Jake tried to regain his footing. “Why are you apologizing now?”
“Why do you think? You’re here. Keaton said you weren’t planning on disappearing again, but this has troubled my conscience for the last four years—your father’s, too, although he’s still too stubborn to admit it. We’ve missed you terribly.”
“Mom, I don’t know what to say.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I—I didn’t think you missed us at all.” Actually, after that last fight? He’d been operating under the assumption that not only did his parents not miss him, but they were actively glad Jake was gone.
“And her feet!” came the gushing squeal from the living room.
“Oh, now.” His mother brushed aside his comment with a wave of her hand. “Of course we did. Your father took your leaving real hard. He did a lot of soul searching about the land dispute and realized it wasn’t worth losing his son over.”
“Really?” Because that was not the impression Jake had gotten when his father had said, Either you’re with us or against us.
His mother looked at him as if she were really seeing him as an adult for the first time. “Of course, that was before the tornado knocked down town hall.”
“What? What does that have to do with anything?”
She gave him a small smile, but there was no joy in it. “As they cleared away the rubble, they found the original land deed that shows the Taylors moved the fences.”
What had he thought earlier today, about not even knowing what the next ten minutes had in store for him? Because he’d pretty much nailed it. “So—what, Tyrone Taylor just gave the land back?”
“Oh, no. I believe he’s claiming the deed was forged—that sort of thing. There’s probably going to be a lawsuit. Keaton is handling that. But you being gone and then your father being proved right—well, it’s taken the fight out of him. Especially now.”
In the background, Skye cried out, “She’s so small! Oh...”
“Why now?”
“Why, Grace, of course. And I expect that Lark and Keaton will start a family before too much longer. To see Lark with Grace...” Gloria sighed in contentment. “The land will go to our family no matter what.”
“So...now what?”
“That’s what I was going to ask you,” she said. “Will you two stay?”
What would it take for a bolt of lightning to strike out of the blue and fry him where he stood? Because being electrocuted had to be more fun than this conversation. “Mom, we have a life in Houston.”
“I know, I know. But I’d sure love to have my grandbaby close by while we’re still here. Keaton told you we’re thinking of retiring to Alabama?”
“Yeah, he mentioned something about that.” It hadn’t made any sense at the time, but now—knowing that the feud was all but over and that his father wasn’t going to fight Tyrone Taylor anymore? It made a lot more sense now.
“If you stayed, you two could move into the ranch house. It’d be a great place to raise a family.”
If. That was one hell of an if. Jake hadn’t wanted to stay because he wanted nothing to go with his family or the feud.
But if the feud was close to being resolved and half of his relatives were going to be living in Alabama, of all places...
It was still a huge if. “I just need to focus on Skye and Grace right now. But,” he added when his mother busted out her disappointed face, “I’ll think about it.”
She beamed at him. “Thank you, dear.”
“Jake?” Skye called out. “You’ve got to come see these!”
Jake was grateful for the out. He and Gloria headed back to the living room, where David was sitting next to Skye and holding his phone so she could see it. “Babe, look,” Skye said. Her eyes were welling up with tears. “That’s our girl.”
The photo was of an impossibly small baby—so swaddled that Jake could barely see her face—lying in Gloria’s arms. David was crouched down next to her, the silliest grin Jake had ever seen on the man’s face. “Wow,” he said. Had he ever seen his parents look so happy? Not when it involved a Taylor, that was for sure.
“Jake said if I was feeling up to it, we’d go see her tomorrow. Lark’s got her.” Skye sounded enthusiastic as she said it, but there was no missing the yawn she tried to hide behind her hand.
“Take pictures,” Gloria ordered. “We’ll send you these.”
“Oh, good. I want to do baby announcements and everything. I’ve missed so much...” She looked up at Jake. “I feel like I’ve missed years.”
He didn’t want her to get those years back, which was selfish and shortsighted, but it was what it was. He wanted her to stay like this. He didn’t want her to remember that he hadn’t been enough to keep her happy, that she’d wanted something more.
“Well,” Gloria announced, “you need your rest. But you call us if you need anything, you hear?”
“Thanks, Mom.” He walked them out to their car. “It’s...it’s been good to see you again.”
And the funny thing was, he wasn’t sure if that was a lie or not. He just didn’t know anymore.
He wasn’t that surprised when his mom hugged him, but when his dad hugged him? Yeah, that wasn’t what he’d expected. “Son,” David said, “I’m—well, I’m glad you’re home.”
Which was probably as close to an actual apology as Jake would ever get out of the old man. “Me, too, Dad.”
He was stunned to see the old man’s eyes watering when David abruptly let him go a second later. “We’ll be seeing you,” he said gruffly and all but ran to the car.
Gloria shot Jake an I-told-you-so smile and waved before she got in the passenger side.
Once they were gone, Jake stood there and tried to process everything. The storm, the baby, the feud, his family, Skye’s family—and Skye. Always, he came back to Skye.
She’d remember, wouldn’t she? And when she did...he might very well lose her again.
He didn’t want to lose her again. He’d already lost her once—nearly twice, in that accident. Could he do what it would take to keep her? Even if it meant dealing with everything, all at once again?
Was this how Skye felt? That suddenly there was so much new information to process and none of it made a lick of sense?
He couldn’t stand out here all day—that much was for sure. What if Skye got it into her head to come look for him? She wasn’t steady enough yet.
When he got back into the house, he saw that Skye had her eyes closed. She opened them when he shut the door. “I don’t remember your parents being that nice, but they wore me out. I think I need a nap.”
“Good plan.” If she slept, he could finish up his email.
“Will you snuggle with me?” She held up her arms—not in the way that said she wanted him to help her stand, but in the way that made it clear that she wanted him to pick her up like he had last night. “Please?”
The answer should be no. A firm no. He had things to do and he was having enough trouble keeping his hands off of her to begin with.
“Please, Jake. You’re right—I’m too tired to do anything right now. Including walk.”
How could he say no to her? He couldn’t. He couldn’t. And he was tired, too. His head couldn’t process anything on the little sleep he’d gotten last night.
So he swept her into his arms and carried her upstairs. She rested her head against his shoulder and yawned. “We’ll try to see Grace tomorrow, right?”
“Right,” he agreed as he carried Skye into the bedroom and set her down on the bed. Then he kicked off his shoes and slid in next to her, pulling the covers up over both of them.
He wrapped his body around hers, and buried his nose in her hair. He shouldn’t be in bed with her, shouldn’t be holding her tight. He absolutely should not be thinking about ways he could mak
e this work.
He didn’t know how to make it work, though. What about his business? What about the jobs he’d bid on?
And their families. If he fought for her again, he’d have to deal with his family and hers. Maybe his family had changed. Maybe, instead of the death sentence that coming back to Royal had always felt like, it’d be...tolerable.
Could he do tolerable? Could he do it for her? For them?
Her body relaxed into sleep in his arms and he found himself thinking of their wedding. Of finally having escaped from the oppressive feud, of no longer giving a damn what their families thought. Just Jake and Skye, together—forever.
This was forever, wasn’t it?
He could not lose her again. He didn’t know who he was without Skye. The ten months in Bahrain had been so far beyond hell on earth—he’d been little more than a zombie. He’d left half of himself behind when he’d left her. Plus, she was now the mother of his child.
Maybe he was too tired to be making decisions. Maybe he should get up, go back downstairs and get some work done. Maybe he should still try to keep his distance from her...
Or maybe he should fight for her. For them. He should show her that, no matter what happened in the past, whether she remembered it or not, he would always be here for her.
And then, maybe when she remembered how they fell apart, it’d be tempered by the new memories of how they’d put themselves back together.
He could love her again. He could give her what she wanted. He could be what she wanted. Because if he didn’t at least try, she would be gone. Again.
He pulled her in close and kissed her on the forehead.
He wouldn’t let that happen.
He just wouldn’t.
Seven
Skye was floating through yet another dream—this time, Jake was lying next to her in bed, his arms around her, his warmth surrounding her.
She was so tired of this dream. It was a nice dream, but she wanted it to be real. She wanted the real Jake, not just the ghost of him that drifted through her sleep. “I want you to be real,” she sighed in frustration.
“I am,” he replied, kissing her on the neck. “I’m right here, my blue-eyed Skye.”
As his lips moved over hers, his hands skimmed over her back and down to her bottom, where he squeezed. Languid heat began to build in her body—which wasn’t something she remembered happening with Dream Jake. Dream Jake had always slipped between her fingers, leaving her frustrated and alone.
When he nipped at her earlobe, she felt more than just a foggy touch. She felt his teeth.
She was awake. This was really happening. She hoped. Oh, how she hoped. “Jake?”
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again—on the forehead this time. “I want you so much, but I want you to want me, too.”
She blinked the last bits of sleep from her eyes. What was he talking about? She’d done nothing but want him since he’d walked into the hospital two days ago. “Of course I want you. The accident didn’t change that. Nothing could.”
“You’re sure?” He looked so serious about it. “Because I’m not going to let you go.”
How could he even say something like that—about letting her go? She had the feeling that he was talking about something else—but she couldn’t grasp what it was.
Or maybe he was just talking about the coma she’d been in. Yes, that made more sense. “You were all I thought about.”
Guilt—which was not a sensual emotion—washed over his face. “Skye...” But instead of explaining why he looked guilty, he pulled her into a fierce hug. “I will always come back for you,” he whispered into her hair. “Always. You are mine.”
Something in the embrace turned from emotional to erotic. His body started to rock against her and she clung to him, praying that no one would stop by or call or do anything to interrupt them. This time was theirs and she didn’t want to miss another moment with him.
“My blue-eyed Skye,” he murmured against her lips before he kissed her.
“Oh, Jake,” she groaned. “I love you.”
He growled as she nipped at his lower lip. He pulled away and grabbed the hem of her shirt. It came off easily without even touching most of her hair. Skye made a grab for Jake’s buttons, but he captured her hands in his. “You first,” he said. “I want to see you so bad.”
He slid the lounge pants over her hips, leaving her in nothing but the cotton panties. He looked her over, naked hunger in his eyes. “You are so beautiful,” he said again and she knew he telling the truth. “The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
He leaned into her, his hands skimming over her arms, her shoulders and down her back. His touch was light and warm, but she shivered, anyway. “Jake...”
He worked the panties off her hips. “I want to kiss you over every square inch of your body until you can’t even breathe,” he murmured against her neck.
“Oh, my,” she said, angling her head back so he could have better access. Her legs were aching from propping herself up against him, but she didn’t want to pull away. Not yet. Not when she finally had him back in her arms. “I think that can be arranged.”
This time, when she went for his shirt buttons, he didn’t try to stop her. Her fingers seemed to have forgotten the basic mechanics of undressing a man, because they fumbled with the first button. “I can do this,” she told him in frustration as she failed to get yet another button on the first try. She didn’t want to get hung up on this step—what if there was another interruption? She couldn’t bear it. She just couldn’t.
He tilted her head up. “Don’t mind me,” he said with a serious look in his eye. “I’m just watching you be naked. Trust me, the view from here?” He whistled.
She grinned at him as some of her nervousness faded. He was always doing that, finding a way to put her at ease. No matter what, he was still her Jake. Finally, she got the danged buttons undone and slid the shirt off his arms.
“Oh,” she breathed as the hard planes of his chest were laid bare for her to see. She stroked her fingers over the fine hairs that covered his chest and arms, then leaned up and pressed a kiss to his chest.
Jake sucked in a hot breath. “Oh, I missed you, too.”
But when she went for his belt buckle, he grabbed her hands again. “Don’t,” he gritted out, “don’t want it over too soon.”
Skye giggled again. “I remember...” she said as Jake crawled between her legs. “I remember this.”
“Yeah?” he asked as he dropped his mouth to her breast. “Tell me what you remember, babe.”
“I remember...” There were images floating around her head, all muddled up with the heated desire he was unleashing upon her body. Her brain might not be operating at full capacity, but her body seemed to have a better recall. Muscle memory, she wanted to call it. Because her muscles remembered. “I remember the first time you touched my breasts. And I was—oh, Jake!” she gasped as he scraped his teeth over her nipple.
“Go on,” he murmured against her skin as he shifted to the other breast. “Tell me what you remember.”
“I was nervous because—because I was so small and you were unhooking my bra and...and...” They’d been teenagers, nervous and fumbling in the front seat of his truck—wanting so much and afraid of it, too. Afraid that the further she went with Jake, the less they’d be friends. Afraid that he’d get her padded bra off of her and see how little she really had and it wouldn’t be enough for him. But the need to be with him then—just like now—had been too strong to ignore. He’d gotten her bra unhooked and looked at her small breasts and said—
“And I said you were perfect,” he finished for her. “Perfect for me.” Then he rolled her nipple between his tongue and teeth. “Because you are, Skye. You are the only woman for me.”
“Jake,” she moaned. She did remember this—how he’d always lavished attention on her breasts, made her feel special instead of lacking.
But things were different now, too. Her nipples were tight and hot under his kisses, but it didn’t feel exactly the way she remembered it. Was that because she was remembering wrong, or because her body had changed?
“I love your body,” he said, his mouth trailing down her belly.
He was almost to the C-section scar—a thin, angry red line that stood out like a flashing light on her pale skin. “Even—that?”
He found the scar and kissed the length of it. “Even this. This gave us our daughter. Your body is amazing. This isn’t a scar, babe. It’s a tattoo of strength and I don’t ever want you to be ashamed of it.”
Her throat closed up at his sweet words. “Oh, Jake...”
But that was as far as she got before he moved lower. Jake ran his hands up and down her legs as he sat back and adjusted her hips. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her inner thigh, then he put his mouth against her sex and began to stroke her with his tongue. “Oh, Jake!”
He sat back on his heels, but didn’t stop touching her. Instead of his mouth, his fingers began to rub over her. The heat was anything but languid now. Skye began to writhe.
Skye was filled with warmth and lightness. This was the man she loved—the man who could strip her down and lay her out and make her want him. She couldn’t remember being as happy as she was right now.
Then he slipped a finger inside of her.
Skye’s hips twisted as she responded to his touch. It was more than she was used to—but not enough. She needed even more. “Jake,” she groaned, desperate for something to hold on to.
Then his mouth was on her again and there was nothing slow or funny about what he was doing to her body. She ran her fingers through his hair and held on as he worked her up to the point where she couldn’t hold back. The orgasm hit her with so much force that she came all the way off the bed as she cried out, “Jake!”
“Oh, babe,” he moaned from between her legs. “I’ve missed you so much. So much.”
His Lost and Found Family Page 10