Chapter Seventeen
Oscar was beaming by the time Jesse reached the school, where the buses had dropped off the team.
“Hey, bud,” Jesse said, taking in his son’s bright grin. “How’d it go?”
“It went great,” Coach Finn said as he came up to them.
The former professional football player gave Oscar a proud nod.
“Oscar had all the stats on the opposing team. He suggested a play. I agreed and so did the team captain. It helped us win the game. The whole team now realizes what an asset he is.”
“That he is,” Jesse replied. Oscar studied sports like an art student studied Van Gogh.
“They made me team statistician,” Oscar announced, rocking on his feet.
“The team was in agreement,” Finn added.
Jesse’s chest tightened proudly. He could read between the lines. The team had finally accepted his son.
His heart was in his throat as he smiled at Oscar. “It sounds like the trip was successful.”
Finn nodded, his expression turning determined. “Yep. Especially now that the team knows we have a secret weapon in our midst.”
He winked at Oscar, who stood a little straighter. Jesse tried very hard to fight back the large grin that wanted to appear on his face. He didn’t want to make things awkward for his son by pumping a victory fist in the air. He couldn’t wait to tell Carly.
The thought of her brought him back to the night before. Their connection had been like a match to a stick of dynamite. Incredible. Explosive. Jesse ached to be near her again, whether to have sex or just to be beside her, he didn’t care as long as he was with her.
Because he was in love with her.
He had a feeling he knew that leading up to what happened between them last night.
Aside from Oscar, Carly was quickly becoming the most important person in his life.
After they’d made love, he’d gone into the bathroom, feeling unsteady from the way she’d completely undone him.
He’d had to stay there for countless minutes as his heart pounded with the reckoning of his feelings for her.
He knew it was too soon in their relationship to be blurting out declarations of love, but he needed her in a way he hadn’t felt in years.
And that was the thing. She made him feel again. He felt like he’d finally woken up from a ten-year coma. She made him laugh and worried the hell out of him. She called him out on his mistakes and made him feel like he was home whenever he was with her. He hated leaving her that morning.
He wished they could have talked before he’d left, but after he’d come out of the bathroom, she’d been asleep, and he hadn’t wanted to rouse her.
He should have gone home—she hadn’t asked him to stay the night—but he couldn’t fathom the idea of leaving her after what they’d shared.
So instead, he’d gotten back in bed with her, moving as carefully as possible so he didn’t wake her.
Despite not wanting to disturb her, he hadn’t been able to resist touching the soft skin of her back, tracing the delicate bones of her spine.
She was it for him. Now he needed to be patient so that he could eventually convince her of that.
As he and Oscar walked to the truck, he asked, “Are you hungry?”
“We ate at the hotel, but that was forever ago, so yeah.”
Jesse snorted. “Forever” was actually about a couple of hours ago, but Oscar was a teenager. He was always hungry.
“Why don’t you and I get some brunch at the Silver Spur Café,” Jesse suggested. “And then you can tell me all about yesterday.”
“Okay,” Oscar replied.
Together, father and son made their way to the center of town, the world a little brighter for both of them. Thanks to Carly.
* * *
Carly walked toward the center of town, pulling her fall coat a little tighter to her. She was supposed to meet the contractor soon to go over some of the ideas she had for the school.
“Carly!” someone called out, and she looked around to see who it was.
JenniLynn Garrett came over to her, a warm smile on her face.
“Hello, Mayor,” Carly replied.
The other woman waved that off. “Please call me JenniLynn. I mean, you’re dating my boyfriend’s brother, right?”
Carly’s lips compressed. “Right.”
JenniLynn eyed her reaction, her smile turning to concern. “Uh-oh, what did he do?”
“Nothing. Everything is fine.”
The mayor made a tsking noise. She grabbed Carly’s arm and led her over to one of the benches in front of Tenacity Grocery.
As they both settled, JenniLynn said, “Okay, spill.”
“I don’t have anything to spill,” Carly insisted. Her feelings were confusing enough as it was. She couldn’t very well blabber how hurt she’d been by Jesse’s reaction after they made love.
JenniLynn shook her head. “You know I’m also in love with an Abernathy man. I love Grayson dearly, but when people google the ‘strong and silent type,’ I guarantee you’d see a picture of the Abernathy men. They have huge hearts, but they aren’t the best at expressing themselves.”
“I…” Tears filled Carly’s eyes, and before she knew it, she was telling JenniLynn everything. As she finished, she said, “I don’t know…maybe there was only room in his heart for one woman, and she passed away.”
JenniLynn stared across the road, her face reflective. “I never met MaryBeth, so I can’t speak on Jesse’s relationship with her. I know that he loved her. I think that’s fair considering she was the mother of his child.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“I know you didn’t mean anything by it,” she assured her. “From what Grayson told me, Jesse lost his way for a long time after she died. It wasn’t expected. She passed from a brain aneurysm.”
Carly sucked in a shocked breath. “I didn’t know that. Jesse never told me what happened other than she died.”
JenniLynn nodded at that. “I can understand why. From what Grayson told me, Jesse came home from work one day, found Oscar screaming his head off and MaryBeth unconscious on the floor. She died shortly after they got her to the hospital. There was nothing they could do. Jesse distanced himself from everyone except Oscar. He protects Oscar like his life depends on it. Part of it, I think, is because of Oscar’s autism.
I get that. My youngest is also on the spectrum, and it’s impossible to not worry about them and what their future might be like.
I think another part of it is his fear of losing another person he loves.
But ever since he met you, I’ve noticed a change in him.
He smiles more. He gives Oscar more space to grow and become his own man.
It’s a good thing—you being in his life.
” She reached over and squeezed Carly’s arm.
“Be patient with him. Because I can tell you from firsthand knowledge, these Abernathy men are worth it.”
Carly nodded. They said their goodbyes, and Carly headed over to the Silver Spur Café, where a tall, handsome man stood outside, texting someone on his phone.
His sleeves were rolled up, showcasing tattoos on both arms. He was the type of man who stopped women in their tracks.
It was too bad Carly’s heart was already consumed by Jesse.
“Hi,” she said as she came up to him. “I don’t suppose you’re Connor Adair?”
“That I am,” he replied, flashing a professional smile. “You must be Carly.”
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Connor nodded toward the café. “Let’s grab some coffee while you tell me about your plans. I work better with a cup of caffeine in front of me.”
“Same.” She laughed. “Lead the way.”
They entered the café and were shown to the seating area to the right. After they slid into the booth, a middle-aged woman came up to them, introduced herself as Francine, and took their coffee orders.
“So,” Connor started, “Josh said you’re looking to build a riding school for foster kids.”
“I am,” Carly said. “I spent my early childhood in foster care. It wasn’t until my parents took me in and put me on a horse for the first time that I felt safe. I want kids in similar situations to have the same experience.”
“And you’re going to bring in horses bound for the slaughterhouse?” he asked, and when she nodded, he smiled. “That sounds like an incredible project that I’d love to help out with. Have you looked into running it as a nonprofit? It can give me more options in terms of cutting pricing.”
“Oh…” Carly responded. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“You should,” Connor encouraged. “I work pretty closely with some agencies throughout the area who can help you get it established. I can send you some names later if you want.”
“That’d be amazing,” Carly said, thankful for the help. She’d planned on using her name to connect with sponsors who were known for funding these types of projects. Telling them that they could possibly get a nice tax break could be just the incentive she needed to get them to commit.
Connor nodded before he said, “Give me an idea of what you’re looking for.”
“Well…” She pulled her phone out of her purse. “This is the current barn where I plan to stable the horses. It has a cement slab to the left of the main door, and I thought that might be the ideal spot for an office. You see right—”
“Carly?”
Carly dropped her phone as her head whipped to see Jesse standing beside her table. Oscar was with him.
“H-hi,” she sputtered. Jesse looked from her to Connor then back to her, so she said, “This is Connor Adair. Connor, this is Jesse Abernathy and his son, Oscar.”
“Nice to meet you,” Connor said, continuing to keep things professional.
Jesse nodded, but his eyes didn’t stray from Carly.
“Carly, guess what!” Oscar said. “Coach Finn promoted me to team statistician.”
“That’s amazing!” she replied, smiling brightly at the teen.
“Oscar, didn’t you say you needed to use the restroom before we leave?” Jesse asked.
Oscar rolled his eyes, but he waved to the occupants in the booth before heading to the bathrooms in the back.
Jesse turned his full attention back to Carly. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
Carly glanced at Connor. They were in the middle of a business meeting. She didn’t want to be rude.
Connor scooted out of the booth, solving the issue for her. “I needed to follow up with my assistant on something anyway. I’ll be back, and we can continue our discussion.”
She gave him an apologetic look but was grateful. “Sounds good.”
As soon as he left, Jesse slid into his spot.
“Is there any reason you’re interrupting my business meeting?” Carly asked him.
“Business meeting?” Jesse asked, though his body seemed to relax a little.
“Connor is a contractor. Amy’s husband recommended him to help me with my riding school. I’m looking to possibly hire him to help me redesign the stables, build a riding barn, and construct an office.”
Jesse’s lips turned up. “You’re really doing it, huh?”
“I’m trying to.” She waved her hand toward the window where Connor was pacing outside while talking on his phone.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just wanted to say that I was sorry for running off this morning without saying goodbye to you first. But you looked so content sleeping, I didn’t want to disturb you. Did you get the flowers I sent you?”
“I did.” She picked up the coffee mug and cradled it in her hands, enjoying the heat of it warming her palms. It was a nice contrast to the fall air outside. She didn’t meet his eyes as she said, “It was a little weird, though, to wake up and you were gone. No note or anything.”
“I…” Jesse rubbed his face. “Oh hell. I’m always messing up with you. I—”
Oscar came up to the table then. “I’m ready to go,” he announced.
Jesse sighed but gave his son a short nod. He stood up from the table and said to her, “I’ll call you later, okay?”
She nodded, though she still wouldn’t look at him. “I’d like that.”
“Good.” And then in front of everyone in the café, Jesse leaned down and cupped her cheek, forcing her to meet his gaze. Her eyes widened as he closed the distance between them, his lips pressing possessively against hers before he repeated like a promise against her mouth, “I’ll call you later.”
He left before she could say anything else.
Carly’s gaze trailed after him, her heart pounding hard.
Oscar stared after his father before he looked back at Carly.
With a smirk, he lifted his fist and nodded toward it.
When she copied his movement, he fist-bumped her, then followed his father out the door.
Carly lifted her hand and touched her lips. Whispers were racing through the café like flames in a brushfire.
Francine came up to her, her eyes twinkling. “Can I refill your coffee?”
“Yes, please.” She pushed the cup over to the woman just as Connor returned.
After the waitress left, he asked, “Is everything okay?”
Carly glanced out the window in time to see Jesse and Oscar drive by. Jesse tipped his hat at her as he went.
She couldn’t fight the smile on her face as she replied. “Yeah, everything is great.”