19. Ember #2
I found myself staring at the picture on the corkboard, my throat growing tight.
It had a faded, sepia quality to it, but our smiles were unmistakable.
Jack held the two of us like we were the most precious things in his life as we displayed our estate sale finds.
A snapshot of one of the happiest mornings of my life.
I blinked at that thought, reeling. Was it bad that one of the best days of my life involved a slow breakfast, an estate sale, and a hot drink? It was so simple—but I couldn’t deny the way I felt.
This morning had made me feel like I was part of a family.
My life had purpose beyond my career. I had at least two people in my life who cared about me and wanted to spend time with me, who encouraged me to make rash purchases and didn’t hesitate when the lady at the counter gave away a designer dress for a song.
I wanted every weekend to be like this. I wanted Darby’s light and laughter. I wanted Jack’s soft touches. I wanted people to smile at us and call us a family. I wanted to belong somewhere—to belong to other people in a way that made me feel at home.
“Hey,” Jack said, padding into the kitchen. “You okay?” He set his tool bag on the kitchen table and wrapped his arms around me.
I nodded, the bridge of my nose prickling. “Yes. Just a little emotional.”
“How come?”
I shrugged, feeling silly. “I’ve never had a family. Not really. My dad resented me, and I learned to pull away from anything that felt too close to intimacy. I wasn’t close with my cousins or aunts and uncles. But with you and Darby…”
Jack’s smile was tender. “It’s like I said, Ember. We fit.”
I nodded, unable to speak. He pressed a soft kiss to my lips, then said, “Darby wants to show you her new painting. And then she wants you to try on your dress.”
I smiled and nodded. Spending time with Jack and Darby made my heart feel light. I couldn’t get enough of it.
The following day, at family lunch, Sadie marched me to the bathroom and made me try on the Gucci dress. She produced pins from her bag and went to work.
“I really appreciate you doing this,” I said.
“Don’t mention it!” She beamed at me. “I love it. With Life’s a Stitch still closed for renovations, I haven’t been able to jump into business the way I wanted to. This scratches the itch.”
“Still, you’re doing me a huge favor.”
Sadie shrugged. “You’re family. Now stand on this step stool. We’ll do the hem. Here, I brought some heels for you to wear.”
I slipped my feet into the black heels she gave me, my throat too tight to form words.
They were a little big, but they were about the same height as the pair of heels I’d brought with me.
As Sadie crouched near my ankles and pinned the hem of the dress up to match my short frame, I tried to hold back tears.
She’d used that word again—family.
And I realized that it was so much bigger than just Jack and Darby.
There was a whole network of people in this town who had each other’s backs.
People who would do you a favor without hesitation.
Dozens of people I could get to know who had already decided to accept me because I was one of them now.
The magnitude of it was overwhelming. I’d never even had one person, let alone thirty.
In my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t have imagined walking into a family and being accepted as I was.
It was unfathomable. I hadn’t even had to do anything to gain their approval.
I just existed, and they nodded their heads and said, You’re in.
By the time Sadie was done and I was back in my regular clothes, I’d regained control over my raging emotions. Well, I thought I had, until Jack accosted me in the hallway. He nodded at Sadie, who had my dress in a bag to take home with her, and pulled me into the parlor where we’d first met.
As soon as the door closed, he kissed me. It wasn’t a polite kiss. It was the kind of kiss that had me pressed up against the wallpaper, his hand slipping down to hook my knee over his hip.
“We shouldn’t be doing this here,” I mumbled against his lips and felt his own mouth curve in response.
“Such a good girl,” he chided. “Always following the rules.”
I pressed my lips together, but a flush of heat went through me. I loved the way he talked to me. Loved the way he wanted me.
“Jack,” I protested, but I didn’t push him away.
“It’s your fault for wearing one of your skirts,” he grumbled, hand coasting up my thigh. “These things drive me out of my mind.”
I giggled. Actually giggled. When I looked up to meet his gaze, there was something in his eyes that made me still. A depth of emotion. Many things unsaid.
“Let’s go talk to my grandmother about that wedding certificate,” he murmured.
Throat tight, I nodded, and I let him lead me out of the parlor and down the hall to Etta Mars’s study.
JACK
Grandma Mars waited for us behind her heavy desk. She wore a navy blouse and matching pants, complete with a pearl necklace and earrings. Her hair was styled, as usual, and her eyes were sharp.
“We’re here for the wedding certificate. We’ll file it tomorrow,” I announced.
My grandmother arched a brow. “How wonderful,” she said, but she didn’t move.
I could feel Ember’s frustration beside me. She lifted her chin at my grandmother and asked, “Why do you hold the certificates hostage, anyway? Seems to me like we should’ve had it from the start.”
Grandma’s face split into a grin, her eyes twinkling with mischief. It was the same look she’d given me when I was eleven and she’d caught me trying to rig a bucket of water above Knox’s bedroom door. She hadn’t taken the bucket down, and she’d told me not to get caught.
Right now all she said was, “You didn’t ask.” She pulled the top drawer of her desk open and took out a large white envelope. “Congratulations,” she told us.
Ember nodded, taking the certificate. “Thank you. We’ll file it in the morning.” She glanced at me, arching her brows.
“Yep,” I said, stroking the back of her arm.
She smiled at me, and even though I didn’t see anything wrong in her gaze, a dart of doubt went through me. This was exactly what Ember had wanted. Filing this wedding certificate was part of our agreement.
After this, would she leave? Would she file for divorce once she got her inheritance?
Everything had changed for me, but I wasn’t sure Ember was the type of woman who would change directions once she was on her chosen path.
I wasn’t sure I would be a big enough reason for her to stay.
And if she did stay…what kind of man did that make me? To move on from my dead wife so easily. To bring a new woman into my daughter’s life.
I knew it had been over a decade. I knew Darby loved having Ember around. Still, doubts swirled.
When Ember smiled shyly at me and tucked the wedding certificate into her bag, the doubts faded. She was here, and she was mine. We would figure it out.