“Why does he always have to touch my hair?” She makes a pouty face that matches mine. She picks up the ends of her light brown hair and stares at it. “If I didn’t love my long hair, I would shock Tristan and come home with a little short pixie cut so he couldn’t pull it anymore.”
“He’s always liked to play with your hair, Tate. When you were little, he used to wrap his fingers around it all the time.”
“Yeah, well, that was when he was nice. Now he’s a big jerk, and I can’t stand him.”
“Don’t say that, Tatum. You love Tristan.”
“I know. It’s just he’s so cocky these days.”
“That’s because he’s a teenager who thinks he’s ‘the man.’ Everyone thinks he’s adorable, so he gets away with whatever he wants.”
She looks up at Jace admiringly. “Shay never complained about you when you were younger.”
“I never went through that cocky stage,” he says with a sly grin.
“You were always ‘so perfect.’” She air quotes just like I do. “Shay would just bounce around the house saying you were ‘the best boy ever.’ The boys I go to school with are just like Tristan—cocky Mr. Know-it-alls who think they are the best things ever. I hate boys!” she says dramatically, running off. Jace looks at me and shakes his head.
“She not only looks like you, but she’s sassy like you, too.”
“I think it’s a family trait.” I shrug my shoulders playfully. He pulls me against him and kisses my forehead.
“I like your family traits.” Then he rubs his scruffy jaw. “Did you really bounce around the house saying I was the ‘best boy ever’?”
“Maybe,” I say all sassy. He smacks my butt and laughs.
“I’m going to be your ‘best man ever,’ too.” He air quotes.
“You just air quoted! My boy just air quoted me for the very first time. Ahh, babe, you’re conforming to my sassy ways,” I tease. He shakes his head and laughs.
“I conformed to all your sweet ways a long time ago. Now give me those pretty, pouty lips one more time before I have to keep my hands to myself for a while.”
I get on my tiptoes and press my lips to his. As he slips his warm tongue into my mouth, he makes the quickest quickie love ever, and I’m kinda still feeling like that bouncing twelve-year-old girl who thinks he is the absolute best boy ever.
“Jace?” Mom says loudly.
“God, I love you,” he whispers against my mouth as he breaks our kiss. Mom doesn’t even say a word about our little make-out moment in the great room. She just wraps her arms around him and starts to cry.
“We were so worried about you.” She steps back and looks at him. “Are you okay? I know it’s been a tough year. I’m just so thankful it’s over, and you are finally back in Shay’s arms.”
“I’m more than okay now that I’m with my girl again.”
“I hope you are ready for a big home-cooked meal.” Mom looks between us, and I smile.
“I’m so ready,” he says adorably as she brings him in again for a quick hug.
“Well, come on, you two. I know it’s been a long time apart, but you’re going to have to keep all that mushy stuff for after you eat.” She turns in her cute little flats and walks toward the kitchen.
“I just totally pictured you in twenty years,” Jace declares.
“Was it a good vision?” I ask as he tucks some loose waves behind my ear.
“It was the best vision ever.”
“Come on, dream boy.” I grab him by the hand and drag him to all the chaos dinner with the Starks entails.
YOU HAVE MY BLESSING
WE WALK INTO THE kitchen, and I see Mr. Stark out in their backyard. “I’m going to go say hi to your dad,” I whisper to Shay as her mom tells us about all the oranges she picked this morning and all the stuff she’s going to make with them. Seriously, her mom is so cute, so full of life, and it’s easy to see my girl in her. Shay is so much like her mother, always happy, always has a smile on her face, and has such a sweetness about her.
Damn, I’m so lucky. I will never understand how I deserved this greatness in my life, but I will never question why. I’m just going to thank my lucky stars that the girl staring at me lovingly in her parents’ kitchen right now was my absolute fate, and I won’t ever take that for granted.
“I love you, Jace James,” she says as I walk away.
“Endlessly. I love you endlessly,” I tell her and walk out back.
My emotions with Shay are effortless, but when I see Steven Stark overlooking his very exclusive piece of property, I can’t help but have a hard time finding the right words to say to him. He’s a prideful, powerful man, and I have nothing but great respect for him. He’s always treated me like one of his own children. Hopefully one day, I will have a relationship with my own father like I have with Mr. Stark. My dad seems to want one, and he did help me get back to my girl, so I’m open to the possibility of a relationship with him. But, this man standing with his back to me, he is the definition of what a father should be, and I can only hope one day I will be half the man he is for his family, for my own family one day.
I walk up, taking a deep breath to shake my nerves, and stand alongside him. “When I bought this property, there were only a few orange trees,” he says, turning his head slightly to look at me. “Melody was so excited about those three trees, that I knew I wanted to give her an orchard of them to get lost in all day long. She just loved everything about being out on the property, roaming around, planting, and picking things.” I look out into the acres below, and I can’t imagine there were only a few trees when I look out and see hundreds. He really wanted his wife to have something special of her own.
“She was just telling Shay and me about all the different things she’s going to make with the ones she picked today.”
“I’m always shocked by everything she comes up with.” He laughs and rubs his lightly bearded face. “We eat a lot of orange-inspired concoctions, but every morning she greets me with fresh squeezed orange juice and a cup of coffee. I tell you, it’s so damn good.”
“I bet,” I say, meeting his eyes that look just like my girl’s.
“I sat out here all day, watched her, and waited for her to yell for me to come get baskets that were too heavy for her to carry.”
With so much adoration in his voice for his wife, my heart swells when he says that. “I saw them in the kitchen lined up by the patio door. That’s a lot of oranges.”
He glances over and laughs. “Try carrying all those damn crates up here. I’m not that young anymore. But, I wouldn’t change it. I could watch her out here all day long.”
I nod, thinking I could watch his daughter all day long, too. “How are you doing, son? I see it didn’t take long for you to get my daughter back in your good graces.”
“It took four days, the longest four days of my life.” I cross my arms. “I’m doing really good. Actually, I’m better than good. I’m perfect,” I say, earning a laugh from my girl’s dad.
“Did you tell Shay about the opportunity you’ve been offered?”
“I did, and she was beyond excited. But, I have to tell you, Mr. Stark—”
“Steven. We’re practically family, son. Don’t call me Mr. Stark,” he interrupts. I nod, grinning, and he smacks me on the back.
“Okay, Steven. I had my first run-in with those star stalkers with cameras.”
“You mean paparazzi?” He chuckles.
“Yeah, paparazzi,” I say, rubbing my jaw. “It really scared Shay.”
“What do you mean scared her? I had a talk with her about having to deal with those situations now that she’s in the public eye.”
“It caught us off guard, and she got pushed by the guy trying to get pictures of us. Well, I reacted…”
“You didn’t touch him, did you, Jace? You can’t react, and if you do with having a record, you will be right back in prison.”
“No, I didn’t react—not like that anyway, but I di
d tell him not to ever touch her again. I was pissed that he pushed her, and I let him know. As soon as Shay saw me upset, she panicked that I was going to get in a fight.”
“You just spent a year in prison for beating her childhood friend, Jace. Please tell me that was a lesson learned.”
“I will never risk losing your daughter. You don’t ever have to worry about me making that mistake again. But, it’s obviously a fear that has now been instilled in Shay, and I’m sorry for that, and for dealing with rumors the way I did. We both have had a reality check with that, and I’m not going to lie to you, Steven. I’m not a fan of this side of the business, but Shay and I will always get through it together.”
“I have no doubt in that, and I know you’ll protect my daughter, always. That’s the most comforting thing as a father to know and want for their children. We always want them to be well taken care of.”
I clear my throat and look out into his property again. “That’s the thing, Steven,” I say, running my fingers through my hair and turning back toward him. Eye to eye, I look at the man I most admire and suck in the biggest breath. “I always want to take care of your daughter.” I let the breath I was holding spill from my lungs. “How old were you when you and Mrs. Stark got married?” He rubs his jaw and leans back with a ghost of a smile. I’m fucking nervous as hell.
“We were very young,” he answers. I nod my head and put my hands right back through my hair.
“How young?”
“Most would say too young.”
“And, what do you think? Did you think you were too young to get married?”
“I’ve never once question when we got married, and I wouldn’t change how old we were when we decided to do it either,” he tells me. I nod, and he just stares at me.
“How old were you and Mrs. Stark?” I ask again.
“Are you trying to ask me something, son?”
I clear my throat again. “Shay’s happiness has been the most important thing for me to achieve since I was thirteen years old.” He smiles. “We’ve been through so much since those days kicking up dirt at the community center. Every single week, I lived for seeing your daughter at that center.” I pause, emotions starting to surface. He sees my struggle.
“It’s okay.” He pats me on the back.
“Steven, I’m sorry that night happened, and I’m sorry that I put your daughter through so much pain. Never once have I ever looked beyond her eyes. Never have I ever wanted another girl. She’s been my heart and soul since the moment I met her. I can’t live without her.” I stop and look down, choking back tears. A nervous breath escapes, and I look back into his eyes and ask him the question I wanted to ask so long ago. “I’m so in love with your daughter, and I promise you, she will be the most important person in my life. I will always love her and protect her for the rest of my days.” I wipe the tears that fall down my face and notice he has tears of his own. “I want to spend my entire life loving her. I know Shay and I are young, and I know I’m not able to give her all that you have, but I would be honored if you would entrust me to take care of her heart and build a life with her.” I put my head down and let out a small cry. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted, Steven. I want to marry my girl.”
He pulls me in for a hug, and says, “I knew on her sixteenth birthday when she sat on your lap and blew out her candles that she would belong to you. The answer has always been the same, Jace. I would happily give my daughter to you, and I know Melody feels the same. You and Shay belong together, so if you are asking my permission to marry my daughter, you have my blessing.”
I swallow slowly with so much emotion running through me. I’ve played out the moment I would ask him for Shay’s hand in marriage since I was a teen, but this moment is so much better than I ever dreamed.
“I don’t want to wait long... I know we’re young, but I’ve wanted this with her for so long.”
“When I asked Melody to marry me, we were married a few months later. I gave her some time to get excited about it, to look at all those bridal magazines, but I couldn’t wait long either.” He laughs and turns toward the house when he hears his wife call us in for dinner. “Let’s go eat, son.” He gives me another strong pat on the back. “I feel a little sorry for you, though,” he says with a smirk.
“Why?”
“Melody didn’t have a best friend like Jules.”
“Yeah, that’s going to be fun.” I shake my head. As we walk back up to the house, I can’t help but ask him again, “How old were you when you got married?”
“I married my girl when she was fresh off the runway at twenty-one.” He stops and looks over at me, smiling. “She was only eighteen when I met her, and I never looked at another girl after that. I didn’t want to wait either.”
“You just knew Mrs. Stark was the one?”
“I was just starting out in the business, young, straight out of high school. I had no problem with the ladies. I was cocky as shit. But, the second I saw her beautiful face, and she smiled at me—I was in love. That girl had me hooked, and I didn’t want to be thrown back to sea.” He laughs, then stops me before we go into the house. “Melody has always had the sweetest soul. She’s loving and giving, and passionate about what she cares about. Shay’s so much like her mother, and I can see her being more fulfilled as a wife and mother. Melody was a very sought-after model when she was a teenager, but it was a chore for her. She wasn’t into material things and having her looks as the center of attention. When we met and fell in love, taking care of me and building a family is what gave her joy. I think Shay is the same way. She’s a very gifted songwriter and singer, but if she wants to go behind the scenes with limited engagements to promote projects with the two of you, then I’m very supportive of that. I just want her to be happy.”
“I told her what I know about the project you told me about, and she’s really excited about it. She loves to write songs and sing, but I can tell you right now she is not a fan of everything that comes along with it.”
“I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, Jace, so whatever you and Shay decide to do together will be what was meant to be.”
“Thank you, Steven. That means a lot to me.”
“Sure, son.”
We start walking again, and I stop him. “I’d like to get Shay away for a few days if that’s okay. You know, before we start working. I want us to just be together and have some time to talk about everything that went wrong when I got out, and I’d like to take her to see my mom and my dad.”
“Your dad?”
“Yeah, long story, and why I wasn’t back even earlier. I’d like to surprise her, though. I haven’t said anything to her, but after that run-in we had, I just want to take her away from all this for a minute.”
“Do what you have to do.” He clamps a hand over my shoulder. “You have a couple of weeks before we start getting stuff in motion.” I nod, and we walk into the house.
MY AMAZING LOOKS
I SEE MY BOY WALK back toward the house with my dad, and I look over at my mom busying herself in the kitchen. “Do you think Dad would be upset if I was pregnant?”
She takes the rolls out of the oven. “You’ve just been reunited. Do you really think you could be pregnant already?”
“Mom, I don’t have to tell you about the birds and the bees, do I? It can happen one time.”
“Don’t be a sassy girl, Shay. Are you protecting yourself?”
“Yes, I didn’t stop when he went to prison. He just said something that made me think about things, but no, I don’t think I could be pregnant right now. I will tell you, though. We’ve always talked about wanting to be young parents, so expect sooner rather than later.”
“As long as you two are ready when it happens. Surely you will be before your older brother. I just don’t think Beau will ever settle down. Someone’s got to give me grandchildren to spoil before I’m too old to enjoy them.”
“You’re far from old, Mom,” I tell her, grabb
ing the basket of rolls and bringing them to the table. The guys walk in, and Dad heads right over to see if Mom needs help with anything while my boy has his strong arms around before I can count to three.
“How’s my girl?”
“Perfect. I’m with my boy.”
“Let’s eat, then get out of here.”
“Is everything okay?” I turn into him and touch the light scar on his forehead. “Did you and my dad have a good chat?”
“Yeah, everything is perfect. I just need to be inside my girl right now.”
“Don’t talk like that right now, sexy boy.” I reach up on my tippy toes. He chuckles in my ear and kisses the side of my neck.
“Everything smells amazing, Mrs. Stark,” Jace says, turning to Mom. My dad glances at Jace as he takes the pot roast out of her hands to put on the table.
“Jace, when you call me that it makes me feel old. You’ve known me way too long to call me by my last name. You’re like family to us. Please call me Melody or Mom. I like that, too.”
I smile when I look up and see Jace with pink cheeks.
“What?” he says, looking down at me.
“You’re just really cute.”
“Cute? Baby, I haven’t been cute since I was a kid.”
I stick out my bottom lip, and he grabs it. “You’ll always be my cute boy.”
“I’m just teasing. I’m always going to be your cute boy. I just kind of thought I was your sexy man now.”
“Totally my sexy man. But you were always my sexy, young, studly boyfriend.”
“Stop, you’re starting to do things to me I don’t want others to see.”
I look around quick. No one is paying attention, so I take my hand and lightly stroke my boy, then I give him a little squeeze through his jeans.
“Yup, such a stud,” I whisper, stroking him again. “You drove my teenage-loving heart crazy when we were younger. My boy shirtless and wet at the beach. I spent many nights with that vision of my boy.”
“Shay,” he whispers, rolling my name off his tongue slowly. I’m so affecting him right now in the middle of my parents’ kitchen. He takes my hand off him and pushes me against the counter. He groans as he thrusts up into me. “What did you do when you thought about me? Did my girl take care of herself when I was away?”
Questionable Love (A Love Beyond Labels #2) Page 39