Jack looked up and she shivered at the expression of longing on his face. Glancing down, her cheeks heated at the fact she had on a snug tank top and shorts and nothing else. It had been so hot last night she hadn’t bothered with anything heavier. Now she wished she’d thought to grab a robe before she came down. Not that Jack hadn’t seen her in less, but there still was no reason to tempt fate.
Jonathan reached down beside Jack and his fist came back up filled with small colorful rings. She moved closer and Jack smirked. “I grabbed a box of cereal for us to snack on. I wasn’t sure what time you would be up. Hope that’s all right.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she frowned. “I usually don’t let him eat that sugary cereal. It gets him a bit hyper.”
Jack’s eyes twinkled. “Then why do you have it here if you don’t let him eat it?”
Her eyes narrowed. He knew well and good that she had a little addiction to sugar-coated cereal. It had been something he’d teased her about constantly.
Her lips turned into a smirk. “Hope you plan on staying long enough to get all that extra energy you just let him ingest out of him.”
Jack’s throat moved convulsively and he gazed down at the boy in his lap. Damn, she shouldn’t have said that. Too much of a reminder that he couldn’t stay. Remorse filled her heart as she watched father and son. Jack looked back up at her.
“I’ll stay as long as I can. As long as you want me to.”
Forever. Could you stay forever?Impossible in their case. She nodded and smiled. “Jonathan will like that. Are you still hungry? I could make some breakfast that doesn’t include fifty pounds of sugar.”
Throwing a few colorful bits in his mouth, he replied, “I think you promised me bacon if I remember correctly.”
Jonathan’s head perked up and his eyes gleamed. “Mama, baten. Luh baten.”
“I know you love bacon, sweetheart. Your daddy loves bacon, too. Let me go see what I can find in the fridge. I haven’t been shopping in a while. You sit with daddy and watch your show for now.”
Jonathan’s eyes had already swung back to the TV as he mumbled, “Otay.”
“Don’t go out of your way for me, Calico,” Jack said. “I can get by with sweetened cereal. Someone got me hooked a few years ago. Hmm, who was it now?”
She swatted at his head then walked into the kitchen. Rifling through the fridge, she sighed; she had cooked up the last of the bacon already. But she also needed milk and eggs and a few other things.
Poking her head back into the living room, she smiled at the two boys munching on cereal and laughing at the antics of the cartoon characters on the screen. She hated to take Jonathan away from this to buy some food but…
“I’m sorry. My cupboard’s a bit bare right now. I can run to the store to get a few things. I hate to pull Jonathan away from you, though.”
Jack’s eyes clouded over, pain flashing across his face. He took a deep breath as he responded. “Jonathan can stay here with me, Callie. I know you don’t trust me with him alone but I would never do anything to hurt him, and I’d never take him away from you. I’m not in any position to offer him anything.”
Jack didn’t think she trusted him? Had he known her fear when she’d woken this morning? Was that the impression he got from her?
“Of course I trust you, Jack. And I know you’d never do anything to hurt him. I don’t know why you ever thought that.”Liar, you live in fear someone will take your son from you, whether Jack or Victor.
Jack ran his hand over Jonathan’s head. Her son was still so engrossed in the TV he was unaware of the tension between the two adults in the room. As he got older that wouldn’t be the case. “The few times I’ve been here, you always hover in the vicinity, like you’re afraid I might take off with him.”
“Oh, Jack, that isn’t the reason I stay close. I love seeing you withour son.” This child was what kept them connected to each other, if only tenuously. “I want to get as many memories for us as possible. You’re so good with him and you both enjoy being together. I love seeing it.”
Jack smiled and his eyes echoed some of his happiness at her words. “So, why don’t you run to the store and Jonathan and I can continue to hang here. I promise we won’t have any wild parties or get strippers while you’re gone.”
Chuckling, she rolled her eyes. “All right, you goof. But you might want to check if he needs to use the bathroom a few times. He’s not completely potty trained yet and you don’t have a change of clothes. Check out where he’s sitting right now.”
“I made him go when he first got up. I’ll check with him again in a bit. You won’t be too long, will you?”
“No, but I have to get dressed first and grab my phone so I can transfer some money into my checking account.”
Adjusting in the chair, he reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed her a few large bills. “Here, take this and you can do your bank thing later.”
“Jack, you don’t need to give me money. I told you I can take care of myself and Jonathan.”
He reached out and took her hand. Pulling her closer, he stuffed the money into her palm. “Take it, please, Calico. Let me feel useful in some small way. If I can’t bring home the bacon, at least let me pay for it.”
She accepted the money. “I need to get dressed then I’ll go. Thank you.”
