Chapter Twelve
Jaxson was pissed off with his tight, pain-in-the-ass customer, Cruz freaking Moore.
For the last couple of years, Cruz had been avoiding getting some of his jobs done around the ranch.
He accepted it because sometimes it was easier to just do one job at a time, and push the cost down the road.
However, with Cruz doing this for a freaking long time, he had caused a domino effect, and now every time one thing was fixed, another thing seemed to break.
So, the kitchen had set off a whole heap of jobs with the electricity, which had turned into a whole house rewiring, and of course, Cruz thought Jaxson was doing it on purpose, which he wasn’t.
He wasn’t even overcharging him. He was giving him the total at cost, including labor.
That was all. This job was not making him a massive profit.
As he got to work rewiring the ranch, the boiler decided to pack in, and it looked like a vintage model, it was that old.
So, he needed to update it. From there, pipes started to leak, and it had just been one disaster after another.
The ranch looked absolutely perfect, at least it had until he had to start chasing out wires, pulling up floorboards, and going over the plans to make it as painless as possible.
He also wanted to get the job done as quickly as he could, because the truth was, he fucking hated Cruz and wanted to be out of the ranch as soon as possible.
Of course, Kate’s mom was there, providing him with drinks and food, so from the moment his work started, until he went home, he didn’t have any excuse to leave. However, he sacrificed some of his lunches, in the cause of getting the job done.
When one of his wrenches didn’t work, he sat back, tempted to smash up the piping work he was getting fixed. Instead, he held onto that wrench as if his life depended on it, wiped the sweat from his brow, and headed out to his truck.
He was at the back of his truck as Kate’s mom brought out a beverage, and Cruz’s truck came barreling down the driveway. Jaxson ignored him, because he didn’t like Cruz, just as Cruz didn’t like him. It wasn’t even because they rivaled each other with their grumpy attitudes.
“You had to go and touch her, didn’t you?”
Jaxson lifted his head a second before Cruz tackled him to the ground.
He had no fucking clue what was going on, and pain exploded behind his face.
Cruz got one punch in, but then Jaxson shoved the man off him.
Cruz was strong, but he was a hardworking rancher.
Jaxson was able to get to his feet, as Cruz came for him again. They were in a scuffle.
“I don’t know what the fuck is your problem, man,” Jaxson said, gritting the words out through clenched teeth. He was not in the mood to fight with the guy.
“I thought you were with Tillie, and you decide to go and play with Kate!”
“What the ever-loving fuck?” Jaxson asked.
Kate’s mother let out a whimper.
He didn’t have a clue what was going on, but clearly, it was fucked up and wrong, because nothing had ever happened between him and Kate.
Jaxson shoved with all his might, catching Cruz off guard.
“Right now, you don’t have any fucking electricity, and I can leave you without water, and if this ranch is to be run in a safe and humane way, you’re going to need both.
I have never touched Kate. I like her. I think she’s nice, and I’m happy to help her when she needs it, but my dick has never touched that woman. ”
“You lie.”
“Why would I fucking lie? It doesn’t get me anywhere.”
“Kate was seen, trust me, I must have passed a dozen people who told me Kate’s gone into the pharmacy to grab a fucking pregnancy test.”
Once again her mother let out a gasp.
“It’s not mine. I’m not with Kate. I have never touched Kate. I’m with Tillie Short, and I fucking love her with every fiber of my being, and I’m going to ask her to marry me.” Jaxson frowned and then turned to Kate’s mother. “Is she dating anyone?”
“Not that I know of. I thought you were dating my daughter, because of all the rumors, and you do offer to help out, and you give her a discount.”
“She gets a fucking discount?” Cruz asked.
“She doesn’t come and fucking attack me partway through a job, asshole,” he growled. “If Kate’s not seeing anyone, that means she got the test for someone else.”
“We’re all leading on assumptions here,” Cruz said.
“What if it is for Tillie?” Jaxson asked, and he let out a laugh.
“Tillie?” Cruz and Kate’s mother asked.
“Yeah, they’re friends. Tillie helped Kate with the fabric shop to stop it from going under. They’re good friends.”
“Who don’t see each other outside of work,” Cruz said.
“You seem to know an awful lot about Kate,” Jaxson said.
Cruz glared at him and turned to Kate’s mother. “Call your daughter and find out if she purchased the test for herself or for Tillie.”
Jaxson, right now could not be sad about this. Even if Kate bought the test, it had nothing to do with him. If Kate had purchased the test, that meant there was a chance Tillie was pregnant.
Kate’s mother made her way inside the ranch, and Jaxson kept on his guard. “You know, for someone who doesn’t give a fuck about anyone or anything, you certainly like to pack a punch.”
“Kate’s a good girl.”
“When are you going to ask her out?” Jaxson asked.
“Shut the fuck up, Jaxson. If Kate bought that test for herself, I’m kicking your ass.”
“You’d be kicking the wrong guy. I won’t touch her. She’s more like a sister to me.”
Kate’s mom returned a couple of minutes later. “She bought the test, but it wasn’t for her, it was for a friend, and she refused to tell me who.”
Jaxson looked at Kate’s mom and couldn’t help but wonder if Kate and her mom were on friendly terms. He had never seen the older woman at the shop, helping Kate out. It was as if she had run the fabric shop into the ground and dumped it on her daughter to fix.
There was only one way to handle this, and that was to get in his truck and drive out to the fabric shop.
“Where the fuck are you going?” Cruz asked.
“Fuck off,” Jaxson said.
He should have known that wasn’t going to get him any kind of peace or quiet, as Cruz got into his own truck and started to follow him.
Jaxson put his foot down, making the short distance that would get him to town, so he could see Tillie before she left the fabric shop.
His dad had given him the engagement ring passed down from wife to wife, through the generations.
It stayed with him at all times as he kept waiting for the perfect time to give it to her. Of course, that hadn’t happened.
He arrived at the fabric shop and saw her car was already parked in the main lot. Jaxson also saw that she was heading out of the shop and had Belle in her arms. Cruz arrived a few moments later, cutting across his view of her, and it pissed him off. He rushed toward her.
“Jaxson?” Tillie asked. “What’s going on?”
“Did you take a pregnancy test?” Cruz asked, his voice booming the question for everyone to hear.
Tillie’s eyes went wide and she looked at Jaxson. “You’re bleeding,” she said, gasping.
“It’s nothing. This asshole came at me, thinking I had knocked up Kate, but you were the one that got her to get that pregnancy test, weren’t you?” he asked. Seeing her right now, he was hopeful.
“Jaxson?” She frowned and looked behind her as Kate came out of the shop, and then she looked toward Cruz, finally toward him. “Yes, I took the test. Kate offered to get it, and—”
“Seriously?” Kate asked. “You know this already? It has been like an hour and a half.”
“Are you?” Jaxson asked, as he was no longer interested in whatever anyone else had to say.
Tillie held Belle in her arms, lifting her bag up so she could rummage around it, and then finally pulling out a pregnancy test stick.
“It’s positive. We’re going to have a baby.”
He took the stick from her hand and looked down at the blue lines that indicated she was going to have a baby. This was everything.
“Marry me,” he said.
“Jaxson?”
He got down on one knee and pulled the ring out of his pocket.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you for so long now, and I didn’t know when the right time would be.
Work has been crazy busy, and I was trying to figure out how you would like to be proposed to.
With lots of flowers, a meal at a restaurant.
A dance melody, and yes, I was tempted to do a dance-off to tell you I love you, Tillie Short.
I love you and I want to marry you, and yes, I went to your parents’ resting place to ask for their ... blessing.”
“You did?” Tillie asked.
“Yeah, and there was this bird. It was a weird moment, but I got the sense they gave me their agreement, or blessing, whatever you want to call it. I have their blessing, and I can get married to you. I want to get married to you. I want to be a father to this baby, and I want to be your husband.”
“Yes,” Tillie said.
“Yes?” he asked.
“Yes.” She burst out laughing. “Do you think I don’t know how to say yes?”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug, kissing her at the same time. “I love you, Tillie Short. I love you with all my heart, and I promise you’re not going to regret this.”
****
Tillie wanted a small, private affair—one where it wasn’t so obvious she was pregnant.
It had been three months since Jaxson asked for her hand in marriage, and now it was December.
It was freezing cold outside, and Tillie looked down from the main hall window to see the streets had pulled out some heaters, and the whole town was there.
Jaxson didn’t want a private affair. He wanted the whole town to know he was marrying her. He loved that she was pregnant and spent a great deal of time every single night singing and reading to their son or daughter.
They didn’t know the sex of the baby. His parents offered to throw them a gender reveal party, but neither of them wanted to know. They wanted it to be a surprise. It was a big moment for the both of them.
“Are you ready?” Kate asked. “Or do you need me to help you escape?”
“No, no escaping. It will all be good.”
“Did you hear he had Carl Worthington as his best man? Cruz was not happy about that.”
Tillie chucked. “Jaxson doesn’t like Cruz.”
“Cruz does not like Jaxson, but it doesn’t seem to stop them from hanging out, does it?” Kate asked.
“You look absolutely beautiful,” Susan Riggs said, coming into her room.
Jaxson’s parents had been complete and total rocks. Of course, they were absolutely ecstatic at becoming grandparents. Even though Jaxson came to every single appointment, Mark and Susan always offered to take her, and to be there for her. Susan was constantly helping out.
She and Jaxson still had two different houses, although Jaxson had offered to move into her home. As for Tillie, it was a home where she had a lot of memories of her parents, but the truth was, it was also her parents’ home.
Instead, Jaxson, with the help of Cruz, had helped build her a new sewing studio in his garage, transforming it, so that as she moved out of one house, there was no break in her filming.
Her audience had fallen in love with Jaxson, as he did offer to go on lives with her and make an appearance every now and again. She loved him wanting to take part in her world. It meant everything to her.
“Are we ready?” Jaxson’s father Mark asked. He stood at the door waiting for her.
She glanced down at her body and nodded. “Yes, I’m ready.”
Susan went to her and kissed her cheek, as did Kate.
They were her maid of honor and bridesmaid.
She didn’t have anyone else, and Kate had asked that she not include her mother in more of the festivities.
She had recently learned that Kate’s mom cut Kate out of the fabric shop business and only allowed her back in when it was at a point of potentially no return.
Kate and her mom were not on speaking terms, and Tillie felt bad that she hadn’t known that. Even though Kate still delivered groceries for her mother, they didn’t talk. She loved and adored her friend.
“You’ve got this, and I will meet you at the end of the aisle.”
Tillie turned to look at Mark.
“If you want to run, I have the getaway car around back,” Mark said.
She giggled. “Shouldn’t you be the one convincing me to stay?”
“I know my son can be a little vexing, and no one would feel bad if you made the decision to leave. We’d all understand.”
She put her hand on her swollen stomach. “I love him, and I wouldn’t do that to him. He’s going to make an amazing father.”
Mark smiled, and she saw his eyes glisten with tears. “That is a damn good answer.” He moved toward her, cupped her face, and kissed her. “It is a pleasure to walk you down the aisle toward my son. I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter-in-law.”
With that, he held out his arm, and Tillie took it, knowing that down in the main town there were women that had been with Jaxson. None of them mattered. The past didn’t matter. All that mattered was the two of them.
She held onto Mark’s arm as they walked down the stairs together, and she let out a gasp as they stepped into the cold night air. It was already snowing, and she held onto Mark a little tighter so she didn’t fall. The last thing she wanted to do was fall.
The music started to play, and as soon as she got to the end of the aisle, there was only one man she wanted to see. Jaxson.
There he stood in his tuxedo, hands at his sides, and he looked absolutely breathtaking. There was no doubt in his eyes, as she looked across the distance, and they captured each other. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.
The music played and she held on tight to Mark’s arm, as he walked her down the aisle.
The moment they were close, Jaxson stepped forward and thanked his father.
He took Tillie’s hands, and she tried not to shiver, but it was getting colder.
Jaxson let go of her hand long enough to shrug out of his jacket, and then he placed it lovingly over her shoulders.
“That will warm you up.”
It had his warmth, and they stepped in front of their priest. Tillie knew she was doing the right thing marrying Jaxson, the love of her life.
“I love you,” she said.
The priest started to talk, joining them together in holy matrimony.