Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MIA
K ate and Jensen’s house is just on the edge of town and is huge and kind of spectacular in all white with a beautiful front porch.
I hand the driver cash and step out of the taxi and onto the sidewalk.
From the second I agreed to do this tonight, I’ve been nervous. I’ve seen Jessie more times than I can count, but I’ve never met Jensen and his wife, Kate; they’re all highfliers in their fields and older than me.
After I walk up the porch steps, I knock a couple of times, using the brass door knocker, and step back, waiting for someone to answer.
My stomach knots again with a mixture of excitement and anticipation.
Through the stained-glass window in the front door, I watch as a figure I know to be Jessie approaches and pulls open the door.
He smiles at me warmly. “You made it.”
In gray sweatpants and a tight-fitting white T-shirt, he looks even hotter than he did in his postgame suit last night.
“Hey,” I say, stepping into the hallway and bending down to unzip my leather boots, pulling them off my jeans.
He tracks every movement I make, not once taking his eyes off me. I know he doesn’t because I don’t take mine from his either.
As soon as I stand up straight, he wraps his arms around my smaller frame, planting a kiss on the top of my head.
I look up at him and smile. “Was that deliberate?”
He chuckles and kisses the top of my head again. “Sure was. Leo might’ve had his chance last night, but tonight, it’s my turn.”
He pauses for a second, his eyes scanning my face. “Thank you for coming tonight. I know this is kind of weird for you.”
Jessie loops his little finger with mine, and we walk down the hallway and turn a corner, entering an open-plan living space with a kitchen set at the back. The dark blue kitchen cabinets are a stark contrast to the soft blue walls. The design of the house is an L-shape, and around the corner, I see a large dining table with a chandelier directly above it. The house is modern and sleek but really homey.
Jessie guides me over to a couch. A flatscreen TV sits on the far wall, and all around, there are houseplants. There must be at least twenty that I can see so far—some big, some smaller, and some hanging from the roof.
“Kate’s into plants,” Jessie explains as we sit next to each other, watching some random children’s program I’ve never seen before.
I nod. “Where’re June and Will?”
He thumbs over his shoulder. “Kate and Jensen are about to head out, so they’re changing them into pajamas before they go. The twins only need to stay up for an hour after they leave.”
I narrow my eyes at him playfully. “You couldn’t watch them for an hour without help?”
Returning my expression, he shakes his head. “Nope, definitely not.”
I go to open my mouth and reply, but I’m cut short by a female voice from behind.
“Okay, I think we’re all set. June is having some trouble going down at night and sometimes keeps her brother awake, but eventually, they both drift off.”
Other than for a very brief moment in Whistler, I’ve only seen the occasional photo of Kate and Jensen together in the press, but much like Jon and Felicity, Zach and Luna, it’s clear they keep their private lives out of the spotlight. I knew she was pretty, but as I watch her walk toward us, a baby in each arm, she could be shooting for the latest top-model awards.
She’s kept her focus on her children the entire time, but as soon as she looks up and sees me, she stops in her tracks. “Oh, hi.”
I lift my hand and offer a tentative wave. “Hi. You must be Kate.”
A little like Felicity did last night, she cocks her head to the side and smiles. “Yeah. And you’re Mia, right?”
“And I’m Jensen.”
In the flesh and standing up rather than sitting in a booth, the Scorpions goalie is kind of an intimidating figure. His dark hair and dark brown eyes match June’s and Will’s perfectly—a complete contrast to Kate’s light-blonde hair and blue eyes.
Jensen takes Will from Kate’s left arm and then lowers him to the floor, setting him on his feet while holding onto his hands above his head to give him balance. “These two troublemakers are well on the way to racing around our house.”
Will looks up at his dad and then slowly takes a step forward. On wobbly legs, he does the same again.
From Kate’s arms, June makes a frustrated noise and points at Will. “Oh, so you want to join your brother, huh?” Kate sets her down, too, and begins walking June toward us alongside Will.
“Look at you two go.” From beside me, Jessie smiles over his shoulder and then leaps to his feet, rounding the couch in record time. “Come give your uncle Jessie a squish.”
Immediately, Jensen lifts Will from his feet and passes him over, his arms outstretched to Jessie. His dribbly chin rubs on Jessie’s shirt, but that clearly doesn’t bother him as he holds Will with one arm and reaches out for June with the other.
“Bring it in, Juney Baby.”
Kate rolls her eyes as she passes Jessie her daughter. “How many times have I said Juney Baby is not her real name?”
Jessie shrugs and plants a kiss on top of her mass of dark hair, sending my heart fluttering. “Neither is JJ or Princess, but you two use it all the time.”
I chuckle, and Jensen and Kate look over at me.
Kate points at me in jest. “Oh, don’t you go encouraging him. This boy doesn’t know his limits.”
“Okay, so they just need warm milk before bed, their teeth brushing, and the latest story read to them. In theory”—Jensen drawls the final word—“they should go to sleep easily since they didn’t have a long nap today.”
“Yeah, and don’t I know it?” Kate brings the back of her hand over her mouth as she yawns. “We won’t be late, trust me.”
“We’ll see about that.” Walking over to his wife, he takes her left hand in his, and it’s then I notice the huge black diamond on her ring finger. “A couple of mojitos, and you’ll be into it. Or maybe even me if I can help it.”
Kate shakes her head, pats him on the shoulder, and then looks over at me and smiles. “These boys always think they have the upper hand. What they fail to realize is, behind the scenes, we call the shots.” She checks her watch. “We’ll be home by ten.”
With a kiss to June and Will’s foreheads, they both make for the front door before Jensen stops and swivels on his heel, pointing over at the kitchen. “There’re snacks and drinks in the fridge if you want anything. Thanks for this.”
A few seconds later, I hear the soft click of the door closing behind them and then an engine firing up on the driveway.
Jessie turns to me, his left brow quirked. “I think Will might have already pooped.”
“Okay,” I say, rising from the couch and walking toward them. “How hard can a diaper be?”
He passes me June, and I take her into my arms.
“Not that hard,” Jessie confidently says, walking toward the hallway.
We climb the glamorous wooden staircase and make a right at the top. The nursery is a stunning sage color with light wood furniture and white decor. As soon as we enter, my eyes are immediately drawn to June’s and Will’s names on the wall above their beds.
“They’re really cute.” I point to the wooden name plaques as I bounce June in my other arm.
Despite me being a total stranger to her, she giggles and looks up at me with her big brown eyes.
Jessie looks over to where I’m pointing “Yeah, they were a gift from me. Brought them over the day Kate got back from the hospital.” He focusses back on Will, laying him on the changing table.
Maybe I should be surprised at Jessie’s thoughtfulness, but I’m not. Through the aloof exterior he tries to portray, I see him—the soft guy who, over time, has lost the ability to open himself up to show love and be loved in return.
“Nice names too.” I look down at June in my arms. “You’ve got a really pretty name, not one you hear too often either.”
Jessie doesn’t respond to the smell as he tears off Will’s diaper and quickly bags it before wiping him down and grabbing a fresh diaper from the side. “Kate chose June’s name, and Jensen chose Will’s,” he replies, still focused on changing Will, but has no issue with completing the task easily.
“You really didn’t need my help tonight, did you?”
He pops the buttons on Will’s pajamas, picking him up and then the diaper, ready to throw it in the trash. “Not with the diaper. I’ve changed a fair few in my time.”
“How? You’re an only child.” My question is definitely more of a statement.
Looking down at Will, he offers him a small smile and then the same to me. He opens his mouth, but hesitates, clearly thinking about what to say. I notice the pull within him—he wants to tell me more—but at the last second, I see him close off.
“Yeah. Yeah, I am.”
As we creep out of the nursery, Jessie bends down to flick on the nightlight and leaves the door off the latch, the baby monitor in his left hand.
I pull my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans, checking the time. “Right on schedule, Staff Sergeant.”
“Want to give me a little salute to go with that?” he retorts.
I look down the staircase toward the kitchen. “Nope, but what I do want is ice cream.”
We make our way into the kitchen, and I take a seat at one of the barstools as Jessie pulls open the freezer door.
“Okay, we have vanilla.”
I scrunch up my nose. “Nah.”
“Oreo?”
I wave a hand in front of my face. “Overrated.”
“Chocolate Fudge Brownie?”
“Gimme.” Flipping my hands toward me, I beam in delight at the tub of Ben if anything happens between us, then he has to be the one to make the first move.
He grabs the remote from the coffee table and starts flicking through the latest releases until he lands on the one I was hoping to watch. “This one?”
I adjust some of the pillows behind me, getting myself comfortable. “How did you know?”
Jessie starts the movie and kicks his feet up in front of him, a wry smile pulling at his lips. “How could I forget? You enjoyed the first one so much.”