Mine for a Day (Finding Love Book 8)

by Delaney Cameron

  Thinking about the framed posters sitting in the living room, she said, “I’ll come with you.”

  She followed him into the house, Abbot and Costello hard on her heels. When Jackson went down the hall to his home office, she went in the opposite direction. It only took a few seconds to move the prints to the family room. By the time he strolled back into the kitchen, she was leaning against the counter waiting on him.

  “It’s still early. Do you want to watch a movie? You never got to see Clint Eastwood.”

  “We could do that, but I want to do something else first.”

  Jackson smiled wickedly as he closed the distance between them, putting his arms on either side of her. “Is it what we were doing outside? If so, we might not get to the movie.”

  “I think, or at least I hope, it’s something you’ll like better.”

  “Impossible,” he murmured, bending to kiss the side of her neck.

  “Can we just see?”

  He slid upward to kiss her ear. “On one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  He pulled back and touched her cheek. “I get to pick what we do second.”

  “I can live with that. Give me your hand and close your eyes.”

  “I’m liking this so far,” he said as he did what she asked.

  Shaking her head, Violet led him into the family room. “Okay. Open your eyes.”

  Jackson’s smile threatened to split his face as his glance fell on the posters. He walked over to look at them more closely. “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is one of my favorites. Where did you find them?”

  “At the flea market.”

  “I was just telling Jetta the other day that I wanted something to liven up the walls of my office. These will be perfect.”

  “So you like them?”

  He nodded slowly as he took her into his arms. “I like them very much.” Then he proceeded to back up those words in the most pleasant way possible.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Eight weeks. That’s how long Jackson had known Violet. It might not be much in terms of time, but it was immeasurable in terms of how she’d changed his life and how much she’d come to mean to him. He’d made the mistake of limiting his heart to one experience, not believing or acknowledging that the heart is resilient and fully capable of loving again. The pain and sense of loss he’d experienced hadn’t been forgotten; it’s more that he’d come to realize that he had more to lose in hanging back than going forward.

  That’s why those words of love had come so close to slipping through his lips yesterday. They had come straight from his heart. He wasn’t going to stop them from being spoken again. Whatever happened, he wasn’t going to waste this second chance at love. He wanted Violet to know exactly how he felt about her; he didn’t want there to be any misunderstanding about her place in his life.

  The hours until he was pulling into her driveway were agonizingly slow. With sweating palms and a fast beating heart, he got out of the Land Rover and walked to the front door. It took a few minutes for Violet to answer. His eyes took in her damp ponytail and slightly sunburnt cheeks and nose. She smiled at him, and Jackson was reminded of the first time he saw her. She’d done more than just throw him for a loop. She’d made him want to love again.

  He bent his head to kiss her. “Mmm. You smell like coconut.”

  Violet laughed. “It’s the sunscreen. Micah smells like it, too. We went swimming this afternoon.”

  She led the way to the living room. Micah was sitting in the middle of the floor playing with a child’s workbench. When he looked up and saw Jackson, he clapped his hands.

  “I think he remembers me.”

  “Of course he does. You’re impossible to forget.”

  “I’m not the only one.” He sat down on the floor beside Micah. “Hey, buddy. What are you working on?” Micah proceeded to show him all the different tools accompanied by explanations in his own language. “This is pretty neat. I could play with this all day.”

  Violet sat down on the couch behind him. “I can pick one up for you next time I’m at Toys R Us.”

  Jackson pointed to a yellow dump truck sitting next to the coffee table. “Be sure to get me one of those, too.”

  “We used it to transport Bluebell to the kitchen earlier. She wasn’t too thrilled about it, but Micah enjoyed it. How did the house hunting go with the young couple?”

  “They made an offer on the second one I showed them. It’s not far from River Road Park.” He took the hammer Micah handed him and obligingly hit one of the plastic nails into the workbench. This produced another stream of babbling.

  “In about seven months, Micah isn’t going to be an only child anymore. April told me today that she’s pregnant. I guess I should feel honored. I’m the first in the family to know.”

  Jackson leaned back against her legs. She responded by putting her hands on his shoulders. “You told me about all those firsts with children you want to experience. How many times do you want to have them?” Her fingers slid over to rub his neck. Jackson started to tingle all over.

  “I’d like to have two kids. I don’t mind if they’re girls, but I’d really like to have boys. I guess that comes from growing up with three sisters. There was always a crisis going on.”

  “By the time I came along, my parents had been out of the baby stage for years. I wasn’t an only child, but sometimes I felt like one. I always got this feeling that everyone was pushing me to grow up faster.”

  “It was different for me. I was the last child of a very maternal person. My mom had a hard time letting me go.” She pointed to Micah. “Look at him. His eyes are going together. That means it’s time for a nap. It takes about ten or fifteen minutes to get him settled. There’s plenty of things to drink in the fridge and some sugar cookies on the counter.” She bent down and picked up Micah. He put his arms around her neck and giggled when she kissed his chubby cheek. Violet moved his hand in an imitation of a wave. “We’ll see you later, Jackson.”

  He waved back. “Sweet dreams, Micah.”

  Once Violet and Micah disappeared down the hall, Jackson walked into the kitchen. He was joined there by Bluebell and a few seconds later by Jeeves. “Where were you two hiding?” he asked as he bent down to scratch their heads. After giving them some attention, he sampled a few of the cookies. Then he returned to the living room to wait for Violet. Stretching his legs, he leaned his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes.

  The vibration of his phone woke him from a light doze. It was Harmon wanting to know if he could borrow one of his amps. Violet returned as he was finishing his reply.

  “Micah is out for the count,” she said, dropping down beside him.

  Jackson reached for her hand. “I was, too, until Harmon texted me. Your parents are coming home this week, right?”

  “On Friday. It’s hard to believe they’ve been gone nearly a month.”

  “A lot can happen in a month. Look at us.”

  Violet laughed. “I’m still trying to figure out how that happened. I didn’t think I had any chance of getting you interested in me.”

  “I hope I’ve shown you how wrong you were about that.”

  She rubbed his hand against her cheek. “You’ve done what I thought was impossible; you’ve helped me see myself differently. It’s easy to blame other people or circumstances, but how I chose to handle what happened in the past, and how I let it affect my future have always been in my control.”

  “That’s all true, but it’s hard to change when you’ve thought a certain way for so long. In my case, I’ve been clinging to memories of what might have been for years. Losing Carmen was tragic, but spending the rest of my life asking ‘what if’ is even more tragic. You made me realize that I don’t want to miss out on something amazing because of fear and ignorance.

  “I’ve been falling in love with you since you ran into me at the rest area. It was like you reached right into my chest and wrapped your hands around m
y heart. No matter what I did, I couldn’t forget you. The more time we spent together, the stronger the bond grew between us. And now, sweet, lovely, Violet, I’m deeply, ridiculously, in love with you. To use your words: you’ve taken me to places I couldn’t get to on my own.”

  The hand he was holding was trembling. Her lips were next and then a single tear slipped out of her eye and ran down her cheek. “I love you, too, Jackson,” she whispered, her fingers sliding up to lightly caress his face.

  Her touch sent fire licking through his veins. He pulled her into his arms, his lips closing over hers. Her instant response fueled his passion just as the love she offered so completely humbled him. He drew away from her slowly, smiling at the arcs of blue revealed by the parting of her lashes.

  * * * * *

  Falling in love had been magical, but knowing the tumultuous feelings erupting inside her were returned defied description. Violet lay her head against Jackson’s chest, wanting to hear and feel the beating of the heart that belonged to her. The love she’d dreamed about for so long had come at last.

  The hand gently rubbing her back slid under her hair to caress the nape of her neck. “Violet?”

  “Yes, Jackson?”

  “This doesn’t have to be anytime soon, but would you be willing to go with me to Nashville and meet my parents?”

  She knew what such a visit would mean for him. She tilted her head to look at him, meeting his eyes, clear gray and warm with what had just passed between them. “I’d love to meet your family.”

  This answer could only have one result. Jackson’s kisses sent her world spinning in circles. The sound of Micah’s childish chatter through the baby monitor brought her back down to earth.

  “Someone’s awake,” she said, grinning at her companion’s look of disappointment.

  “So I heard. His timing leaves much to be desired.” He dropped one last lingering kiss on her lips and then loosened his arms so she could get up.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  When she opened the door of the guestroom, Micah was sitting up in the portable crib talking nonstop to his stuffed Pooh Bear. “Did you have a nice nap?” she asked, running her fingers through his silky hair. He grinned, showing a nice row of baby teeth. “How about a snack? We’ve got applesauce and Cheerios.”

  “Is that all he can have?” Jackson asked, coming in behind her. “He’s a growing boy.”

  “What do you suggest? New York strip and a baked potato?”

  “That actually sounds pretty good. I missed lunch today.”

  “And all I offered you was sugar cookies.”

  “Which were delicious by the way.”

  “Let’s go to the kitchen, and I’ll fix you something.”

  After putting Micah in his high chair, she handed him a sippy cup of apple juice and some Cheerios. Then she looked at Jackson who was leaning against the counter with his arms and ankles crossed. “Okay, it’s your turn. What would you like to eat?”

  His smile turned her legs to jelly. “What are you offering?”

  “How about a grilled cheese sandwich?”

  “That would be great.”

  Violet reached into the pantry for the bread. “I usually use cheddar and Monterey Jack when I make grilled cheese. Is that okay?” she asked, turning around in time to see Jackson attempting to toss a Cheerio into his mouth. He missed. “Which one of you is the child?”

  “Come over here, and we’ll find out together.”

  “I’m fine where I am.”

  “You’re lucky Micah is here.”

  She pointed the spatula at him. “You are, too.”

  He threw a Cheerio at her. “If the world only knew the real Violet.”

  Before she could respond, she heard the front door close. A few seconds later, her sister strolled into the kitchen. A smile dawned on April’s face when she saw Jackson sitting next to the high chair.

  “Look, Micah,” Violet said. “Mommy’s here.”

  April kissed the top of her son’s head. “There’s my big boy.”

  Micah offered his mother a Cheerio. She thanked him before putting it in her mouth.

  Violet performed the introductions, and then sat back and watched Jackson charm April just as he’d done with Summer and Leah.

  “Your son is adorable,” he was saying. “I’ve really enjoyed spending time with him.”

  “Thank you. He’s a handful sometimes, but so much fun.”

  Violet put his grilled cheese sandwich on a plate and set it on the bar. “Your food is ready, Jackson. What can I get you to drink?”

  He smiled at her as he moved his stool back over to the bar. “Water will be fine.”

  She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a water bottle. “Here you go,” she said, sitting it next to his plate. He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “Thanks for the sandwich.”

  Violet decided this wasn’t the time to be shy. This was the man who’d just told her he loved her. Under the amused and slightly shocked stare of her sister, she bent down and kissed him. “You’re welcome.”

  April cleared her throat. “Just so you know. I’m still here guys.”

  Violet laughed as she turned around. “We haven’t forgotten. How was the movie?”

  “It was one of those horror films that Barry likes. I spent most of the two hours with my eyes closed. Thanks for watching Micah for me.”

  “No problem.”

  “Are we doing anything on Friday for the return of the world travelers?”

  “Nothing formal. Summer and Garrett are going to drop by at some point in the evening. You could do the same.” Violet saw Jackson pull out his phone and look at the screen.

  “Excuse me for a minute, ladies. I need to answer this.”

  After he left the room, April moved closer to Violet.

  “This is the guy you almost ran over, right?”

  “I backed into his car. That’s not the same thing.”

  “Whatever it was, it worked. I’ve never seen you look so happy.”

  Violet smiled. “That’s because I’ve never been this happy before.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  As Jackson drove back to Columbus from an afternoon of showing houses in Lake Harding, his thoughts drifted back over the last week. The return of Violet’s parents from their cruise had given him the opportunity to finally meet them. He found them to be an easy-going, pleasant couple who accepted his presence in their daughter’s life as if he’d always been there. The closeness he witnessed among her family members was a blunt reminder of the damage secrets had done to his relationship with his own mother and father.

  When he helped move Violet’s things back to Rachel’s townhouse, he made the acquaintance of Pierre. The Frenchman had been thrilled to meet someone who spoke his language. The two couples had recently attended a concert at The RiverCenter. All of this was new and unfamiliar territory for Jackson. With his other girlfriends, he’d never wanted to get involved in their lives to the extent of hanging around their friends and family. He deliberately kept things light and casual. With Violet, he wanted to be part of everything that was important to her.

  It was almost five-thirty by the time he was once again pulling into Columbus Park Crossing. As he drove by Leonie, the usual smile passed over his face. He parked beside Jetta’s smaller car and made his way inside.

  She looked up from her computer. “How’d it go?”

  “The Brown’s made an offer on the house on Whittlesley. The Kaufmann’s can’t decide between a three or four bedroom. Did we ever get that fax from Thompson and Lane?”

  “It came about twenty minutes ago. I put it in your office.” She leaned back in her chair. “I threw out all my cans of confetti this morning.”

  Jackson sat down on the edge of her desk. “Why would you do such a rash thing?”

  “I don’t need them anymore. You’ve met your Waterloo. It wasn’t quite as dramatic as I thought it would be, but it was just as satisfying.
”

  “You’re a little premature, aren’t you? I haven’t asked anyone to marry me yet.”

  She waved that away. “It’s just a matter of time. I knew you were a goner the first time I saw you and Violet together. The way you looked at her when she wasn’t looking at you sent chills up and down my spine.”

  Jackson laughed. “How have you managed to keep all this to yourself?”

  Jetta sat up and moved a few things around on her desk. “I didn’t want to mess with the karma. I was also afraid you’d realize what was happening and look for the nearest escape route.”

  “But now you feel safe.”

  “Definitely. You’re off the hook and in the cooler.”

  “I don’t care for the analogy.”

  “No man likes to think he’s been caught.”

  “Or think he’s a fish to begin with.” Jackson rose to his feet. “Thanks for this very uplifting conversation. I better get moving. Violet and I are going to the mall tonight.”

  Jetta twirled around in her chair. “I thought you hated going shopping.”

  “I guess it depends on who I’m shopping with.”

  She grinned widely. “I’ve waited a long time to hear that.”

  “Don’t get too excited. Violet might decide to throw me back in the water. I’m going to look through that fax you so kindly put on my desk and then I’m leaving. You better be gone by the time I come back out. You’ve got your own fish at home to take care of.”

  Just as he was ready to leave, he got a call from his mother. “Hey, Mom. How’s everything?”

  “Pretty good. Judy and I went to look at two possible locations for their anniversary party. This is as much work as planning a wedding.”

  “Why are they going to all this trouble in the first place? They don’t need a hundred people watching them renew their vows.”

  “It’s more like two hundred.”

  Jackson grunted. “I thought this was just family and close friends.”

  “They didn’t want to leave anyone out.”

  “Mission accomplished. I’m glad you called. I’m thinking of making a quick trip up there soon.”