Just the Way You Are (A Pleasant Gap Romance Book 1)

by Pepper Basham

  Nathan’s smile reached near idol worship. “It’s one of my chores.”

  “You’re a pro. You might have to teach me some tricks.”

  Eisley watched the exchange, a fresh awareness of her children’s need for a male figure searing her heart. The right kind of male figure. A gentle, generous, intelligent, Godly man. And here he was. Doubts crumbled to dust. Yep, she could trust him with her most precious possessions.

  Add the bonus points that he was romantic and probably delusional, and she was in a state of perfect euphoria. Only a delusional man could have wanted to kiss her as soon as she walked in the door from work. She’d looked like a van Gogh, with paint on her shirt, a little pudding on her jeans, and hair in a frazzled array of dishevelment.

  Her fingers danced over her lips at the memory. Yep, she was in love with this guy.

  “I kind of like having you around.” She bumped him with her hip, grabbed the towel from his shoulder, and took one of the plates to dry. “Great with kids, easy on the eyes, and free labor? Sounds like an advertisement from a dating website.”

  He flicked water at her and followed the splash with a kiss on her cheek. “Where do I sign up? I’ve been looking for this sort of employment with a lifetime guarantee.”

  “I really like the sound of that, handsome.” She wrapped her arm around his waist. “It’s kind of crazy how well you fit in. We’re nothing like your family.”

  “I don’t know about that. I think, at the heart, our families are very similar.” His hand hit the side of the sink and he winced.

  “Oh, Wes.” Eisley grabbed his hand before he could slide it back into the water. “What on earth happened to your thumb?”

  “It’s nothing.” He tried to tug his hand free but she held tight. “Distracted while working with your father.”

  “Good grief. Did he do that to you?”

  Wes laughed and succeeded in pulling his hand free to wash the next dish. “No, I missed the nail. No permanent damage, from what Nate tells me.”

  “Well, he should know. He’s had more injuries than an NFL linebacker.” She ran a hand along his back to smooth his muscles, liking the way he felt. “You’re going to be aching tomorrow. Your shoulders and thighs will kill you.”

  “You’ve done this sort of work before.”

  “My dad doesn’t discriminate between sons and daughters. We all had to learn to”—she raised her fingers to make quotes—“‘work like a man’. Dad would have thrived during Julia Ramsden’s day as lord of the manor. Raw strength. Brute force.”

  “That reminds me. Did you finish studying the letters?”

  “Yes!” Julia’s true story still floored her every time she thought about it. “I’ll have to change some of the names and places, but Julia’s life is more spectacular than any novel.”

  “Mama.” Emily ran into the room, shirt off, but thankfully her leggings held tight. She lifted her hand, her blue eyes wide. “Me has boo-boo.”

  Eisley handed the dry plate to Nathan to put away.

  “Do you?” She picked up her little bundle and examined the perfectly fine hand. “What happened?”

  “Pete web it.”

  Pete peeked around the corner of the door, his sneaky smile about as impressive as Emily’s pout. “I didn’t really web blast her, Mommy. It was only pretend.”

  “Let me kiss it, sweetie, and it will be all better.” She brought the little hand to her lips.

  Emily turned to Wes. “Wesh tiss it.”

  “Of course, chicken.” He held out his hands to her and she snuggled right up to him. He did nothing to contain his look of pure adoration. Yep, Emily had him branded as a softie already. He kissed her hand and her head, and then she wiggled free from his hold and ran off.

  Eisley only stared at him. He shrugged helplessly. “I know. I’m doomed.”

  “Oh, the cuteness factor will probably wear off after a while, and you’ll toughen up. Until then, though?” She offered him a sad shake of her head. “You’re in trouble.”

  His smile warmed her to her toes. “Now, continue with the story.”

  “Right.” She grabbed another plate. “You remember that Julia’s father and Geoffrey’s family were enemies?”

  “Geoffrey’s family feuded with Lord Ramsden over a piece of land near the Scottish border, right?”

  She nodded and handed another plate to Nathan. “Well, Geoffrey’s younger brother intercepted Julia’s caravan to meet the old withered guy her father was forcing her to marry. They kidnapped her, along with her dowry, to hold as ransom. Somehow, in the process of her stay, she and Geoffrey fell in love.”

  “End of story?”

  “Nope. Lord Ramsden captured Geoffrey’s younger brother and offered a trade—Julia for Philip. To save Philip’s life, Julia returned to her father with the plan to renew her previous wedding plans to the withered guy.”

  Wes had stopped washing and leaned back against the counter, arms crossed over his chest and gaze fastened on her. Really listening. Another slap of certainty hit her in the forehead. She loved Christopher Wesley Harrison. His eyes, his dimples, his feet—and everything in-between.

  His lips curled up on one side. “But?”

  She snapped back to the story. “Sorry, I got distracted.”

  He graced her with one dimple and rested his hands against her waist, teasing her a little closer. She placed her palms on his chest and tried to regain her train of thought. Tough job.

  “Anyway, the priest found out about her smuggling Bibles, placed her under house arrest, and then tried to burn her at the stake for heresy. That’s when Geoffrey and his small band of warriors arrived. He jumped into the fire. Julia described it as a miraculous rescue. That night he took her back to his home, married her soon after, and her father counted her as dead.”

  Wes studied her face, caressing her chin. “And to think all that courage and faith passed down to you.”

  She ducked her head. “I’m not brave.”

  He tipped her chin and waited. She met his gaze—his tender, loving gaze. “Yes, you are. Forgiveness takes a great deal of courage.”

  “You guys aren’t going to kiss, are you?”

  Nathan’s question penetrated the gravitational pull Wes’s lips had on hers. She stepped back, but Wes leaned down to Nathan’s level. “Would you mind, mate?”

  Nathan studied him a moment, then wrinkled his nose. “Seems kind of gross when Nana and Papa get all smoochy.” He shrugged. “But grown-ups like gross things sometimes.”

  “And this from the kid who can’t wait to dig for nightcrawlers with Papa?” Eisley ruffled his thick hair. “Or dissect poor defenseless bugs with a pair of scissors and a nail?”

  His hazel eyes popped wide. “That’s not gross. Besides, I’m too big for kisses.”

  “Oh really? Too big?” She took a step forward, hands grabbing for him. He backed away, but the open dishwasher stopped him. She snatched him up and buried her face into his neck, kissing him until he squealed.

  “Mom’s got Nathan,” Pete yelled as he ran into the room, sliding his Spiderman mask down over his face, readied for battle, with Emily close on his heels. “Wes, let’s get her.”

  She caught the glimmer in Wes’s eyes before Pete jumped on her back and brought her to her knees. Her laugh joined Nathan’s as Emily pulled Wes into the dog pile. Could she get used to Wes being a part of her family? A father to her kids? Definitely.

  ***

  “Wes, it’s good to hear from you.” His father’s voice held a smile, health. He pictured him sitting in his favorite chair in the library, the firelight playing off his features and sending a glow to his pale gray eyes. “Your mother tells me your trip is going quite well—educational even.”

  “Indeed. I’ve provided a bit of education too, I believe.”

  His father chuckled. “I look forward to making the acquaintance of more Jenkins family members, from the tales I’m hearing.”

  “Mother says you might be fit for a
trip in a few months. The mountains are breathtaking and though the culture is quite different, the kindness in our families is very much the same.”

  “And Eisley? What of her?”

  Wes smiled at the thought of her. “I think you’ve proven yourself to be a skilled matchmaker, Dad.”

  “Love?”

  Wes paused a moment. “I expected it with Eisley, but not so quickly with her children. Not like this. It’s as if I belong.”

  “Have you spoken to her about Jane and Vivian? The baby?”

  “I plan to this weekend.” He drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. “I don’t want to disappoint her.”

  “Wesley,” his father’s voice breathed out his name like a prayer, and he felt the comforting power of his care pour through him. “God has given you this moment to start again.”

  Moisture gathered in Wes’s eyes as his throat constricted, and though thousands of miles separated them, he felt his father’s love with the tangibility of a hug. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “And I am certain of yet another thing.” His father chuckled. “Even in the short span of time I’ve known Eisley, her full heart spills grace and joy over everyone in her wake. Should you become the benefactor of her love, imagine how great a love it will be. She cannot contain her heart, nor will she contain her grace.”

  “I’ve known her a little over a month and I love her. How can that be possible?” It continued to shock him. Love so encompassing exposed past fancies as shapeless and superficial.

  “When you give your life to God, amazing things can happen, son, and with the right woman…?”

  Wes laughed and pushed his hand through his hair. “It’s all certainly unexpected, but I’ve learned from the best. I want to love her as I’ve seen you love Mum.”

  “I have every faith in you, Wes.” He waited a few breaths and added in a raspy voice. “I love you, son.”

  “I love you too, Dad.”

  Twenty-Five

  At 9:30 am, Eisley called Wes and he reassured her all was well. At noon, she contemplated returning home for lunch, but the teachers threw her a little birthday party celebration. When she finally walked into the house at four o’clock, everything was dangerouslyquiet—and a mess.

  The paper towel roll hung crooked from its stand, half unraveled to the floor. Some strange sticky substance, which smelled a whole lot like grape jelly, was stuck to the front of the refrigerator, with an Emily-sized handprint plastered on one side of the door. Good grief, were there any survivors? She followed a trail of water droplets into the living room.

  Nathan and Pete sat together on the love seat, eyes focused on a movie, toys scattered around them. They looked fine, but where was Wes? Her gaze flitted to the couch and her breath stuck like the jelly in the kitchen. He lay on the couch with Emily sprawled across his chest, both fast asleep. Emily’s little diapered bottom stuck up and Wes’s strong palm covered her bare back in a protective hold. A rush of tears swelled like the heat in her chest. Oh…

  “Hi, Mom.” Nathan grinned up at her. “We’re trying to be quiet. Wes just got Emily to sleep.”

  “He told us if we woke her up he’d make us watch one of your girly movies.” Pete wrinkled his nose. “With dancing and singing on it.”

  “He actually said with ‘singing on it’?”

  “He said with kissing, too.” Nathan visibly shivered.

  Eisley crossed her arms in front of her chest, and her grin grew. “So how tough were you on the poor guy?”

  Nathan’s arms came up in defense. “Mom, it wasn’t us, really. Pete and I only argued a few times.”

  “And I didn’t mean to hit Nathan in the head with my helicopter.” Pete’s voice grew louder. She raised her finger to her lips. He lowered his shoulders along with his voice. “He just took away my Spiderman web blaster—but he didn’t bleed a long time.”

  Eisley rolled her eyes up to the ceiling and released a long sigh.

  “Emily kept him really busy, though. Especially after lunch.” Nathan’s perfect ability to distract from his own questionable involvement came shining through. Blame it on the sister. Boys learned that skill at an early age. “You know how she gets when she’s tired.”

  “She rubbed jelly all over the whole kitchen.” Pete’s voice rose again and his arms stretched out to emphasize the vastness of Emily’s destruction.

  “Not the whole kitchen, just the refrigerator and a few cabinets and Wes’s shirt,” Nathan corrected.

  “So, she climbed on the counter to get the paper towels?” Eisley asked, visualizing the entire scene, which she knew all too well from firsthand experience. “And dipped them into the sink water?”

  “Yep,” Pete chirped.

  “We were really good this morning, Mom.”

  “I let my guard down,” Wes murmured from the couch. “They were such well-behaved children, I didn’t keep as close a watch on the little Houdini here.” He opened his eyes and gestured with his chin to sleeping Emily.

  “Did the head wound happen at the same time as Emily’s jelly finger painting?” Eisley sat down at the bottom of the couch and lifted Wes’s feet onto her lap.

  “How did you know?”

  She shrugged, patting his legs. “It usually all happens at once, when you least expect it. I told you parenting was dangerous.” She leaned in close and whispered. “More than you bargained for?”

  He chuckled…chuckled.

  Oh man, crazy looks excellent on him.

  “Despite the obvious destruction of your home, we’ve had a grand time. Since the temperature was quite warm, we spent most of the morning outdoors. We took a walk, played a bit of soccer, I gave some fencing lessons—”

  “Until Pete started crying about not getting to hold the sword,” Nathan interrupted.

  “And we finally came inside for lunch.” Wes placed his hand on Emily’s head. “That’s when all the trouble started. It was truly my fault. You warned me to let her put herself to sleep.” He lifted stormy eyes filled with regret, and her heart melted. “But I couldn’t. She kept looking at me with those large, pleading eyes and, well, I felt like a monster.”

  “Softie,” Eisley teased, but her voice couldn’t be trusted for anything more. She’d thought after last night nothing else could make her heart flip-flop as much as him kissing her boys goodnight, but today he caught her heart in a whole new way—hook, line, sinker, and fishing pole. Shucks, she was even in the pond along with all the other fishing gear.

  “I’m sorry about Emily’s clothes. Her first two outfits disappeared and her third became covered in jam. The missing clothes must be somewhere between your bedroom and the loo, but I’ve not been able to find them.”

  “Oh, they’ll turn up. Eventually.” Eisley leaned back into the couch and turned her head toward him. “I don’t think you could’ve given me a better birthday gift than to see how much you care about my kids.”

  Wes sat up slowly, keeping Emily as still as possible. He tucked her close in the crook of his arm, strong and secure. Eisley sighed at the sweetness of it.

  “This doesn’t count as a birthday gift.” His lips tipped up in a gentle smile. “This was a mere bonus. I have dinner reservations Saturday night and a gift that is burning a hole in my pocket.” His gaze brooked no refusal. “We have a date.”

  “But you already gave me a wonderful present.” She shook her wrist at him where the Christmas bracelet stayed.

  He winked. “Not a birthday present.”

  Pete shot up from his seat and produced an elfish grin. “Ooh, Mom, you love presents.” He climbed up on the couch beside Wes and made a poor attempt at whispering. “Did you get her a web blaster?”

  Wes flashed a two-dimpled grin, his smoky gaze sending her heartbeat off at a gallop. “Actually, it’s something she’ll like even better than a web blaster, I hope.”

  “Then it has to be the double web blaster.” Pete squealed and collapsed back on the couch.

  ***

  Wes stared
at his reflection in the gold-embossed full-length mirror and adjusted his tie. Though he’d only been with Eisley’s family a week, every day confirmed the thought he'd had when he’d taken her hand after the creek fall. Belonging. It was as if he’d walked into a missing part of his life that had been waiting to be found.

  His ridiculous grin reflected back at him but he couldn’t tamp it down. He loved the way every broken piece of his life made sense when he walked through her door and the children met him, when he pulled her close to him on the couch, or when she pressed her cheek into his shoulder as they embraced.

  Hopefully, his declaration tonight wouldn’t frighten her away. He infused courage into his reflection. “You love her, mate.” He swallowed against his tightening throat. “And she seems to fancy you.”

  He paused on the notion. She’d never voiced her love for him, but she showed it in so many ways. Did uncertainty or reluctance cause her hesitation? Of course, they hadn’t known each other long, and he’d pursued her. His grin reemerged. Because he knew fairly quickly there was no one else for him.

  He glanced at his watch, ran a hand through his hair, and retrieved the bouquet of papier mâché butterflies he’d found at a specialty shop on his drive back from his audition. The bright colors on the butterfly wings matched Eisley’s bedroom as well as her personality. He drew out his phone to text his arrival time and noticed a missed message from Andrew.

  Andrew’s message was short and revealed the awaited information related to the photos. The name associated with the tabloid article was unfamiliar to him—Dana Lewis—however, the mobile number he knew as well as his own.

  He stumbled to the chair and replayed the message. The number stayed the same. Eisley’s number. How? Why? He squeezed his head between his palms, pressing out the news, the possibility. No, it couldn’t be true.

  He stood and marched to the door, opening it and then slamming it closed. Think, think. He couldn’t have misjudged her. It was impossible for her to play this game so long without showing her hand. And bringing her children into it all? Unconscionable.