Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
The fundraiser event space looked like something out of a fairy tale.
Golden string lights draped from rafter to rafter, their soft glow casting a warm halo over the weathered wood.
The sweet scent of kettle corn and hot apple cider mixed with the smell of hickory from the barbeque outside.
Hay bales were stacked around the perimeter in makeshift benches, topped with faded quilts in rich tones.
Wooden tables were set up in the center, adorned with burlap runners, mason jars filled with dried wildflowers, and tiny pumpkins that the students from Wild Ridge Academy had painted this past week.
Laughter rang out into the crisp evening air, while somewhere outside, a splash echoed from the dunk tank, followed by delighted shrieking and applause.
“There you are,” Jake murmured, his voice low, just before his arm slid around my waist. He pulled me flush against him, his body a warm, solid presence behind me, and pressed a slow kiss just below my ear. “You’ve been hiding from me, Miss James.”
I smiled as I leaned into him, one hand finding his forearm where it crossed over my stomach.
“Just trying to make myself useful.” Initially, I’d been in charge of getting everything to the barn, but when Lily came down with the flu and couldn’t make it, I was asked to help with the day-of activities, too.
I’d been on my feet all morning and afternoon, and now, every muscle in my back and shoulders ached.
“You’ve already done more than anyone else for this fundraiser,” he said, his lips brushing my skin again. “Tonight, I’m gonna give you the best massage of your life.”
Heat pooled low in my belly at his promise, and I had to grip his forearm tighter to steady myself.
I glanced around, my heart thumping in my chest, hoping that no one was paying any attention to us.
Kids darted past while parents clustered in small groups nearby, sipping their cider and chatting with one another.
Their conversation was muted by the faint twang of bluegrass music drifting from the speakers in the corner, but one of the dads was loud enough to know he was bragging about their most recent vacation.
If I could hear them , there was a chance they could also hear us . I spun in Jake’s arms and tried to take a step back, but he just held onto me tighter, his grip firm but gentle.
“What if someone sees?”
He drew back just enough to look at me, his amber eyes lit with a dare. “Let ‘em.”
“You do remember I’m your son’s teacher, right? I wouldn’t want people getting the wrong idea.”
“You might be Cole’s teacher, but you’re also the woman I love, and I want everyone to know.”
Before I could form a response, my boss walked past with a candy apple in one hand and a steaming cup of cocoa in the other. Carol’s eyes caught on us, and she paused mid-step, took two steps back, and turned to face us, her brow raised in surprise.
“Hey, Carol. You don’t mind if I monopolize Miss James for the rest of the evening, do you?” Jake asked with that easy charm I’d first admired about him all those years ago.
Carol looked between us, the ghost of a smirk tugging at her lips.
Her gaze lingered on the way Jake’s arm looped around my waist, the subtle tilt of my body into his side.
“Well, this is a pleasant surprise. After that first committee meeting, I was worried that you two wouldn’t be able to work together.
Looks like that wasn’t an issue after all. ”
I chuckled nervously as Jake’s thumb stroked along my lower back and he planted a kiss on the side of my head.
“That’s all on me,” he said, his tone sheepish but sincere. “Finding out I was going to be working closely with my ex threw me for a loop, and I was being a bit of an asshole about it.”
Carol’s brows lifted, and her eyes widened slightly. She blinked, recalibrating with a curious tilt of her head. “Oh, I didn’t realize you guys knew each other … before.”
I shifted uncomfortably, the heels of my boots scraping against the barn floor. “I, umm, as you know, I went to MSU.” I forced myself to meet her gaze, even as my voice trembled with worry. “Jake and I dated for a couple of months before I moved back to Chicago.”
Dated for a couple of months didn’t come close to describing what we were back then—what we were now—but I didn’t know how she’d react to seeing one of her teachers with a student’s parent, so I kept things deliberately vague.
Jake’s hand flexed against my hip, a small possessive gesture. “Eden’s downplaying things. We didn’t just date. I wanted to marry her.” He paused, his voice steady, full of quiet certainty. “Still do.”
My breath caught, his words landing like a promise.
I turned my face slightly toward him, and for a heartbeat, the noise of the barn seemed to fade.
He meant it. I could see it in the set of his jaw, in the warmth radiating from his touch, in the way his eyes lingered on mine like there was no one else here.
“Well, isn’t that nice, reconnecting after so long apart?” Carol’s features softened into something warm and genuine. She smiled at both of us, her eyes creasing at the corners.
“You’re not upset then?”
She let out a small, amused huff and waved the question aside. “Not at all,” she said. “We don’t have any policies against staff dating parents. As long as it doesn’t affect your classroom or Cole’s performance, you two are free to be together. Just make sure you invite me to the wedding.”
I blinked, startled by the casual way she seemed to assume our getting married was already a done deal.
I turned to Jake, and he was looking at me with a small smile playing at his lips.
Heat rose in my cheeks, but it wasn’t embarrassment.
It was something warmer. Something that felt suspiciously like hope.
The knot in my chest that had been wound so tightly since Jake and I got back together began to loosen. I’d hated keeping our relationship a secret these past few weeks, fearing what it'd mean for my job. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I’ve been so worried.”
Carol chuckled, taking a slow sip from her cocoa and tossing Jake a wink over her cup as she continued on her way, humming softly along with the music as she headed toward a table lined with raffle tickets and baked goods.
Jake leaned down, his voice a teasing murmur against the shell of my ear. “Told you so.”
I elbowed him lightly in the ribs, but I was too relieved to put any real force behind it. My legs suddenly felt unsteady, the weight of weeks of worry finally lifting from my shoulders.
“I need some air,” I said, my voice shaky.
Jake’s brow furrowed with concern, but I was already pulling him toward the doors.
Outside, the crisp evening air hit my face, and I took a deep breath, trying to process what had just happened.
“You okay, sweetheart?” He rubbed his hands up and down my biceps.
“I can’t believe that’s it,” I whispered. “No lecture, no concern about professional boundaries. Just her blessing.”
Carol’s reaction was so different from what I’d experienced at Hawthorne Prep, where, when my boss found out I was dating one of the school’s top donors, I’d been pulled aside and warned to keep my private life and personal life separate.
Then, when Richard and I had divorced, I’d been shown the proverbial door.
Apparently, when it came to keeping a quality teacher on staff or satisfying the whims of someone with deep pockets, that wealthy man always won out.
Was it any wonder, then, that I’d been worried about what would happen here?
Jake’s hands settled on my hips, his thumbs tracing slow circles through the fabric of my sweater. “Carol’s good people, and her bosses care more about their students and teachers being happy than some archaic rules.”
I pressed my forehead against his chest, letting myself truly feel the relief for the first time. “I’ve been so scared, Jake. Scared that wanting this—wanting you—would cost me everything I've worked for. Again.”
“Hey.” He tilted my chin up, his amber eyes serious. “You’re not gonna lose anything. Not your job, and certainly not me. I promise.” The sincerity in his voice made my throat tighten with emotion.
He kissed me then, soft and sure, and I melted into him. When we broke apart, the sound of the announcer’s voice crackled over the loudspeaker, calling everyone to gather for the scarecrow contest results. “Come on,” Jake said, taking my hand. “Let’s go watch my son learn about losing graciously.”
The lights seemed to twinkle brighter as dusk fell completely, an old country western tune rising from the speakers.
I turned toward the lineup of scarecrows, where Cole was practically vibrating in anticipation of the winners being announced.
His eyes found mine, and he beamed, giving me an exaggerated thumbs-up.
Jake chuckled beside me, the sound low and affectionate.
“He’s convinced his zombie cowboy’s a shoo-in because it’s so close to Halloween,” he explained, his voice laced with fondness and just a touch of exasperation.
“I tried telling him that gluing cooked spaghetti to the scarecrow’s stomach to look like spilled guts probably wasn’t what the PTO had in mind for a fall festival, but—” he shrugged, “—you know Cole.
“He’s nothing if not committed to a theme,” I said with a smile, watching as Jake’s son bounced on his toes.
It turned out he was right to stick to his vision. Moments later, the head of the PTO announced him as the fifth-grade winner, and he bounded forward, arms raised in triumph, to accept his certificate. His hat—the one that matched his Uncle Colt’s—nearly flew off his head as he sprinted back.
He threw himself at Jake in a hug, the paper certificate crumpling in his fist. Then he turned to me and grabbed my hand without hesitation. “Come on! We have to go take a picture!” he said breathlessly, tugging us toward the scarecrow display.