My heart warmed. I hadn’t just fallen for him. I’d fallen for all of it, the sticky-fingered twins, flying pillows, Brutus’s muddy paws, and the quiet joy in Jace’s eyes when he looked at his daughter’s drawings and ran his hand over his son’s head.
With Wren’s help, we stacked half a dozen sandwiches on a plate while Jace set out the coleslaw he’d picked up from Hog & Hickory and tossed a few bags of chips on the kitchen island.
After dinner, the kids went up to Jace’s room to watch a movie. Brutus decided I wasn’t a threat and zonked out on his pillow in front of the fireplace. Jace poured two glasses of whiskey and joined me on the comfortable sectional.
“I know it’s a lot,” he said as he handed me a glass. “I’m used to it, but I forget how chaotic it can be for someone who’s not.”
“It’s okay. I thrive on chaos,” I said. The first sip of whiskey burned as it slid down the back of my throat. It was time to bring up the job offer. We’d find a way to make it work. But before I could find the right words on how to start, he held out his glass to clink against mine.
“To new beginnings, Delaney. To the start of you and me.”
I clinked my glass against his, but the toast lodged like a splinter under my skin. I wanted to believe it. To let myself live in the moment. But the words I hadn’t said weighed on me like a ten ton boulder. Words with the power to change everything.
CHAPTER 12
JACE
She smiledas I tapped out glasses together, but there was something behind it. Something I wasn’t sure how to read. To try to set her at ease, I filled her in on how the twins had taken the news that the two of us would be spending a lot more time together.
“I told Eli and Wren we’re dating.” Leaning back against the couch cushion, I waited for her reaction.
“Oh, how did they take it?”
“Seeing as how you’re the first woman I’ve dated since their mom left, I wasn’t sure how they’d take it, but they’re happy about it.” I set my glass down on the coffee table and slipped my arm behind her. “I should probably warn you. Wren will probably drive you up a wall asking about drawing and Eli already mentioned inviting you on our end of summer camping trip.”
She sighed. “That actually sounds fabulous.”
“Their mom didn’t like to camp. Didn’t like much about Tennessee, either.” I hadn’t opened up to anyone about Michelle other than my poker buddies, but Delaney deserved to know what she was getting herself into. About my past that had mademe put up the walls she’d somehow managed to breech. “Turns out she also didn’t really like me or being a mom.”
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Delaney reached for my hand.
“It was over between us almost as soon as it started. We met in college, dated a couple of months, and if she hadn’t gotten pregnant…” My words trailed off. “I tried to do the right thing by marrying her. Tried to make it work when I got the job in Tennessee and we moved out here. She was miserable, though.”
Delaney’s fingers squeezed mine, giving me the courage to keep going.
“We stuck it out until the twins turned two. Then she told me she was moving back to Texas. Didn’t even fight me for custody.” My gut still twisted every time I thought about how easily she’d given in. “It was hard the first couple of years, but then I met Tucker, Brody, and Walker. It got easier after that. We’ve been doing alright all these years. Only now, my ex’s parents want to get to know their grandkids.”
“Is that the trip to Texas?”
“Yeah. I’ve done my best but what if it’s not good enough? What if Wren and Eli would rather stay in Texas with them than come home with me?” That was my true concern. I’d been losing touch with my daughter and could tell she craved connection. There was something I wasn’t giving her, and it was killing me not knowing how to fix it. But now, with Delaney next to me, even that worry didn’t seem too big. She made me feel hopeful about everything.
“I’m so sorry.” Delaney put her hand on my chin and stared up at me. The light reflected back at me in her eyes. “You’re a great dad, Jace. The twins adore you and you deserve so much better than the hand you’ve been dealt.”
“You’re right, and now I’ve found that with you.” I leaned forward to brush my lips over hers. “I’m falling for you, Delaney.”
Her breath caught, but not in the way I’d hoped. It was like I’d handed her something too heavy to hold. I didn’t expect her to say she felt exactly the same, but I also didn’t expect her to put her palm on my chest and push me away.
“We need to talk.” Her brow creased and tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
Every muscle in my body tensed. This wasn’t going the way it should. “What’s wrong?”
She swallowed hard. “I got a call earlier today about a job offer back in New York. They want me to start right after Labor Day. It’s everything I want.”
“You’re leaving.” Of course she was. What did I expect, that she’d give up everything to stay in Big Wood with a man she just met and help raise his two kids? I’d been so blown away by my feelings for her—by the fact that I was even still capable of feeling anything at all—that I’d assumed we’d find a way to stay together.
“I haven’t accepted the offer yet.”
“But you will. You have to. Like you said, it’s everything you want.” Resigned and devastated, I hated the way my voice sounded, but I couldn’t help it.
