Chapter 11
Peter continued to entertain Jenna while Hailey retreated to the kitchen.
He hoped he hadn’t been too forward with his queries.
Hailey didn’t seem upset that he’d asked, but neither did she appear inclined to talk about the details surrounding her late husband’s death.
And from what he’d discovered online, he could understand why.
As the blocks went flying yet again, he lifted his hand to his mouth and widened his eyes. Jenna grinned at his exaggerated expression. Before they had time to begin again, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” Hailey called.
Immediately, the door flung open, and a little boy around six years old burst inside, hand still on the doorknob. “We’re here!” he announced proudly.
Hailey laughed. “I see that. Come on in, Lucky. Jenna’s playing in the living room if you want to join her.”
Leaving the door half-open, the boy rushed around the corner of the couch. Jenna clapped when she saw him, but as soon as the boy caught sight of Peter, he stopped short, eyes wide.
“Hello, there.” He offered Lucky a grin, hoping to set him at ease.
Apparently, that was the wrong move. The boy did an about-face and darted back toward the entrance, taking cover behind a lanky teenager who had his hands full with gallon jugs of what appeared to be tea and lemonade.
“Who’s that?” The loud whisper carried across the open room.
The older boy glanced his way and shrugged. “Dunno. How about you ask him?” He continued toward the kitchen, the younger boy sticking to him like gum. “Hi, Hailey. Where you want these?”
“There on the island is fine. Thanks, Dion.”
Blocks seemingly forgotten, Jenna scrambled to her feet and set out for the newcomers.
Peter surveyed the mess. He didn’t know how many guests Hailey was expecting, but based on the amount of food they’d prepared, there was a good chance some of them would end up eating in here.
Quickly, he gathered the tripping hazards and deposited them in what appeared to be a catch-all toy bin.
By the time he finished, several adults had filed inside. To his surprise, and maybe a bit of chagrin, he recognized all of them from the days preceding his accident. Why hadn’t he connected the dots about which of Hailey’s family members might be coming?
Of course, he and Hailey had already arrived here by the time she mentioned Bryce Jessup was her cousin. And truth be told, he wouldn’t have arbitrarily declined the invitation if he’d known upfront. Probably not, anyway. But he would have liked the chance to prepare himself first.
At that instant, Bryce looked his way, seeming to notice his presence for the first time. The man’s eyebrows shot up, but there was no animosity on his face when he started toward him.
Peter gathered his courage to offer an apology.
He should have tried to contact them long ago.
But by the time he’d recovered enough from his accident to even consider it, his embarrassment had grown into a thundercloud of shame.
The situation had been resolved by then too, so he’d decided to let bygones be bygones.
He’d never felt right about that though.
He and Bryce met in the middle of the room. Bryce spoke before he could. “Peter Lewis? What are you doing here?”
Peter grimaced, then realized Bryce’s tone wasn’t accusatory. He sounded confused and maybe a little concerned. Suddenly, the reason dawned on him. “I’m here as a friend, not as protection,” he quickly assured the man.
Bryce’s expression cleared, and he stuck out his hand. “In that case, good to see you again. Not that you wouldn’t be welcome here otherwise, but you had me worried for a moment that my cousin might be in trouble.”
“Sorry about that.”
Corina joined them then, holding a baby in her arms. “I thought I recognized you. How have you been, Peter? Last update we got was when you were discharged from the hospital.”
“I’m fine, made a full recovery.” Physically, at least, and that’s what he was certain she meant. “And who is this little guy?” He smiled at the baby she held.
“This is Colton Derryck Jessup,” she said. “Named in honor of the brothers Bryce and I both lost.”
He remembered learning that her younger brother had died many years ago. He hadn’t realized Bryce’s had as well. “I’m certain they’d be proud.”
“We like to think so.” The baby let out a squawk, and Corina bounced him gently. She looked back at Peter. “I can hardly believe you’re here. We’ve prayed for you since your accident.”
“Thank you.” And this was his opportunity. He forced himself not to look away. “I’ve been wanting to apologize for that situation—should have long ago. I’m sorry I didn’t do my job.”
The couple looked genuinely puzzled. “You did do your job,” Bryce said.
“Not well enough. Corina and the rest of you could have been killed.” Two others had died that night—though they hadn’t been under Peter’s protection.
Bryce put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “And so could you. It wasn’t your fault.”
“None of us ever blamed you,” Corina added.
“Even so, I’m sorry.” He shifted, unsure what else to say.
Right then, Allye Jessup, Bryce’s sister, joined their little circle, pulling an intense-looking man along beside her.
“Peter, I’m so sorry. I must have walked right by you when we came in.
I didn’t even realize someone else was here.
It’s so good to see you again. What brings you back to Kincaid?
” The woman’s words came out in a rush, and Peter had to take a second to process what she’d said.
He blinked, hoping he wasn’t displaying a deer-in-the-headlights look.
But then his brain caught up to the fact that not only was she welcoming him warmly, but the whole group seemed okay with his presence.
Could it really be that he was the only one who blamed himself for that night? He’d have to think on that later.
Finally, Allye’s question registered, and he realized they were waiting for his answer. “I live here now, actually. I work security for the 1798 Building. That’s how Hailey and I met.”
“You aren’t a bodyguard anymore?” That question came from Corina.
He shook his head. “No. I left that career a while ago.” He decided not to give specifics. Wasn’t sure he wanted to admit how deeply that night had affected him. His physical wounds had been bad enough, but he’d recovered fine from those. It was the psychological ones that still haunted him.
“Well, we’re all glad to see you again,” Allye declared. “A lot has happened in the last couple years.” She leaned into the man beside her and looked up at him.
“That’s an understatement,” the man said.
His arm was around her waist, almost appearing to subtly support her.
His intensity seemed to soften as he met her gaze.
Peter was no romantic, but he could see the two had fallen hard for each other.
He racked his brain for the man’s name, but he couldn’t place it.
He knew he’d seen him before. Maybe even talked to him.
Then Allye shifted, and something glimmered on her hand. He took a better look and saw she wore an engagement ring. He’d almost forgotten Hailey’s comment about Bryce’s sister having a fiancé. “I see congratulations are in order. When’s the big day?”
Allye practically glowed. “The twenty-fifth of next month. You should come. Eric and I would love to have you.”
Details clicked in his mind at the name.
Eric Thornton was one of the local police officers he’d met when he was here on protection duty.
He’d only met the man once. Well, maybe more than that if you counted the times he’d come by while Peter was in the hospital, but his memories of the days immediately following his accident were hazy.
He’d also never seen the officer out of uniform.
No wonder he hadn’t been able to place him.
“I’m honored. I will have to check my schedule though.”
“There’s no pressure. It’ll be a very simple ceremony and casual reception, but we chose an outdoor venue with plenty of room.”
“Considering you’ve practically invited the whole town, that’s kind of a necessity,” Bryce said, his tone making it obvious he was teasing.
Allye shrugged. “Some brides want an expensive dress or the perfect setup. I just want the people I care about there.”
“Which is everyone,” Eric noted dryly.
The whole group chuckled, and Peter felt himself relax as they moved to join Hailey and the younger members of their party in the kitchen. He was going to enjoy this afternoon.
A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER, Hailey pulled away from Peter’s bungalow and pointed her SUV toward home.
She could have asked someone who lived in town to drop him off on their way home, but she’d seen his exhaustion beginning to set in.
Between his recent concussion and night-shift schedule, the man had to be running on fumes.
Corina and Allye had readily agreed to keep an eye on Jenna for the fifteen or so minutes it would take to get to Peter’s house and back.
Now she had a few moments to herself to breathe before reentering the chaos that was her house at the moment.
She loved her family. And the chaos. And the kids.
In fact, she’d once hoped she and Wesley would have several.
But that didn’t mean the noise on get-together weeks wasn’t a bit overwhelming when most of the time it was just her, Jenna, and Maggie at home.
Back at the house, she pulled her SUV behind the other two cars.
They’d left her enough space to get into the garage, but she wanted to give the paint a bit more time to cure before she raised the door.
She could still see the faint shadow of the spray-painted words beneath it, but no one else had mentioned it, so hopefully that meant they hadn’t noticed.
When she reentered the house, it was much quieter than when she’d left. She looked around. Only Corina, Allye, and the little ones were in sight. She joined them in the living room and dropped into a chair. “Where are the guys?”
“We sent them out back to play,” Allye said with a wink. She was seated on the couch, knitting while Jenna napped with her head on Allye’s lap.
Hailey laughed. “The men too?”
Corina shifted her hold on Colton to retrieve the pacifier he’d just tossed on the floor. “We needed a rest, and Jenna was starting to look pretty tired. Since Bryce had his ultimate frisbee gear in the car, I suggested they take the boys outside to burn off some energy. None of them complained.”
“Smart.”
“So,” Allye started, a twinkle in her eye. “You and Peter?”
“No.” Hailey was quick to set her cousin straight. “We’re just friends and barely that.”
“Harsh,” Corina murmured.
“I didn’t mean it that way. We’ve literally only known each other for three days. He got a concussion at work the other night, and it just worked out for me to give him a ride to church this morning. Asking him to join us for lunch was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”
Allye shrugged, careful not to disturb Jenna. “That’s fair, I guess. But he’s a nice guy from what I’ve seen. And he seems to be really good with kids. He even won Lucky over.”
She had noticed that. Lucky and Dion had lost their mom to a drug overdose last fall, and the six-year-old had taken several months to begin emerging from his shell.
Both boys had done well under Eric’s care, but Lucky was still edgy around strangers, especially men.
But somehow, by the time dessert was served, the little boy had been laughing at Peter’s jokes and asking questions about growing up in the UK.
Allye’s voice turned sly. “And you can’t deny you two would look darling together.”
“Really, Allye?”
Her cousin looked at Corina for confirmation. “Wouldn’t they?”
This was ridiculous. Before Corina could do more than nod, Hailey blew out a frustrated breath.
“It’s a moot point. I’m far from ready to date again.
Wesley hasn’t even been gone a year, and I still haven’t figured out how to process the mess he caused.
” The recent vandalisms weren’t helping.
Though she had doubts about whether they were connected with Wesley’s sins, the fact that they could be dredged up way too much baggage.
The other women immediately sobered. Allye reached across the space between them and patted her arm. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, just . . . too soon.” She knew they didn’t mean any harm by their teasing.
And the image Allye’s words had elicited wasn’t distasteful.
Not that she had to imagine it. Passing through the church foyer with Peter earlier, she’d caught a glimpse of their reflection in a decorative mirror.
Walking hand in hand with Jenna, they could easily have passed for a young family.
That had been one of the many things she’d missed in recent months.
When she and Wesley were dating, she’d assumed he was a Christian, though she realized later that he’d never claimed to be.
Still, after they were married, he had faithfully accompanied her to church.
She’d hoped and prayed that one day the truth would sink in and he’d realize his need for Jesus.
He finally had, but not until he was on his deathbed.
That knowledge brought a small amount of sweetness to her bitter loss.
Realizing she was staring off into space, she gave herself a mental shake and pulled her focus back to the present. Both her cousins were looking at her with concern. She summoned a weak smile. “Sorry, I zoned out for a minute there.”
“Are you doing okay, Hailey?” Corina asked softly.
She sighed, knowing she wouldn’t be able to get away with sidestepping the question. “I think I’m doing as well as can be expected. It’s just going to take some time before I’m ready to move on.”
Corina and Allye nodded somberly. Each of them knew the truth of her words from personal experience.
“So could we talk about something more fun? Like my mom’s surprise birthday party next Sunday or someone’s upcoming wedding?” Hailey gave Allye a meaning look.
Her cousin immediately brightened. “You know, I do have a fun update for you.”
Hailey let herself relax as the conversation shifted to more comfortable ground. She was so pleased Eric and Allye had found each other or, rather, finally admitted they belonged together. The two had fought a hard battle to get where they were today. They deserved their happily ever after.