Loving Jack (23 page)
“Whose baby is it, Grace, mine or Luke’s?” He got straight to the point, didn’t he?
“Jack!” Rachel hissed.
“Wait a damn minute, Landry. Grace and I have never been together,” Luke was explaining, but Grace was too upset for words. Why hadn’t she expected Jack to suspect the baby wasn’t his?
“It’s my baby, Jack. Get out. All of you.” She rolled to her side and waited for them to leave. She didn’t need Jack. She could do this on her own. She listened to the shuffle of feet move away and the sound of the door shutting. Grace began to cry then. She’d cried more during this pregnancy than she had the entire rest of her life. She would be just fine, she told herself. She could do this. If she had to, she’d move back home so her family could help her raise the baby.
A hand gently gripped her foot, startling Grace. She looked down to see Jack standing there. “I asked you to leave.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? How did this happen? I’m in shock here. Don’t you think I deserve some explanation? Luke is your emergency contact, not me. He moved across the country to be close to you. What am I supposed to think?”
“I didn’t tell you because I was still hurt and not ready. If you don’t know how it happened I’m not going to tell you. Luke is my friend and I trust him. And he did not move here for me! He moved for the position at Artifex!” Grace gave him her back again. Jack knew nothing about Luke’s confession of love. It was none of his business.
“Mhm. I see you’re still blind to Luke’s level of devotion. He’s here for you. The job was a bonus and an excuse.”
“You can leave now.” Grace would have to think about Luke later. Much later. Like maybe when she wasn’t carrying another man’s child.
“I’m sorry, Grace. Fuck!”
She rolled over to her back resigned to lay all the cards on the table and let Jack do what he would. “I was on the shot. They tell you it’s ninety-nine point eight percent effective. In my research since I found out about my pregnancy I’ve learned there’s a ninety-four percent success rate. Notice how those numbers don’t match? You are the only man I have ever had unprotected sex with. I’m twenty-three weeks now. So our son was conceived during that first visit to Seattle. Likely in an alley. Won’t that be a lovely story for the grandkids?”
Jack stepped closer. As she spoke his expression had shifted from disbelief to awe.
“We’re having a son?” He asked and looked at her belly like it held the greatest treasure known to man. She knew the feeling.
“Yes, it’s a little man.” She was finally able to smile just a little. “I have sonogram pictures. I’ll give you one.” She sighed.
“I came back to Seattle a day early because I thought I would pop if I didn’t tell you right away and I wanted to tell you face to face. I’d been scared shitless that you would feel like I was only marrying you because of the baby. But I think we both knew I was going to accept your proposal. I just needed to do things in the correct order for me to feel complete.”
“I knew. I was just waiting for you to get all of your beans in order.” He smiled but it was a sad smile. She decided not to take offense to the bean counter reference.
“Then I was terrified that you would want to marry me . . . only because of the baby. You know, after the thing with Matthew.”
Jack nodded, seemingly trying hard to understand her dilemma. The baby kicked and Grace jumped. He was strong already. Jack leapt forward.
“Are you okay? Are you in pain?”
“I’m fine.” She smiled. “It’s just the baby. He’s got a hell of a kick already. I can’t imagine how it will feel when he’s bigger.” She reached out her hand for Jack’s and placed it on her belly where she could feel the baby moving. Jack concentrated on her belly looking anxious but eager. The baby thumped his hand and rolled for good measure. Jack’s face lit up with the joy of discovery.
“Our baby. That’s our baby boy.” Jack said reverently.
EPILOGUE
Grace lovingly caressed her massive belly as she waddled across the lawn. She was supposed to be resting but bed rest was enough to make a woman go insane. Some fresh air would do her good. Grace’s toe burrowed into the cool, thick carpet of grass and she breathed deeply. She had to lean back slightly and place a hand on her lower back to feel balanced. The weight of carrying two babies was taking a toll on her formerly lean frame. She was lucky she hadn’t developed gestational diabetes with her second pregnancy. She suspected the fact that she changed her diet as soon as she was sure she was pregnant had helped this go round.
After two years of marriage she and Luke decided it was time to have another child. Fate had stepped in and blessed them with two. A boy and a girl would be occupying the nursery very soon. Grace was worried about her ability to care for two babies at once, especially when it came to feeding, but she wasn’t alone in the struggle.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around her rather massive circumference from behind. Her husband kissed her temple and swayed a little with her. She was totally busted. Luke had been like a warden since the doctor told her to stay off of her feet. The babies were nearly full-term now and they’d be a family of five any day now. Grace had to think about that for a moment. She supposed they’d be a family of seven including Jack and Matthew.
When Luke learned she was pregnant with Jack’s child it had been a hard pill for him to swallow. He backed away for a bit, and she honestly couldn’t blame him. Not after she learned his true feelings for her. Then one day he showed up for their usual Friday night dinner. He explained that he loved her more than any obstacle. He’d loved her through heartbreak. He’d loved her though all of her successes and her failures. Her child would be loved by him no matter who his father was. He just needed her. He loved her. And he wanted a chance to be her man.
“I’ll wait as long as it takes, Grace. Just give me a chance. Let me continue to be whatever you need. I love you. All of you. Forever.”
Grace still teared up when she thought of that night. Once she opened her heart to Luke as more than a friend he quickly moved in and made it his home. He’d been there ever since. Grace couldn’t wait to meet their babies. Her life was about to be complete. She was more blessed than any woman had the right to be.
Just then, her four year old son, Jackson or J.J. as she called him, came barreling out of the house with a toy truck in one hand and an airplane in the other. His dark hair was sticking up at odd angles and his ever changing hazel eyes where bright with excitement. He looked so much like his father. Even some of his expressions made her wonder if she wasn’t raising a clone instead of the next generation.
“Daddy’s coming, Mommy!” he shouted and tore back through the house to the front door. She laughed.
Jack and Matthew lived on the same street, but J. J. acted like he was surprised every time his dad came over. At first Grace feared it was going to be weird having them so close, but when Jackson was a newborn, having Jack close at hand had been a godsend.
“I’ll go let them in. You have a seat, madam.”
Luke pulled over a comfy lounge chair and helped her to have a seat. She was so huge she didn’t seem to be able to get up or down on her own anymore. Grace was so glad he hadn’t hustled her back into the bedroom.
He kissed her deeply and smiled against her lips. “I love you,” he told her earnestly before going to get the door. The man could melt her so easily.
It was peaceful for just a moment while she sat relaxing on her rolling lawn. Grace had time to reflect on the twists and turns of her full life. It’s crazy how a person can fixate on a certain desired outcome and nearly miss their true happily ever after in the process. Her obsession with Jack had almost robbed her of the greatest love she would ever know.
Looking back now, she could see the sharp contrast between what her feelings for Jack had been and how she now felt for her husband. Her relationship with Jack was purely physical, yet she’d coveted it greedily at the time. Her love for Luke had consumed all of her being. He was her best friend, her steady, her solid, her partner in crime, and her lover. He knew her better than any living being and she knew him the same way.
Their love story was long, complicated, and sometimes sad. In the end, Grace had learned the moral of the story was quite simple, yet difficult to comprehend when you’re in the middle of life’s storms. You can’t give your heart away. Handing over all that you are to someone often ends in heartache. You need to wait for that one person who is strong enough to take your heart from you, fill it with their love and never let go. You need to find that one person who will fight for the gift of your love and cherish it forever. Luke was that man for Grace.
The boys noisily made their way to her spot on the lawn. Jack and Matthew both kissed her on the cheek and she was required to give them a full report of her aches and pains so they could sympathize properly. Luke fired up the grill for an impromptu family cook-out. J. J. climbed up on her lap and rested a small hand on her belly as he proceeded to explain that he was about to be a big brother to two babies, not just one, to his father and step-father for the millionth time.
“Mommy is like Superwoman!” J. J. nodded his head emphatically. “She’s so strong she can handle two!” he told them. Grace laughed until her side hurt. The mind of four year old was an amazing thing.
Matthew fetched a soccer ball from inside the house and Grace cheered as Luke, Jackson, Matthew and Jack kicked the ball around while the chicken grilled. A deep contentment washed over her. It had taken her a long time to get here but the reward was worth the struggle to find her beautiful, if unconventional, family.
Jack and their son ran around laughing and smiling in the sunshine while her husband and Jack’s husband pretended to try and take the ball. How lucky could one kid be? He had a mother who lived for his every smile and three fathers who adored his every breath.
In spite of all of the hurt, the drama, the tears, and the wasted years she could have spent with Luke, when Grace looked at her beautiful little boy she knew she would never regret loving Jack.
END
About The Author
I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland where I still live today. I have two daughters, a great man, and a dog who keep me busy when I'm not working full-time as a Certified Medical Coder or writing. I've always been an avid reader who loves all genre of romantic fiction from historical to contemporary to paranormal. I’m addicted to audiobooks and café mocha. I don't watch television with the exception of football. It's not a conscious decision, it just never occurs to me to turn it on when I have books to read and writing to do. It can actually be a hazard, because I never know what the weather will be until I look outside and I have to rely on my kids and coworkers for news. I became a writer when eldest daughter dared me to prove that you can do anything if you’re willing to work hard enough. She knew I wanted to write a novel and I didn’t believe I had the talent to get the job done. Now I love creating the characters we love and the characters we love to hate.
For more information about Cat and her other titles please visit her website.
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