Chapter 16
Jack
One Week Later
Ihave picked up my phone and called Holly every day for the last seven days. I’ve only heard her voice through her voicemail system. By the time day six rolled around, I was a caged animal—pacing, snarling at everyone, picking fights wherever I could get them.
Last night, Anna and Hans sat me down while my boys and their kids watched a Home Alone marathon—our yearly tradition. “Listen, Jack, you’re hurting everyone and yourself. Was it a fling or not?”
My sister has always been direct, and, like always, it rankles me. “Not a fling,” I say, my voice low and dangerous. Hans gives me the same affable look he always has and mouths the words, cool it.
“If it isn’t a fling, then you know what to do, cowboy.”
“I’m not a fucking cowboy,” I retort, knowing I sound petulant like a kid.
“Mm-hmm, and you’re not a child either, so stop acting like it. This lady has the hots for you. You have the hots for her. She isn’t answering her phone, because this is the twenty-first century, and she’s fucking busy. So get on your pony and go get her!”
“I’m not a cowboy.” This time, I cross my arms, doubling down on this stupidity. “Yes, I think we have something magical. Yes, I’m willing to fight for her. But I have Todd and Cliff to think about. They need stability, not me traipsing off to the city like some citified sellout.”
Anna’s eyes do this weird thing I can’t quite make out. As I lean forward to ask if she’s having a stroke, the voice behind my chair stabs me through the chest.
“Dad. We want you to go get her.”
“Yeah, we like her. And comets. And constipation.” At that declaration, both Todd and I groan, and I turn to pull my boys to me.
“You aren’t supposed to be eavesdropping,” I say, squeezing them tight, but happy they’re here, all the same.
“Yeah, well, you should be quieter,” says Cliff.
“Yeah, unlike at the cabin,” Todd says pointedly. Oops. I feel my face heat as Anna and Hans smirk at me. When I meet Hans’s eyes, his brows waggle in a stupid dance.
“I tried to be quiet. I’m sorry,” I say to each of them.
“We don’t mind! We want Dr. Holly to be our new mom!” Cliff shouts into my face, his ruddy cheeks radiant with being hyped up on sugar from half-eaten gingerbread houses.
“Slow your roll, little dude. We are a long way from proposing to Dr. Holly.”
“No, we aren’t! I made her a ring this week. We can give it to her tomorrow.” Cliff is so matter-of-fact in his six-year-old ways, I frankly don’t have the heart to say no to him. When I look at Todd, I expect to see him rolling his eyes, or looking moody and disgruntled.
He doesn’t. He looks hopeful and happy. “Yeah, Dad. We want to get her tomorrow.”
“She isn’t a dog we can just pick up at the pound!” I say, standing up. I have been ambushed by my children and my sister and her husband. There is no way on earth we are driving to the city tomorrow to give Dr. Holly the paper ring my son made for her.
Cliff holds the ring up for me to look at. It has a little comet streaking across it. My eyes well up with tears something fierce. Something that hasn’t happened in a long time. No, scratch that. Something that happened just last week, staring up at the stars with the woman my heard aches for.
Damnit.
And now we are sitting in the truck outside the address Dr. Holly emailed me with when we first corresponded.
Boys dressed up as if they are headed to a fancy dinner—clean, button-down shirts, best jeans.
They made me do the same. Cliff even made me shave.
“You don’t want to prickle her when you kiss her!
” he said. How is my six-year-old such a Casanova already?
Anna sent breakfast over so we could get an early start on the road. Thankfully, it hasn’t snowed in a week.
“Is this it?” Todd asks as we stare at the brown brick building.
Feels like something out of one of those rom-com movies Becca and Anna liked to watch together.
The sidewalk is clear, but there is dirty, slushy snow banked against the curb.
It’s a cute neighborhood. I can see Holly being content here.
“’Fraid so,” I say, opening the door. You might think that I would have written out what I was going to say.
Or at least figure it out in my head as I drove down the highway this morning.
But no. Not a single coherent thought is in my head.
Geez, what was I thinking? I sure hope my dick pulls out a miracle.
Thankfully, Todd insisted we stop and pick up flowers at a shop in town before arriving. Thank the heavens I brought my fifteen-year-old to help me beg the woman I love for more time with her.
I’m straightening out my coat, my jeans over my boots, trying to look presentable and delay a few more minutes. Todd and Cliff don’t wait; they have the ring and the flowers, and they race up the walk. I’m still yelling at them when they buzz the buzzer for her apartment. Well, shit.
Without running, even though my heart is pounding, go faster! I hurry up the walk. I can hear her voice, but it’s garbled. Cliff shouts over Todd, who is trying to explain what’s happening—she’s being invaded.
But instead of in the movies where there’s a buzz to let us into the building, there’s nothing. Silence. Each in turn spins on his heels to look at me, a question in their big eyes. Mouth open, I still have no words.
Cliff kicks a clump of icy snow at the edge of the sidewalk, then again. Again. Yeah, met too, buddy. Sighing, I place a hand on Todd’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get something to eat.”
We’re two steps down the walk when a door creaks behind us. My heart jolts to a stop, demanding I turn and look.
There, bundled up in a bright red toque, puffy jacket, and fuzzy boots, is Dr. Holly, with the most delighted smile on her beautiful face.
“Hey guys! You weren’t ding-dong ditching, were you?
Because if so, you owe me a burger!” By the time she’s on the word owe, Cliff’s arms are wrapped around her, squeezing all the air out of her.
And Todd is right behind him. He doesn’t do the awkward teen shuffle of I want to hug you but I don’t know how because I was born yesterday.
He just reaches right over Cliff and hugs her.
Her eyes light up. Laughing with them, together they’re a musical for my soul.
“You gonna hug me, or what, millionaire mountain owner?” Her tone is teasing. Hell. I step up and embrace the three of them, ignore Cliff’s fart joke and inhale deeply of her cinnamon-scented hair. How does she always smell so perfect?
“Actually, it’s billionaire mountain owner,” I whisper in her ear, then nip the lobe. She beams up at me, a look of awe, love, and slight bewilderment on her face.
The hamburger place is a five-minute walk away.
Holly holds Cliff’s hand—or rather, he won’t let go of hers—and he tells her all about Home Alone and the gingerbread houses he made with his cousins.
She listens, laughs, asks questions, and I walk behind them with Todd, silent and thoroughly enjoying the bounce in both their steps, and her gorgeous behind swaying as she walks.
The burger place is hoppin’, but we are able to snag a booth.
Our server seems to know Holly. He’s not much older than Todd, and the friendly banter between them rankles me as I attempt to ignore him and study the menu.
When he says something and she throws her head back and laughs, I snap my menu shut.
“I’ll take the double bacon with Sriracha.
Boys?” I’m louder than I need to be, and it’s clear that I’ve jolted him back into reality—my reality where he’s the punk server, and she’s mine.
Holly’s lips twist in half a smile while the boys declare their requests.
She orders the barbecue burger and a pitcher of lemonade for everyone to share.
As the server gathers our menus, I reach across the table to clasp her hand in mine. My intention is to let the entire world know that Dr. Holly Doughty belongs to me.
“You know, he was a student last year. Nothing happening,” she says once he’s left to place our order. Her eyes sparkle as she rubs her thumb across the edge of my hand. “I’m so happy to see you! So unexpected,” she says with a beautiful smile.
“Yeah, Dad doesn’t know how to use the internet, so we had to hitch the wagon and ‘come into town’ to say hello.” Todd is all sarcasm. I don’t hate it. Giving him an ‘oh, really?’ look, he smiles, knowing he’s poking the bear. Holly gives me a questioning look.
“Yes, you never answered the phone.” As if it’s perfectly normal to drive to the city with my kids and show up on someone’s doorstep out of the blue. Someone I only met a week ago, but can’t keep out of my mind or my heart.
“Mmm. Weirdly enough, I get horrible reception in my apartment, and at work. And I’ve been very busy wrapping up articles and research.” Her sweet face is open, lovely. I want nothing more than to reach across the table and kiss her plump, pink lips.
“We brought you a ring!” Cliff says.
Talk about dropping a bombshell.
I can see her body stutter at his words.
Her eyelashes frame the shock in her big, widened eyes.
I shove my groan inside; he didn’t mean to drop a bomb.
Todd groans, though it’s quiet. There’s a tug—trying to pull her hand back, but I don’t let go.
I keep my eyes locked on her. “Cliff, show her the ring.”
He opens his pudgy hand and presents the paper comet ring like it’s a crown for his queen.
Holly’s little gasp of surprise, her mouth in a perfect ‘O’ is the look and sound I want to experience from her every day; for forever.
She leans her head close to his, her other hand reaching out to gently touch the edge of the ring.
“For me?” she asks, her voice barely there.
Cliff’s face is serious as he nods. Surprising us all, he stands and walks to her side of the table, holding one hand out for hers.
When she places her hand in his, he says in his most authoritative six-year-old voice, “Dr. Holly, will you be ours? We think we love you and want to learn about all the stars and constipa—consolation with you. Dad says you get to pick where to live, but I want to let you know I have a really cool bunk bed and you can share with me.”
Holly sucks in a breath. Her eyes sparkle with tears about to topple down her cheeks. “Cliff Noel, I would be honored to be yours. I don’t know what the details will look like, but if you, Todd, and your dad will have me, I’m sure we can make it work.”
Cliff nods, puts the ring on her finger.
Half of the restaurant erupts in cheers and claps.
None of us realized we were being watched.
Todd leans his head on my shoulder. I wrap my arm around him, squeezing Holly’s hand on my other side.
“Guess that settles it. We’ll have a busy rest of winter, won’t we? ”