Chapter Eighteen
Jack
Mom and Dad are expecting me, so I let myself into the house with my key.
I hear voices in the family room, and I make my way to where they’re hanging out.
My parents, Ian and Riley, are the epitome of a fairy tale.
To hear them tell the story of how they met, Dad knew she was the one, and fought his feelings, only to give in and be the happiest he’s ever been.
Mom’s version is more detailed, but the end is the same.
I admit I never bought into the whole love at first sight, or soul mates shit.
I’d hoped to meet someone I was compatible with, who I could spend time and have fun with.
Someone who wants me for me and not the family name or the nightclub access.
Then Tristan and Lucas showed me what was possible in a relationship.
The trust, the joy, but mostly, the love.
It sounds corny, but I want that. And the night I walked into the café and Taylor looked up at me, I felt something shift.
Suddenly, there were possibilities in front of me.
Is Taylor the one?
All I know is I’ve never felt like this before about any woman. Add in the fact that she’s having my baby, I love being with her, and find her sexy as hell? She fits with everything I want in a relationship. I want to know more about her. Everything about her.
Trust is the biggest obstacle so far. The two phone calls she received while we were together set her off and she wouldn’t tell me why. But we have time. We can have more dates together while she’s in Miami, and I’ll be visiting Charleston often. She just needs to let me in.
My brothers’ voices capture my attention. I blink and realize I’d stopped a few steps from the family room, lost in thought. I shake my head, making sure I’m in the present for the conversation I need to have.
“Mom? Dad?” I call out before I walk into the huge room with a big screen on the wall, a comfortable couch, and extra club chairs so we all have room to sit.
The neutral color scheme is interrupted by pops of color, throw pillows with bright fabrics that are all Mom’s doing. Dad’s a darker color guy, but he indulges Mom in home décor and whatever else makes her happy.
Hudson and Miles are sitting in chairs facing our parents and look my way when I walk into the room.
Mom jumps up from her seat on the couch beside Dad. “Jack!” She walks over and pulls me in for a long embrace. “It’s been too long since you came by to see your mother.”
“You heard her,” Dad says, rising to his feet. “And for the record, I agree.” Mom steps back and he pulls me in for a quick hug. “It’s good to see you, son.”
“You too, Dad. And I’ll do better, Mom. I’ve been a little busy, what with the new nightclub and some other things.”
“Other things being—”
“Things.” I narrow my gaze at Hudson.
I want to tell the folks in my own way, in my own time. Not because my brother drops Taylor’s name and Mom starts shooting questions at me.
“And we want to hear about all those things. Can I get you something to eat or drink first?” Mom starts to rise, but I shake my head.
“No, thanks. I’m good,” I tell her.
They all settle in, my parents on the sofa, my brothers in the club chairs, while I remain standing. “I have something to tell you all.” I’m not nervous. I’m a grown man whose life is his own, but we’re a close family, and my parents deserve to know they’re going to have a grandchild.
“Sounds serious. What is it?” Mom asks, worry obvious in her shaky voice.
No matter how old you are, when your mother pins you with that I’m concerned expression on her face, nerves take over.
I rub my hands on my jeans and begin. “When I was in Charleston a couple of months ago, I met someone. One thing led to another and … she’s pregnant with my baby.”
“Holy shit,” the twins say at the same time. Leave it to Miles, who’s been silent all this time, to join in.
Mom’s eyes open wide. “What?”
Dad shakes his head as he meets my gaze. “I know I gave you the always use a condom speech when you were a teenager.”
“You did.”
“We got it, too,” Hudson says.
I can’t help but smile. Ian Dare is a good, solid father. He taught us everything we needed to know to be good men.
I rub my hand along the back of my neck. “For the record, we used a condom. It just didn’t work.”
My father rises from his seat, walks over, and places a hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure it’s y—”
“Mine? Yes.” If there’s one thing I’m certain of, if Taylor said it’s mine, it is. “And she isn’t just some woman I slept with once and never wanted to see again. Her name is Taylor. And she means something to me.”
My parents look at each other in silence. I’ve seen this before. They’re communicating without speaking. They know one another so well, they don’t need to.
“Okay, so when are you going to bring her by so we can meet the mother of our grandchild?” Mom asks. Just like that, she’s accepted the news. Dad too, though his is more of a silent acceptance.
I glance at my watch. “Funny you should ask. Rainey’s bringing her over in a few minutes.”
My mother’s eyes open wide. “How could you not give me a heads-up?” She jumps up from her seat and rushes from the room. If I know her, she’s putting together veggies and a dip and getting glasses ready, maybe her special iced tea.
Dad, the twins, and I talk football until he asks me about the club in Charleston. “What are you up to?” he asks.
“This week is going to be busy. I need to get the documents together for the late-night establishment operational permit. It requires a lot, including a security and management plan, floor plans, and an emergency action plan. It’s going to take up a lot of our time.”
Which will cut into my time with Taylor, but it can’t be helped.