Jonah was parked closer. Ellie embraced both of them prior to into Jonah’s SUV. James held his hand out to Jonah.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, and I look forward to all of us getting together again.”
Jonah nodded. “Same here.”
He turned to Kayla and gave her a hug. “Have a good night, and give me a call later on in the week.”
She smiled. “I will. Have a good night.”
Jonah slid behind the wheel, and James pulled her in the direction of his own SUV.
“Did you have a good time?”
He looked down at her. “Yes, I did. And I am glad that you made me come tonight.”
She looked at him in shock. “Made you come?”
He nodded, unable to hold back his chuckle of amusement as he opened the door for her, and she shook her head.
“Oh yeah, I really twisted your arm.”
“I know, and you were so subtle about it.”
He closed the door before she could respond. By the time he got in on the other side, there was a grin on her face. “You know you should have been an actor.”
He shot her a dry look. “I wouldn’t last more than a month.”
She laughed as he drove her home. “You are probably right.”
He didn’t bother to hide his amusement. “Hey now. You don’t have to agree so readily, especially with it being your suggestion and all.”
He pulled into her driveway, and she glanced over at him. “Of course I do.”
He turned off the ignition, then got out of the SUV. After going around the other side, he opened the door, and she slid into his arms.
“All of that aside, thank you for coming tonight.”
His response was interrupted as a cold gust of wind hit them, causing her to gasp. “I think that we need to get inside.”
She led the way up her walkway, pulling out her keys as she went. She opened the door and let both of them into a warm house. She closed the door before turning to face him. “As I was saying, thank you for coming tonight. I know that it took a lot for you to do that.”
He smiled. “You are right. It did. But I am glad that I did it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
She went up on tiptoe and gave him a brief kiss. He caught the back of her head and deepened the kiss. A moment later, she drew away and groaned. She quickly put distance between them, and he gave her a puzzled look.
“What is it?”
The corners her mouth tilted upward. “Now is not a good time to go any further.”
Having a wife who had given him four children and two developing daughters, it didn’t take him long to figure out why that was. He grinned and pulled her back into his arms. “That’s okay.”
She rested her forehead against his chest. “No, it isn’t. As crazy as it may seem, I do want you.”
He pulled back and looked at her with a frown on his face. “I’m not sure if that was a compliment or an insult.”
She laughed. “You know what I mean.”
He nodded. “Yes, I do. So that is why I think that we should do something just as meaningful.”
Before she could ask him what he meant he helped her out of her jacket and then slipped out of his own. He led her to the couch and sat down, pulling her down next to him.
“Find anything that you want to watch.”
She turned on the television, and came across Blood Diamond. He settled in to watch the movie. When she laid her head on his shoulder and fell asleep, he studied her. He didn’t want to leave her but it was inevitable. He woke her gently, telling her that he had to get home. She murmured incoherently, and he chuckled. He touched his lips to hers briefly before he covered her with the quilt on the back of the sofa. As he drove home, he could only think about how bad he wanted to bring Kayla home and place her in bed with him, but it was too soon. He could honestly say that he was looking forward to that.
Chapter Nine
“You are insane,” Keirra retorted.
“No more than you are,” Kristen responded.
Kayla released a pent-up breath. She and her sisters were sitting at their usual table inside of Sam’s Café. This was a place that they had enjoyed going to since they had first moved to Baxley as little girls. She truly loved this place. Tonight, they were having their normal Monday get-together. The food had been ordered, and the conversation had become interesting.
“I say it is possible,” Kristen said with a shrug.
Keirra shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
The conversation had started out pretty innocently. Kayla had asked her sisters how their first sexual experience had been. She had followed up by asking what they wished they had known to make the first time a better experience. It had been a completely innocuous question, and her only purpose had been to gather helpful information. Somehow, they ended up on the subject of sexual fantasies, and Kristen of all people was getting a little carried away. Still, there was a twinkle in Kristen’s eye that indicated that she might be goading Keirra more than anything else. Luckily, Kayla was saved from the rest of the awful conversation by Nadia bringing their food to the table. She’d heard way more about her sister’s sex life than she ever intended.
All of them looked at each other a little confused when their dishes came out covered.
Kayla looked at Nadia. “Is Sam trying something new?”
Nadia gave a brief nod but remained silent before walking off.
“Strange,” Keirra murmured.
Kayla lifted the cover off her plate and inhaled the aroma of her pasta with Alfredo sauce appreciatively.
“Oh my God,” Kristen exclaimed as she lifted her lid. Her plate was full of red rose petals, and it looked like a ring box was sitting in the middle. Kayla watched as Kristen trembled and picked up the box, not understanding why it was there. Kristen opened the box and closed it quickly then sat it back down.
“Oh my God,” she cried out again looking over at her sisters.
Kayla stared at her in concern. “What is it?”
Kristen’s hands were shaking, and the picture became clearer when Randy walked up in a tuxedo. He took the box out of Kristen’s grip and pulled her into a standing position. Kayla moved closer, just in case Kristen’s legs gave out. Her sister looked very close to fainting. Randy went down on one knee, and Kristen started to cry. Kayla felt her own eyes grow moist, and she heard Keirra sniffle. Randy told Kristen that he’d fallen in love with her twelve years ago when he had run into her while he’d been washing his car. That love had never faded in his opinion, even over the five years that they had been separated. The past months let him know that he wanted her in his life permanently as his wife.
“I love you, Kristen. Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Kristen replied around a sob. He placed the ring on her finger then stood up and placing a kiss on her lips.
There was applause from all over Sam’s Café. It took a few moments for Kristen to collect herself, but once she had, Kayla and Keirra were up hugging the two and congratulating them. Kristen’s hand was still shaking when she held it out for Kayla and Keirra to examine the engagement ring.
Kristen put her hand to her chest. “My heart is beating so fast.” She turned to look at Randy. “When did you decide to do this?”
He grinned. “Right after Christmas.”
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Why today?”
“Because twelve years ago today, we ran into each other at my parents’ home, and it was the first time that we kissed and that was the day that I fell in love with you.”
Kayla stifled a sigh. That was so sweet. Her sister was lucky to be able to find a man that was good at remembering dates of significance. She was not trying to be sexist, but it was true for most males.
Randy turned to look at her and Keirra. “If you two don’t mind, I would like to borrow your sister for the rest of the evening.”
Kayla shook her head, and so did Keirra. This moment was for Randy and Kristen.
“Do you need someone to watch Wade?” Kayla asked, ready to volunteer if needed.
Randy gave her an appreciative look. “My mother has him, but thank you for offering.”
Kristen looked down at the table. “What about the food that I ordered?”
Randy chuckled. “It was never ordered, but that is the second part of my surprise.”
Kristen looked up at him with the biggest smile on her face. “You really had everything planned out, didn’t you?”
“Yes I did, and as soon as we get home, you will see what else I have planned.”
Kristen turned and hugged her sisters and told them to have a good night. Kayla and Keirra retook their seats as Randy and Kristen left the restaurant. Kayla looked at Keirra over the table. Both of them had watery and swollen eyes.
“I am so happy for the both of them,” Keirra said around a sniffle.
She nodded in agreement. “So am I.”
Keirra looked down at her sirloin steak. “I’m not even hungry anymore. How about you?”
Kayla shook her head. Her appetite was gone as well. She was too excited to eat. “What do you suggest that we do?”
Keirra smiled. “I want to go out and celebrate, but not tonight. I do need to be able to think with a clear head tomorrow. Grandma and Grandpa are going to be so excited.”
She laughed. “I know. I guess I had better make room for them at the house since they are bound to move in now.”
Keirra shrugged. “Maybe for a little while, but I can see them looking for their own place. As much as they love you, it is obvious that they would prefer their own home.”
She knew that Keirra was probably right. Her grandparents were very independent, and if she could convince them to move in, they wouldn’t stay long. They signaled for Nadia to bring them their checks and two to-go boxes.
“We never did get around to you telling us how the meeting with the parents went.”
She laughed before quickly describing the events that had occurred during the meeting from beginning to end. The expression that went across Keirra’s face was priceless. She left out the part about Somer being Dan’s child. By the time she finished, there was a huge grin on her sister’s face.
“Well, I am glad that the meeting ended well.”
She sighed. “So am I, but more importantly, I am glad that everything seems to be going okay right now.”
Things really were going well because of that parent teacher conference. She was not sure if the effects of the meeting would last over the weekend, but today had been a wonderful day.
There hadn’t been any disruptions in her class today. The five students had actually been civil to each other. Today was also the first day that she had realized how much Somer and Holly looked alike. It was amazing that no one else had noticed the similarities between the two girls. They had the same eye color and similar hair color. They favored Dan quite a bit. Both girls also had Dan’s height, but Somer wore glasses. The glasses made a big difference and could easily keep most from guessing that the girls came from shared parentage.
Nadia came back with the containers and their checks. They both put their food into their containers and paid their checks. Arm in arm, they walked out the door. They reached Keirra’s car first. Kayla said good night to her sister, then climbed into her own car. She waited until Keirra started her engine, and then started her own and pulled out of the parking lot.
The corners of her mouth curled upward as she thought back on the event that had occurred tonight. She was so happy for her sister that she was almost beside herself with joy. The first thing she had to do was get together with Keirra and plan an engagement party for Randy and Kristen. They deserved it. If she had to pick a man for Kristen to marry, it would be Randy. Randy was a good man. He spoiled Kristen in a way that every woman should be. And Kristen, being the woman that she was, did the same in return. Kayla turned into the driveway and killed the engine. When she reached the house, she let herself in and locked the door behind her.
Her cell phone rang, and she frowned when she didn’t recognize the number. She answered the phone hesitantly. “Hello?”
“Hey, beautiful. How was your day?”
She couldn’t disguise the shiver of excitement that traveled through her as James’s voice came over the line. “It was good, and it is getting even better. How was yours?”
She headed into the kitchen to put her leftovers in the refrigerator before heading upstairs.
“My day went very well. Especially after Jamie gave me a high five for putting a smile on your face all day.”
She shook her head. Jamie Feldon was an enigma to say the least. Jamie reminded her of a very miniature Keirra. The teenager was very bold and quite outspoken. She was also very protective of the people that she cared about.
“I think that I need to keep her a little busier during class.”
James chuckled. “Could you give me a few pointers as well?”
She entered her room, sat down on the bed, and laughed. “I will try, but I need to think quick. My grin will be even bigger tomorrow.”
“Why is that?”
Kayla felt her happiness grow, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. She was happy about her sister’s engagement. “My youngest sister, Kristen, became engaged tonight.”
“Wow. I will have to be sure to congratulate her and Randy.”
The noise level at the Feldon residence began to grow. She heard James move to another location, and the background quieted again.
“It seems as if the wild bunch is out of the tub, and it is time that I start putting them to bed.”
She could hear the amusement in his voice when he spoke. “The main reason that I called is to inform you that I would like to have dinner with you this weekend. If at all possible, I would like to have a nice private dinner so that we can get to know each other a little better.”
She sighed at the thought. A private romantic dinner would be nice. “That sounds good to me. Do you have a particular place in mind?”
“I will let you decide the place. We can go wherever you would like, even if it is outside of Baxley.”
She chuckled knowing that it would be possible to find a place in Baxley with some privacy, and she knew where to start. “Okay, well I don’t want to hold you up, but it was nice of you to call.”
“Should I call you, or will you call me later on this week to finalize things?”
.“I will call you.”
With that said, they both said good night and disconnected the call. She fell back onto the bed with a huge grin on her face. She would come up with a plan by Thursday that would work for the both of them. After plugging her cell phone into the charger, she stood up. She needed to get ready for bed herself because it was getting late and it was a work night. Heading into the bathroom, she undressed. She paused as she walked by the bathroom mirror. Jamie was right. There was a smile on her face, and her eyes were shining. If this was what James Feldon was doing to her, she welcomed more it, a lot more.
James breathed a sigh of relief as he looked over and saw that Josh was asleep. Closing the book of favorite children’s stories, James set it aside and placed a kiss on Josh’s cheek before standing up. He made his way to Jenna’s room and found her sitting in bed waiting for him.
“Are you ready for bed, sleepy girl?” She nodded and lay back so he could tuck her in as he did every night. “What kind of story would you like tonight?”
.“Tell me the one about me being born.”
The corners of his mouth curved upward and sat on the edge of the bed. Jenna had heard the story countless times, but she never grew tired of hearing it, and he never tired of telling it. The birth of each of his children had been special.
He launched into Jenna’s birth story, and at the end, her eyes drifted shut, and she was asleep. He pulled the covers up higher on Jenna before placing a kiss on her forehead. “Good night, princess.”
He left the room and wa
lked toward Jana’s. The door was closed, and he knocked. One thing that he realized was that he had developing daughters—daughters who were going through puberty. The last thing that he wanted to do was traumatize anyone, including himself. He heard Jana call out for him to enter, and he opened the door. Jana was standing by the window gazing out as she always did. It was something that he’d done with her when she was younger until she started doing it on her own.
When rocking hadn’t worked, and it seldom had, he’d gone over to the window and held her up so that she could see the lights of the city and the stars, if they were visible. That had always seemed to calm her down.
“How is the view?”
She turned around and grinned. “The same as usual. Although, the sky is beautiful.”
He walked over to the window to stand beside her. She leaned into his side and he put his arm around her. Looking up at the night sky, he smiled. “We might need to get you a telescope so that you can see the stars better.”
She shook her head. “There is no need to, Daddy. The sky is so clear that I don’t need one.”
He nodded. “Are you ready for bed?”
“No. I want to look at the stars for a few more minutes.”
“Okay but don’t get in bed too late.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
And he was certain that she wouldn’t do so. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. Her arms went around his waist and squeezed tight for a moment.
“I love you, Dad.”
His heart tattooed inside of his chest. It always made his heart swell when his kids said the words to him. “I love you too, sweetheart.”
Sometimes, he wondered if his children suffered more from their mother’s death than they let on. Toward the end, Nicole hadn’t been around a lot, but he could remember how lost he’d felt when his parents had decided to divorce. The only reason his mother had been able to give him was that she’d fallen out of love with his father and that they both thought it best that they go their separate ways.
The relationship between him and his father had grown tense. When things had become strained between Nicole and himself, he’d made sure to keep his children out of the drama. It had also been his priority to make sure that his kids’ relationship with him was still strong. So far, he felt as if he’d done a good job. Yet, something in Jana’s embrace made him worry. She’d always been the quiet one, and sometimes it took some coercion to get her to talk. He pulled back from his daughter and knelt down.
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