Whatever Comes Our Way (Everyday Love Book 2)

by Jaycee Weaver

“Do you think Belinda’s going to make it through her program and stick to it?”

  Gina raised her face and even in the darkness of the star-filled night he read the fierce determination in her gaze. “Yes. And even if she doesn’t, the kids have us now. And I’m not going anywhere. If they need me, I’ll be there. Period.”

  That intense resolve was one of his favorite traits. She’d never admit to being stubborn, but every so often he’d catch a glimpse of it. That stubbornness presented as loyalty and protectiveness in her relationships. She was a mama bear when it came to those she loved.

  He’d love to make her an actual mama, someday. Maybe someday soon, if she was ready. He certainly was. More than ready, to be honest.

  “Is there anything more I can do to help?”

  Not that she likely needed his help.

  Jaydon thought back to the way she’d looked just a few months ago on the edge of the field at the school. Standing tall, hair blowing around her in the breeze as she protectively stood guard over the band of mischief makers. He’d seen her as a warrior then, before he knew how much she’d battled through. She was even more a warrior in his eyes now.

  “I just need you,” she replied, snuggling deeper into his embrace.

  His arms tightened around her. “Done.”

  For the next hour, they shared about their day and coordinated schedules with work, meetings, the kids, and other tasks that needed doing in the days to come. She gave him an overview of what Hailee had revealed earlier. He felt torn between sympathy for Belinda’s battle with depression and wanting to throttle the woman for her selfishness and neglect.

  He was glad Hailee had shared so openly with Gina, though. It was evidence of the trust they’d been praying for. Having a clear picture of all that they’d been through would help them better understand what the kids’ needs might be and how to meet them.

  Jaydon grinned. This daily-download they’d settled into had wrapped itself around his heart and he wanted more than ever to make at least part of their lives permanent.

  God willing, Hailee and Javi would be able to go home in several weeks and begin, with their mother, the process of healing and moving forward. Call him greedy, but he wanted more and he just couldn’t wait.

  “Gina?”

  “Yeah?”

  “What would you say if I asked you to marry me?”

  Chapter 31

  Gina

  Her arms released him and she sat ramrod straight. Her eyes bore into his with confusion while her heart pounded a reckless beat.

  “Are you asking?”

  His eyes were hard to read in the darkness, with only the moon and a few well-placed solar lights to see by. What she could see clearly, though, was the love she felt reflecting back at her. Wasn’t it too soon for such a big step?

  No, no, it wasn’t.

  She continued to probe his gaze, waiting for his answer. She couldn’t breathe.

  “Not yet, but I want to.”

  “You don’t think it’s too soon?”

  “Maybe. Is that what you think?”

  “Well,” she answered honestly, “the practical realist part of me says yes, but the rest of me knows the man you are and how I feel about you.”

  “Yeah? How do you feel about me?” His grin held mischief and curiosity in equal measure.

  “I’m grateful God brought you into my life. I’m thankful that he made sure we were both ready for this before letting us meet. When I’m not with you, I feel like part of me is missing. When we’re together, I feel happier and stronger, like I can face anything. And I feel sad that Kelly never appreciated what she had, because being your wife might just be the best thing I can think of.”

  The joy that illuminated his expression was bright enough to light the yard. Jaydon bent down and pressed a kiss to her lips so sweet and delicious Gina thought she might gain a couple pounds from it.

  Without warning, he lifted from the bench and slid to the ground. He slipped at the last second and his knee hit the ground with a thump. He grimaced and they both laughed.

  “What are you doing, goofus?” Wait. Why was he bending one knee? Was he seriously going to do this for real? Here? Now?

  “I hadn’t planned on this, obviously. But I don’t want to waste precious time that we could spend together. I’m tired of acting like two single parents sharing custody, giving each other the daily run down and going our separate ways. I want to come home to you and do all of it across the dinner table. Or better yet, side by side in our bed as we settle in for the night.

  “I want to help you with Hailee and Javi while they’re here. And whenever they get to go home, I still want to be here. I want to create our own family, whether we have our own babies, foster, or adopt. I want to follow God’s plan for us, wherever He may take us, side by side as partners and lovers. And I don’t need more time to know that you’re the one I want. So yes, it looks like I am asking you to marry me. Will you?”

  The pounding of her heart beat loudly in her ears, but all she felt was peace. No tension, no tightness in her chest. The shallow breaths she took in were excited ones, not because her lungs had constricted. The tingles in her limbs and lips were from anticipation, not fear or lack of oxygen. Why wasn’t she freaking out?

  Because this is right. Jaydon is right.

  “Yes,” she whispered into the dark cocoon of her yard, her peaceful place. “Yes. I can’t wait to marry you.”

  Jaydon’s face broke into the hugest grin she’d seen from him yet. His face couldn’t beam brighter if there was a floodlight shining on him. He jumped to his feet, yanking her off the bench and sweeping her into his giant arms. He twirled her around like she weighed no more than a child.

  “Thank you, Jesus!” he shouted before kissing her soundly.

  Happiness bubbled from the bottoms of her feet and out her mouth in uncontainable laughter. His arms still wrapped around her, Jaydon’s victorious laughter joined hers.

  “I love you, Gina Bennett,” he whispered and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  “Mmm, I love the sound of that. How soon can we make that name stick?”

  “Are you serious right now?”

  “Are you kidding me?! Of course, I’m serious!”

  “Babe, I’d marry you tomorrow if I could.”

  “Okay.”

  He let go of her and stepped back, his face earnest and full of hope.

  “I mean it, Gina. I really would marry you tomorrow.”

  “I know. I said, ‘okay,’ didn’t I?” And she meant it. She was so ready to be Jaydon’s wife. More than she’d thought possible.

  “Don’t tease me about this, woman.”

  “I’m not teasing! I don’t want a big, fancy, well-planned wedding. Even if we’d been dating for a couple years, that’s not what I’d want. I just want you and me, and if we have to, our families. Maybe Brynn and Josh. And cake.”

  He chuckled at the final addition. “Definitely cake.”

  “Jaydon?” She waited for him to make eye contact. Oh, how she could get lost in those indigo depths.

  “Yeah?”

  “I mean it. Let’s get married.”

  Jaydon shook his head in disbelief and the hairs around his mouth tickled her face with the press of his kiss. “People are going to talk.”

  “Eh, let ‘em. The joke will be on them in thirty years when they see we’re still completely happy.”

  He shook his head with a chuckle. “What are we going to tell the kids?”

  “Hmm. Good point.” She kissed him a good, long minute before answering. “Let’s tell them tomorrow over dinner. Then we’ll set a date. An as-soon-as-possible date. Like Saturday.”

  “This is crazy.”

  “Crazy awesome.”

  He laughed. “Okay. We’ll tell the kids over dinner. Oh, man, I almost forgot.”

  “What?”

  “I’m doing a wedding this weekend.”

  Gina scrunched her nose. “What about next weekend?”
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  Jaydon pulled out his phone and then shook his head, grinning.

  “What? No go?”

  “Oh, it’s a go. Wide open. It’s just funny. I never thought I’d get married again, you know? And it was such a big production last time. Now here we are, choosing a wedding day after a spontaneous proposal like it’s just another date.”

  Gina rolled her eyes and laughed. “It works for us. When you know, you know, right?”

  “That’s what I hear.”

  “So tomorrow we tell the kids.” She wrapped her arms around his middle. “And then we call our parents.” She pressed a kiss to his furry chin. “We tell Brynn and Josh and whoever else we want to invite,”—a lingering kiss to his mouth—“and have it right here. No pressure, no fuss, just the people we love. And cake. Next Saturday.” One more kiss on his smiling lips.

  The affection in his eyes weakened her knees just a little. No, a lot. It was a good thing they were holding each other upright.

  “I love you,” he said. The tenderness in his voice about did her in. “I love us.”

  “Me too.”

  “I’d better get going. We have a lot to accomplish this week. I’m glad we have that time, though. I won’t have to race through choosing a ring. I want to it be just right, knowing you’ll be wearing it the rest of our lives. Especially since I rushed the proposal without a plan to do it right.”

  She smiled up at him and shook her head. “I think it was perfect just the way it was. It was totally us. I’ll never forget tonight. It means even more to me that it happened right here in my yard, my safe place, on our bench.”

  “Me, too. And hey, this way you’ll be able to find a dress and we can for sure get a cake.”

  “Oh, yes, we’ve established that cake is important.”

  They stood there staring at one another with loopy grins for a few long seconds.

  “I guess it’s time to say goodnight,” Gina said sadly. She really didn’t want him to go. In a week and a half, he won’t have to.

  She walked him back through the house to the front door in near silence. Before they opened the door, he spun around and pulled her into his arms. He slid one arm around her while the other cupped her neck and pulled her lips to his.

  This kiss was a soft caress. She shivered although her whole body was overheating. The fingers of one hand toyed with his beard, while her other hand went up his chest and around the back of his head. She doubted she’d ever get enough of his kisses. They’d be eighty-something and he’d still turn her bones to mush.

  Two minutes later, his truck rumbled from the driveway. She closed the door and leaned against it, reliving the past hour. She was engaged. Gina’s happy sigh echoed in the quiet space.

  She practically tiptoed past the spare rooms in the hall, though she knew it was unnecessary. Javi slept with earbuds and Hailee was a heavy sleeper once she finally dozed off.

  “Gina?” Javi’s whisper held an edge of concern. The suddenness of it made her jump.

  She walked up to the edge of his bed and sat down. He looked so much younger than twelve, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and his thick, dark hair sticking up everywhere.

  “What’s up?”

  “What time is it?”

  She looked around and remembered she kept forgetting to put an alarm clock in here. A flick of her wrist brought her fitness watch to life and showed 12:08.

  “Just after midnight. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. Jaydon’s truck woke me up. Did he just leave?”

  “Yeah, we were talking outside in the yard and lost track of time. Need anything?”

  “Nah, I’m okay. I had a hard time falling asleep earlier and couldn’t find my earbuds. I thought I heard a shout or something. You guy weren’t fighting, were you?”

  “Nope,” she assured him. She felt the urge to smooth down Javi’s mussed hair but decided that might be awkward for both of them. She was not his mother.

  “Although,” she smiled, “I can let you in on a little secret no one else knows yet….”

  He sat up, looking more alert and curious.

  “Jaydon and I are getting married.”

  Javi’s face broke into a wide smile and he nodded enthusiastically. “That’s awesome. I like Jaydon. I can tell he loves you. He’ll be a really great dad someday.”

  “Yeah, he will.”

  His face fell. “I’ve been kind of rude to him.”

  “I’m sure he understands. You guys have been through a lot.”

  “Yeah, but listening to you guys talk, you have, too. Ms. Eva told us what she used to be like and how she really messed up when you were a kid.”

  “You’ve been talking with my mom?”

  “Uh huh. She’s cool. I never had a grandma, but she’d be a good one I think. She always makes time to talk to me when I’m at the store.”

  “Huh. Interesting.”

  “What’s going to happen when you guys get married?”

  “We haven’t figured all of that out just yet. But it’s happening pretty soon.”

  “Really? Like before my mom gets out?”

  “Probably next week. I need to call the social worker and figure things out, but yeah. Are you okay with that? If Jaydon moves in here with us?”

  “Yeah, I mean, it’s your house. He’s cool.”

  “I want you guys to think of it as your house, too, even if it’s only for a little while. And when your mom gets her life together, I still want you to think of this as like your second home, okay? You and Hailee are welcome here anytime you need a place to go, anytime you need me or Jaydon. We both really care about you guys.”

  “Thanks, Gina. Sorry for being a jerk lately.”

  “Thanks for the apology, Javi. We’ll get through the hard stuff eventually. We’re still figuring it out. But I think having Jaydon around will actually be good for all of us. Goodnight. Sleep well. See you in the morning.”

  “’Night, Gina.”

  Chapter 32

  “Are you kidding me?!”

  Brynn’s voice was almost screeching in Gina’s ear, and several of the kids’ heads whipped in their direction.

  “Have we learned nothing in the last year and a half, Brynn? Keep your voice down!”

  The pretty blonde had the decency to look slightly chagrined, though her lips curved into a mischievous smile.

  “Don’t you dare say it, chica.”

  Brynn’s icy blue eyes were wide with a too-innocent glint. “Say what?”

  “I told you so. I know you want to.”

  “I would never. I might say I KNEW IT, though! I KNEW you guys would be perfect for each other! And now you’re engaged! After two months!” Her voice was downright exultant.

  “Almost three,” Gina defended.

  “Yeah, but you’ll be married by three. That’s crazy and awesome. I’m so excited for you! Josh is going to FREAK out! And I can’t believe you’re going to be married before me!”

  “Oh, please. By a whole week.”

  “We could’ve had a double wedding!”

  Gina gave her a you’ve got to be freaking kidding me look. Brynn was such a goofball. She loved her to pieces and wouldn’t change her for the world, though.

  “No way. You have worked yourself into a list making frenzy prepping for that wedding. You deserve every single second of that spotlight shining on your special day, girl. I have no desire to steal your thunder.”

  Brynn waved her off with a pshaw. “Puh-lease. Whatever.”

  “Besides. I only want a few people there, and I’ll be getting hitched in jeggings and flip flops.”

  Her friend looked thoroughly horrified.

  “No. No. Guests in jeans is stereotypical New Mexican enough.” Brynn shuddered. “But for the bride? You can’t, G. We’ve got to at least get you a dress. A simple one, maybe, but a dress.”

  “We’ll see. But if I have to wear a dress, then I’m definitely wearing flip flops.”

  “That’s acceptable,” Brynn gr
inned. “Did I tell you I’m wearing Chucks? I special ordered an all-white pair.”

  Gina laughed. That was totally her girl. “Josh wearing black ones with his tux?”

  “Yup. High tops, both of us.”

  They talked weddings a few more minutes before it was time to start cleaning up for the day. She’d felt bad waiting until Friday afternoon to tell Brynn, but they’d wanted to talk with the kids first and then tell their families. And anyway, this was the kind of news Gina needed to tell her bestie in person. As expected, Brynn understood.

  Gina climbed into her car and revved the engine to get it going. She drove all the way out of the school’s parking lot and onto the main road home before noticing something was different. Another two blocks and she turned off the radio, the only interior system that still worked properly, and listened.

  Blessed, glorious silence.

  A miracle? Probably not. No, come to think of it, something in here smelled suspiciously like Jaydon. He never drove her car, so his scent didn’t make much sense. And he didn’t know much about cars. Wood, building, remodeling, and tinkering? Yes. But cars?

  By the time she pulled into her driveway, she wasn’t sure whether to kiss the man or smack him. Not only was her ancient car no longer squeaking, but the air conditioner was blowing cold air instead of musty smelling particles of who knows what. The check engine light was gone, as well as the other weird unidentified icon. To top it off, when she circled the car in awe before making her way into the house, she had four new tires.

  The door between her garage and kitchen opened and her champion filled the door frame, a Cheshire cat grin spread across his wooly face.

  “How did you? Why did you?” She couldn’t even finish asking the questions racing through her brain. Deep breath, Gina. “Please tell me you did not spend a small fortune fixing up that heap of junk for me. Although, I do appreciate it.”

  His grin dimmed briefly then broadened again.

  “Actually, babe, there are times it pays to be a pastor,” he took a few steps to meet her with a delicious brush of his lips. “We have a mechanic in the church who takes care of our cars as long as we pay for the parts. He donates his labor as part of his giving. That’s more than half the cost of auto work right there.”