32. Jack
32
JACK
W hen I walked into Calvin's house carrying the casserole I put together, Ashley greeted me with a peck on the cheek. She looked breathtaking with her hair swept up. Loose tendrils framed her round face and her eyes sparkled with joy. I hadn’t seen her so happy in weeks, and this was a different kind of happiness.
She came back from LA with hope and expectation for her future, and she was happy. Now, she had love and commitment. She was going to be a mother. It made her look fulfilled and satisfied in life. I kissed her back as she took the casserole and breathed in her scent.
"You look intoxicating." I nibbled her ear, and she snickered and cocked her head to keep my lips from sneaking bites.
"Not here, Jack." She backed away and batted her eyelashes. "Not yet, anyway." With a wink, she turned and moved through the living room toward Calvin's kitchen. He mentioned eating on the patio if the weather was nice, and for an early fall day, it was mild.
They had the spread already set out on the patio table with the umbrella up. Calvin had made burgers and a few bratwursts. There was salad and fresh fruit, and my noodle casserole fit perfectly.
"I made brownies for later," Ashley hummed as she set my dish among the others, but there was no sign of her father yet.
"Where's Cal?" I picked a seat on the shady side of the table and sat down, placing my cell phone in front of me next to the plate so I didn’t sit on it.
"Oh, he just ran to the bathroom. He'll be right back." Ashley sat across from me and started portioning food onto her plate. "He's in a good mood today, if that's what you're worried about."
I didn't want to seem anxious or afraid of his reaction to our announcement, but I was. I noticed Ashley's ring finger was naked. She told me she wasn't going to wear it in front of her dad until we talked to him together as a matter of respect. I might not have been entirely old-fashioned, but Calvin was. He would want to give his blessing before Ashley floated down the aisle. After what happened before with Sam, I didn't blame him.
"And how are you doing?" I asked her, catching her hand after she set the serving spoon down in the casserole dish. I looked her in the eye and was pleased to see she looked rested instead of sleep deprived.
"I'm good. I feel well. Morning sickness isn't so bad as long as I keep a little something in my tummy all the time, and I'm sleeping well. Having the work stress is still bothering me. I want to know what the board will decide, but I'm being patient."
Nick's promise of an answer by week's end didn't happen. But he did call me to say they were strongly considering some options and to call him on Monday. Nick was a good and honest man, and if he said things looked promising, I had every reason to believe they would be.
"We'll wait and see. Try to think of it as an adventure and you are looking forward to the next surprise, not dreading an outcome. It makes waiting a little easier." I let go of her hand when I heard the back door open.
Calvin strutted out, pulling his pants up by his belt, and cleared his throat. He'd obviously seen us holding hands, and the stern look on his face was meant to scare me. He didn't scare me in the way that he would have if I were Ashley’s age and immature. But it did put a healthy dose of respect for the man at the forefront of my mind. He fought so hard for Ashley as a single parent, and I knew that bond was unbreakable.
"Jackson," he said as he sat down, and I almost snickered. No one called me by my given name. I was either Jack, Dr. Stewart, or Jackie. And I preferred the first option the best. Ashley smirked, and her head dipped as she brought a bite of my pasta casserole to her mouth.
"Cal, how's it going?" Any normal Saturday, we would have been finishing the twelfth hole and Michael would be blaming the wind on his slice.
I helped myself to a burger and loaded my plate with casserole and salad. Ashley mentioned dessert, but I had enough food to fuel a small army here. She was the only dessert I needed. I just had to have the balls to tell Calvin how it was going to be—or rather, the balls to defend her and fight for her if he resisted. She deserved that, and after what she'd been through in her past, I intended to do just that. It might even prove to Cal that I was willing to do what it takes.
"Nice day for golf.” Calvin began serving himself food too, and I could see that he was avoiding the elephant in the room. I didn't want to press the issue at all because I knew how delicate it was.
His hopes and dreams for his daughter were anchored in deep love for her. He was a single parent for most of her life, and having raised her alone, it was even more important to him that she succeed and be happy. He had said that to me a number of times. It was why I knew our relationship was so threatening to him. Calvin knew how damaged I was more than anyone else in my life. He was like a father to me.
"Yes, it is," I commented, then had a bite of my burger. Ashley chimed in, adding a comment about the wind, and Calvin chuckled.
It started an entire debate about whether his handicap improved by retiring and playing more or if he was still chasing my numbers. I mostly stayed out of the banter, trying to keep it light. Sometimes, I got a little moody when I was beaten at golf because of my competitive nature. I couldn’t afford to let anything taint my calmness. I wanted this conversation to go well.
So when the topic shifted slightly, I knew Ashley was paving the way for me to open up.
"I think maybe I’ll go sometime, if that's okay? You'll have to teach me what you know, though. I'm not as good as I used to be. We haven't played since my days on the high school golf team." She grinned at me and winked, but I saw Calvin scowl briefly before the expression washed off his face as he sipped some lemonade.
"I suppose that would give you and Jack more time to socialize." The way he swallowed then set his glass down before looking straight at me was my open invitation to bring up the elephant on the patio with us.
"Calvin, we haven't had a chance to speak about this yet, but I'm assuming that was the point of inviting me to lunch today." I paused, but he didn't respond so I wiped my mouth on a napkin and dived right in. "I love your daughter. I have no clue how this happened or what she sees in me, personally, but she is amazing and smart. She's funny, caring, beautiful, and magnetic." I chose my words carefully, avoiding anything that would reveal how incredibly sexy I thought she was. He didn't need to hear my lustful thoughts.
Ashley smiled at me as encouragement and set her spoon down. She seemed to hang on my every word as I spoke to her father, which only gave me even more confidence. We had agreed that even if he wasn't pleased, we would still be together. Eventually, he'd come around.
"I want to marry your daughter, Cal. And in fact, I want to do it soon. You already know she's having my baby, and I want to make it official. I want her to be my wife." I rested my case, placing my napkin back on my lap, and I watched as Calvin stared into his plate of food.
He huffed out a sigh and his shoulders drooped, but he'd never been one to reply hastily. I gave him time, having a few bites of food while he mulled it over and collected his thoughts. Ashley looked a little nervous now, fidgeting with her napkin and fork. She sipped lemonade and then licked her lips. Just when I thought she was going to say something to stop the awkward silence, Calvin spoke up.
"I think I mentioned to both of you before that I'm disappointed that neither of you came to me earlier in this relationship." When he looked up, I could see concern etched across the deep furrows in his forehead. "Jack, you're forty-five years old. When Ashley is sixty with heaps of life left, you'll be seventy-five. She'll be caring for you the way she'd care for an elderly parent." His pain in the words was communicated clearly. It was a thought I'd had too, but Ashley insisted that she didn't care.
"And not to mention that, how can you truly raise a child? Do you understand you yourself will be nearly sixty-five when that baby goes off to college? Most men are grandfathers at sixty-five. Hell, I'm fifty-two and I'm going to be a grandfather."
"Daddy," Ashley said softly, but it didn't dissuade Calvin from voicing his opinions and concerns. I held up a hand at her, indicating that I could handle this. He wasn't going off on me or even telling me this couldn’t happen. He needed his thoughts to be heard and understood. I owed him that much.
"What about the power dynamic at work? Dating your boss or even a coworker with more seniority, for that matter. Ashley, sweetheart, I know you don't understand yet, but you're going to hate that." He reached for her hand. "And what about when you've built your entire life together and he dies and you're alone? How will you handle his dying fifteen years before you do? You'll be alone the way I have been for all this time."
Ashley bit her lip and looked down, and I could see she was trying to respect my desire for her to let him speak. She felt strongly about these things too. We had already looked into a great life insurance policy so that she and the baby were protected in the event of my untimely death, but even in old age, it would help her. And we had talked at length about the power dynamic at work too. We would be equal partners in all things, both in life and on the job.
"Daddy, I know Jack wants me to stay out of this, but I have to speak." She looked up at Calvin and breathed in deeply before continuing. "I believe in love. I believe what you taught me, that when you love someone, you go the distance. You never said anything was too hard as a single dad. You did what you had to do to love me, and you were tired and sometimes it hurt, but you were successful.
"I love Jack. I know he will age before I will. I am very well aware that his body won't work the way it does now forever. He'll need glasses or hearing aids. He might lose his hair or his ability to…" A smirk crossed her lips that she fought back, but she gained control of herself and kept going. "He's going to be an amazing dad, and he's going to be around for a very long time still. And if he dies and I marry a rich, young actor after that, well then that's another love story waiting to be told.
"But to be honest with you, I believe I'll never love again. Jack is it for me. Well, and the baby." Her hand rested on her belly and she smiled. "And I’m willing to do what it takes, go the distance, love hard and even suffer in the process, because you taught me that's what love does. I love him. And I love you. And I want my family to be whole."
Calvin still seemed guarded, but he nodded and took another bite of food. This time, when I looked into his eyes, I saw only serenity. Calvin had made peace with our relationship already, which made me happy too.
"So, where's the ring? I assume since he announced it so boldly like that, he's already proposed to you." Calvin picked up his fork and stabbed a noodle, and Ashley reached into her blouse and pulled out the ring which hung on a chain, hidden between her breasts. I loved the smile on her face as she took it off the chain and put it on her finger and showed him.
"Of course, I said yes.” Her joy was infectious, but my phone rang and I picked it up and walked to the far end of the patio to take it.
"Yeah, Nick. What's up?" I was surprised to see him calling on a Saturday, but I hoped it was an answer for Ashley and me.
"I have good news, Jack. The board put it to a vote this morning. You might want to sit down."
"I'm good.” I turned to watch Ashley still fawning over her ring and smiled as I listened to him.
"Well, they liked your idea. We voted to keep you on as board chair and expand the department. Dr. Sutton will have her own team and will report to you. You'll have to fill out paperwork with HR about dating her?—"
"Correction," I said, interrupting, "engaged."
"Wow, congratulations.” I felt like he wanted to say something more, but he switched back to his original topic and kept talking. "Just stop by HR on Monday morning, and we'll get things set up."
"Thanks, Nick. I'm so thrilled to hear this news."
"See you Monday."
"Bye," I told him, then swiped to end the call and rushed over to Ashley's side. She was now standing up, pouring a fresh glass of lemonade for Calvin. I waited until she set the jug down and pulled her in for a tight, swaying hug.
"What's this for?" she asked, snickering.
"You got the job. They're giving you your own team, and we'll be partners!" I couldn't contain my excitement as she celebrated and Calvin offered his congratulations. This day was one of the happiest I could remember in years. I had the woman of my dreams, the career I'd been building for decades, and a baby on the way.
Now I just hoped I could live up to being the man she deserved and the father my child needed.