Chapter Thirty
JAKE
W hen I saw Natalia’s car in the driveway, my stomach dropped. I had hoped she’d be gone a little longer so Kate would leave. Kate had insisted on making cookies with the girls, and I didn’t feel I could deny them that time with her, especially when she’d put me on the spot as she had. I wanted to be the bigger man for the girls rather than doing what I wanted, which was to kick her out five minutes after she showed up on our doorstep to surprise the girls.
I found them all in the kitchen, laughing, covered in flour. I loved seeing the girls happy, but there was a part of me that was just waiting for Kate to bail.
I set the plastic grocery bag containing the frosting on the counter, and Kate looked inside.
“This isn’t the pre-mixed red and green icing I asked for. ”
“The store at the gas station was all that was open. You’re lucky they even had the vanilla.”
Kate rolled her eyes.
“Just add food coloring to it.” I went to the cupboard and retrieved the sprinkles and candies the girls had used when making cookies with Natalia recently. “Here, you can use these too.”
Piper immediately grabbed for the sprinkles, and I snatched them up before she could, and she pouted.
“Hold out your hand.”
She did as I said, and I sprinkled a few in her hand, which she immediately licked up.
“The rest go on the cookies. Got it?”
She nodded with sprinkles stuck to her lips, and I kissed the top of her head.
“You didn’t tell me the nanny was so pretty,” Kate said.
I narrowed my eyes at her.
“She came over earlier asking for you.”
“Oh, she did? Probably just checking with me about the schedule this week.” I tried to make it sound unimportant so she wouldn’t press. My first instinct was to go straight to the guest house, but I didn’t want Kate to pick up on anything, so I waited.
“How long are you staying?” I asked.
“A few days. Maybe through New Year’s Eve.”
“Stay and watch the ball drop with us, Mommy,” Nora said.
“I’ll try, baby,” she replied.
Once the cookies were in the oven, Kate went to the playroom with the girls, and I walked over to see Natalia .
She saw me coming through the window and met me at the door.
“Hi.” She gave me a little smile.
“Hi.” I wanted to take her in my arms, but I held back.
“I bet the girls are happy to see their mom,” she said.
“I’m so sorry you had to meet her that way. I hope she wasn’t too rude to you.”
“Why didn’t you call or text to tell me she was here so I wouldn’t be caught off guard?”
“I thought she’d be gone before you got here.” I stepped closer until my hand brushed hers. “I’m sorry our plans were ruined. She decided to come anyway to make it up to the girls for not showing last week and showed up without warning. She brought gifts, and they showed her all their presents from Santa.”
“Sounds nice. I’m happy for them.”
“They kept talking about you all day, and I think Kate was a little annoyed by that because she kept changing the subject.”
A smile spread across her face. “Really?”
“Mm-hmm.” I slid my hands around her waist, pulling her close to me. “They like you. A lot.”
“They do, huh?”
I rubbed my nose against her cheek on my way to nuzzling her neck. “They’re not the only ones.”
She giggled as I kissed the smooth skin there.
“How about we spend all day tomorrow together?” I spoke softly in her ear. “I have the day off, and the girls are going to their grandparents’ with Kate. When they get home, we can have that Christmas movie night we were supposed to have. ”
“Yes to all of that.”
“I can’t wait.” I placed a kiss on her cheek, and she turned into me, finding my lips with hers.
I wasn’t sure how many minutes passed because I was lost in her kisses, and she in mine. I wanted to steal away into the guest house with her and keep doing what we were doing, but I needed to get back.
We said good night, and I walked back to the house, smiling from ear to ear. She made me feel alive in ways I hadn’t in years. Maybe ever.
I stepped into the house and took off my boots.
“I never thought you’d become such a cliché.”
I jumped at the sound of Kate’s voice. I hadn’t noticed her standing in the kitchen doorway.
“Getting involved with the nanny. Really, Jake?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“It is my business when you’re screwing around with our children’s nanny.”
“Don’t make it sound so sordid. It’s not like that.”
“I think you should get a different nanny.”
I shook my head. “She’s great at her job. The girls adore her.”
“Obviously, you do too.” She scowled.
“I do, and I won’t apologize for it.”
“It’s unacceptable.”
“So was cheating on me and moving across the country far away from our children.” The timer on the oven went off, and I walked over and whipped the door open.
“Why are you so cruel?” she snapped as I grabbed a potholder.
“ I’m cruel?” I yanked the tray out and dropped it onto the stovetop, tossing the potholder at the counter, where it slid across and landed on the floor. “Listen, my personal life is off limits to you. Every decision I make is with the girls in mind. You know that. I would never do anything to hurt them.”
“This will start rumors, you know? People talk, and it will get to their children and affect the girls.”
“I’ll handle this, Kate.”
“I’ll contact some nanny services and find someone new.”
“No, you will not.” I was reaching my boiling point with her.
“You can’t control me, Jake.”
“When it comes to the girls, I am in charge. I have full custody, and I’ll do what I feel is best.”
“I’ll fight you on it.”
“Now that I’ve found someone new, you suddenly care about custody?”
“I want them to come stay with us in Montana sometimes.”
I shook my head more adamantly this time. “Not happening.”
“They need to get to know their baby brother.”
“Yes, they will. I’ll make sure of it. But not on your terms.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“It’s always about what you want when you want it, isn’t it? Pay no mind to the fact that you have three daughters who needed their mother this whole time, and where were you? Across the country with a new man, new life, new family. You can’t come swooping back in whenever you feel like it, changing plans when things don’t suit your schedule. The girls need consistency and routine. They have that with me. You can’t demand to take them away from the stability of our home into the chaos that is your life.”
“How dare you?” Kate snapped.
“Stop fighting!” Nora cried.
She and her sisters stood in the doorway with tears streaming down their cheeks.
“Oh, girls,” Kate said. “It’s okay. We’re not fighting.”
I looked straight at my girls. “Yes, we are, and we’re sorry for doing it in front of you.”
“Why do we need a different nanny,” Nora whimpered.
“We love Tally,” Ava said.
“Well, your daddy—”
“You don’t need a new nanny.” I cut Kate off before she said something she shouldn’t. “Your mom was just trying to be helpful. She didn’t understand that Tally is the perfect nanny for us.” I glared at Kate when I said that.
She frowned, catching my full meaning.
I went over and crouched down, bringing all three girls into a hug.
“It’s alright, girls.” I pulled away and tapped each of their noses. “Let’s get you some tissues to wipe these snotty noses.”
We did just that, and I ushered them into the living room. “Go play with your new toys. I’ll be right there.”
Once they were gone, I turned to Kate. “Can we just get through this night and make it a happy one for them?”
“Fine. ”
She went into the living room, leaving the cookies unfinished. I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. Never once had she fought me on custody. She’d been so obsessed with her new relationship that all she wanted was to get away to Montana and start a new life with him. Why she felt the need to come back and stir the pot was beyond me. Because I knew her. She would never follow through with it. She was all talk and no action, which was why I hadn’t been hesitant to say those things to her. They were all the truth, and I knew she didn’t want to hear it and would never take anything I said to heart. She never had before. Why start now?
I put some frosting and sprinkles on a handful of the cookies and put them on a plate.
Kate was talking to someone on the phone when I came into the room. The girls were quiet, sitting on the floor, playing with some of their Christmas toys.
“Okay,” she said. “See you soon. Bye.”
I held the plate of cookies out to her, and she took one. The girls didn’t jump up to get one like I thought they would, so I took the plate over and offered them each one too. They sat quietly eating.
“It’s getting kind of late,” Kate said. “I should probably get going.”
“Can’t you stay longer, Mommy?” Nora asked. “We can watch a Christmas movie.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m really tired after my travels. But I’ll see you girls tomorrow at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.” She got up, tucked her phone into her pocket, and headed for the door.
I followed. “Who was that?” I asked so only she could hear .
“Alessia,” she replied.
“You keep in touch with her?”
“She’s my best friend. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because she’s trouble. Always has been, always will be.”
Alessia was the reason Kate had met Darryl in the first place. Kate had met her at a yoga class when Nora and Ava were little. Alessia was younger, just out of college, ready to have fun, and she pulled Kate into her world of partying. Kate would leave me home with the babies for nights out with her new best friend and come home wasted afterward. Those were long years for me, but I thought I was giving her what she needed. Every mom needed a break from motherhood once in a while. But as the years went by, it became more and more frequent. And by the time she met Darryl, it was too late to fix things, and she didn’t even care enough to try.
“That’s all in the past, Jake. Get over it.”
I gritted my teeth, trying not to raise my voice at her again. “That’s who you’re ditching your girls for right now?”
“I promised to visit her while I was in town.”
“I hope she knows you can’t be her drinking buddy with that little one you have on the way.”
“Screw you.” She put on a happy face as she walked over and leaned down to hug the girls. “See you tomorrow, girls. I love you.”
The two younger girls returned the loving sentiments to their mother, but Nora hugged her stiffly and stared after her as she walked out the door.
“How about we get our jammies on, and we can watch The Santa Clause ,” I said.
“Can I have more cookies?” Ava asked.
“A couple more, but after you change. ”
Ava didn’t have to be told twice, and Piper followed her upstairs, but Nora sat still on the floor.
I walked over and sat down next to her. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t want to go to Montana with her.” Her chin quivered as tears slid down her cheeks.
“Why not, sweetie?”
“I feel sad when she’s around. I don’t think she loves us.”
I drew her into my side. “Yes, she does. She just isn’t very good at showing it.”
“I don’t want to leave my friends at school or my dance class. I just started. And I don’t want a new nanny.”
Her tears were falling steadily now. “None of that is going to happen.” I pulled her up into my lap and hugged her tightly. “Your mom was just talking. She does that sometimes. But she can’t make you go with her, and she can’t get rid of Tally. Everything’s going to be fine.”
She let out a few more soft sobs, and I used my shirt to wipe her face and sent her off to get into her pajamas.
My blood boiled that Kate had taken what started as a happy Christmas day and totally ruined the mood. I was determined to make it a better evening for my girls. I thought about inviting Natalia to join us but decided to spend it just the four of us instead. The girls enjoyed the movie, and I was relieved every time they laughed or smiled.
Once they were in bed, I laid down on the couch and let out a deep breath. What a day .
I pulled out my phone and fired off a text to Natalia.
Me: Hey, are you asleep?
Natalia: If I was, would I answer this? (winking emoji)
Me: Maybe you text in your sleep.
Natalia: Is that a real thing?
Me: If it is, I’m sure it makes for some entertaining messages.
I dialed her number.
“Hi,” she said. “How are the girls?”
It warmed my heart that they were the first thing she asked about.
“Kate and I got into a little fight, and they were pretty upset about it. Then she bolted.”
“Oh no.”
“I gave them cookies and a movie to cheer them up. They’re all in bed now. I worry about how they’ll be after spending all day with her tomorrow. If she even shows.”
“Maybe you should go with them.”
“Yeah, I thought about that, but Kate would throw a fit that I’m interfering with her time with them.” I paused, wanting to veer the subject away from Kate. “Are you trying to get rid of me tomorrow?”
“No way. I want you all to myself.”
The butterflies took a turn or two around my stomach. “I like the sound of that.”
“Do you now?”
“Especially the wanting me part.”
She let out a soft laugh.
“How was Christmas with your family? ”
“My big sister, Rochelle, said the reason I was smiling was because I met someone, and then all of my siblings went nuts with questions, totally embarrassing me and putting me on the spot. But I gave them nothing.”
I laughed. “You can tell your family about us if you want.”
“Well, I thought I’d wait until after you tell the girls.”
“I love that you’re always thinking of them.”
“You and the girls are important to me, and I want this to be a positive thing for all of us. You should tell them when you think the time is right.”
“You’re the best. Have I told you that lately?”
“Keep talking,” she said, and we both laughed.
“What do you want to do tomorrow? The whole day is ours.”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “Whatever we do, I’ll be happy, as long as I’m with you.”
“I feel the same. Are we the cheesiest couple ever?”
“Yes.” She giggled. “Also, I love that you just called us a couple.”
“I’m happy about us.”
“So am I.”