24.
Jewel will become a woman whom every other woman envies. She’ll figure out how to have it all and be happy doing it: a career, motherhood, adventure, and stability–all while bossing everyone around and smiling as she points out their flaws and mistakes.
Willow Hamilton
ZIGGY
“It looks like you survived your lesson today,” Jersey said as he walked past me out the back door. “Tino’s got the gate, so I’m going to check and see if Gabby needs anything out back.”
I winced as I turned toward the kitchen. “I hope Jewel knows how much I love her, because this whole thing is bullshit!”
“I told you that when you came up with the idea, but you persisted.”
“I think Jewel’s friends told me all those things just to fuck with me.”
“I wouldn’t put it past them,” Jersey said as he walked outside.
I looked around the sparsely furnished house, amazed at the changes the contractors had made since starting work. When I bought the place, it hadn’t been lived in for years and showed plenty of signs of neglect.
I worked with some of Brooklyn’s family members to create a list of improvements that needed to be made, along with others that I wanted for aesthetics and practicality.
For instance, I had them install a pizza oven on the back porch in the hope that someday I could recreate my favorite meal from a popular restaurant back home.
Knowing how much Jewel loved a long soak, I had the contractor completely gut the primary bathroom and install a huge tub she could float in if she wanted to, and could let me join her in when she didn’t.
I knew she’d love the changes, but she’d also have more she wanted done, like paint colors and things of that nature. I also knew I’d make everything happen as quickly as possible, because once the house was finished, I planned to move into it with her, and that couldn’t happen soon enough.
“Dad?” I heard one of my sons call from the foyer. “Where are you?”
I hurried toward the front of the house, or as quickly as I could considering how bad my legs and hips felt after my adventures over the last few days. As soon as I rounded the corner, I saw Zander and Zane walking in with Jewel’s sons, Parker and Robby.
I embraced Zander first, then hugged Zane with the same enthusiasm before greeting Parker. I was surprised when he hugged me, and laughed when he pulled back and asked, “When are we going to California?”
“Is there any chance we can wait until the off-season?”
“I suppose that would be okay,” Parker conceded.
“I’m dying to get to Florida, but I’m willing to wait until midwinter when it’s cooler.”
“We’ll have to sit down and come up with some firm dates for our planned adventures so the twins can make arrangements. Zara and Ziva might not be able to make it because of classes.”
“They’ve already checked and can do remote learning while we’re gone,” Robby informed me.
I knew that meant he’d been talking to my girls, but I was perfectly fine with that.
I trusted Robby more than any other young man they’d introduced me to, and I was almost sad he’d firmly stationed himself in the friend zone instead of pursuing one of them.
I knew that was a better idea than dealing with a breakup if things didn’t work out, but I loved Jewel’s son and wanted the best for him along with my daughters.
“Speaking of the girls, where are they? Were their flights delayed?” Zander asked.
“No, Petra picked them up a few hours ago, and they’re out back talking to everyone,” I said. “How was your flight?”
“Quick and painless,” Zander answered.
“Those are the best kind.”
The chime alerting us to someone at the gate sounded, so I walked over to the door and opened it. Over my shoulder, I called, “Parker, Robby, your grandparents are here.”
“I’ll go out and direct them where to park,” Robby said as he passed me. “Looks like they’ve got the rest of the crew following close behind.”
“Are you ready for this, Zig?” Parker asked.
“More than ready. Thanks for your help planning this. It means a lot to me, and I know it will to your mom too.”
“It’s about time she got her fairy tale,” Micah, Jewel’s first husband and Parker’s dad, said as he walked in from the back with my daughters trailing behind him.
“She’s gonna pretend she hates all the trouble you’ve gone to, but somewhere deep down in the crevices of her twisted black heart, she’ll appreciate the effort. ”
“If she heard you explain it like that, she’d deny it till her dying breath, but she’d still appreciate the description,” Parker told him.
Micah, who had become a good friend of mine, slapped my shoulder. “Welcome to the family, Zig. I’ve been out back talking to your brothers, and we’ve decided you’re certifiable, but also very brave to take on Jewel Parker. May the Force be with you, my friend.”
“He doesn’t need the force. He’s got love on his side,” Ziva said as she slid her arm around my waist. I rested my arm on her shoulders and pulled her closer before doing the same with Zara on my other side. “Did you ever think you’d fall in love and get three more kids to worry about?”
“Just like with the four of you, it’s not you guys I worry about; it's all the assholes you’ll encounter out in the world who give me heartburn and occasional night terrors. Luckily, with Jewel by my side, we’ll be able to help all of you handle whatever the world throws your way.”
My phone rang, and I let go of Ziva to pull it from my pocket. I looked at the text and told the kids, “Max just sent a text. They’re three minutes out.”
“Everyone outside!” Parker said as Zara nudged me toward the front door.
“Let’s go, people!” Robby yelled from the doorway while everyone filed toward the kitchen. “Everyone’s seated and ready, and the band has finished sound check.”
“Only you would hire a band for an occasion like this,” Zander said with a chuckle as he passed Robby.
“I got the family discount, so it wasn’t a problem,” I called out as I opened the front door and stepped onto the porch.
I let the door shut behind me, knowing the kids would make sure everything was ready for Jewel’s arrival. A little more than three minutes passed before Max pulled up with Jewel in the passenger seat of his truck. She looked confused as he parked in front of the sidewalk and urged her to get out.
She opened the door, turned in her seat, and asked, “What the hell is going on, Nip?”
“Do you always have to ask ten thousand questions, Kitten?”
“I don’t like surprises,” Jewel grumbled as she stepped out of the truck. The door had barely shut when Max drove off. She didn’t seem to notice as he pulled around the circular drive and headed down the side of the house toward the back. “What are you doing standing in front of my dream house?”
I pulled Jewel into my arms and kissed her. “I remember you telling me that you’ve always wanted to live here, so I bought it and had contractors working on it for a few months. It’s finally ready for you to take a tour.”
“You . . . you . . . what . . .”
“I have reached the pinnacle. I’ve found the meaning of life and have taken the prize no one believed existed.” When Jewel just blinked up at me, I added, “I, Azeglio Romano, made Jewel Parker speechless.”
She didn’t take the bait. “You bought my house, Ziggy?”
“I did. Wanna see inside?”
“What . . . when . . . how did you do this?” Jewel asked as she walked through the front door and stopped in the foyer.
She looked up at the intricate molding along the ceiling and gasped at the chandelier hanging high above us.
She reached out and touched the wainscoting on the wall.
In awe, she whispered, “It’s beautiful, Nip. ”
“It’s not nearly as beautiful as you. Come on, there are some things I want to show you.”
“Give me a second to take it all in,” Jewel said as she walked farther into the house and looked around. “I think I might be dreaming.”
“I’ve thought that since the first time you smiled at me.”
Without looking at me, Jewel swung her arm back and smacked me in the stomach. “Don’t ruin it with bullshit, Nip. I know you were planning my painful death.”
“Actually, I thought that was the case, but then I realized that anytime my shirt rubbed just right against my nipple, I got a hard-on, and that was all because of you.”
Jewel’s laughter echoed through the empty house, and my face hurt from the smile that never seemed to go away when she was happy, even if I wasn’t the reason. But when I was the one who brought that joy to her voice, I felt like the greatest man on the planet and knew I could conquer the world.
“I don’t know where to go first. Upstairs or the kitchen? I assume the kitchen is that way but . . .” Jewel’s voice trailed off as she looked from the kitchen to the staircase and back again.
“I want to show you something,” I said as I took her hand.
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m going to show you the world when I get over my shock. Believe me, this is a surprise I never imagined, and I’m going to show you exactly how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
The urge to take her in my arms and start on that right now was almost overwhelming, but I resisted. I dragged her behind me and said, “I had a pizza oven installed on the back porch thing.”
“Porch thing?”
“It’s a porch, but not a porch. It runs along the back of the house and has windows, and then when you walk out those doors, there’s a real porch.”
“Your high-rise life is showing, New York. It’s called a sun porch.”
“Whatever. It’s now a pizza porch because that’s where I’m going to perfect greatness so I can open a restaurant and wow the world with my creation.”
Jewel was laughing as I opened the kitchen door and led her outside. I was standing in front of her, so she didn’t get a good look at the yard, but when I pulled her hand to bring her beside me, she gasped at the sight before her.
Our children stood outside, one on each step, holding flowers as they waited for Jewel to walk toward the brick patio I’d commissioned especially for this occasion.