“Hmm. Same time as batting practice.”
That’s all he’d said. But she knew what he meant. They had a couple of hours to kill.
Her hands gripped tightly in her lap as she stared straight ahead. Jack’s gaze didn’t waver from the road either. They passed the Coffee Coral and the city ball fields.
Were she and Jack really going to do this? It wasn’t too late to change her mind. She should change her mind. Sleeping with him would only complicate everything.
But dammit. She wanted this. Her body needed this.
By the time Jack’s Audi pulled to the sidewalk in front of her little house, she was almost hyperventilating, because she’d kind of forgotten to breathe for the past few minutes.
He turned off the car. His breathing was almost as heavy as hers. Finally, he turned his head. She turned hers. They stared at each other a moment. Then they were all over each other.
His hands slid into her hair as their mouths met in a clash of lips, hot breath, and tongues. She practically climbed over the center console to get to him. It had been so long since she’d felt this kind of heat. Her body was so ripe her skin felt ready to burst.
One of his hands was under her shirt and tugging aside her sports bra, while his other hand slipped down the back of her tights and caressed her behind.
“Shit.” Jack pulled his hands free and tugged down her shirt as he pulled away from her. “We need to stop.” His face looked pained.
She giggled. “Yeah, we should probably move it inside, eh?”
He shook his head.
Her gut constricted. He’d changed his mind. He didn’t want her. He’d come to his senses. A burning flush swept over her from head to toe as she moved back to her seat and straightened her clothing. “I, um…” Damn. Her voice was shaking. How embarrassing. She’d literally thrown herself at him. “Sorry.”
“Beth. It’s not you.”
Oh, God. He was going to use the “It’s not you, it’s me” routine. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, not wanting to hear it.
“It’s her.”
Her? What? Beth opened her eyes. He had a girlfriend back home he’d forgotten to tell her about? Damn. Damn, damn, damn. This was so—
Jack must have read in her expression what she was thinking and his mouth twitched at the corner. With his forefinger, he turned her head slowly toward the house. “Her.”
It took a moment for Beth’s eyes to focus because she’d been blinking back tears of humiliation. Then she saw. Renata stood on Beth’s front porch, arms crossed, glaring, and watching them.
“Oh, shit. Her.”
Chapter Eleven
With her embarrassment rising to a record high, Beth reached for the door handle to climb out of Jack’s car. His hand on her left shoulder stopped her, and urged her around to face him. She expected to see a serious or annoyed expression on his face. Instead, he was grinning.
“Have fun with that,” he murmured, cocking his head toward her house and former mother-in-law.
Beth blinked. Then she couldn’t help smiling, too, although her lips quivered a bit. He noticed and touched his finger to her mouth, tugging slightly on her bottom lip. Then he breathed out a long, regretful-sounding breath. “If you need me, I’ll be dousing my flames in an ice-cold shower. A very long shower.”
He was being so sweet and understanding, she couldn’t resist leaning forward and giving him a quick kiss on the mouth. At least she planned for it to be quick. But once their lips touched, Jack slid his fingers into her hair at the back of her head, angling her face so he could kiss her completely and thoroughly.
Finally, he groaned and let her go. As she shut the door behind her, she heard him say, “Make that two very long, ice-cold showers.” Then he drove away.
Beth stood on the sidewalk a moment, looking at her feet. Her running shoes were wet and covered in trail mud and small rocks. Then she straightened, squared her shoulders, and headed up the walk, toward Renata who stood like a sentinel standing guard over her realm.
She and Jack had done nothing wrong, nothing to be ashamed of. Yes, this was a bit awkward because of David, but if Renata wanted to rip her a new one because Beth had dared to kiss a man that wasn’t Renata’s son… Well, rip away. Beth was a grown woman. A single woman with needs.
As she reached the front stoop, she braced herself when Renata said, “We need to talk. Let’s go inside.”
Beth was tempted to say they could just talk out here, but some people were walking down the street. She really didn’t need this conversation broadcast around town. She and Jack had already given Twin Rivers enough fodder to last a while. Nodding, she stepped onto the small porch and unlocked the front door.
Renata pushed her way inside, then spun around to face Beth. Her face was red and flushed and her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. “Is it true?”
Hmm. Not quite the question she’d expected. “Is…what true?”
“You sure didn’t waste any time, did you?” Renata shook her head, her short black hair barely stirring with the sharp movement. “And poor David barely in the ground.”
Okay, this is what she’d expected. “David’s been dead for more than a year, Renata.” And he’d left me for another woman before that.
The older woman flinched.
“I’m still young. And I’m single. So, it’s really none of your business who—”
“But Jack McCauley of all people. Really, Beth? Couldn’t you have been more discreet than to cavort with the biological father of your child?”
Beth gasped and was pretty sure her heart stopped beating for just a moment. “Wh-what did you say?”
Renata’s sigh was long and resigned. “So the rumor is true.”
“Rumor?” Beth clenched the edges of her jacket close to her chest.
“Mavis Henry heard it from Tilly Shamrock who heard it from Greta Cibrian.”
Mavis was a neighbor down the street and long-time friend of Renata. Tilly was a waitress at the Hitching Post diner downtown where Renata and her cronies had coffee and a muffin several times a week. But… “Who’s Greta Cibrian?”
Renata made a flicking motion with her hand. “She’s the new stylist down at the Cut and Comb.”
“Oh! Then it must be true, right?” Beth said flippantly. Too flippantly.
Renata just narrowed her eyes and glared at her.
Beth backed up and dropped into the wooden rocking chair. “Okay, yes. It’s true. Jack and I had…” She didn’t want to call it a “fling” or an “affair” because it had been so much more than that. At least to her. “…a relationship seven years ago.”
Renata took a few breaths. Her hands shook almost imperceptibly by her sides. “And you’re having a relationship again now.” She practically spat the term.
“Well…” Beth didn’t know exactly what she and Jack were having.
Renata shook her head and sat down on the very edge of the sofa. “Did David know it was Jack?”
Beth nodded. “He didn’t want anyone to know who Lindsey’s real father was.”
“David is her real father!” Then Renata’s shoulders straightened. “How could you have a relationship with the man who dumped you when he learned you were pregnant?” Her voice dripped with disdain.
Beth’s fingers curled around the front edge of the rocking chair. “Jack didn’t know. That was just a story that David and I told people. I… didn’t tell Jack about Lindsey until, um, recently.” Guilt and shame collided beneath her ribcage somewhere in the vicinity of her heart.
“You didn’t—?” Renata narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again as if thinking better of it.
Beth was glad Renata didn’t ask for details. Those were between her and Jack.
“Does Lindsey know?”
Beth shook her head. “Not yet.”
“You have to tell her now. Everyone’s talking, Beth. You need to tell Lindsey before she hears from someone else.”
/> Beth slumped back in her chair. Renata was right. She needed to talk to Lindsey as soon as she got home from school. And she also needed to call Jack and tell him the cat was out of the bag, so to speak.
God. This changed everything. He was not going to be happy about this.
***
Jack grabbed a protein bar from his bag in the dugout, needing a bit of nourishment before the game. His knee felt better than expected after his dumbass move of racing Beth on the run. He really shouldn’t have done that on a game day.
But if he hadn’t gone, they wouldn’t have shared that amazing kiss on the trail. Or in her car. His body still ached from its lack of release due to Renata’s untimely interruption. He couldn’t imagine living next door to his mother-in-law, were he to ever have one. Beth had no privacy.
They’d have to remedy that soon. Before his body exploded.
His groin flexed at the thought. “Head in the game, McCauley,” he muttered to himself. And just like that, he was refocused on the game at hand. He’d play at least four innings today. More if his knee behaved itself and his game was up to par.
He grabbed his mitt and was just about to head out to the field to start warming up his pitcher, when he noticed his phone blinking. He swiped it on. Two text messages from Beth.
The first one: Call me. It had come not long after he’d left her place. He’d probably been in the cold shower at the time.
The second one: I really need to talk to u. That one from about an hour ago.
He debated calling her. If it was an emergency she would have told him, right? He glanced out at the field. It was almost game time. He really didn’t need anything pulling his focus away right now. He quickly tapped out a text telling her he’d call her after the game, then tossed the phone back into his bag.
***
Jack fist-pumped Ryan after the Rapids 3-2 win over the Beaverton Eagles. “Nice job, kid,” Jack said, jogging with him back to the dugout. Ryan had pitched a great game, Jack’s knee lasted all nine innings with manageable pain, and he’d gotten a couple of hits. All in all, a solid night for him and the team.
Jack grabbed his bag from the dugout and headed to the locker room for a post-game dissection by the coaching staff.
A little while later, as he and some of the players exited the back of the stadium, a rush of hot pink and blond hair flew across the parking lot and into Ryan’s arms. Jack watched in amusement as Zoey gave Ryan a congratulatory kiss that promised much more later.
Hmm. Maybe he should’ve invited Beth to the game—he remembered getting similar congratulations from her seven years ago. And those parking lot kisses always led to more. Much more. Sometimes before they’d even left the lot.
Oh, shit. Beth. He’d forgotten to call her back. He dug into his bag for his phone.
“You comin’ to pizza with us?” Ryan asked after coming up for air from kissing Zoey. Ryan had gone out for pizza after his first home win. Now, due to player superstition, he had pizza after every win.
Jack held up his phone. “Gotta make a quick call. Meet you there.”
The couple walked away, their hands all over each other, and a twinge of envy ate at Jack. He shook it off as he glanced at his phone. No more texts from Beth, but there was a voice message. He played it.
“Hello? Jack-Mack? This is Lindsey Faye Darrow.” Jack grinned, hearing Lindsey’s voice. It was so adorable how she always introduced herself with her full name. “Mommy says you’re going to be my new dad. I’m so lucky.”
Jack’s ab muscles contracted as if someone had just sucker punched him. His fingers tightened around the phone as she went on, “I can’t wait until you and Mommy get married and we can play catch in the backyard every day and play on the swingset, but I don’t want to wear a stupid dress in the wedding because baseball players don’t wear dresses. Goodnight!” And the phone clicked off.
Jack stood in the middle of the parking lot with the phone clenched in his tight fist, trying to calm his breath. What the hell was going on? Why the hell did Beth tell Lindsey he was her dad? That wasn’t part of the plan. They’d never agreed to that. And married?
A wave of nausea swept over him at the thought. Why would she have told Lindsey that?
Cursing out loud, he called Beth. It went straight to voicemail. He dialed again, like the passing of just a few seconds would make a difference. Voicemail again. “Shit!”
***
Someone was knocking on the door. Beth glanced at the clock on the microwave. 10:15. Who would come over at this hour? Maybe Renata wanted to check in on her, after their conversation this afternoon. She groaned. She really wasn’t in the mood to rehash it all again, at least not until she spoke to Jack.
Wiping her hands on the dishtowel, she peered out the peephole. Jack. Well, it was about time he’d gotten back to her. Nerves skittered across her skin, knowing what she was about to tell him. God. She hoped he took it well.
She opened the door. “You didn’t have to come over,” she said. “You could have called—”
“She in bed?” Jack asked, peering over her shoulder into the house.
Something was wrong. He looked… pissed. “Lindsey? Well, yeah. She went to bed about an hour ago.”
“What the hell is going on, Beth?” He shoved past her into the tiny entry. His face was red and veins stood out on his neck.
She closed the door and pressed her back against it. “Um, what are you talking about?”
“The message I got from Lindsey. I thought we’d agreed not to say anything to her. And married? Why on earth would you tell her that? You know we never, ever talked about that. That’s not even on the table.”
Beth’s head spun. Oh, God. Somehow he’d found out— Wait. She held up a hand. “Lindsey called you?”
“She left me that bombshell voicemail. You might have warned me.” He shoved fingers threw his damp hair. “It’s bad enough that you told her about me, but—”
“Jack!” she hissed. “Calm down. Before I get just as pissed off as you are, let me hear this message she left you.”
Jack’s jaw worked double time as he yanked his phone from his pocket, pressed a few buttons, then held it out to her.
As Beth listened to the message Lindsey had left, she could literally feel the color draining from her face. She sat down on the edge of the rocking chair before the message had ended. When it was done, she handed the phone back to Jack with a shaking hand. “I had no idea she’d called you. I told her not to.” She picked up her phone from the coffee table. It was turned off. Lindsey always turned it off after using it, even though Beth had told her several times not to. She powered up the phone. “She must have called when I was in the shower…” Her voice trailed off at Jack’s thunderous expression. She’d better talk fast, before he popped a blood vessel.
“This afternoon when Renata was waiting for me when we— um, when you and I were, um, in the car…” She scooped the air between them, her face flushing at the memories of that kiss. Jack’s features softened just a bit. “Anyway, she told me there was a rumor going around town that you were Lindsey’s biological father.”
“How the hell—?”
“No idea. It’s a small town. People obviously put two and two together. I suppose it was just a matter of time.” She waved the air. “Anyway, if this was going around, I knew we had to tell Lindsey before she heard it from someone else.”
Jack’s breathing had slowed a bit and he didn’t look so much like a bull about to charge. “Again, a heads up might have been nice.”
“I texted you—twice—before the game.” His suddenly guilty expression told her he’d seen the messages. “I wanted your opinion on how to tell her. But I couldn’t wait for you to get around to calling me back. She couldn’t go to school tomorrow without knowing. Just in case.” She let that sink in.
Jack rubbed his jaw, then sat down on the edge of the couch, elbows propped on his knees. “Okay. Fine. I get all that. But why the other stuff? What exactly di
d you tell her?”
Beth’s breathing sped up and blood roared in her ears, but she kept her voice calm and quiet. “I didn’t tell her we were getting married, Jack, if that’s what you’re asking. Believe me, I know how much the idea of that disgusts you.” Damn the tears stinging her eyes. She blinked them back.
He didn’t even have the decency to contradict her words. “Tell me how the conversation went.”
Beth rocked back in forth in the chair and fisted her sock-covered toes in the rug a few times, needing to get a handle on her emotions before speaking again.
“When she got home from school, I told her we needed to talk about something really important. First, I talked about how much her dad loved her before he died, how he wouldn’t want her to grow up without a father. Then I reminded her how much fun you two have been having together...”
“And...” Jack prodded, impatient.
“Then I told her that you were her biological father, and tried to explain to her in simple terms what that meant and… well… that’s where things got a little complicated. She jumped to the conclusion that, um, you and I were getting married, because that’s what mommies and daddies do in her world.” She stood up and paced to the window, staring out into the dark street. “Of course, I set her straight on that account and thought she understood.”
Jack didn’t say anything for a few minutes. She figured he was counting his lucky stars that he wasn’t committed to getting married to her. Because wouldn’t that be his worse effing nightmare?
Damn those stinging tears again.
“She seemed okay with the fact that I’m her, um, dad in her message.”
God. Jack still couldn’t even say the word. She breathed out a long sigh. “She was excited. But she obviously didn’t comprehend what I told her because she left you that voicemail.”
She rubbed her suddenly throbbing temples. Maybe she’d keep Lindsey home from school tomorrow so they could have some time to talk and sort this out. The last thing they needed was for Lindsey to tell her classmates that her mommy and Jack-Mack were getting married.
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