by Taylor Dean
Perhaps Jack hadn’t told them as much as she’d first thought and they were all curious. “Yes. He hasn’t left me alone for one single day since Mark left. It’s really helped. He’s been wonderful.” All at once, she saw things clearly. Jack didn’t really need her to console him or help him through this rough patch in his life. He had his huge family to rely on in times of heartbreak. So why did he need her? Why indeed?
Realization hit. Jack has been worried about her. He’s been checking up on her, making sure she was okay. He’s been using the excuse that he needed her, but she now knew that couldn’t possibly be true. His actions spoke volumes as to his character. Why should he care about the wife of the man his wife had stolen? Why should he worry about the repercussions of his wife’s actions?
But he did.
From their warm welcome, it would appear his family did too. Chloe decided not to mention Jack’s angry words on her doorstep the first time she’d met him. She had a feeling the women in his life would trample all over him for it. Maybe even tar and feather him.
“Good. We taught him right,” Sydney responded. Clearly she was the sassy one of the group.
“So…do you like him?” Kayla asked. Chloe quickly labeled her as the “no nonsense” sister.
Chloe sipped from her soda. “We’re just friends. But, yes, I like Jack. He’s been a good friend to me.”
“How good?” Sydney asked. Her smile took away any malice from the question.
“That’s enough,” Gwen warned her daughter. “Quit grilling Chloe.”
Chloe answered anyway. “Just good friends. We’re both facing similar emotions right now and it’s nice to commiserate with each other.” Except Jack wasn’t all that broken up over losing Taryn. By his own admission, he was relieved. Regardless, it wasn’t an easy thing to face and Chloe suspected that he was more upset about it than he was letting on.
The fact that Jack was quite obviously concerned about her made her a little uncomfortable. Had he taken one look at her and perceived her sorrow, her despondency? Did it show? In spite of his good intentions, it made her feel like a service project, and she wasn’t okay with that. Suddenly, she felt like the three-legged dog the little boy had brought home to his family.
Here, isn’t it cute? Help me fix it.
Harper sat next to her. “Jack’s always had a big heart. Being raised with four sisters tends to give a man a compassionate side.”
Chloe felt a connection to the friendly and sweet Harper. She chastised herself for questioning Jack’s intentions and for being so insecure.
Jack said he needed her and she believed him. Sometimes family isn’t enough. Sometimes you need a friend as well. That, she could understand.
She stared down at the amazing creation in her arms. Amelie was sound asleep and snuggled up to Chloe’s chest. An incredible burst of love shuddered through her body, the intensity almost more than she could bear. She ran her hand over the baby’s head and traced her features with her index finger. Tears filled her eyes but no more fell. “She’s so beautiful,” Chloe whispered to Harper.
“Thank you, Chloe,” she said, looking at her the same way Jack did—as if she could read her mind and know.
But that was impossible.
Dinner was ready then and the adults all gathered around the dining room table, crowding in until everyone fit. Jack and the girls entered the room as a bunched up cluster moving as one unit, reminding Chloe of a tight knit group of middle-schoolers in a school cafeteria. The youngest child sat atop Jack’s shoulders. He held her hands and said, “Ready?” The little girl squealed, “Yes!” She somersaulted off Jack’s shoulders and landed on the ground, giggling adorably. Jack helped them sit at the “children’s table” until each girl was settled. The sight, once again, made Chloe smile. He needed to be a father, and soon. No wonder he’d purchased such a big house. He was really serious about starting a family of his own. He obviously loved children and knew what he was getting himself into. Jack noticed her watching him, and tossed a smile and a wink her way.
For just a shiver of a moment, Chloe wished she could give Jack his family. He’d be a perfect father, and he’d never ever do what Mark had…
Chloe ceased that line of thinking immediately.
Harper appeared at her side. “Let me take Amelie so you can eat.”
“I don’t mind, really. I can eat one handed. Let me hold her while you eat,” Chloe answered.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I want to hold her. Please. She’s sleeping comfortably.”
Jack intervened. “I’ll put her down in the bassinet.”
“No, I want to hold her,” Chloe insisted with a little too much passion.
Jack stilled, his eyes looking directly into hers. There were questions in his gaze, but he didn’t voice them. “All right.” With his entourage seated and happily engaged, he was finally free to sit next to her. He wrapped one arm around her and leaned in to look upon Amelie. Chloe looked up at him, seeing him with new eyes. His breath was sweet and he smelled of aftershave. She suddenly had the desire to cuddle up to him and rub her cheek against his. The thought surprised her. They were friends. That’s all.
That’s all.
“Aw, Harper, you make beautiful babies,” he said.
“I had something to do with it,” Grady interjected, his mouth full.
“So would you, Jack.” Harper filled her plate without looking at Jack.
“Yeah, if you’d ever find a decent woman,” Sydney mumbled.
Kayla systematically placed the silverware next to each plate, ensuring each person had the utensils they needed even though most had already begun to help themselves. “I submit that one is sitting right next to you.”
“I’m a married man,” Jack reminded.
“Not for long,” Leann, the quiet one, said.
“So, Karen is in the Bahamas right now?” Grady asked, seemingly unaware of the inappropriateness of his question.
“It’s Taryn,” Harper corrected.
Sydney guffawed loudly. “Really, Grady, can you ever get a name right? When you can’t remember people’s names, it’s a sign that you don’t care.”
“I don’t,” he rebutted, spooning a huge bite of corn into his mouth.
“We know,” Kayla agreed. Then to Chloe, she said, “Grady can never remember names. He started calling one of his co-workers Joel, when his name was James.”
“He looked like a Joel,” Grady defended.
“He did it so often that other people in the office began calling this poor man Joel,” Kayla continued.
The table burst into laughter. It was obviously one of those amusing family stories that was shared often.
Sydney took over. “So, James says to Grady, ‘I’m going to start calling you Scott, just to get back at you.’ ”
“It backfired,” Grady said, placing butter and sour cream on his baked potato.
Kayla finished the thought. “So James begins to call Grady, Scott. Only people correct him every step of the way and say, ‘that’s not Scott, that’s Grady. Get your names right, Joel.’ James was so mad, his face turned bright red. Then the boss walks in and says, ‘Joel, are you all right? Your face is red.’ James ditched work and left the office for the afternoon. To this day, James won’t speak to Grady.”
Once again, everyone at the table crumbled into fits of laughter. Chloe had to admit, the story struck her funny bone and she tried not to jiggle Amelie with her convulsive chuckling.
“Well, Miss Taryn called me Leah the first few times I saw her,” Leann said, sounding disgusted.
“She called me Harpo,” Harper added.
“At least she was close. She called me Sally,” Sydney said, scrunching up her face with dismay.
Jack stared down at his plate uncomfortably and Gwen told the girls to hush. Even though he’d spoken of Taryn to Chloe, he obviously didn’t bash his wife to his family, nor did he like it when they spoke unkindly of her.
“Yo
u look more like a Sally than a Sydney,” Grady said and Sydney glared at him.
“Shut up, Scott,” Sydney blurted.
Grady laughed raucously, happy to have gotten a rise out of Sydney. “At least I can carry on a conversation. It’s more than Jim can do.”
Again, uncontrollable laughter broke out amongst the family members. Jim laughed the loudest, so Chloe figured he wasn’t offended.
Chloe quickly figured out that Jim was Leann’s husband. The remarks were once again angled towards Chloe, as Leann filled her in. “Jim sometimes has trouble in the social department. He tries really hard, he just always says…”
“The wrong thing,” Grady provided.
Jim shook his head and chuckled. Leann continued as if Grady hadn’t spoken. “There’s a young college girl working in his office for the summer, doing filing and other errands. She’s real quiet and shy, so Jim tried to spark up a conversation with her. He asked her what she was majoring in. She answered, ‘Library Science.’ ”
“What do you say to that? I didn’t know what to say,” Jim wailed.
Kayla rolled her eyes. “You say something normal like, ‘you must like to read’ or ‘sounds like an interesting major, are you enjoying it?’ ”
Leann went on, shaking her head. “Jim said, ‘oh, librarians are really happy people.’ ”
The table went wild and no one spoke for the next few moments. They were laughing too hard.
Jim covered his face with his hands. “It just sort of came out. I was so embarrassed. I don’t know how to talk to college girls.”
“Was she cute?” Sydney’s husband, Brian, asked and Sydney nudged him playfully with her elbow.
“Really cute,” Jim answered and Leann shoulder bumped him.
“That explains it,” Kayla’s husband, David, declared. “You were just tongue tied by a young girl’s beauty.”
Grady sliced his steak with single minded intent. “Except it gets worse.”
“Please, let’s not go there,” Jim begged.
“Jim wanted to make up for his lack of finesse earlier in the day,” Leann explained. “So, when he sees the young girl again, he asks what her boyfriend does for a living. She says, ‘he has his own computer repair business that he runs from our apartment.’ How does Jim respond? He says, ‘oh, well, he’ll have a great retirement.’ ”
The table was completely quiet this time because everyone was laughing so hard they couldn’t breathe or even make a sound. Jim turned bright red and covered his face with his hands.
“Priceless, Jim, just priceless,” Brian told him.
Jim hit his palm to his forehead. “My mouth just moves before I can think. Especially around women. Thank goodness I have Leann.” Jim leaned over and kissed Leann on the lips.
“Love you anyway, sweetheart,” Leann whispered.
Chloe was touched at their affection towards one another. The rest of dinner was just as Jack had said it would be, crazy and wild, with everyone talking over each other and laughing loudly at each other’s jokes. They all made fun of each other in a good natured way. It was clear there was a great deal of love and camaraderie amongst them. Chloe tried to keep up and get everyone’s names straight. When Jack finished his dinner, he leaned back in his chair and wrapped his arm around her protectively once again. Chloe found herself imagining the possibilities between them—and then chastised herself for such thoughts. They lingered over dinner and Chloe felt like a fly on the wall, observing them, and feeling fascinated by the family dynamics. She enjoyed every moment.
Everyone cleared their own plate and pitched in with clean up, which she found impressive. As the food was being put away, Chloe, rocking Amelie in her arms, wandered down the hallway, unabashedly looking at the numerous framed family photos. Jack had been a cute kid with his mischievous grin and sparkling eyes. No wonder he’d grown into such a handsome man. It was when she stumbled across a row of wedding pictures that she paused and curiously stared at Jack and Taryn. Taryn was also blond—no surprise there—and she and Jack looked quite stunning together. The golden couple. Ken and Barbie. She was nearly as tall as Jack, with long silky hair, a dazzling smile, and a perfect figure.
This is who Mark had left her for. Now she understood the appeal. Taryn was gorgeous. Stunning.
And she seriously doubted Mark was miserable in the Bahamas right now. Her stomach turned at the thought.
All of the sisters’ wedding photos were formal, but Jack and Taryn’s photo was not. They stood on a beach, arms around each other, huge smiles, the sun setting in the background—the epitome of honeymoon bliss. Jack wore jeans, rolled up at the ankles, and a white button-up dress shirt, untucked and the sleeves rolled up. Taryn wore a white gauzy dress that flowed in the wind. It looked like a photo that came with a store bought picture frame. Absolute perfection.
Jack’s voice was suddenly in her ear, “We eloped. Took off to Bermuda and got married on the beach, barefoot. Just us.” He stood close behind her, his breath tickling her cheeks.
Chloe turned and faced him, unable to look at the picture any longer. Taryn caused jealousy to seep through her soul. It felt ugly, a vile poison that had the power to destroy her. It was unwanted and she cast it aside.
Both of their expressions grim, they faced one another, searching each other’s eyes for something, she wasn’t sure what, she only knew that she’d found it. She’d been so consumed by her own grief, she hadn’t seen it before, but there was something about Jack that brought her comfort. He awakened something in her, something that made her want to live. Really live.
With him.
The thought took her by complete surprise.
“Dessert’s ready,” Gwen called.
Neither one of them moved. “That baby looks good on you,” Jack said softly.
Chloe said nothing. She let out her breath tiredly. Being sad took so much effort. She didn’t want to feel gloomy anymore.
“My dark-haired beauty,” he whispered.
My? His choice of words stunned her. He made it sound as though she belonged to him.
“I’m glad you came today. I like having you at my side.”
Chloe nodded, unsure what was happening between them. Was she simply imagining things? Jack had never insinuated that he wanted more out of their friendship.
“Jack and Chloe, quit making googly eyes at each other and come eat cookies with us,” Sydney hollered, eyeing them with interest.
The entire gang made themselves comfortable on the huge wrap around couch in the family room, kids on laps, and husbands with their feet up, lightly snoring. With the children distracted by dessert, Jack again sat with her, shoulders and thighs touching. Amelie stirred in her arms, signs of precious life, but fell back into peaceful slumber after a sweet little stretch. Bowls filled with several scoops of chocolate ice cream and two cookies were passed out to each person. With her arms occupied and no table at her disposal, she was unable to hold the bowl and eat at the same time. Jack fed her small spoonfuls of ice cream, alternately scooping up some into his mouth as well, until both bowls were empty. For some weird reason, sharing a spoon with him felt…intimate, as if they’d now crossed some sort of boundary. The action didn’t appear to go unnoticed by his ever-watchful sisters either.
“Oh,” Harper moaned. “Amelie is going to keep me up all night. She’s sleeping the day away. I’m enjoying the break though, Chloe, thank you.”
“I’m enjoying my time with her. Thank you.”
“You’re a natural. You should be a mom.”
Chloe stared down at Amelie to hide her red hot face. Her eyes felt as though they were on fire. You should be a mom. You should be a mom.
Yes, she should be.
Such simple words, meant as a compliment. Yet, they had the power to cut like a knife.
The youngest little girl, Savannah, climbed up onto Jack’s lap and rested her head on his chest, her little eyes fluttering as if she could no longer keep them open. Jack wrapped his arms around he
r, rested his chin on the top of her head, and kissed her softly. One of the other little girls, Marlee, cuddled up next to Jack, linking her arm through his and resting her head on him. Jack scooted a little closer to Chloe to make room and she liked the feel of their bodies squished close together. He placed his arm around her again and she found that she liked the sign of affection.
Chloe closed her eyes and imagined that they were a family; mom, dad, and three sweet little girls. Her imagination was running away with her and it was a dangerous game.
She’d made unbelievable progress today. Her initial mind numbing panic at being around children had evaporated quickly. It had turned from paralyzing fear to blossoming love that made her chest swell and feel as though it was about to burst.
Absolutely therapeutic.
The very thing she’d avoided like the plague had turned into her salvation.
After much discussion, a movie was chosen, Sleepless in Seattle. Jack wasn’t kidding when he said he’d been exposed to chick flicks. A guy movie had not entered the debate over which movie to watch, nor had any of the husbands even suggested one. Most of them were sleeping off their full stomachs anyway. The lights were turned off, and the big screen came to life. After some of the girls complained that it was their turn to sit next to Uncle Jack, they finally gave in and pulled bean bag chairs and blankets from the playroom and everyone settled in. It was comfortable and utterly relaxing. Jack’s family was informal, fun, and friendly. She wondered how it must feel to know that this is how you’d be spending your time every Sunday afternoon, surrounded by family, good food, and easy entertainment. Truly, this was the good things of life.
When the famous scene that highlighted the difference between a man and a woman describing a movie graced the screen, Jack said, “This is my favorite part.” Chloe hid her smile. The other men in the room were all fast asleep.
By the time the movie ended, Amelie was beginning to squirm, letting them know she was ready to nurse. Harper came to retrieve the baby and Chloe reluctantly handed her over, her arms—and her heart—feeling completely empty at the loss. She’d fallen in love with the precious little spirit who’d spent so many hours asleep on her lap. She could feel her essence, her soul, as she’d slept. The baby exuded life and personality from her teeny little newborn body. How was that possible? It was an experience she’d never forget.