“We’re so glad you were able to join us. And that cake? It’s all anyone is talking about,” Naomi says and Stan jumps right in, “You have a talent. You should think about exploring that more.”
I nod because that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. For the past two days Sara and I have been going back and forth with what decision to make – stay small or take it wide. My decision thus far has been swinging like a pendulum every hour.
“Thank you. I appreciate that.” Kennedy snuggles closer to me and I run my hand gently down her back as Naomi looks on. I can see the yearning in her eyes, her desire to have grandchildren. Her eyes veer over to Jackson with the same look and then I see a gigantic smile grow on her face.
Suddenly she launches herself at Jackson and hugs him tightly, and he adjusts his hold of a sleeping Noah to keep him from being startled. She speaks softly to him, words I can’t determine, then she’s pulling back and going into the arms of her husband.
“This has been the best party,” she tells Stan, and I have to agree, whoever planned this event did a remarkable job.
“Well, we’ll be seeing you tomorrow,” Jackson reminds them as he wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling my side against his body. Their family cookout is tomorrow at Jackson’s house.
Jackson helps me load the sleeping kids into the SUV and then he offers to drive back to my house. An offer I gladly accept because my feet are killing me in these heels.
We get the kids inside without even the slightest of hints that they’re awake – a parenting feat at its finest. Just as I finish tucking in Noah and shutting his door, I turn around to see Jackson standing behind me waiting.
“Hi,” he says as he wraps his arms around my waist.
“Hi,” I reply, and suddenly I’m nervous. A question so insignificant sits perched on the tip of my tongue, but it’s something I’ve been wrestling with for days.
“What’s on your mind? I can see the gears spinning,” Jackson jokes, and I giggle because he knows me so well.
“I’ve never asked anyone this before,” I begin and his eyes instantly light up in excitement. “Do you want to stay the night and have breakfast with us in the morning?”
The sparkle in his eyes diminishes only slightly, but maybe it’s due to the grin moving across his lips. Jackson has never been in the house when the kids wake up outside of that one time when Noah happened to be awake on his own. So this is a big step for me, letting the kids see us together in my house in the morning.
Jackson grabs my hand and tugs me toward my bedroom. I couldn’t stop him if I tried, my body is completely spellbound by him, and it has been since he pounded on my door all those weeks ago.
He quickly makes work of removing my dress and then he does the same with his own clothes until we’re both naked in my bed as he begins to worship my body.
And worship it he does.
I wake to the sunlight pouring through the curtain, casting beautiful rays of light on all of Jackson’s muscles. Leaning up on my elbows I peer down at him. He’s resting on his back with an arm tossed across his stomach, the sheet pulled low enough to barely cover his hips. Luckily we had the forethought to put clothes on before we fell asleep last night.
“I love you,” I whisper, not caring if he can hear me or not. Of course, he instantly turns onto his side and uses his arm to pull me closer.
“I love you too. How much longer do you think we have?” he asks as he snakes his hand in my hair and pulls my mouth toward his in a kiss.
“A minute,” I whisper against his lips. “Two max.”
I’m wrong. Our quiet only lasts about thirty seconds before Noah and Kennedy come barreling into the room shouting Jackson’s name as they bounce on the bed and find him there. Jackson tackles Kennedy as she looks at him like he’s her prince charming and Noah wraps his arms around Jackson’s neck to save his sister. I can’t help but laugh at their antics.
Jackson has that look on his face, that one you see when someone has gotten their wish, that look when a child has chocolate for the first time, or when they’re finally able to ride a bike without training wheels. That look of utter contentment. I have to quickly wipe away my tears of happiness, because throughout all the turmoil I’ve endured this year, nothing could have prepared me for how I would feel knowing that I’m the reason someone has that look.
As they continue to wrestle in the bed, I slip out and head toward the kitchen to make breakfast. Jackson has been training his new staff to take over the weekend shifts he had been manning, and this is his first weekend free, so I’m hoping to make this morning as enjoyable as possible.
As I mix some eggs for some omelets, I think about how incredible it felt to fall asleep in Jackson’s arms and for him to be there when I awoke. Everything just seemed – right. Like he belongs here, with me.
I start making the omelets, tossing in a few vegetables for Jackson and me and some cheese for the kids. Just as I plate the breakfast, Jackson and the kids pour out of the hallway fully dressed.
“Wow, if all it takes for you to get dressed in the morning is having Jackson here, then we’ll have to do it again,” I joke, and Jackson freezes for a split second. No one else would notice, but I do. I hope he knows that I’m only kidding, even though I have been tossing around the idea of having him move in with us. That’s why last night was such a big step for me.
“I like when Jackson stays over,” Noah says, and Kennedy immediately shouts her agreement.
“Why is that, kiddo?” I ask.
“Because you wake up happy. And when you’re happy, I’m happy. At least that’s what my teacher says, I think.”He ponders for a moment, his finger tapping his tiny chin.
Luckily I’m saved from having to steer the conversation because Jackson asks Noah about the epic water gun battle they’re planning for this afternoon. The summer air is starting to cool so it will be a nice treat to hang out and enjoy the warmth before the season changes.
“Well, I guess we need supplies for this epic battle, right?”
Everyone agrees, even Jackson, who I am pretty sure is as excited as Noah.
We spend about an hour at the superstore and each of us picks our battle weapons. Jackson and Noah have the largest water guns, of course.
Jackson asks if he can set up the yard for the fight and not knowing that it takes so much skill and strategy, I readily agree. While he does that I get the kids in their swimsuits and then I do the same, and pull on a large T-shirt to cover myself.
When we step outside, I take in the entire two yards in amazement. In about fifteen minutes Jackson has set up two water sprinklers, water loading zones, and base, which he describes as a place to take a break.
“You and Cooper gave your mother a heart attack on a daily basis, didn’t you?” I ask as he jogs over to us wearing a pair of low slung swim trunks. He notices my attention on his body and he smirks at my reaction.
“Yes, we did,” he replies before kissing me quickly then handing the kids their water guns.
He instructs each of us to head to a corner of the yard and not to move until he counts down.
“Three. . . Two. . . One. . . Go!” he shouts from the other side of the yard against the fence.
In the span of five seconds, I’m thoroughly soaked from the sprinkler and Noah’s incredible aim. He and Jackson have started teaming up on me and before I know it I’m slipping and sliding in the mud all while laughing like I haven’t done in years.
We head over to the refueling station, and just as I’m stepping away, I slip in a puddle and fall down to the ground, yanking Jackson with me as I go. He rests his body on top of me, shielding me from the water spurting from the sprinkler.
I gaze up into his soft blue eyes, his hair curling around his face from the water, and I can easily say that I’ve never been in love the way I am with Jackson. It sounds cheesy but I do feel complete when I’m around him, like a part of me had been missing all these years.
“You look beaut
iful like this, smiling, carefree. Ask me to move in with you, Elle. One of the best moments of my life was waking up with you and the kids this morning and knowing that I didn’t have to sneak out.”
“Okay,” I say through my smile. “Move in with me, Jackson.”
“You mean it?” he gasps.
“I do. I want you here all the time and the kids like having you around.”
He kisses me passionately, his excitement pouring through his lips as he melds our mouths together.
“Ew,” I hear from beside me and then suddenly a spray of water comes shooting in our direction.
“Well, they just better get used to it because I plan on kissing you every chance I get,” Jackson says as he kisses me again and then bounces away, grabbing his water gun and shooting toward the kids.
I sit up in my puddle of mud and grass and watch Jackson and the kids chasing after each other in the yard, running between his yard and mine. Yet all I can think about is that we’ll have to put a new fence up after all.
Epilogue – Elle
Five Months Later
Mark and Victoria sway to their first dance as I look up from putting the final touch on their wedding cake. The six-tier monstrosity looks like something out of a fairytale, and after meeting Victoria myself, I knew that she deserved a fairytale and all that came with it.
“Leave it alone, Elle,” I hear a deep voice say from behind me.
“But this flower just isn’t right.”
“Stop. She won’t even notice.”
“Fine,” I huff as I put down the wooden dowel I use to shape flower petals and turn to face Jackson who looks gorgeous in his tuxedo.
“How many potential clients have you spoken to tonight?” he asks as he slides his hands around my waist and rests them just above my ass.
“Two. And one has a cousin tying the knot in a few months.”
“Still happy with your decision?”
“Best decision ever.”
“I thought me moving in was your best decision ever?” he jokingly questions. I have to keep reminding him that he pretty much asked me to ask him to move in.
Jackson moved his things in right away, as in he was completely moved into my house by that night. We were lucky that his brother was in the market for a house because he is renting Jackson’s home. Jackson calls it an investment property.
The kids love having Jackson with us, especially Noah who missed having a man in the house. I heard him one night as he was getting ready for bed telling Jackson that he was scared to take care of his sister and me, he didn’t want to mess it up. That broke my heart and I cried into a bottle of wine for hours. Luckily Jackson reminded me that I’m the one that raised such a selfless kid and one day he was going to make a great dad. Then I launched into another sobfest at not wanting my kids to grow up.
It was a rough night.
Another woman stops us and asks for a business card and then lights up when she learns that I make the éclairs for Mark’s business. Apparently, she’s an associate. After Sara and I poured through contracts, I decided to turn down both offers with Elver’s Catering and Beckley’s Baked Goods. I didn’t like the thought of Elver’s owning my recipes, even though my name would be attached, and the idea of having to package my own items for long distance travel on a frequent basis kind of freaked me out.
Instead, I do what everyone has suggested all along – design cakes and continue my online ordering. Since meeting Jackson my recipes and designs have been flourishing, it’s as if he’s my creative Mecca.
“You ready to get out of here?” Jackson asks as he grabs my jacket and purse from the table. He seems eager, and that makes me a solid mix of nervous and excited. We have a rare night home without the kids who were visiting with Dan, Sky, and their new baby boy this morning, and my parents are picking them up for a sleepover.
Dan has left us alone since I put the restraining order in place and the court forced him to pay the hospital bill that Jackson had covered for me. They also forced him to place the kids back on his insurance. Luckily, my parents don’t mind working as the middlemen between Dan and me because they enjoy their time with the kids.
Sara and I have discussed removing the restraining order when the kids get older; we’ll see. I still don’t trust him, and the relationship he has with Sky is rocky at best, so I’m hoping that he can get his shit together for the sake of their baby.
“Elle?” Jackson asks, bringing me back to the moment. I let my gaze linger on him once again and damn if I’m not the luckiest girl in the room.
“Yes, I’m ready,” I reply as I slide into my long dress coat which covers the fuchsia colored gown I’m wearing. I had let Jackson pick it out and he did not disappoint.
He ushers me to the car, and as we pull out of the parking lot, he takes a turn which is the opposite direction of our house.
“Where are we going?”
“I just need to make a pit stop,” he says, and continues driving with a smirk on his face.
The signs for the hospital come into view and my heart starts pounding.
“What are we doing here? Are the kids okay?” I ask in panic as I try to pull at the door handles before the car comes to a complete stop.
Calmly he reaches out and grasps my arm. “Everything is okay. I just need to do something inside real quick. Do you want to come with me?”
“Yeah, okay,” I whisper as a hundred thoughts swirl through my head, most of which have me wondering what Jackson needs to do at the hospital. Is he sick? Hurt?
He walks up to the receptionist desk and gives the nurse his name and then takes my hand and guides me to some seats in the back corner. We sit quietly for a few minutes, both of our heads turned toward the television across the way. His hand grips mine as he strokes his thumb across the back. It’s calming.
“Elle, do you know where we are?”
“Um. . . the hospital?” I reply. Jackson gently shakes his head before sliding from the chair to the ground kneeling before me.
“This exact place is where I fell in love with you. It’s where I fell in love with your family. I never saw myself desiring that until I met you.
“You’ve shown me what it means to be loved and how to show that love so effortlessly. You amaze me, and I would be deeply honored if you would be my wife. Will you marry me, Elle?”
I can barely see him through my tears but I’m nodding my head repeatedly like a bobblehead doll.
“Yes,” I finally whisper as he slides a large diamond ring onto my finger, a finger I swore would never wear a decoration again. But that was before I knew Jackson. That was before he snuck into my bedroom that night. That was before I knew what real love is.
I fall into his waiting arms as the crowd around us erupts in applause.
“I can’t wait to tell the kids,” I say to him, and he chuckles as he seals our lips together before lifting me into his arms.
On the ride home he tells me that he knew months ago that he wanted me to be his wife and he even bought the ring when we were in New York.
“You know something,” I begin as he parks the car in front of our house. “I thought that I was one of the unluckiest people in the world when I moved in here. I had lost everything in a divorce, I was willed this terrible house by a father I barely knew, and I had this crazy asshole of a neighbor. But it seems that without any of those things I wouldn’t be where I am today – with you.”
“Have I ever told you that I want to send Dan a thank you card for being an idiot?”
“No, but that doesn’t surprise me.”
As we step out of the car, I can hear some moaning coming from Cooper’s house and Jackson and I roll our eyes at each other silently wishing that his brother would keep his windows closed at night.
“Who do you think is over there?” I ask, because we never see anyone coming or going from his house.
Suddenly I’m flipped over Jackson’s shoulders as he struts up the walkway.
“Don�
�t know, don’t care. All I want to do right now is make love to my fiancée.”
“Well, why didn’t you just say so!”
The End
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More Books by Renee Harless
The Stone Trilogy
Make me yours
Make you mine
Make us more
Welcome to Carson
Coming Alive
Coming Together
Coming Consumed
Coming Altered
Coming Innocent
Coming Unraveled
Coming Unplugged
Coming Home
Stolen Series
Stolen Nights
Standalones
Between the Lines
Acknowledgements
When I wrote my first novel I never expected to be doing this three years later with twelve books under my belt. I went into this book world completely blind and someway, somehow, have figured out how to guide my way through all the craziness that comes with being an author.
Thank you to all of the bloggers that have shared my books and supported me along the way. I appreciate everything that you so behind the scenes and my gratitude for your work is overwhelming.
I want to send a special thanks out to my best friend and PA Renee McCleary. Without you I have no idea where I would be or what I would be doing. You keep me in line and help embrace my craziness. I treasure our friendship more than you’ll ever know.
There are a whole list of people that I want to send a special thanks to for coming into my life and supporting me along the way. Amanda Andrews, Teri Kay, Cindy/Thia Finn, Kristine Dugger, Nichole Dennis, Heather Lyn, Crystal Jimenez, Sally Sutherland, Colleen McGrath, Lisa Hemming, Shelly Reynolds, Misty Hamilton, Hayley Michele, Phoenix Soy, Wander Aguiar, my list could go on and on. And if I forgot to mention your name just know that I adore each and every person that I have come in contact with through this journey.
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