Chapter Sixty
Emily
Four Days Later
As I pull up to my mother’s house, she’s standing at the door before I can get the baby out of her car seat. “It’s about time you stopped by here. I expected to be watching this little angel, and then, nothing.” She waves her hand in the air. “All I get is a phone call that you’ve got everything handled.”
“I’m sorry,” I sigh as I unfasten Grace from the straps. When I push the button and pull the strap, nothing happens. God, I hate these things. I press and tug again as Grace wiggles in the seat. “Nothing from you, little lady,” I whisper to her. “She doesn’t need to know that I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Grace’s hand waves in response. Okay, it’s not really a wave, but I go with it. “Thank you. I’ll take that as your agreement.” I smile and wink at her. Her only response is her tongue peeking out of her mouth. She’s the most adorable thing in the world.
I cradle her to my chest. When she instantly relaxes against me, I sigh, then inhale the mixture of baby powder and formula.
“Are you going to stand there all day?” My mom’s voice is crisp with irritation.
“No, Mom.” I snatch the diaper bag with my free hand and sling it over my shoulder. Not that I intend to stay long. The second I leave here; I’m headed to Jake’s house for the evening.
We’ve both had the day off, and he went to his place this morning to do some renovation work. It’s ridiculous that I missed him the second the door shut, but there’s no avoiding the truth. I’m hooked on Jake Thompson.
“Let me see her.” My mom’s eyes are bright as she rushes down the steps and speedwalks to us like she’s been practicing for a 10k. “She’s beautiful. How could anyone abandon this gorgeous baby? It just breaks my heart.”
“I know, Mom, but whoever the mother is, she has her reasons, and I have to assume they’re good ones.”
“I suppose. Is it okay if I hold her?” She searches my eyes before reaching out.
“Yes, of course.” I lift Grace toward my mom who immediately cradles the infant to her chest. “She just woke from a nap so she should be awake for an hour.”
“Good.” She whispers something to the baby who kicks her legs in response. “You’re already such a smart girl. Look how good you are.”
I follow my mother inside, shutting the door behind us. Only to pull up short the second the latch snaps. Jake’s mother is here. Like she used to be. Before…. Well, before everything went to shit.
Even though Jake and I have worked through everything, and it was purely a misunderstanding, his mother has hated me ever since I chose Spencer. Since she thought I chose Spencer.
As far as she’s concerned, I broke Jake’s heart on purpose with cold calculation. And her opinion of me wasn’t improvedwhen I acted like a complete bitch when Jake first moved back to town.
“Hello, Simone.” I shift awkwardly from foot to foot. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
Her gaze travels up and down me and then on my mother and Grace. “Aurora said you were stopping by with the baby. I didn’t feel it was appropriate to go to your apartment to see her when we haven’t been on speaking terms for the last few years.”
“You were welcome to stop by.” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m sorry that things have been awkward between us. I had no idea that Jake had feelings for me back then. Actually, he went out of his way to ensure that I thought differently.”
Jake strides through the kitchen door. “There’s all my favorite girls.”
“What’re you doing here? I was on my way over when I left here.”
“Mom said she was coming over to Aurora’s, and I could only assume that meant it would be hours until you could get away.” He stalks toward me, causing my heart to pang in my chest. Low slung jeans. Tight T-shirt. Damp hair. Slight 5 o’clock shadow. Be still my ovaries. This man is fine.
“I missed you.” He cups the back of my neck, tilts my head up, and places a chaste kiss on my lips.
When my knees threaten to buckle, he pulls back and winks. “That’s another apology for being a dick back then.”
“I’ve already forgiven you.”
“Not enough. You still remember it.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulls me to his chest, and kisses the top of my head. “I’ll spend the rest of my life wiping the memories of my asshole behavior from your memory.”
“Well, this is awkward.” My mom turns to Simone. “Do you want to see her?”
“Absolutely.” She snatches Grace from my mom’s arms. “I’ve always wanted grandchildren.”
