Chapter 29 TESSA
TESSA
I hate this. The waiting, the not knowing—it’s too much.
Every sound is making me jump—the creak of the porch steps, the tick of the clock in the kitchen, the restless wind brushing against the windows.
It’s been hours since Jace and his brothers left, but the clock on the wall insists it’s only been an hour.
I’ve tried sitting, reading, and cleaning the kitchen counter three times, but nothing is helping. Every few seconds, my gaze drifts to the road that snakes up to the ranch, hoping for headlights, or dust rising in the distance. But there’s nothing. Just the stretch of gravel, endless and empty.
“Tessa?” Daisy calls out softly behind me.
She’s been watching me, eyes too wide, too old for her age. She knows something’s wrong. I’ve fed her the gentlest version of the truth—that her dad had to “take care of something important”—but kids know when adults are lying. Especially kids like her.
I turn and smile anyway, the kind of smile that trembles before it reaches my eyes. “Hey, Bug. You okay?”
She nods, then shakes her head halfway through. “I’m scared.”
My chest tightens. “I know, baby. Me too.”
I crouch to her level, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “But your daddy’s the strongest man I’ve ever met. You know that, right? He’s coming back. He always comes back.”
She looks down at her hands, fiddling with the hem of her T-shirt. “What if he doesn’t?”
The words hit harder than I expect. For a heartbeat, I can’t breathe. Then I pull her close, wrapping her in my arms, holding her tight enough for both of us. “He will,” I whisper into her hair. “Because he has you. And he has me. He’s got every reason in the world to come home.”
She nods against my shoulder, small and warm, and I force my breathing to match hers—slow, steady, anchored.
When she finally pulls back, her voice is small again. “Can we watch a movie?”
“Sure,” I say quickly, grateful for the distraction. “Which one?”
She picks Frozen 2—again—and I don’t argue.
We curl up on the couch, Daisy leaning into me, her fingers tracing circles on my arm as the movie plays.
I try to focus, but my mind keeps slipping away to the last time I saw Jace’s face, the way his jaw clenched when he promised he’d be back before sunrise.
The memory burns through me, leaving me hollow and restless. Every second he’s gone stretches like a rubber band about to snap.
Daisy starts humming along to a song. I watch her lips move, small and brave, and it hits me again how much she trusts me, how much she’s depending on me to keep her world from falling apart while her father fights to keep us safe.
I smooth her hair, kiss the top of her head, and whisper to myself, “Please, Jace. Come home.”
The credits roll, soft music filling the silence between us. Daisy’s head is still on my lap, her eyelids drooping, fingers clutching the edge of the blanket. I think she’s fallen asleep until her small voice breaks the quiet.
“Tessa?”
I hum, brushing a thumb over her hair. “Yeah, sweetheart?”
She hesitates. I can feel it—the way her body stiffens slightly, the way her fingers twist the fabric. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
Her voice is barely a whisper. “If Daddy comes back… will you still stay?”
The question catches me off guard. My hand stills mid-stroke. “Stay?”
She nods, eyes glassy in the dim light. “You’re my favorite person,” she says simply. “Even more than Aunt Ella. You make the house feel nice, and you make Daddy smile again. I don’t want you to go away.”
My throat tightens. I blink hard, once, twice. “Oh, Daisy…”
She shifts, sitting up, looking me dead in the eye with that raw, unfiltered honesty that only kids have. “I told you before, on the field trip, remember? I said I wanted you to be my mom.”
I nod slowly, remembering the moment when she crept into my tent, scared to sleep with her friends.
“I remember,” I say softly.
“I know you said you weren’t sure then,” she continues, voice trembling just enough to break me. “But you love Daddy, right? And he loves you. So maybe… maybe now you can say yes?”
Her words hit me like sunlight after a storm. I’m not ready for the warmth, the hope, the fragile joy that starts rising in my chest.
For months I’ve fought this—the idea of belonging here, of being part of their world. I told myself I was temporary, a stand-in, a guest passing through their lives. But now, looking at this little girl, this precious human being who trusts me enough to want me as hers, I can’t pretend anymore.
“Yes,” I whisper before I can stop myself.
Her eyes widen. “Really?”
“Really.” My voice breaks, but I’m smiling through it. “If your daddy still wants me here… then yes, Bug. I’d like that. I’d love to be your mom.”
She gasps, throwing her arms around me, nearly knocking me backward. I laugh as she squeezes me tight.
“I love you, Tessa.”
I hold her closer, heart thudding in my chest. “I love you too, Bug. So, so much.”
For the first time all night, the house doesn’t feel heavy anymore. The silence feels peaceful. Hope fills the space where fear had been.
We settle down to watch another movie, and this time we fall asleep, cuddled together, waiting for Jace to come home.
I have no idea how much time passes, but I’m woken up by the rumble of an engine echoing through the driveway before I even see the truck. I sit up with Daisy in my arms, and my stomach twists into a knot.
And then we see the headlights—bright beams cutting through the curtains, washing the room in silver light.
Daisy jerks upright. “They’re home!”
I freeze, my heart leaping to my throat.
They’re home.
The crunch of gravel outside jolts me to my feet before I even realize I’m moving. Daisy’s already halfway to the door, the blanket we’d been wrapped in trailing behind her like a cape.
“Wait, Bug—“
Too late. She flings open the front door, the night air rushing in—cold, sharp, and alive with the sound of engines dying down. The floodlights over the porch cast long shadows across the yard, catching the familiar shape of the truck as it pulls to a stop.
Zane jumps out first, dust on his jeans and exhaustion written in the lines around his mouth. Beck follows, helping someone out of the back passenger seat.
My breath catches.
Jace.
For a second, everything inside me stops.
He’s upright and walking, but the sight still knocks the air from my lungs. His shirt is torn, his knuckles scraped raw, and there’s a smear of blood along his jaw that makes my stomach twist.
“Daddy!” Daisy screams, racing across the yard.
Jace’s head lifts, and the second he spots her, the hardness in his face cracks. His mouth softens as he crouches low, ignoring whatever pain he’s in. He catches her mid-run, lifting her clean off the ground.
“Hey, Bug,” he rasps, his voice rough, hoarse, but alive.
I stand frozen in the doorway, my hands trembling. The world feels like it’s narrowed down to this—the man I love, holding the little girl who loves him more than anything, both framed in the porch light like something out of a dream.
Zane walks past them toward me, clapping a hand on my shoulder. His palm is warm, heavy with reassurance. “He’s fine, Tessa. Just a few cuts and bruises.”
But I can’t move. Not until I see it for myself.
Jace sets Daisy down and straightens, his gaze finding me instantly, like a magnet snapping into place.
“Hey,” he says, simple as that.
“Hey?” My voice cracks on the word. I step off the porch, meeting him halfway. “You scared the hell out of me.”
He gives me a small, tired smile. “I’m sorry, darlin’.”
The apology undoes me. Tears spill before I can stop them, my hands reaching for him as if to confirm he’s real. He pulls me in without hesitation, one arm wrapping around my waist, the other cradling the back of my head.
“Shh,” he murmurs into my hair. “I’m okay.”
But he’s not. Up close, I can see it—the blood drying at his collarbone, the way his body trembles just slightly from adrenaline.
“You’re bleeding,” I whisper, pulling back to look at him properly.
“It’s not mine,” he lies. Badly.
I can’t stop the panic from spilling into my voice. “What happened? Are you okay? Oh my God, let me see!”
He holds up a hand, calm and steady despite the adrenaline still clinging to him. “Tess… It’s just a graze. Nothing serious.”
I stop, staring at him, disbelief and relief warring inside me. “You’re bleeding! You could have—“
“Relax,” he interrupts, a small, teasing smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I’m fine. Nothing worth stressing over. And yes, I know it looks dramatic.”
I exhale shakily, running a hand down my face. “You really know how to scare a woman.”
He steps closer, brushing his thumb across my cheek. “Only when I care about her.”
My hands hover uselessly, wanting to touch, to check, to fix everything. “You need to clean up. You—“
He presses a kiss to my forehead, cutting me off gently. “I will. In a minute. But you should call Sienna, give her the good news. Let her know it’s over.”
The words—it’s over—sink into me like sunlight through glass. My chest loosens for the first time in what feels like forever.
“It’s over?” I repeat, just to hear it again.
He nods. “He’s gone. You’re safe.”
Safe.
The word feels foreign on my tongue. But I want to believe it. I do believe it, because it’s Jace saying it.
I nod, swallowing hard. “Okay. I’ll call her.”
Daisy bounces excitedly beside him, tugging at his hand. “Daddy! You’re okay! I missed you!”
He kneels to her level, ruffling her hair. “I missed you, too, kiddo. Never thought I’d be happier to see your face.”
I watch them, chest swelling, heart both light and heavy. They’re safe. He’s safe. I let out a shaky breath and step back, letting Jace head toward the house, Daisy already chattering to her uncles about how brave they all are.
When I close the door behind me, I finally let out the breath I’ve been holding. My hands still shake as I pick up my phone, dialing Sienna with trembling fingers.
She answers on the first ring. “Tessa? Tell me they’re okay—“
“He’s fine. They all are,” I cut her off, tears spilling again as I press a hand to my mouth. “They are home. He’s fine, Si. It’s over.”
There’s a pause on the other end, then her laugh bursts out, relieved and triumphant. “Finally! I knew they’d get him. Oh my God, Tessa, you must be a wreck!”
I exhale slowly, tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. “I was. I still am. But they’re all okay. Jace got grazed, nothing serious, but the mission… it worked. It’s over.”
Sienna squeals a little, full of relief. “Yes! That’s what I wanted to hear. Thank God. I don’t even know what I’d do if—“
I smile through my tears. “You don’t have to worry anymore.”
There’s a pause on the line, and then Sienna exhales, the sound equal parts relief and exhaustion. “Thank God.”
I laugh, a wet, shaky sound. “Yeah. Thank God.”
After a few more minutes of chatter, laughter, and shared relief, I hang up, the tension in my body finally starting to unravel.
My chest feels lighter, my shoulders less tight.
But I’m still shaking. The kind of tremble that only eases when the storm has passed, but your body hasn’t quite caught up.
I glance toward the stairs where Jace has disappeared off to.
In the living room, Beck and Zane reunite with their wives, Daisy sandwiched between Ella and Hank.
Ella meets my eyes, and for the first time since the attack, she looks genuinely happy and relieved.
She nods at me—a gesture of acceptance and forgiveness.
Knowing Daisy is in good hands, I head upstairs, each step pulling me closer to him, to the man who’s risked everything for me. The man who promised to keep me safe and kept his word.
By the time I reach the bathroom door, the mirror is fogged, steam curling through the crack. I take a breath, shaky but sure, and reach for the handle.
Then, without another thought, I step inside.