell, we do, too. But working on that foundation of trust is what mattered most back then. You can’t have anything if you don’t have trust, Jeb.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Nah. I want you to tell me how things are going between the two of you. I saw the way you were looking at each other during breakfast. The chemistry was undeniable.” Snickering softly, he rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s always been that way with you two. I just want to make sure you’re happy. As your best friend and brother-in-law, that’s sort of my job.”
An hour and a half later, he found himself sitting in the lounge with his best friend. He’d gone over everything that was on his mind, but he did leave some things out—the stuff he promised Aggie he’d never talk about with anyone else. When he made a promise, he kept it.
Callum, in usual Callum style, remained quiet and nodded on occasion. He was a good friend like that.
“So...you’re in love with her, that’s obvious,” his best friend said when he was done. “I think what you need to do is be honest with her about it; see what she wants out of the relationship.”
“She wants to be happy, Cal. That’s what I want, too. But I’m afraid I may want more than she does at this point.”
“How do you mean?”
“I mean she’s Aggie. She’s not like other girls. Which I love that about her,” he added quickly. “It’s just...I don’t know if she will ever consider herself to be wife material. It’s been a real struggle just to get her to come this far. Hell, what am I saying?” He palmed at his eyes in frustration, a dull throb in his head threatened to dampen the day. “I’ve not even asked her to be official with me. Why the hell am I thinking about marriage?”
“Because your mama has talked about it as much as mine has,” Callum replied, grinning sheepishly. “Jeb, we’re the only sons our parents have. It’s what every parent wants from their sons—marriage, kids...the whole shebang.”
“At least you can give your parents that,” he mumbled, propping his chin against his fist in thought. “You and Lydia have already made all their dreams come true. I don’t much care if Aggie doesn’t want to have kids in the future. I just want to be with her.”
“That’s exactly how I feel about Lydia. Before I even knew about Byron, I just wanted her. Happiness is the ultimate goal in life, man. I say do what you feel is best. And,”—he pointed a finger at him—“Ask the girl out, will ya?”
“But what if she says no?”
“You’re an idiot, Jeb. She isn’t going to say no. Again, might I remind you she was ogling you at the table and she made eggs for you—sunny side up. If that’s not a sign from the universe she wants to be with you, then I don’t know what is.”
“Eggs are a sign from the universe?”
“Just do what I said, Jeb. Take her out for dinner or something tonight. Do something romantic. You’ll know for sure, exactly when you’re supposed to.”
“Dude, you’re not Yoda.”
“Never claimed to be. I’m just giving you some brother-in-law-ish advice.” Standing from his chair, Callum stretched his arms above his head and groaned. “I’ll look into that Uncle Ryan thing for you, by the way. It shouldn’t be too hard to track him down.”
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”
Aggie had brought up that name a few times. Her uncle Ryan seemed to be the only family she had left—at least family she wanted to have something to do with. He figured that maybe reuniting them would bring some more happiness into her life, and happy Aggie was his favorite Aggie.
“No problem. Well, anyway. We should get back out there. I’m sure Lydia is tired of chasing Byron around and probably would appreciate some help with him.”
Pushing himself to his feet, he shoved his hands into his back pocket and sighed. “You’re going to be great at this dad thing, you know.”
“I hope so,” Callum murmured, folding his arms across his chest. “I really, really hope so.”
Chapter 17
Ags
She wasn’t quite sure why Jeb was still staying with them. Not that she was complaining—not by a long shot, but it didn’t make much sense that he’d be hanging around the McIntosh abode when he had a perfectly fine house waiting for him just a few miles away.
Again, she wasn’t complaining.
The apartment complex she called home was also complete and ready for her to move back in, but she hadn’t yet, because that meant leaving not only Lydia, Callum, and Byron, but Jeb, too.
Now that she could complain about.
She had gotten so used to being around the liveliness and laughter in Lydia’s house. Every night was filled with fun, jokes, and new memories she would cherish forever. When it was time for bed, she’d always fall asleep in Jeb’s arms, whether it was his bed or hers.
They couldn’t keep their hands off one another either. Lydia thought it was sweet, of course, but Callum’s teasing never ended.
“You need a few of those yourself someday, Aggie,” Mrs. McIntosh had said during dinner one evening. She insisted she was only teasing, but Aggie knew better; a mother never joked about grandchildren.
It was something she’d thought about. Each passing day brought out a tender side of Jeb she hadn’t seen before. He was good with Byron—a perfect uncle. They had so much fun together, and she was pretty sure she could watch them interact with one another 24/7 and be completely content.
Jebson McIntosh was excellent father material.
It made her insides melt, and something stirred within her she hadn’t noticed until recently.
Could it be, though extremely far-fetched, that she wanted to be the mother of his children?
Having Byron around was a huge adjustment for everybody. While everyone loved the kid to bits and accepted him without question, there were moments that even made her want to pull her hair out, let alone Lydia and Callum. It made her rethink her desire to become a mother.
On one particular night, probably during his second week of being in Prairie Town, Byron had had an absolute meltdown. He’d been crying and screaming for nearly an hour.
He wanted his mom.
Callum and Jeb had left to retrieve some lumber for Mr. Reynolds and they were three towns away, so it was up to Lydia and herself to calm the distressed child.
She learned the hard way that it was easier said than done.
“God, help me. I don’t know what to do!” Lydia wailed as she slid down the wall and sat on the floor, hugging her knees to herself. Tears streamed down her face and she watched, helplessly, as Byron kicked his feet against the floor as hard as he could. Every other breath was a fresh, shrill scream as his tiny fists pounded against the clean hardwood.
It was a scene straight out of a movie, and not one anybody wanted to star in.
Standing in the doorway with a toy truck in one hand and her cellphone in the other, she glanced back and forth between her sobbing best friend and the little boy she’d unofficially adopted as her nephew.
“Jeb said they’re still about thirty minutes away,” she said softly, biting at her lip. “They’re hurrying as fast as they can, Sugar. What can I do to help?”
“I don’t know,” Lydia whimpered, wiping frantically at her eyes. “I don’t know what to do, Aggie. I am not cut out for this. He wants his real mom and...and...”
“She’s not here, sweetie. She’s not coming back,” she offered gently, easing around Byron and carefully avoiding his feet. He was little, but he was also strong. If he wanted to trip her, he coul
d do it. “Just tell me how to help, please. Do you think a car ride would calm him down?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t know!” Burying her face in her hands, Lydia began to sob harder, her shoulders visibly shaking. “What was I thinking? I’m not fit to be a mother to anyone. I can’t even console m-m-my own stepson.”
“Shh. It’s okay.” Sliding down to sit beside her, she quickly freed her hands and wrapped her arms around her best friend, rocking her like a small infant. “It’s all right, Lydia. We’ll get through this together, huh? We’ll figure something out.”
“I don’t know how to. I’m not cut out for this at all, Ags. He deserves so much better than me. Sometimes...sometimes I think he knows.”
“Knows what?” She asked, pulling back slightly to stare at her questioningly.
“About my p-past,” Lydia stammered, blinking her red, watery eyes rapidly. “I think...maybe he knows I’m not a real wom—”
“You stop it. Right there,” she said, suddenly angry. “Damn it, Lydia. We’ve been over this before. You’re as real of a woman as I am. Sometimes you’re more of a woman than me.”
She hadn’t meant to snap, truly she hadn’t. But when Lydia said stupid things like that, it rubbed her in the worst way possible. She’d watched her fight for so long, and so hard, to become the person she was now. There was no way in hell she’d let Lydia crumble over one bad moment in time.
They would get through it, somehow.
“You’re right,” Lydia whispered after a few seconds. “That was dumb. I’m sorry. I just,”—she sucked in a deep, calming breath and pressed a palm to her forehead—“I so desperately want to be good for him, but seeing him miss his mother so much kills me on the inside. I’m not Callum. I don’t know how to make him feel better right now.”
Grabbing her hands, Aggie kissed her knuckles and smiled as courageously as she could. “Just hold him and love him, Lydia. Make him feel safe. Let him know he’s not alone.”
Just like Jeb does for me.
It only dawned on her at that moment; Jeb was, without a doubt, the best thing that could have possibly happened to her. Gran had led her down a brighter path in life, introducing her to her two best friends and potentially the greatest love someone like her could hope for.
One of These Days (Prairie Town Book 4) Page 20