Next time she would be sure, she promised herself. Next time she would know what she wanted before messing with people’s lives, including her own. Next time she would make sure she was in love for real and forever.
Jax found herself attacked from behind as both Xander and Gentry grabbed her and hugged her. She spun and pulled them close, laughing as she said, “Did I know you were coming by?”
“You didn’t!” Xander grinned at her. “Shawna brought us because she wants to talk to you.” He groaned. “It’s about the wedding because everything is always about the wedding. Shouldn’t she care about something else like how the Dodgers and Angels are doing in the season or when the next Minecraft movie is coming out?”
“You’d think,” Jax said lightly, kissing the top of his head before hugging her oldest. “I care about all of those things.”
“I’m never getting married,” he announced. “Girls get tooweird when there’s a wedding. I’m going to go live in the woods or something where they can’t find me.”
She had a feeling that Xander would change his mind about the time his hormones kicked in, but better to let him find that out on his own.
“It’s gonna be hard to be a world-famous pole-vaulter from the woods.”
“A pole-vaulter?” He shrieked with laughter. “I’m too short.”
“You could grow. Or maybe you’d like to be a lion tamer.”
“Mom, we’re not supposed to make lions do tricks anymore. That’s an old-timey thing.”
“Is it?”
“I don’t mind all the wedding talk,” Gentry said. “I think it’s fun and romantic. I can’t wait to grow up and plan my own wedding.”
Jax held in a whimper. Great. Now Gentry was focused on all the wrong things—something else Harris would have to answer for.
“Getting married is a big deal,” Jax said, careful to keep her tone light while silently cursing Harris for the disruption to their family. “Yes, planning a wedding can be a fun project, but that’s kind of the least of it. A wedding isn’t about getting married, it’s about being married. Choosing the right partner, having a plan for your life.”
Gentry didn’t look convinced. “But a wedding’s great, Mom. There’s all the clothes and thinking about the food and where it’s going to be held. Shawna’s going to look like a beautiful princess and I’m a part of that.”
“It’s very special,” she said, thinking later she would take out her annoyance on her ex.
She wrapped her arms around both of them. “What brings you here? I mean I always want to hang out but is there something specific?” Sometimes a school project required supplies or a place to do research.
“Nothing special,” Xander told her. “Shawna said she wanted to stop by and ask you if it’s okay for her to take pictures.”
“Of the store?” That was strange.
“No,” Gentry said with a laugh. “Of us. You know, in the book heart.”
Now Jax was really confused. Why would Harris’s fiancée want to take pictures of Gentry and Xander in the book heart?
“Hi, hi!” Shawna said brightly as she walked up. “There you are. I swear, I turn my back for one second and they scattered.” Her voice was cheerful enough but Jax thought she detected a faint edge to it. “Because I thought I asked you to wait by the car while I got my bag out of the trunk.”
“We just came into the bookstore,” Xander told her. “Our mom is here. We’re not babies, Shawna. We can get from the parking lot to the building by ourselves.”
“But I asked,” she began, then sighed. “You’re here now and that’s the point of it.” She turned to Jax. “How are you? Enjoying your week off? It’s a lot, isn’t it, taking care of the house and the kids plus working.”
“Are you all right?” Jax asked. “You seem tense.”
“Me? No. I’m great. It’s just so wonderful. Everything. We’re learning to be a family and it’s the joy I always knew it would be.”
Jax knew Shawna was lying but wasn’t sure about what. Did she sense there was a problem with Harris or was it simply the overwhelm of stepping into an established family? Because while Jax thought her kids were a breeze, Shawna hadn’t started with them when they were newborns. She was just being thrust in the middle of their lives.
“Thank you again for clearing your things out of the main bathroom and closet,” Shawna said. “You didn’t have to at all, of course, but I appreciate the extra space.”
“I’m sure. Now you can move in as much as you’d like so you can be more comfortable.”
She spoke the words automatically, only to remember thatHarris had admitted he wasn’t in love with Shawna, so having her settle in the house permanently seemed unlikely.
