Jane's Gift

by Abby Gaines

  “Dad, when Lissa had the IVF treatment that produced Daisy, she went to Denver without me.” He’d never admitted that to his father, never wanted his dad to know how flawed his marriage had been.

  Charles frowned. “How does that work?”

  “Frozen sperm,” Kyle said. “Mine. But the egg wasn’t frozen...Lissa used an egg donor. I didn’t know until recently.”

  Charles straightened in his armchair. “Are you saying Lissa isn’t Daisy’s mother?”

  “Legally, and in every other way, other than the biology, she is,” Kyle said. “But biologically...Jane is Daisy’s mother.”

  “Jane Slater?”

  “Jane Slater,” Kyle confirmed.

  Charles paled. “Daisy’s a Slater?”

  “She’s an Everson and a Peters and a Slater.” Kyle wasn’t expecting miracles today—this would take some getting used to. But he wanted to sow the seeds of future acceptance.

  “Thank the Lord they’ll be gone soon,” Charles said, obviously clutching at straws. “Jane and Cat. They won’t have any influence on Daisy. And I don’t imagine Mike Slater would ever come back.”

  Kyle held up a hand. “Dad, I know Jane’s a Slater, and that brings a whole lot of baggage—”

  “Such as a father in jail,” Charles said. “And a brother. That’s more than baggage. Come to think of it, what happens when Darren gets out? Where’s he going to go?” He punched his fist into the palm of his other hand. “Those Slaters, they’re the most—”

  “Jane gave us a gift,” Kyle said, talking over the top of his father. “She did something brave and wonderful. I owe her—this family owes her—and I won’t have you insulting her.”

  “I—” Charles sputtered. Then, catching something in Kyle’s eyes, he said, “You’re right. Of course. Not her. Not Jane. She’s better than the rest of them.”

  It was a start, Kyle supposed.

  “I don’t know at this stage,” Kyle said, “how Jane will fit into Daisy’s life. But she’s...kind of family, and I won’t have her made to feel like a second-class citizen. Same goes for Daisy, now that you know the truth.”

  “There are no second-class citizens in this family,” Charles growled. “Slater or not.”

  “That’s great,” Kyle said, surprised. “Thanks, Dad.”

  Charles sank back into thought, breathing heavily. Then he said, “That Jane Slater could do with learning some respect for her elders, but she has guts. And she’s no fool.”

  “Dad, are you sure you’re okay?”

  Charles huffed a laugh, which reassured Kyle. “If you’d get out of here and let me do what I need to do, I’d be a whole lot better.”

  Kyle didn’t need telling twice.

  * * *

  MICKI WAS WIPING DOWN the coffee machine ten minutes before closing on Friday when Reverend Thackeray came in. He wasn’t a regular. Micki wondered if he was here to see why she hadn’t been in church on Sunday.

  “Anything I can help you with, Reverend?” she asked.

  “A coffee, please, Micki. Could you make it a latte?”

  She must have given a little raise of her eyebrows at the unexpectedly fancy order from a man who usually took his coffee filtered and black. Cheaper.

  “Charles Everson said to order what I like and put it on his tab,” the minister explained.

  “Oh. Okay.” The mention of Charles’s name startled her; the cups she was putting away rattled. Presumably Charles planned to join the reverend here...she hadn’t seen him in days, and her heart leaped at the prospect.

  The door opened again to admit Alan and Betty Gray. Micki couldn’t remember the last time they’d come in here.

  “Two coffees,” Alan called, even before he reached the counter. “On Charles’s tab, please, Micki.”

  Charles must be running a church meeting here. How odd. And presumptuous, starting a meeting right at closing.

  “Coming up,” she said.

  She wasn’t surprised when, a minute later, two of the Sunday school teachers came in. Ten minutes after that, so many members of St Thomas’s filled the café, she had no chance of making coffee for all of them in good time. Not even when Jane and Cat heard the noise from upstairs and came down to help.

  Still, no one seemed impatient about the wait for their drinks. They chatted quietly, sending occasional looks her way.

  Micki started to feel harassed. What was Charles up to? She would give him a piece of her—

  “Hi, Micki.” Somehow, Charles had sneaked through the crowd without her noticing and now he stood right in front of her. He wore a blazer over jeans and a plaid shirt, and he looked strong and rugged and delicious.

  “Charles, what’s going on?” She didn’t manage to sound as belligerent as she’d intended, due to her weakening knees and racing heart. In fact, she sounded positively sappy.

  “If I could have everyone’s attention, please.” Charles addressed the crowd in his cop voice, creating an immediate hush.

  “First, I must apologize for this abuse of the church prayer chain—inviting you all here to have coffee on me.”

  He did that? Micki stifled a laugh.

  “Next,” he said, “if you have a second or two to pray, I could really use all the help I can get in the next couple of minutes.”

  A few people bowed their heads, but most were too interested in the proceedings.

  “Third, the reason I called you here is because you all know that Micki and I have been dating, and at least half of you think I’m a fool or she’s after my money.”

  Some genuine laughs and some guilty chuckles. Micki stepped closer to him, and the look he slanted down at her was ablaze with love. She caught her breath.

  “You may be right—about me being a fool, I mean. But I want you to hear this straight from me. My son Kyle told me today that the more secret something is, the greater the power for hurt. So there’ll be no secrets between me and you, my friends, about what’s going on here.”

  He put an arm around Micki’s shoulders. “I didn’t expect to fall in love with a woman twenty-two years younger than I am. I didn’t want to. But I did, and I believe this love, and the fact that Micki feels the same, is a blessing, one I don’t deserve. It won’t always be an easy blessing—I can think of a dozen reasons why it’s a dumb idea to say what I’m about to say. But the one good reason I can think of trumps them all.”

  To Micki’s shock, Charles went down on one knee in front of her. “Micki, I love you—I’m asking you to marry me and make me happier than I ever dreamed I could be again. And I promise to do my darnedest to make you happy, too.”

  A ragged cheer broke out, but it stopped abruptly when Micki burst into tears.

  Murmurs of consternation swirled through the crowd.

  Charles clasped Micki’s hand. “Micki, sweetheart? Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” she sobbed. “I love you. I want to marry you. Right now. Or next week. As soon as we can.”

  The emotional barometer in the room swung the other way to cheers and clapping as she bent to kiss Charles on the lips.

  It was their sweetest kiss yet, and all the sweeter because there would be so many more.

  When she drew back, Charles said ruefully, “I hate to say this, sweetheart, but you might have to help me up.”

  “Always,” she said, half laughing and half crying as she pulled him to his feet. “We’ll help each other always.”

  * * *

 
KYLE SHOULD BE ECSTATIC. He had one more day’s work to do on the new house. He’d told his father the truth about Daisy, and they were going to be okay. And now he sat in his office with three members of the development committee who’d requested this appointment so they could assure him of their full support for his plan for the town. Though each of them had only one vote in the mayoral election, they had significant influence in the community. With their support, he might just be able to swing the numbers in his favor.

  But.

  The house might be nearly done, yet somewhere along the way, he’d confused house and home. To make his house a home he needed Daisy...but not just Daisy.

  He’d put things right with his dad, his family...but had left things horribly wrong with Jane.

  He’d hopefully secured the right future for Pinyon Ridge...but he no longer had any certainty that was his future.

  The words of the three councilors flowed over him. Vision...prosperity...heritage...sustainable...and all he could think was I love her. I love Jane Slater.

  How could he not have realized it sooner? I’m an idiot, that’s how. Thank God, though, he’d realized in time to stop her from leaving.

  Now, he needed to get out of here so he could tell her. So he could make her believe it. She had every reason to have zero faith in him, after the way he’d messed up. He groaned.

  “Excuse me?” Councilor Penny Robbins said.

  “Sorry,” he said. “Penny, Carl, Mac, I’m thrilled to hear what you have to say. This is going to make all the difference to our town. But right now, I have an emergency.” He was already halfway out of his chair. “Could you excuse me?” he said over his shoulder as he almost ran out the door.

  He wasn’t dumb enough to think he could do this on his own. So he drove to Pinyon Ridge Elementary, ran straight to Daisy’s classroom and told a grumpy Mrs. Mason he was taking his daughter with him.

  “Family emergency,” he assured her. On the way out to the car, he told Daisy what they were going to do. It made her day.

  He just hoped it would make Jane’s day, too.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  JANE HAD SENT Charles and Micki upstairs for some reconciliation and maybe a spot of wedding planning. She’d promised to restore order to the Eating Post, now that the last of the stragglers had left.

  She was putting away the final batch of cups when Kyle burst through the door.

  “Jane!” He sounded slightly wild as he glanced around the café.

  “Kyle, I’m sorry, you’re too late,” she said.

  His face whitened. He took a halting step toward her. “Don’t say that. I know I’ve been an idiot....”

  “He’ll forgive you,” she said. “So will Micki.”

  He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “The marriage proposal. You missed it.” She picked up a sponge and began wiping the counter.

  “Whose proposal?” He sounded thoroughly confused.

  “Your father’s, of course.” Yikes, hadn’t he heard? How would he feel when he did? “Your father emailed the church prayer chain to invite everyone here for coffee. I guess you didn’t see the notice?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve been in meetings, I haven’t checked emails in a couple of hours. I came here to—” He stopped. “Dad proposed? To Micki?”

  “On bended knee.” She couldn’t contain her grin. “Kyle, I know you might be upset, but it was glorious. They looked so happy.”

  “From which I gather Micki accepted,” he said.

  “Of course. She’s crazy about your father. Totally devoted to him.” She watched the struggle that played across his handsome face.

  At last, he said, “Fine. Whatever.”

  “Really?”

  He laughed, and he looked warm and relaxed and irresistible. “Why are you so excited about my father’s romance?”

  “Like I said before, they’re great together. And I think it’s wonderful you don’t mind having a stepmother only two years—” She stopped, as realization dawned on his face. “Oops. Cancel that.”

  “Luckily I have bigger fish to fry,” he said drily. Then he added, “Don’t go.”

  She stopped, sponge in hand, aware of the tattoo of her heart. “Excuse me?”

  “I was wrong. One hundred percent, couldn’t have been more wrong if you paid me.”

  “Uh, about what?”

  He barked a short laugh. “Pretty much everything. Trust, loyalty, family—the things that matter to me and how they really work.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Damn, I’ve been an idiot. When I think of that stupid list I gave you of what I liked about you...”

  Warmth spread through Jane, starting in her heart, seeping through her blood. “You are a bit of an idiot.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I still love your legs and your pj’s,” he said. “But I want to give you a new list. Starting with, I love that you are loyal. I accused you of lying to me, when you didn’t owe me anything. You were being loyal to Lissa and to Micki. You’re strong. You’ve overcome so much, and not let it get you down. You’re smart and so talented in your work.”

  Now her cheeks were hot. “Okay,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “You’re kind and brave, willing to have faith in people who don’t deserve it. People like me, I hope.”

  “Uh,” she said.

  “You have integrity,” he said. “You don’t give up. When you know something’s right you’ll fight to make it happen.”

  Her palms were damp. “Kyle.” She tried to keep her voice from trembling. “I should point out that I’m also a wimp. Some of my loyalty to Lissa was because I was afraid of losing her friendship. And—” she took a deep breath “—I’m afraid right now. Afraid—terrified—this might not be what it sounds like.”

  “If it sounds like I’m saying I love you,” he said, “that’s exactly what it is. And if it sounds like I’m saying this is for always, that’s what it is, too.”

  “That...is pretty much what it sounds like,” she admitted, still disbelieving.

  He tugged her into his arms. “I love you, Jane. I want to marry you.”

  “Marry? Kyle, are you crazy?”

  “Crazy in love.” He skimmed a kiss across her lips and left her wanting so much more. “Any chance you feel the same about me?”

  “Some,” she said, breathless.

  He grinned. “You have to say the words. So the other person doesn’t have to worry about how you feel.” That was what she’d advised him about Daisy.

  She drew a deep breath. “I love you, Kyle.”

  His whoop of triumph must surely have been heard upstairs. The next moment he was kissing her with a startling, deeply satisfying ferocity.

  When they resurfaced, she was laughing. “What on earth do we do now?”

  “Plan a wedding. Notify our flower girl about our plans.”

  Jane clapped a hand to her mouth. “What’s Daisy going to think?”

  “Ask her yourself.” He pulled out his cell, dialed a number. “Roger, can you send Daisy over?” He strode to the door, opened it. “I had her wait in Roger Hurst’s office.”

  It took Daisy less than a minute to arrive from the lawyer’s office, her eyes bright with excitement.

  “Shouldn’t you be in school?” Jane asked.

  “I pulled her out of class.” Kyle grimaced. “You’re right, Mrs. Mason is a battle-ax. Tell Jane what you told me,” he prompted Daisy.

  “I want you
to marry Daddy,” Daisy said. “We can all live together for always. Daddy says we can stay here or we can go somewhere else.”

  Jane swung to face him. “Kyle, you can’t leave Pinyon Ridge. You’re the mayor. You love this place. And your beautiful new house.”

  “I love all those things,” he agreed. “But I love you more. If you can’t stay in Pinyon Ridge, we’ll make our home elsewhere, and Daisy can come visit her grandparents in the summer.”

  “Please?” Daisy beseeched her.

  “This is blackmail,” Jane said.

  “Figured I’d take a leaf out of the Slater book.”

  “Kyle, maybe we shouldn’t rush into this. I love you, but you and I are very different people....”

  “Jane,” he said, “you can argue all you like. But wherever we live, whatever we do, we’re going to do it together as husband and wife. And daughter. And whatever kids might follow.”

  “More kids?” The prospect had never even been on Jane’s radar. Suddenly, she wanted them. As soon as possible. She met Kyle’s eyes. And saw in them that he wasn’t as confident as he sounded. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh, all right.”

  He squeezed her so hard she could hardly breathe. Daisy wrapped her little arms around them both as best she could, and they hauled her between them.

  “One more thing for that list,” Kyle murmured against Jane’s ear. “You’re a wonderful mother.”

  “Oh.” It came out on a sob.

  He stroked her hair, comforting her, cherishing her. “Daisy, honey, how about you go upstairs to Micki’s place to visit with her and Grandpa.”

  “Okay.” Daisy skipped toward the stairs. “Can I tell them you and Jane are getting married?”

  “Yes,” Jane said, which earned her a kiss from Kyle.

  “And when you tell them,” Kyle said, “make sure you call Micki Grandma. Ouch!” Jane had just smacked his head.

  Then Daisy was gone, and it was just the two of them.

  “Is it safe to be this happy?” Jane asked. “It doesn’t feel safe.”