Chapter 14
Jax
I shook my head as I walked up to the cafe. You’d think the chilly temperatures would have stopped Mrs. Mowrey from waiting outside of the cafe every Monday morning, but it didn’t. The woman was committed. I’d give her that.
Instead of giving her a hard time this morning, I passed with a brief wave.
I had a better idea today. Once inside the cafe, I made one cup of coffee and one of tea, then I went to the office where Ethan was keeping extra tickets for the charity event.
He had told me I was allowed to sell or give away any that were sitting on his desk, so I grabbed one off of it and walked back out to the front.
I used my hip to push open the door to the cafe. “Do you prefer coffee or tea?” I asked Mrs. Mowrey.
“Excuse me?”
I held up the cups. “Coffee or tea. I figured most people like at least one of those. I can also go back inside and make you a hot chocolate if you prefer that.” When Mrs. Mowrey didn’t say anything, I spoke again. “It’s cold out here. I figured you could use something to warm you up.”
Mrs. Mowrey lifted her chin in the air. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Because you’re human, and I believe humans deserve kindness.” Plus, if I ever end up owning this cafe, I don’t want rats hanging around outside. I kept the last comment to myself.
“I prefer my coffee black,” was all Mrs. Mowrey had to say in response.
I chuckled and held out the cup that had coffee in it. “Yeah. I kind of figured that.”
Mrs. Mowrey watched me warily as I took a sip of the tea. “Was there something you wanted to say to me?”
“Yes, there was one thing.” I held out the ticket to the charity event.
“We’re doing a fundraiser to help kids who have been kicked out of their homes for being LGBTQ.
As a woman of God, I hope you can at least agree that it’s wrong to abandon your children for any reason.
Isn’t there some Bible story about Jesus and a lost sheep?
” I waved my hand, so she would realize the question was rhetorical.
“Anyway, it’s a really good cause. I think you should come and check it out.
Maybe open your heart to see all of the good Ethan does, rather than focusing on your differences.
It’s not like you’re that different. You both like men for some strange reason. ”
I could have sworn Mrs. Mowrey almost cracked a smile at my joke, but she recovered too quickly for me to know for sure. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“That’s all I ask.”
***
The rest of the week was crazy with all of the preparations not only for the event, but also for our guests. Ronan’s family and Quinton couldn’t make it until Christmas Eve, but my parents, Carter’s parents, and Olivia were all coming into town on Saturday so they could attend the event.
I only had time for a quick hello before running out of the door to help Ethan set everything up.
Luckily, we had been able to convince Tim and his friends to volunteer so we had a lot of help.
The hours leading up to the event were crazy, and half of the time I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, but I absolutely loved it.
Things like this were where I thrived, and if I ended up taking over the cafe, I was definitely going to continue doing it.
Carter and our families were the first people to arrive, and I greeted them all with hugs and kisses. They insisted they wanted to help with any last minute prep, but I refused to let them. The way I saw it, they were all my guests tonight, even Carter.
I showed them around and let them know where different activities would be taking place.
There was a spot for karaoke, a basket raffle with baskets donated from many local businesses, a TV that was set up with multiple video game systems, another TV showing Christmas movies, and many tables for people to sit at to socialize and eat.
I had to admit, it was impressive that we had gotten the town’s high school looking so nice for the event.
The caterer was setting the food out just as we walked into the cafeteria, and Carter’s grandma insisted on getting food right away, so that’s where they started. I wanted to stay and chat, but my phone rang right as they were sitting down at the table.
“Must be the person Ethan has coming to give a speech tonight,” I said, more so to myself than anyone else.
I picked up my phone and let the woman know that I would meet her out front in less than five minutes. When I hung up, Carter’s mama was giving me a confused look.
“Ethan has someone giving a speech?” she asked. “Who is it?”
Shit. I should know the answer to this, but my mind was blanking.
“It’s someone who was kicked out of her parents’ house for being gay when she was younger.
Now, she’s grown with a family of her own.
I think her kids might be a little bit older than me.
Her name is…” I snapped my fingers and looked toward the ceiling while I tried to think of it.
“Adrienne…Harvey! Adrienne Harvey. That’s right! ”
Carter’s mom furrowed her eyebrows at her mama. “That name sounds familiar. Wasn’t she here the first year Ethan did this?”
Carter’s mama clapped her hands together. “Oh my gosh, you’re right! She’s such a sweet person.” She looked at me. “Do you mind if we come with you?”
I motioned toward the door. “Not at all. Let’s go.”
When we made it out to the school lobby, there were four older women and two men who appeared to be a little older than me waiting for us. A woman with short brown hair reached her hand out toward me. “Hi! I’m Adrienne. You must be Jax.”
I nodded. “Last time I checked.” I shook Adrienne’s hand. “It’s very nice to meet you. Ethan has been raving about you.”
Adrienne laughed. “That’s funny you should say that, because he’s been raving about you as well.
” She put her arm around the blonde woman standing beside her.
“This is my wife, Layla, and our sons, Brantley and Maddox. Our daughter-in-laws are back at the house with our grandbabies.” She pointed toward the other women standing with them.
“These are our close friends, Taylor and Alexis.”
“Taylor Bradley?” Carter’s mama asked excitedly. She pointed to herself. “Reagan Miller-Cooper. I did the cover of one of your books many, many years ago.”
Taylor’s eyes went wide and a huge grin surfaced on her face. “Oh my god! Reagan!” She held her arms out. “It’s so great to see you. I think the last time I saw you in person was at this very event.”
Carter’s mom pointed between Taylor and Alexis. “And your son is married to Delaney Harper-Scott. Her moms were at our vow renewal a few years ago and told us all about the wedding.”
Adrienne shook her head and laughed. “Wow. What a small world.”
I could tell all of these women wanted to talk and catch up, so I decided to do what I needed to and then get out of their way.
I turned toward Adrienne. “Your speech is going to be in an hour, because we figure that’s when most people will be sitting down to eat. There’s a stand with a microphone near the far end of the cafeteria. That’s for you. Until then, just enjoy catching up!”
I had to continue to help Ethan, but I knew he wouldn’t care if I took some time with family, so I headed back to the table they were sitting at.
I gave my mom and dad hugs. “Sorry I haven’t had the chance to spend any time with you two.”
My mom waved her hand at me. “Oh, sweetie, don’t worry about it. We’re here all week. We’ll have so much time together that you’ll be sick of us.” She pointed to Carter and Olivia. “We’ve been having the best time catching up with these two. Don’t worry about us.”
I looked at Carter and Olivia. “And you two are doing okay?”
Carter’s smile was small, but her eyes were shining. “We’re great. This is amazing, sweetie. I’m so proud of you.”
The love in Carter’s eyes took my breath away. I wanted to stay lost in those eyes forever, but Olivia interrupted our moment.
“If I’m being completely honest, I’m feeling pretty neglected,” she joked. She rubbed her stomach. “So is your niece.”
I knelt down in front of Olivia and put my hand on her belly. “Hey there, little bean. Auntie Jax loves you so much. As soon as you’re born, I’m going to spoil you like crazy.”
“Only a few more months.” Olivia groaned. “Thank god. I’m never doing this again. If Quinton wants another one, he can get pregnant.”
I patted Olivia’s stomach one more time before standing up.
Every time I thought about her having a baby, I got choked up.
This was so special to me for so many reasons.
Olivia was the best, most loyal friend I ever had, so no matter what, I would be so excited about her starting this chapter of her life.
What made it even more special was that now that I was dating Carter, her baby would actually be my niece.
The thought of babysitting my best friend’s child, with the love of my life by my side, made my heart feel like it was dancing in my chest.
“Please don’t cry,” Olivia said, breaking me from my thoughts. “If you start to cry, I’ll start to cry, and with the way my hormones are right now, I’ll never stop.”
I waved my hand at her. “I’m not going to cry.”
Carter gave me a doubtful look. “You look like you’re going to cry, babe.”
“Whatever.” They weren’t wrong, but I wasn’t going to admit that. “I better go find Ethan. I hope you all have fun.”
It took a while, but I finally found Ethan sitting in an empty classroom with his eyes closed.
I lightly knocked on the open door. “Everything okay in here?”
Ethan’s body jolted as his eyes popped wide open. He rubbed his forehead. “Shit. I came in here to get some peace and quiet for a minute, but I think I dozed off.”
I sat down at the desk beside him. “You’ve been busy.”