He wished he could promise that. But he couldn't. He frowned, thinking now he was the one who was getting too far ahead.
Thirty minutes later, their pizza was in one of the double ovens, while Laurel and Greg's pizza was in the other. Liz and Michael were waiting for one of the pizzas to come out so they could put theirs in, and Julie, Matt, Andrea, and Alex were starting their prep work.
While Jessica went to check on Brandon, he walked onto the patio outside the family room to get some fresh air. He was joined a moment later by Liz.
"You're leaving your pizza unattended," he joked.
"Michael is watching it like a hawk," she said, a sparkle in her eyes. "The one you and Jessica made looks very good. It's going to be a battle."
"If the pizzas are all good, we'll all win."
"Sure." She paused. "So what's the deal with you two?"
"I like Jess. She likes me. That's the deal."
"But it's not just Jess—there's Brandon."
"I like Brandon, too."
"But you're a surfer and a firefighter. It doesn't really sound like you’re a family man—no offense. I just want Jessica to be happy, and she's had a rough time the last few years. I don't want to see her go through any more heartache." Liz flung a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure they were alone. "She'd kill me for saying anything, but she's an amazing person, and she deserves someone equally amazing."
He liked that Liz was protective of Jess. She was sticking her nose where it didn't belong, but her heart was in the right place. "I agree with you. Jess is very special. She's also very capable of handling her own life, making her own decisions."
"I know, but sometimes love can be blinding. The man she was with, Brandon's father, he wasn't a good guy. He acted like he was, but he was selfish."
"I'm not him."
"Okay."
"Are we good?"
She smiled. "As long as you treat her well, we're good. So what do you want to ask me about Jessica?"
"Nothing," he said, surprised by the question.
"Really? You don't want to know her secrets?"
He shook his head. "That would take the fun out of finding out for myself."
She nodded approvingly. "Excellent point. I'm starting to see why Jessica likes you."
"What's going on out here?" Jessica interrupted, joining them on the patio.
He put his arm around her shoulders. "Just getting to know Liz."
"Actually, I offered to tell him some of your secrets, but he shut me down," Liz said.
"Thank goodness for that," Jessica said with a laugh.
"I better go check on my pizza and make sure Michael is still watching over it," Liz said, leaving them alone.
"So how badly did she grill you?" Jessica asked, giving him an inquisitive smile.
"She just wanted to make sure I knew you were too important to mess around with. But I already knew that."
Her eyes grew somber. "I keep telling myself that the last thing we should do is make anything too important, but…"
"But?" he prodded.
"But it feels like this is more than just fun." She looked like she wanted to say more, but they heard squeals from inside the house. She glanced toward the windows. "Looks like Kate and Isabella are here. We should go inside."
"To be continued," he said.
"Or maybe just leave it alone. I had kind of forgotten about fun until I met you. I'm enjoying being in the moment."
"Me, too, and I have a lot more fun to show you. Just give me a chance."
Thirteen
Reid got along really well with her friends, Jessica thought as she helped Kate tidy up the kitchen several hours later. They'd eaten every last crumb of six incredibly unique and excellent pizzas while sharing lots of stories. Some of those stories had been for Reid's benefit, a few too many about her life in college, but she couldn't really complain. It felt kind of good for Reid to know she hadn't always been a super serious person; she'd just grown into one.
Reid was now in the family room, telling stories from fire scenes that had the group enthralled. He was the kind of person who fit in anywhere he went.
"You picked a winner," Kate said, joining her at the kitchen island. "Reid is a man's man and a ladies' man. The guys want to be him. The women want to be with someone like him."
She couldn't deny either of Kate's statements. Because she certainly liked being with him.
Kate turned her speculative blue-eyed gaze on her. "The question for you is—what exactly do you want to do with him?"
"So many things," she said with a laugh.
Kate grinned. "Good to know. I don't think I've seen you this relaxed in a very long time, Jessica."
"I'm always relaxed when I'm with you guys."
"Somewhat, but you never really let go. You're always worrying about Brandon or getting back somewhere on time."
"The life of a single mom who happens to also be a worrier. And that trait started long before I ever met Kevin."
"That's true; you did worry a lot when we were in college." She paused. "I never thought Kevin was good for you. It wasn't like he was overtly bad, but he always seemed to stress you out. You were always trying to be the girl he wanted."
"Was I?" she asked. "I almost can't remember those days, not that there were many of them. We only went out for three months before I got pregnant. And then we leapt into marriage to appease our parents, to do what was right. After Brandon was born, it was all about taking care of him. There never seemed to be a time when there wasn't any stress." She paused. "It's weird, but since Reid came into my life, I feel like my laugh is back."
"It is back. He makes you smile."
"That's because his smile is so damned irresistible."
"He is charming and good-looking. And he seems to really like you. I think you should keep him around."
"I like him, too. I just don't know if he's really ready to take on me and Brandon and all our baggage."
"I doubt he'd keep seeing you if he wasn't ready."
"I don't know about that. Reid likes to live in the moment. He doesn't look too far down the road."
"Maybe that's a good thing."
"I'm trying to look at it that way. Let's change the subject. How is your life?"
"Business is booming, as you know."
"I'm not talking about business, but about you. After all, you and I are the last two single girls standing. Are you seeing anyone?"
"No time for that. And most people I see are happily married couples, mixed in with a few bridezillas."
"I'm sure," she said. "But you should make some time for fun."
"I will. Right now my business is my fun. I'm getting to do what I love and that's all that matters."
"I'm glad." She finished wiping down the counter, then put the towel aside. "I should probably find Brandon and wrap this evening up."
"Congrats on making the best pizza, by the way."
"Thanks," she said, happy her pizza had been voted number one by her friends.
"You're not still talking about your win, are you?" Liz interrupted, as she joined them.
She laughed. "You came in second. You should be happy."
"Second is the first loser," Liz said.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "It's just pizza, Liz."
"I know. And your pizza was very good. I liked it. I also like your guy."
"I don't know that he's my guy," she said. "But I should probably go find him." While she and Kate had been talking, the men had disappeared.
"He's in the game room. They were talking about setting some video game record. Reid seems to be as competitive as you are."
"This whole group is competitive," she replied.
"He does fit right in," Liz agreed. "Maybe you should keep him."
"Maybe you should mind your own business."
"Well, that's never going to happen," Liz said with a grin.
"I'm going to go see who's winning."
"Can I just say that I think y
ou're the one who's winning?" Liz put in, always happy to get the last word.
She smiled. "You know, I do feel like a winner."
"Then give that man another date," Kate ordered.
"We'll see."
* * *
An hour later, after several rounds of video games, Jessica put two sleepy, exhausted kids into the back of Reid's car and then got into the passenger seat as Reid started the engine.
"I'm betting five minutes," she told him, tipping her head toward the backseat.
"Until they're out? I give it three."
She smiled and glanced over her shoulder, already seeing Brandon's eyes beginning to droop. "I might need to change my bet."
"They had a good time."
"The best. Brandon would like to move in with Alex and Andrea, I'm sure."
"A lot of boys would."
"Including you," she teased. "You and Michael were going crazy on that driving game."
"I would have beat him if I'd just gone one more time."
She heard the frustration in his voice. "You really don't like to lose."
"Neither do you," he returned.
"Well, I didn't lose. I won pizza night." She felt ridiculously proud of that accomplishment.
He smiled at her. "Shouldn't it be that we won pizza night? I'm pretty sure my chopped onions put the pizza over the top."
"Now you want to steal my thunder?"
"Hey, there's no I in team."
"Fine. We won."
"I like the sound of that much better." He reached out his hand, and slid his fingers around hers. "Mind if we take the scenic route? It's a clear night."
"Not at all. The boys are already asleep."
As Reid drove down the coastal highway, she had to admit it was a spectacular night, with moonbeams dancing off the dark ocean waters and a myriad of stars twinkling up above. There wasn't much traffic, and at times it felt like they were the only ones on the road.
"This is nice," she said. "Let me know if you want your hand back."
"Not a chance," he said, pulling her hand to his lips to give her knuckles a quick kiss.
The tender gesture touched her. "When is the last time you kissed a woman's hand?"
"I think you're the first, Jess. But then there's not a part of you I don't want to kiss."
"Reid," she protested. "The boys might not be all the way asleep."
"Okay, I'll behave—for now."
His tantalizing promise made her nerves tighten, and her mind immediately jumped ahead with both excitement and worry, but she shoved both emotions away. She just wanted to enjoy the drive.
"I liked your friends, by the way," Reid said. "There are a lot of high achievers in that group."
"They liked you, too."
"So I passed the girlfriend test?"
"You did. I'm sorry they were asking you so many pointed questions—Liz, especially."
"They were all looking out for you. It didn't bother me."
"I think they sometimes feel a little sorry for me."
"Why?"
"Because I did everything out of order: pregnancy, kids, marriage, finishing school, divorce—I haven't exactly followed the same playbook as any of them."
"So you made your own way. That's life. The real question isn't whether they judge you for your decisions—it's if you judge yourself."
She let out a little sigh. "You're a lot more insightful than I expected, Reid."
"It's nice to know I'm beating expectations in some regard," he teased.
"You are." She paused, wondering if she was beating any of his expectations, but she wasn't sure she could ask.
Reid must have read her mind. "Just so you know, you're a lot more competitive and funnier than I thought you would be when I first met you."
"Funnier? I don't recall telling any jokes."
"You have a quick wit. You're good with words. I like that."
She felt the same way about him. They never seemed to have awkward silences. When they were quiet, it felt as good and as natural as when they were talking. There was an easiness about being with Reid. She felt like she could be herself and he wouldn't judge, and that was incredibly freeing. She looked back out at the view, feeling like her life was finally starting to fall into place.
They arrived home a half hour later. Reid marched the sleepy boys upstairs since Joel was going to spend the night on the trundle bed in Brandon's room. She took a moment to let Wiley into the backyard, then went upstairs to help get the kids into their PJs and into bed.
Reid waited at the door as she finished settling the boys in and Wiley took up his place on the foot of Brandon's bed. Then they turned out the light and walked down the stairs together.
It was a strange and wonderful feeling to have Reid by her side, as if he were her husband, Brandon's father, as if they were a family.
She sucked in a breath, knowing she really shouldn't let herself get carried away by that thought. It was far too soon.
When they got to the kitchen, Reid pulled out his phone, a frown on his face as he read a text.
"I hope your sister isn't in jail again," she said.
"No, but apparently the friend she has been staying with has strep throat and the girl's parents think Tara should sleep somewhere else."
"Like your place," she said.
"Yeah, and the girl is also out for winter formal dress shopping, which is very upsetting, because now I'm supposed to help her."
She laughed at the expression on his face. "I'm sure she just wants you to pay, Reid."
"I don't know. She told me the other night that she couldn't believe our mother wasn't going to be around to take her dress shopping. It seemed to be important to her, although I can't imagine why. She buys clothes for herself all the time."
"I think it's more the tradition. It's a special night, and she wants to look pretty. Does she have a boyfriend?"
"There's a kid she seems to hang out with; I don't know if he's her boyfriend, but he's taking her to the formal." He let out a sigh. "I wanted to spend more time with you, Jess."
"Well, I have the boys, so…"
"I didn't mean that. I just wanted to talk to you. I like talking to you."
"I like talking to you," she whispered, as he grabbed her hands. "But you should probably go home and deal with your sister."
"She has a key to my place."
She smiled. "There will be other nights."
"Will there? Does that mean I'm getting my fifth date?"
"I think you are," she said.
He gave her a long, hard kiss, as if he wanted to make sure she didn't forget it, and then he said, "I'll call you tomorrow. Are you going to be around?"
She nodded. "Yes. I want to do something fun with Brandon but we haven't made any plans yet."
"Maybe I could come along."
"I think you have to go dress shopping."
A light came into his eyes. "I just had a great idea."
"I don't think I'm going to like it," she said warily.
"Oh, I think you are," he said, then turned and headed to the door.
"Wait a second. Aren't you going to tell me what it is?"
"Tomorrow," he said with a sly smile.
"I'm going to think about it all night."
"Well, as long as you're thinking about me, I'm good with that."
Fourteen
"I can't believe you're dumping your girlfriend on me," Tara complained as Reid drove them to Jessica's house on Sunday morning.
"I'm not dumping her on you," Reid replied. "We're all going to San Francisco. We'll get you a dress and then we'll ride the cable cars, go down to Fisherman's Wharf and out to Pier 39 to see the sea lions, and have a great meal. It will be fun. You love the city."
Tara gave him a grumpy look. "You could have just said no, Reid, instead of pretending to want to help me."
"I do want to help you. I also want to spend time with Jessica and Brandon." He paused, deciding to be straight with his sister. "Look, T
ara, I like Jessica. She's important to me. I want you to get to know her." He glanced at his sister, seeing a softening in her eyes as she gazed back at him. "So can we help each other out?"
"You really like her?"
He nodded. "I do."
"I don't think you've said that about anyone before. Okay. I guess I should get to know her."
"Thanks."
"But you owe me."
"I owe you?" he echoed doubtfully. "I don't think so. The score between us is not even close. Which reminds me, you haven't told Mom about your drunken vandalism the other night, have you?"
"I'd rather tell her when she gets back. She said she's coming home on Wednesday. We'll see if that's with or without a ring on her finger."
"She told me she decided to wait to get married."
"You know how often she changes her mind."
He knew that was true, but hoped that Tara was wrong in this instance. His mother usually made better decisions when she actually took some time to make them.
A moment later, he pulled up in front of Jessica's house. Jessica and Brandon came outside and met up with him and Tara on the sidewalk.
Brandon gave him a happy hug. "Mom says we're going to ride cable cars," he said excitedly.
"We are. And we're going to see the sea lions," he said.
"Do they roar?" Brandon asked.
He laughed. "We'll find out." He smiled over at Jessica. She looked pretty and casual in her jeans and sweater, her hair wavy around her shoulders, dangly earrings hanging from her ears and a pop of pink on her lips. "Hi," he said softly, as a look passed between them.
"Hi," she said, a husky note in her voice.
He cleared his throat, breaking his gaze with Jessica. "I know you met briefly at the firehouse, but this is my sister Tara—Jessica and Brandon."
"It's nice to see you again, Tara," Jessica said.
"Do you want to watch videos with me?" Brandon asked.
While Tara gave Jessica an assessing nod, her smile to Brandon was full of warmth. "Sure. What have you got?"
"I have Frozen."
"Cool. I like Elsa."
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