8. Beck
Beck
This first week of summer break with Jade has gone so quickly.
I don’t know how I would’ve done it without Willow.
She and Jade get along beautifully. Jade couldn’t wait to tell me about the bracelets they made on Thursday.
I was surprised that Willow took the time to find fun activities to do with Jade.
I never expected her to buy things specifically for Jade and bring them with her.
She downplayed it by saying she found it at a thrift store, but that doesn’t matter at all.
She saw something she thought Jade would like, and she got it.
I can’t even express how much that means to me… to both of us.
Today is the first Saturday of summer, and I’m working. Thankfully, I’m off tomorrow. Willow said they were going to the pool today, and as badly as I wanted to stop by to see them, I’ve been swamped all day.
When I’m about to leave for home, I send a text to Willow letting her know I’m ordering pizza and that she’s welcome to stay and have dinner with us. She didn’t text me back before I made it to the house, and when I pulled into the drive, I saw why.
Both Willow and Jade are still in their bathing suits. They’re soaking wet and running around in the grass through one of the sprinklers I bought for Jade. It’s one of those that shoots water in all different directions. Not only does it water my lawn, but it keeps her occupied.
They both stop when they see my truck. Jade runs up to me before I even make it out the door. I’ve got to admit, it’s nice coming home to her every day. It’s a plus that she’s always excited to see me. When she’s with her mom, this house always feels so lonely. Or maybe I’m just lonely.
“Hey, Daddy!”
“Hey Jadey, havin’ fun?”
“Yes!” After a quick, wet hug, she runs back to the sprinkler.
Willow stands to the side with her hands on her hips as I walk over to her.
I try, I really try, not to look at her body, but I can’t stop myself.
She’s standing proud in a navy bikini with white polka dots.
My throat goes dry as my eyes move from her chest to her toned stomach and down to her long legs.
When I make it back to her face, she’s smirking.
“Face is up here, big guy.”
Shit. “Sorry, I…” I, what? I’m not sorry. She’s gorgeous, and I wanted to look at her. I wish I could take my time and study every inch of her.
“Sorry you got caught?”
I shrug one shoulder. “Maybe.”
She chuckles, thankfully not mad. She takes a few steps closer, and instinctively, I want to take a step back.
I know I shouldn’t be too close to her when she’s wearing next to nothing.
Sawyer would be pissed if he knew I was looking at her like this, but it’s not my fault she’s standing in my yard in a barely there bikini.
“I’ve grown up a bit, haven’t I?” she says.
I swallow and nod. “Definitely not the Willow I remember.” She smiles, and I have to look away. “Did you, uh, get my text?”
“Oh no, sorry. We’ve been playing in the sprinkler. I left my phone over by the door.” She points to where her phone is sitting.
“Right. Well, I ordered pizza. Would you like to stay? I’m sure Jade would love it.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.”
“It’s not an intrusion, Wills. You’re family.”
Her smile drops a little, and I wonder what I said wrong. She brings her arm across her stomach as if she’s suddenly uncomfortable.
“Sure. Yeah. Do you mind if I take a shower, though?” she asks.
“Yeah, of course. Give me a sec to get Jade in, and I’ll show you where the towels are.”
We both turn to watch as Jade leaps over the sprinkler, laughing as she goes. Willow walks toward the side of the house to turn the water off right as Jade gets one last spin through.
“Alright, Jade. Let’s get cleaned up for dinner.” She groans but walks toward the house anyway. Both girls wrap themselves in their pool towels to dry off before going inside.
“Willow, you can use my shower while Jade takes a bath in her bathroom.” It’s a bad idea, Willow, naked in my shower.
I know it the minute it leaves my mouth.
I do my absolute best to act like it’s no big deal, and Willow does the same, nodding as we walk down the hall.
I stop at the small linen closet and hand her two towels. “You know where the bathroom is?”
“Yep.” She takes the towels and disappears into my bedroom. I quickly focus my attention on Jade. If I stay busy, maybe I won’t think about Willow being naked in my house.
“Alright, let’s get you cleaned up before the pizza gets here,” I say to Jade.
“Pizza!”
“Yep, come on.” I run her a bath. Jade plays with her bath toys while I wash her hair.
She tells me all about her day and how much fun she’s having with Willow.
It warms my heart to know that she’s having a good summer.
I was so worried she’d be bored and never want to come back, but it’s been exactly the opposite, and that’s mostly thanks to Willow.
I dry Jade off and get her in pajamas right as there’s a knock on the front door.
“Must be the pizza,” I say, putting her hairbrush down.
“I’ll get it,” Willow announces as she walks by. She’s back in her shorts and oversized T-shirt from this morning, but this time her hair is braided down her back. “Did you pay online?”
“Yep.”
She nods and heads to the front door.
“Willow, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Alex has been delivering pizza in Blue Haven for years now. He’s an older gentleman who’s been offered countless jobs around town over the years, but he prefers to deliver pizzas. He knows everyone in town, even if they’ve been gone for three years.
“Hey, Alex. How are you?” Willow asks politely.
“Can’t complain. Can’t complain. You staying here with Beck and Jade?” The man seems to be looking for gossip. Maybe that’s why he delivers pizza: so he can stop in at people’s houses to see what’s going on.
“Oh, no. I’m just nannying for Jade this summer,” she explains.
“Well, good for you. I remember now that Sawyer said you’d be home for summer.” I hear him remove the pizzas from his pizza carrier. “You take care now, Willow.”
“Thanks, Alex. Have a good night.”
She closes the door as I finish getting the last tangle out of Jade’s hair.
“Who wants pizza?” Willow asks in a sing-song voice.
“Me me me!” Jade rushes out of the bathroom, and I follow behind.
Willow is already in the kitchen, grabbing plates from the cabinet.
I love that she’s comfortable here. She moves around my house like it’s hers.
That’s what I wanted with this house, a place where people feel like it’s their home too.
Lately, it’s just been me and Jade and occasionally Sawyer, Brooks, or Harper.
But maybe one day I’ll have more time to create the family that I’ve always wanted.
“Alright, Daddy. What kind of pizza did you get?” Willow asks, and I’m thrown off by her calling me daddy. I know she did it because Jade is here. Gemma calls me daddy all the time when Jade is around, but hearing it come from Willow? It hits a little different. It makes me feel things I shouldn’t.
“I got cheese and pepperoni,” I say, quickly turning to the fridge to get something to drink before I embarrass myself. I set a beer on the counter for myself. “What does everyone want to drink?”
“Sprite, please!” Jade says.
“I’ll take a beer,” Willow answers. I look at her from over my shoulder. “What? I’m twenty-one now. I can legally have a beer.”
She’s not wrong, although it feels wrong giving it to her. But I can’t argue with her, so I grab another one and set it on the counter next to mine.
The three of us settle at the table in the kitchen and dig into the pizza. “Willow, tell us about college.”
“What’s college?” Jade asks.
“It’s a school you go to after high school to learn more specific things about the job you hope to have,” Willow explains.
“Oh. What job do you want?”
“I’m going to be a teacher.” It’s the perfect job for her. She’s so patient with Jade, and it seems like she genuinely likes being around kids.
“You have one year left, right?” I ask.
“Yeah. I’m going to study abroad next semester, and then student-teach in the spring.”
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. Sawyer would have told me something like that. “Studying abroad?”
“Um, yeah. I’m going to Italy. But please don’t say anything to Sawyer. I haven’t told him yet.”
“Why not?” I know my best friend, and I know he’d be nothing but supportive of her going.
“Just financial reasons. I don’t want to tell him until I have all of the funds so that he doesn’t have to worry about giving me any more money.”
It clicks in my head. “So that’s why you wanted a summer job?”
“Yes.”
“You know Sawyer would give you whatever you wanted. Hell, I’d help too if you needed it. You didn’t have to spend your summer working.”
“Absolutely not. I can earn my money just like everyone else. Besides, it’s not really working when I get to hang out with this girl all day.” She smiles at Jade, who smiles back with pizza sauce all over her mouth.
I admire Willow for wanting to do this on her own, but I know Sawyer will feel hurt once he finds out. Ever since he got custody of Willow, he’s taken a lot of pride in making sure he could fill every role she needed. I have a feeling he’s going to think she felt like he did a bad job or something.
“Italy sounds fun,” I say. I’ll drop the Sawyer issue for now, even though I think she should tell him sooner rather than later. But that’s for the two of them to work out. “You’ll be eating better pizza than this.”
She laughs. “Nothing beats Blue Haven pizza. But yeah, I’m excited. My best friend Macy is going too.”
“Good for you, Willow. I’m happy for you.
” Although it does make me feel a little uneasy with her being in a foreign country by herself, as she said, she’s an adult now.
Surely the school will have procedures in place to make sure the students stay safe.
I wouldn’t know, though. College was never a priority for me. I knew I’d be working with my hands.
She smiles and takes a swig of her beer. “Thanks.”
“But I don’t want you to go,” Jade says with her sad voice.
“Don’t worry, kiddo. We’ve got all summer to make it the best one ever!” Willow reassures her.
We finish up dinner, and I do the dishes while Willow tells Jade bye.
Since I’m off tomorrow, she won’t be here, which Jade isn’t happy about.
I have to convince Jade that she and I will have a good day even if Willow isn’t here.
Seems my daughter prefers her nanny to her own father, and I can’t even be mad about it.
As Willow grabs her bag to leave, it’s on the tip of my tongue to invite her to stay, maybe watch a movie. But I quickly swallow my words. It would be inappropriate, and the last thing I need is for her to quit because of something I said or did.
I watch her car pull out of the driveway before I shut and lock the door. I can’t help but notice how empty the house feels without her in it.