Chapter Seventeen
Five Days Later
It took no time at all for Jed and me to fall into a routine at his house, and it was much the same with his kids around. He’d make sure they were awake before he escorted me to work, then he’d return home and get them situated for the day. During the summer, if they weren’t with Winnie and her boys, Hank would come over and keep an eye on them while Jed was at the garage.
It was kind of funny to think of one of the Stallions as a babysitter, but they didn’t call Hank Shephard for nothing. In the club, he was in charge of looking after the prospects. With the kids, he was kind of like a grandpa. He didn’t have any children of his own, but he was a natural.
When our work days were done, Jed came to escort me back to his place and we’d spend the evenings making dinner and hanging out with the kids. We played games and watched TV if we were together. Sometimes the kids wanted to do their own thing. On Thursday night, Axel begged Jed to light a fire so we could roast marshmallows, and we did. Marlowe told ghost stories, regaling us with her wild imagination, and I loved it.
Before Jed and I went to bed each night, I spent a little time working, trying to tie up all the loose ends at the office before my last day, or working on my new employee contract, aiming to be thorough and fair. With the week drawing to a close, I was up pretty late Thursday, after marshmallows and ghost stories, hoping I could get enough done that I wouldn’t have to worry about it over the weekend. When my alarm clock sounded Friday morning, the last thing I wanted to do was crawl out of bed; but I needed to get up and fold the blankets on the couch before I hopped in the shower.
With a yawn, I crept out of Jed’s room and made my way to the living room. My hair was loose, and I raked my fingers through it, certain a pitstop at the coffee shop for a chai latte was definitely on the docket that morning.
I wasn’t two steps removed from the hallway when I heard movement in the kitchen. I gasped, startled, and jumped before I froze and stared at Marlowe. She stared right back from where she stood, at the island, by the fridge, with a glass of water in her hand.
“Uh, hi,” I managed to say, my brain working double time, trying to figure out how best to handle this moment. “You’re up early.”
“I was thirsty.”
“Mmm, yeah. I see,” I said lamely.
Her eyes shifted from me to the direction I came from and then back at me. I didn’t even have a chance to think of what to say before she asked, “Are you my dad’s girlfriend?”
“Oh,” I breathed, anxiously running my fingers through the ends of my hair, like I was sixteen and caught red-handed by my mother. “Um—”
“It’s okay if you are,” Marlowe assured me.
My hands stilled, but I couldn’t seem to find my words, especially given the way she was studying me. I wasn’t sure if it was my place to have this conversation with her. Jed and I agreed to take it slow with the kids. Circumstances what they were, this moment was probably inevitable, but that didn’t make me any more prepared.
“You’re nice,” Marlowe continued. “Nicer and smarter than the ladies that hang around the clubhouse. My dad doesn’t really like them. I don’t either. But you’re different. And you’re really pretty. And you’re a good cook. So, if you are—his girlfriend, I mean—it’s okay. I don’t want him to be alone.”
My heart melted, and my feet came unstuck as I made my way into the kitchen. I didn’t know the right thing to say, but she’d been open and honest with me, so I owed her the same.
“I don’t want your dad to be alone, either. I like him a lot. He’s a pretty cool guy.”
“Yeah,” she murmured.
“It’s really sweet of you to look out for him. I think you’re pretty cool, too.”
She looked down into her glass bashfully and whispered, “Thanks.”
“Do you think you want to go back to bed, or are you hungry?” I asked, switching to a much safer topic. “We might have everything I need to make pancakes and bacon. I believe your dad was planning on saving it for tomorrow, but now sounds better. What do you think?”
I could tell she was trying to hide her smile as she replied, “Now sounds better.”
“Alright. Early morning pancakes coming right up.”
She moved to take a seat on the opposite side of the island, and I got to work on breakfast. Chances were good this was going to make me late, but it felt important to open this door with Marlowe and bond a little.
“Saw you started a new book yesterday. What are you reading?”
We talked about her love of fiction and her favorite reads so far that summer for nearly twenty minutes. I was pouring a couple more pancakes, with a growing stack keeping warm in the oven, when Jed came out to join us.
Both Marlowe and I glanced his way. When he looked at me, I mouthed busted .
He chuckled, closing the distance between us before he pressed a hand to the small of my back and a kiss into my hair.
Without a word spoken, he told Marlowe what she wanted to know.
Jed didn’t linger at my side long but journeyed towards his daughter, who received her own bit of affection. “What are you doin’ up with the sun, hmm?”
“I was thirsty. Then Lex offered to make pancakes.”
“Who needs sleep when there are pancakes?”
“Exactly,” giggled Marlowe.
“Should we wake Ax?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder. “Pancakes are reheat-able, but bacon is best fresh out of the pan.”
Jed waggled his eyebrows playfully. “Only one way to get Ax up this early.”
Marlowe smiled mischievously.
“Uh-oh. You two look very conspiratorial,” I teased.
“Can I pick the song?” asked Marlowe.
“Go grab my phone. It’s on my nightstand,” said Jed with a jerk of his chin.
Not sixty seconds later, Jed was streaming “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift through his surround sound speakers loud enough to wake the dead. As soon as the beat dropped, I was sure there was no place in the entire world I wanted to be more.
I abandoned the pan of bacon, handed the tongs to Jed and nodded toward the stove as I took Marlowe by the hand. I knew a Swiftie when I saw one. There was no doubt in my mind Lowe and Ellie had been cut from the same cloth.
I was already singing and swaying my hips when I drew Marlowe into the open space of the kitchen. She didn’t bat an eyelash but joined me as if we’d done this a million times. We were acting out to the bridge of the song when Ax appeared, a scowl tugging at his brow as he rubbed at his eyes. He then stared at us until we were done shaking it off, at which point Jed cut the music—its purpose served.
“What is going on?” mumbled Ax.
“Dad’s girlfriend is making us breakfast,” replied Marlowe, breathless from her exertion.
He looked at each of us in turn, still half asleep, then asked, “What’s for breakfast?”
At this, I smiled at Jed. He smirked and winked at me in return.
Just like that, our secret was out.
I was forty-five minutes late to work.
After the morning we had, I wasn’t even a little bit guilty.
And that night, we didn’t bother pretending with the couch.
On Sunday afternoon, when the doorbell rang, I was a little disappointed our time with the kids had come to an end. We were in the living room, sitting around the coffee table, playing Sorry!, and they both made a fuss about having to abandon the game. They really were good kids, and I liked getting to watch Jed be a dad. He was authoritative yet loving. Disciplined but fun. Marlowe and Axel respected him and adored him in equal measure. It wasn’t something I experienced growing up, certainly not with my dad, and it felt like a little miracle watching them.
“Lex?” called Marlowe as Jed got up from the couch to answer the door.
“Yeah?”
“Will you come to my birthday party? It’s on Saturday. Well, my birthday’s not Saturday. It’s Wednesday, but my party is Saturday. It’s at Flight Zone.”
For a moment, I was speechless.
This felt like a big deal.
When I glanced toward Jed, and I saw he stopped halfway to the door to watch us, I knew it was a big deal.
“Marlowe, I would love to come,” I insisted.
“Okay. Cool,” she replied with a smile before hurrying toward her room.
I pressed a hand over my heart, truly touched, and looked back at Jed. I mouthed oh, my gosh! and he grinned at me, chuckling softly as he finally continued toward the door. His bulky frame shielded me from Nicole as I began cleaning up the game, but I heard her say hello.
It might have been hot outside, but it did nothing to warm the chill wafting off her greeting.
“Bye, Lex,” called Axel with a wave.
“Bye, Ax,” I replied with a wave of my own.
I watched as he went to wrap his arms around Jed’s waist but barely heard their exchanged farewell. Nicole had leaned sideways to look around Jed into the house, and she was none too pleased to see me. She straightened only when Axel let go of his dad, headed for the driveway.
“Bye, Lex,” came Marlowe’s echo.
“Bye, Lowe,” I said with another wave.
Like Axel, Marlowe wrapped her arms around Jed in farewell. He kissed the top of her head, and they exchanged I love yous before she, too, headed for her mother’s car. I assumed, with the swap complete, that would be the end of it.
As I went back to putting away the game, I realized I was wrong.
“You can’t be serious,” said Nicole.
“‘Bout what?”
“Your lawyer? Really? You can’t just fuck her, you’ve got to bring her around our kids?”
My spine straightened and, even though I couldn’t see her through Jed, my gaze was aimed in her direction.
I couldn’t see Jed’s face, either, but I could feel the shift in his demeanor like a change in the atmosphere.
“If I was just fuckin’ her, I wouldn’t bring her around my kids—so what does that tell you?”
“Whatever,” she scoffed.
“Don’t know why you’re mad, but if you’re gonna be, blame yourself. Wouldn’t have met her if it wasn’t for you. Guess I owe you a thanks.”
“Are you dropping by Wednesday or what?” she huffed, obviously eager to change the subject.
“It’s my daughter’s birthday. Of course, I’m droppin’ by.”
“Just text before you show up. I’ll see you later.”
Jed didn’t bother to say goodbye. He shut the door, pulled his fingers through his hair, and came back to the living room.
“So—she’s always like that, huh?” I asked gingerly.
“Yup.”
I stood, closed the short distance between us, and joked, “Well, that’s fun.”
“Oh, yeah. Real blast.”
I hummed a laugh, resting my hands against his abs before leaning into him. He swept my hair over my shoulders as I confessed, “I’m a little bummed they’re gone. You?”
“Always.”
“What do you usually do after they leave?”
“Head to the clubhouse. See who’s around.”
In an attempt to be extra sweet after Nicole’s bitter departure, I felt my way up his chest, wrapping my arms around his shoulders as I suggested, “How about we go for an afternoon ride and then stop at the clubhouse?”
He held me close, his eyes roaming my face for a moment before he spoke.
“If I’m your Prince Charmin’, who does that make you? Cinderella?”
“Nah. I prefer to be your darlin’.”
That response was the right one.
I knew because it got me a really great kiss.
It was deep and wet and hot— so hot—just like my man.