Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
With great timing, Jase pulled in while I was maneuvering into a spot.
Actually, his timing wasn’t great—now that we were there, and he was there, and our children were all there, the realization of what was about to happen hit.
And when it did, my hands started shaking.
Jase officially meeting Lucas—no problem.
Me meeting his kids—colossal problem.
His kids with the beautiful Shay Bowman.
Oh my God what was I thinking?
Lucas was unbuckling. I had to think of something quick.
A bout of diarrhea?
A sudden fever?
Hives?
Something.
“Cool, they’re here!” Lucas exclaimed. “We don’t have to wait.”
Damn.
Jase was out of his SUV, standing on the sidewalk in front of the ice cream shop. To his right was the adorable Juni.
To his left was a miniature version of Jason.
A carbon copy. I knew that boyish smile.
Colson might’ve been two years younger than his dad was when I met him, but that didn’t matter, they were so similar they could be twins at that age.
And I knew that as fact because I’d seen copious pictures of Jase at all stages of his life.
Oh God, I couldn’t breathe.
I had not given this enough thought.
Lord, God, if you can hear me, please give me the flu. Right now. Give it to me, so I can go home without breaking my son’s heart.
I watched Jase say something to his kids. They both nodded.
“Mom?” Lucas called.
I didn’t have a chance to get my breathing under control so I could form words before Jase opened Lucas’s door.
“Wanna go keep Juni and Cole company while I talk to your mom for a second?” Jase asked.
Lucas being a good kid didn’t jump on the chance to leap out of the car to get to his friend. Instead he asked, “Is that okay, Mom?”
“Sure thing. Just stay where I can see you,” I pushed out.
That was all Lucas needed to hear.
He was out of the car, and Jase was rounding my hood making his way to me.
Shit.
His kids were probably freaked out.
I wasn’t even out of my car and I was already making a mess out of the whole “meet the kids” gig.
Jase had my door open, his left arm resting on the frame, the rest of him leaning in so only I could hear him when he asked, “You okay?”
I shook my head.
“Fuck,” he hissed. “I wasn’t thinking—”
Oh no, he wasn’t taking the blame for my freakout.
“It’s fine. Everything’s fine. I just…it just hit me all at once. Then Colson… he.” I stopped to take a breath. “He looks just like you.”
“Yeah,” Jase agreed softly. “If we need to bag ice cream, I can tell the kids I have a call—”
“No. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”
“So you’ve said, but you forget, I know you. I know what ‘fine’ means. We can do this when you’ve had time to prepare. I know you don’t like surprises. I should’ve—”
“Nope. I’m gonna get out of my car and stop freaking your kids out before they think Lucas’s mom is weird. I’ve got this. Besides, you’ll be there. And all I have to do is look at you and I know I’ll be okay.”
Damn.
Did I really say that last part out loud?
Where was that flu I ordered up?
“There’s my brave girl.”
I didn’t want to be the kind of woman who got a quiver when a man called her ‘girl’ but there it was—I was that kind of woman because my girl parts quivered.
I grabbed my purse and Jase helped me out of my car. He immediately dropped my hand as soon as there was a possibility the kids could see.
“Cole. Juni. This is Rainy, Lucas’s mom. But she was also my best friend when we were in high school.”
Lucas’s eyes rounded in surprise.
“Really? You knew my mom?”
“Yeah, bud. Like I said, she was my best friend.”
At Jase’s reiteration, Lucas stood a little taller.
“That’s so cool.”
Since my son hijacked the introductions, I butted in, “Juni. Colson. Good to meet you.”
“You, too, Miss Rainy,” Juni sang.
I glanced at Jase and he gave me a nod. He knew how I felt about adding ‘Miss’ in front of a name. I understood it was a respect thing, and my mom made me do it when I was a kid, but to me, there were much more profound ways to show respect than by adding a prefix.
“It’s just Rainy, honey.”
She graced me with a cute ten-year-old’s smile.
“Yeah, cool to meet you,” Colson added.
I should’ve braced.
I should’ve known.
I should’ve mentally prepared.
Unfortunately I didn’t, so hearing Colson’s voice felt like a sucker punch to the sternum.
“Has anyone told you that you look just like your dad?” I asked.
My question now had Colson standing taller.
“All the time.”
I nodded.
“Has anyone told you that you sound just like him, too?”
“Just my Grammy J.”
Grammy J.
I bet Janis loved that her grandson called her Grammy J.
“Grammy J says that Cole acts just like daddy, too. She calls Daddy Thing One and she calls Cole Thing Two.”
That seared through me, too.
I could totally picture Janis calling her boys Thing One and Thing Two.
Juni swiveled her whole body to face her dad and asked, “Can we get ice cream now, Daddy?”
Daddy.
Jase was a Daddy.
Of course I knew this. He had children, but yeah, knowing it and hearing it were two very different things.
Instead of answering Juni, he opened the door, which was an answer, just not a verbal one, but the kids didn’t mind. They piled through the door.
As soon as I was through the door, Jase stopped me with a hand on my hip.
“You okay?”
No.
I was nowhere near okay.
“Yeah.”
One side of his mouth hitched up.
“Liar.”
I shrugged and made my way to the counter. I didn’t do this to evade further conversation. I did it to stop my son from ordering a triple scoop.
He was a good kid.
The best.
But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to get away with shenanigans.
With ice creams in hand (shake for me) we followed Colson who had beelined it to a table in the back corner.
The kids all bunched together around the curve of the table—Lucas, Juni, then Colson.
Jase and I sat opposite.
This was unfortunate for Juni, because it put her in the middle of the boys. Which meant Colson was leaning in on one side and Lucas from the other side and they were talking about some skate park Colson liked.
I was sipping on my shake, intently listening to the boys. My heart filling with every word they said. My son was smiling, happy to have a new friend. Colson was smiling too, looking like he could talk about his skateboard all day.
On the other hand, Juni didn’t look happy.
“Hey Juni Bug,” I stage-whispered.
As soon as the nickname passed my lips, I froze.
Welp, nothing like a huge serving of what-the-hell-did-I-just-say with a splash of audacity thrown in there for good measure—giving the girl a nickname during our first outing.
“Hey!” Juni exclaimed. “That’s what Granny J calls me. Do you know my Granny J?”
Phew. She didn’t sound traumatized.
“I do, honey, but why don’t you come around and sit with me and your dad, so you’re not squished between the boys?”
Her little head pivoted to her brother then to Lucas.
“As long as Cole doesn’t steal my friend.”
“You’re my best friend, Juni. Just like my mom and your dad,” Lucas proclaimed.
“Just don’t forget it!” Juni demanded.
Oh hell.
I was going to burst out into tears while simultaneously going up in flames.
I didn’t dare look over at Jase to see how he felt about another Cross-Turner best friends’ situation. Seeing as the last one that happened, the best-friend part turned into more and in that scenario, he was the one who had the penis.
And we all know how that turned out.
Juni popped out of her seat and bopped her way around the table. I pulled out the empty chair next to me and shifted so my back was partially toward Jase.
“So, your dad told me you like diamond art.”
“I love it. It’s so much fun. I have a bunch done and mom just bought me two new ones. But they haven’t been delivered yet. How many have you done?”
Whoa. The girl could speed talk when she was excited.
“None. Yet.” I pulled my phone out of my purse and pulled up a picture of the one I ordered. “But I’m gonna try this one.”
Juni took my phone, and just like a child born in the technology era, she had no problem using her little fingers to enlarge the picture.
“Wow. That’s a hard one.”
Oh, shit.
I did know there were levels of difficulty. I knew I should’ve read the FAQ page.
“It is?”
“Oh yeah. You got an advanced kit.”
“Um. I’m not advanced,” I told her like she could magically rewind my idiocy and pick me out a different one to start with.
“That’s okay. I can help you with it.”
Oh, shit.
Now we were on shaky ground. I didn’t want to accept her offer without Jase’s permission, but I also didn’t want to ask her dad in front of her and put him on the spot.
“We’ll arrange that,” Jase easily put in.
“When Rainy comes over and the girls do the diamond stuff, will you set up my ramp in the backyard so me and Lucas can skateboard?” Colson asked.
“Sure. But two things,” Jase started. “We need to check and see if your old pads and helmet fit him. If not, then you’ll have to wait until we can get him his own gear. And two, you need to wait anyway, because you’re not riding your board until your wrist is healed.”
We.
Jase said, ‘until we can get him his own gear.’
Okay, so maybe last week I was wrong.
It would seem you could be friends with someone you knew biblically.
As long as I kept my heart in check and didn’t jump the gun before I knew exactly what Jase wanted. He’d semi-sorta kissed me. It was more of a brush of the lips, but he did put his mouth on mine after warning me he was going to kiss me.
Then there were some flirty-ish type texts.
There was some innuendo mixed in there.
But I had no idea what that meant.
For a thirty-five-year-old woman, I was dating-inept.
Totally clueless.
Inexperienced.
Maybe Jase just wanted a booty call.
Gah. Were hookups even called that anymore?
Friends with benefits?
A quick screw for old times sake?
I felt his hand on my back before I felt his mouth next to my ear.
“Baby, you’re overthinking.”
He was right, I was.
I relaxed my shoulders.
“One step at a time, Rae.”
I’d heard those words before. Lots of times. So many times, that any time I got stressed and my mind went into hyperdrive I’d pull them up and hear Jase.
One step at a time.
I could totally do that.
With Jase, I could do anything.
And I knew that as fact, since I’d done it before.