Chapter Six
Jackson was sitting on his porch; the same way he did every morning. He used to need the quiet to find any measure of peace, but that had changed. Henry was the only thing he needed to keep the darkness away. As if his thoughts had summoned him, Henry walked over.
“Good morning, Jackson,” he said, climbing the steps.
Jackson got up to pull Henry into a tight hug. Henry returned the embrace. He loved having the man in his arms. But Henry seemed a little tense. “Are you okay?” he asked when he pulled back.
“I’m nervous,” he admitted.
“You definitely don’t need to be nervous.
I’ve got everything covered.” Jackson knew why he was, so he tried to lighten the mood.
“I’m an excellent swimmer, so I swear you won’t drown.
I bought sunscreen, so you won’t burn. We have a picnic lunch that my mom made, so you won’t starve.
If the sun gets to be too much, I have a giant umbrella.
” Jackson shrugged. “I’m not sure what else there is to worry about. ”
“You know what—”
Jackson cut him off with a kiss, which slowly evolved into something much hotter. “It’s all going to be alright,” Jackson told him as his sister pulled into the driveway. Piper was the first one out.
“Uncle Jackson.” In the blink of an eye, the girl was wrapping her arms around his waist. His mom and Melissa hadn’t even gotten out of the car yet.
“Hey, Ladybug.” Jackson hugged her back.
“Are you Uncle Jackson’s boyfriend?” she asked Henry with all the tact of an eight-year-old.
Henry smiled at her. “I’m Henry. I’m so glad to finally meet you. Your uncle told me what an awesome person you are.” She giggled.
“Are you ready?” he asked Henry, taking Piper’s hand when he nodded. He walked them all out to Melissa’s car. “Henry, this is my mom, Morene, and my sister, Melissa.”
“It’s really nice to meet you,” he told them.
“Hello, Henry.” His mother smiled warmly.
“We are very happy to meet you.” Melissa hummed a bit of a childish song about love and marriage.
“Don’t start,” he warned his sister. He was having a hard enough time thinking about the day he would have to leave Henry.
He didn’t need his mom and sister to plan their wedding and make things worse.
“Everyone ready?” The group nodded. “Let’s go, then.
” He took the bags from his sister’s trunk then the one Henry was carrying, and put them in the back of the Jeep next to the stuff he’d already loaded.
Henry got into the passenger side and buckled his seat belt.
“Jackson showed us his living room yesterday,” his mother said from the backseat as they drove. “You did such a remarkable job, Henry.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Owens.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but I showed pictures to a few friends of mine. One of them should be calling you next week,” she continued.
“Of course I don’t mind.” Jackson loved the excitement in Henry’s voice. “Thank you so much. Who should I look out for?”
“Rebecca Allgrove,” she told him.
“I will make sure she’s well taken care of,” Henry assured her.
“How long have you been a designer?” Melissa asked.
“About ten years now. I had an internship my senior year of high school, worked for that company for a few years, and then I opened Design by Henry five years ago. How about you?” Henry asked her. “Jackson said you’re a nurse. That must be such an exciting profession.”
“It is. I work for a dermatologist. My boss, Dr. Silverman, is the nicest person in the world. I love working for her.”
“It is so great to work for someone you can look up to. How about you, Mrs. Owens?” Henry moved on to question his mother.
“I work in a daycare with the newborns.” She absolutely adored her job. Nothing made her quite as happy as holding a baby. She doted on Piper almost as much as he did. It was a wonder the girl wasn’t spoiled rotten. He supposed it was a testament to his sister’s awesome parenting.
“And, Miss Piper?”
“I’m in third grade.”
“Do you like school?” he asked her.
“It’s okay.” Her voice held muted distaste.
“What do you like, then?” Henry redirected.
And just like that, he realized how perfectly Henry could fit into his life.
The man kept his three favorite girls entertained until he parked the Jeep in the beach’s lot.
During the drive, every time Jackson checked the mirror, the three of them were smiling, or they were laughing at Henry’s stories and jokes.
Jackson’s favorite part, however, was when Henry reached over to rest his hand on his thigh.
“Come on, come on.” As soon as they were out of the Jeep, Piper was tugging him toward the shoreline.
“You ladies find a good spot while Henry and I grab our gear.”
His mother nodded. “Let’s go, Piper.” She took the girl’s hand, walking down the pathway to the beach.
He and Henry grabbed the bags, cooler, and umbrella then followed.
Melissa had chosen a spot on an empty section of beach.
He set up the umbrella while Henry laid out some towels.
Melissa slathered Piper with sunscreen then did the same to their mother.
“Do you need sunblock?” Jackson asked Henry.
Henry offered him a slight smile. “No, I’m going to keep my shirt on too.” Warmth spread through Jackson’s chest. He ran his thumb along Henry’s bottom lip.
“Let’s go in the water, Uncle Jackson.” Piper jumped up and down.
“You got it, Ladybug.”
“You too, Henry.” The girl got between the two of them, taking both their hands and pulling them along.
After about an hour of playtime, a large wave caught them unaware, water hitting them all in the face.
Jackson had to grab Piper to prevent her from falling.
“Maybe we should take a break,” he suggested, as Henry sputtered and wiped his face.
The man nodded, so Jackson took his hand and walked them all onto the beach.
“We should make sandcastles,” Piper decided. “Uncle Jackson makes the best sandcastles,” she told Henry.
“Does he?” Henry smiled.
“Yeah,” she answered excitedly. “He sends me pictures from work.” Piper let go of Jackson’s hand, racing off to grab the buckets, shovels, and other tools.
Henry looked over at him quizzically. “Sandcastles at work?”
“I was stationed in the sand,” Jackson told him. “In my downtime, I would make them and send her pictures. After a while, all my buddies started helping me and we came up with some incredible creations.”
“You’re really good with her,” Henry told him.
“Thanks.” Jackson smiled. “She’s my little princess, and I would do anything to make her happy.” They sank down into the sand as Piper returned.
“Here, Henry.” She handed the man a small orange shovel then gave him a blue one.
Jackson took charge of the operation. “Henry, would you dig a reservoir here?” He pointed to a spot to Henry’s left. “We need a close water supply.”
“Sure thing.”
Jackson handed him a yellow bucket. “Fill this up, then Piper will bring it to me.” Henry instantly went to work.
He and Piper moved over about a foot. He handed her the blue bucket.
“Fill this up with water so we can get started on our base.” He made sure to carefully watch her the entire time she was near the water.
When the girl safely returned, he mixed a little water with the sand to form a foundation.
“I’ve got a bucket for you, Piper,” Henry called. She retrieved it to dump on the other side of her uncle as instructed.
“Do you like sandcastles, Henry?” Piper asked the man.
“Yeah, I love to come watch the competitions in the summer. I have seen some incredible builds,” he answered.
“That’s a lot to live up to.” Jackson laughed, causing Henry and Piper to as well. Damn, why did Henry’s joy sound like a chorus of angels singing.
“Don’t worry.” Henry handed Piper another full bucket. “I’ll grade on a curve.” Henry winked at him. “Besides, you’re really cute. That will definitely help your score.”
That caused Piper to giggle uncontrollably. “Why are you laughing?” Jackson asked his niece, tickling her tummy. “Don’t you think I’m handsome?”
“No,” his sister teasingly called out from where she and his mother were lying out on the towels a few feet away.
“No one asked you.” Melissa stuck her tongue out at him like they were kids. He heard Henry chuckle.
“Mom,” Piper drew out the word. “You’re not supposed to say that in front of Uncle Jackson’s boyfriend.”
“It’s okay, Piper,” Henry told her. “If my brothers were here, they would say the same thing about me. That’s just how siblings function.”
“You did it, Henry.” Piper had been looking over his shoulder when water filled the hole he was digging. The girl high-fived him.
“Great. Now you can both help me with the towers.” Jackson had just finished the base.
Henry came to sit next to him. Together, the three of them laughed and joked as the castle went up. Henry was good with his niece, asking her lots of questions and following her directions. Soon the structure was completed. “Hmmm,” Henry said. “It needs something.”
“What?” Piper wondered.
“This is where my skills are really going to come in handy,” Henry told her. “We totally need to decorate. Do you want to come with me to find shells and stuff?”
Her face lit up and she nodded eagerly. “Are you coming, Uncle Jackson?”
“I think I’m going to sit out for a minute and talk to your mom and Nanny.” The girl shrugged, grabbed Henry’s hand and a pail, and they went toward the shoreline.
“I like him,” Melissa informed him as soon as Henry was out of earshot.
“He seems like such a sweet young man,” his mother added.
“Is young an operative word?” Jackson asked cautiously.
“I didn’t mean it as one.” She shook her head.
“How much younger than you is he that you’re concerned?” Melissa asked.
“He’s twenty-eight.”
“It’s only two years off your ten-year rule.” Melissa shrugged. “He’s obviously not concerned about it. He looks at you like you hung the moon.”
“Is this a relationship that’s going to continue past your leave?” his mother wondered.
“I haven’t thought that far ahead, Mom. This whole thing has kind of caught me off guard, and I’m not really sure what I’m doing.”
“What made you decide that you wanted more with Henry?” Melissa wanted to know.
“Jealousy for one,” Jackson admitted. “The thought of anyone else touching him pisses me off to the point where I’ve broken stuff.” He blew out a breath. “Then there’s the way he’s all I can think about.” Melissa and his mother shared an annoyingly knowing look. “Stop.”
“It’s just nice to see you care about someone.” His mother patted his hand.
He watched as Henry and Piper returned. The girl was holding his hand and happily chatting away. A warmth settled in his chest at the sight.
“Come help us decorate, Uncle Jackson,” the girl called out, causing him to instantly get to his feet.
“We’ll set out lunch while you guys finish up.”
Jackson sank down into the sand next to two of his favorite people. Henry was adding a small piece of driftwood for a door, while Piper put in shell windows. “It’s perfect!” Piper exclaimed.
“I think it’s the best one yet,” Jackson agreed.
“Come and get it,” his mother announced. Piper immediately raced off.
Jackson glanced over at Henry. He was looking at their creation with an odd expression. “Everything okay?”
“This is the first sandcastle I’ve ever finished. My jerk older brother would always knock them down, so I just stopped trying.” Henry lightly kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Jackson.”
Jackson grabbed Henry’s hand, squeezing tightly before pulling him over to where lunch had been set up. Mom and Melissa had two Tupperware containers of sandwiches, a fruit tray, and a bag of chips. He pulled Henry down with him next to the blanket it had all been laid out on.
“We have ham and cheese, and chicken salad,” Melissa announced.
“Which would you like, Henry?” Morene asked.
“Ham and cheese,” Jackson answered for him. “Henry’s allergic to mushrooms.”
Melissa put two sandwich triangles and some cheese tortilla chips on a plate then handed it to Henry. She made another, the exact same way, and handed it to Jackson. Henry reached into the cooler to grab a bottle of water for each of them.
“Did you see how great our castle is, Nanny?” Piper excitedly asked.
“It’s lovely, sweetheart.” Her grandmother passed her a plate of fruit to go with her lunch. Morene then passed fruit to both men as well.
It was Piper who dominated the mealtime conversation.
She seemed determined to tell Henry, in great detail, about every sandcastle he’d ever built for her.
After lunch, Henry had been able to tempt his mother into the water.
He sat with her at the edge where the waves would rush just over their ankles and bottoms. For someone who didn’t like the water, that was huge.
Watching Henry with his family, was wreaking havoc in his heart and in his head.
He had to shove down thoughts he never believed he’d have to deal with.
Forever. That damn word kept bouncing around.
He couldn’t have forever, and he needed to get this under control.
But for some reason, he couldn’t help himself.
“It’s getting late.” Jackson looked up at the sky then took Henry’s hand, leading him down to the water’s edge. “Watch the sunset with me.” He put his arm around the man’s waist, needing him close.
“Thank you for bringing me,” Henry whispered, snuggling close to him. The sky turned a burgundy color as the sun seemed to sink into the water.
“There’s no one I would rather be here with.” Jackson kissed the side of his head. He was so screwed.