Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
RYAN
Jones’ words about family had me panicking just a little. Not because it was something I didn’t want, but I wanted it a little too much, and I was afraid the sweet promises of this future would be ruthlessly snatched away.
I had to grab the future by its balls…or something like that.
Either way, I was going to do everything I could not to let Jones slip through my fingers again.
I was an idiot for letting our relationship fade the first time, and I would be absolutely crazy to not grab this second chance by the balls.
Later that evening, after we’d cleaned up and Jones was once again fully clothed, we went to pick up Karla. Jada wanted to keep us over for dinner, but I figured she’d want some rest after watching the kids all day, so we scheduled to have a meal together another time.
Karla giggled the entire ride home, occasionally shouting out a sentence or two about her fun time with Imani. Jones and I couldn’t help but laugh along with her infectious mood.
Jones insisted we stay the night at his place, so we swung by my grandma’s to grab some stuff first.
Karla was quick to run inside the house to grab her things.
She was excited to spend the night at the cabin.
I didn’t know if I should be happy she loved being with Jones as much as I did, or worried that she was getting too attached to his place.
How was she going to react when we found a place of our own, and our sleepover nights naturally decreased?
Mom shot me another one of her annoying all-knowing looks when she saw Jones climb out of my car. I’d been purposefully avoiding a conversation about all the time Karla and I had been spending at his cabin recently.
Thankfully, she didn’t ask any embarrassing questions, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t feel her hawk eyes locked on me and Jones. She was probably trying to see what gossip she could pull from our interactions.
And that’s my mother, folks. Kither Springs’ very own professional yapper, ruler of the gossip mill.
“You’re lucky I love you,” I muttered to her when Jones went to greet my grandma. She laughed and softly slapped my cheek.
“Life’s no fun without a little gossip. Speaking of, my good friend Annabelle Jackson’s been coming round an awful lot recently. Of course, you’d know that if you were actually around?—”
“Mooom—”
“—Anyhoo, my guess is she’s got a little crush on our dear neighbor. She’s suddenly very interested in aloe vera and has been running to Russell Monroe to ask all these questions. You know Russell, he lives next door?—”
“Yes, Mom. I know him. He’s Sam’s?—”
“—His granddaughter had her baby last year”—I nodded, but it wasn’t like she actually cared about me answering—“Have you met Junior yet? Oh, you need to. He’s the most adorable thing. Heard he just started walking, too. Such a bright boy, that one.”
Jones came back to our side, and I mouthed for him to help me. Once Mom got into one of her moods, she could go on gossiping forever.
“Mrs. Edgson,” Jones interrupted whatever new tangent my mom was about to head into. “We should head back and start dinner before Karla gets hungry.”
“My savior!” I cried, which earned me a glare from dear ol’ ma. Of course, her glare quickly turned into a smile when she faced Jones again.
“Dear, Mrs. Edgson sounds so distant. I think at this rate, you can just call me ‘ Mom ’.”
“Oh, god,” I cried. Just when I thought she wasn’t going to bring up my relationship with Jones…she was just waiting for me to let my guard down.
Mom just smiled, trying to look innocent, but I wasn’t fooled. Jones laughed .
“And we’re leaving now. Karla! Come say goodnight to your nana and gigi,” I called into our room. She came running out carrying her backpack and Puppy in her arms.
She went to hug her gigi while I hugged my mom. “You love tormenting me, don’t you?”
She laughed. “It is one of the perks of being a mom.”
I groaned my dissatisfaction, but Mom just smacked my arm and laughed some more, then gave Jones a hug, too.
“I’ll see you next time, Mom,” Jones said, eyes shining with mischief as he looked my way.
“Oh, my,” Mom said with a hand over her mouth, clearly enjoying this.
“The world is against me,” I groaned and glared at them, which only had them laughing harder.
The sound of little feet pattering on the hardwood could be heard right before a little force crashed into my legs. “I’m on Daddy’s side!” Karla shouted, hugging my legs.
I picked up my sweet girl and plopped a loud kiss on her cheek, which had her giggling. “I knew I could count on you, baby girl.”
She puffed out her chest in pride, and I smothered her face with more kisses until she was laughing hysterically.
We had another round of hugs and goodnights before heading back to Jones’ cabin.
“You forgot to put on sunscreen before our hike, didn’t you?” Jones asked when we returned to his place. He cupped my cheek, and I flinched back at how his touch stung slightly.
“Sam’s gramps gave me some of his miracle aloe vera gel. Let’s put some on before you completely turn into a boiled lobster,” Jones said with a shake of his head as he rummaged through one of the kitchen drawers.
Karla padded to my side and started chanting “boiled lobster” while running in a circle around me.
“That’s right, baby. You have to remember to put on your sunscreen unless you want to turn into a boiled lobster like your daddy,” Jones teased and slathered my face with the slightly cool gel.
“You didn’t put any on,” I muttered, enjoying the relief the aloe vera gel was bringing me. It had to be miracle gel. Maybe that was the reason Annabelle was so interested in the stuff, and my mom was just gossiping for no reason.
“My melanin is my natural sunscreen, and where’s yours?” Jones teased, looking from his dark skin to mine, which was the color of a blank sheet of paper.
“Fine, fair point,” I muttered again.
His eyes sparkled as he glanced at my fair skin. “Don’t even make the joke,” I warned with a finger pointed at his face.
He nipped at it playfully, then screwed the lid back on the aloe vera gel container. Karla thought we were playing around and was now pretending to be a shark swimming around our legs, getting ready to go in for the kill.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Jones snatched her up in a fit of giggles. “What’s our little sharky going to do now that she’s been caught?”
Karla laughed and shouted, “Papa!”
Jones froze for the briefest second before smiling wider and continuing to play with her.
I knew I should step in and correct her, but they looked so freaking happy…and I had to admit I couldn’t squash the little blossom of hope that welled inside of me that maybe, just maybe, one day he could really be her papa.
And then Jones opened an arm my way, Karla called out for me to join them, and Jones calling us a family on our rock echoed in my ears.
A year ago, I was happy living in the city with a job I didn’t hate. My days were pretty much filled with work, day in and day out, but I had my best friend and goddaughter. Life wasn’t too bad.
Now, my best friend was gone, and I missed her like hell.
I thought I’d be lost struggling to raise a daughter since I’d never even thought of having kids before.
I’d agreed to be Karla’s godfather because I knew I would always be in her life.
I was like the fun uncle who didn’t have any responsibility.
We never thought that something would actually happen to Kassy, and then all the responsibility had landed on my head. And now here I was, still missing Kassy like hell, but somehow, we were okay.
Karla and I were okay.
With each passing day, we were moving forward. The scars left by Kassy’s passing might never smooth over completely, but they were hurting less.
We were healing.
And I knew a huge part of that had to do with my community in Kither Springs and the man who’d helped opened both of our hearts.
We returned to my mom’s the next morning, much to Jones’ and Karla’s displeasure. I hardened my heart and told Jones to have fun at brunch with his friends.
Jones had an early morning tomorrow for work, so I hoped he could get some rest today. Plus, there was a lot I needed to do as well.
When Monday came, I called my real estate agent. I hadn’t heard from her since our last apartment viewing, so I didn’t keep my hopes high. Good thing, since she told me there had been no new openings within my price range since our last talk.
Despite keeping my expectations low, I still deflated just a bit.
I could feel Jones was still nervous about the possibility of me packing up and leaving him behind one day, so I wanted to plant some roots to show him I wasn’t leaving.
I thought Karla and me having our own place would be the easiest method to do that, but it was turning out to be the opposite.
I was about to hang up when my agent suggested that finding a place outside the town’s limits might be easier due to all of the recent people wanting to live in Kither Springs.
Karla was already registered to Kither Springs Elementary and was set to start kindergarten next month.
If we moved outside school limits, we’d have to deal with zoning issues for her.
I could have her stay with my mom on school nights.
We could fully turn the room she and I were currently staying in into one of her very own.
But if we had to be apart, then what was the point of moving here in the first place?
Besides, I selfishly wanted to stay within Kither Springs’ limits. Even as a kid, I longed for the summers so that I could return here, and now that I was back, I’d found my home and didn’t want to leave.
But if I couldn’t find a place here, I might just very well have to…