Pulling her into my arms, I tuck her under my chin, burying my face in her hair. I don’t even care if she hears the deep inhale I take, breathing her in. Her arms go round my waist and she rests her head against my chest. She’s soft and warm, and just like I assumed, her body still fits perfectly against mine. I’m sure if she listens closely enough, she’d hear my pounding heartbeat. Holding her tight, I revel in this moment of contact we share. Hopefully it’s as much comfort to her as it is to me.
She ends the hug, sliding both hands down my arms and slowly she takes a step backward.
“See ya tomorrow, Tyler.” She offers a soft smile and a little finger wave.
“See ya, Jo. And like I said, we’ll figure this out.”
She heads for her car, but I don’t join my family right away. Yes, I have questions to answer after Jo and I mysteriously disappeared to the porch. Austin won’t let it go until he knows what’sgoing on, so I better get it over with in one fell swoop. But for now I step outside and stand in the driveway under the glow of the security light, watching her taillights disappear down the road.
Overwhelmed and emotionally drained from information overload, I head back inside where Austin and Penny wait in the kitchen. They follow me to the living room where my family sits, awaiting an explanation.
Austin drags a chair from the kitchen, and I sit down heavily, elbows braced on my knees, my head collapsing into my open palms. Heaving a great lungful of air, I let it out slowly.
“Fourteen years ago, I came to Alabama with my roommate, Jason. His cousin was graduating from the university about thirty minutes from here, and they dragged me to a frat party.” Slowly, I lift my head and scan the faces of my family. There’s confusion, curiosity, and a bit of amusement on Austin and Cassie’s faces.
Austin’s eyebrows lift in surprise, and my dad lets out a low chuckle. I’m sure they’re probably picturing how out of place I would’ve been at a frat party. I’ve gotten better over the years, thanks to Austin’s career. But back then? Crowds, loud music, and drunk strangers? That was not for me.
“I was in the library reading?—”
“Of course you were,” Cassie interjects with a smirk.
“Yeah. And then this girl bursts in. She was…” I chuckle. “She was impossible to ignore. There was an energy about her I can’t explain. Like a magnetic force drawing me in.” One corner of my mouth lifts, remembering Jo barging in, all color and energy. “She sat down and kept on talking until I closed my book and talked back.”
Austin, Penny, and Cassie all laugh. Clearly, this side of Jo isfamiliar to them. It occurs to me Austin and Cassie probably know a lot about her and her kids.
“Son, what does this all have to do with you and Josie abruptly going outside earlier?” my mom asks gently.
My eyes land on Penny’s and she gives me a tiny reassuring nod. I guess she already knows.
“Mom, did you notice anything familiar about Abby?”
“Holy shit,” Austin blurts out. “Is she?—”
Penny elbows Austin in the ribs. He stretches his legs out in front of him, feet crossed at the ankles, a smirk on his face.
“I’m Abby’s father.”
Mom’s eyes glisten with tears, and Cassie jumps up, returning seconds later with a box of tissues. I go on to tell them about the note, the rain the next day, how she tried to find me, and eventually gave up.
“Did you know anything about me?” I ask, turning to Penny.
She shakes her head. “No. When we first met there was something about you I couldn’t quite place. The minute you laid eyes on Josie the other day I pieced it together, though. For Josie to be so loud, she can also be incredibly private at times. She never even said your name. Only that it happened. By the time I moved back here, she was dealing with her divorce from Chad. Josie was focused on being a single mom of two kids and keeping things afloat financially. I knew not to press.”
Chad. Jay’s dad’s name is Chad. A momentary flare of jealousy and anger rips through me at the thought that another man helped raise my child, but I force it down. There’s nothing I can do about that. I’m here now—and that’s what matters.
“So, what now?” Austin asks. “What do you two plan on doing?”
“We haven’t gotten that far. Jo said she needs time to think through telling Abby. We’ll work something out, though. I’ll do whatever I have to do.”
My family falls silent, and I catch Penny eyeing me.
“What?” I ask.
She puffs her cheeks out on a sigh. “This won’t be easy, Tyler. You need to know that. Josie’s expectations for men are appallingly low. She’ll expect you to let her and the kids down. Believe me when I say you’ll have to work for this.”
My jaw tightens and my nostrils flare. What kind of men has she had in her life to make her feel that way? Clearly, I have tons of catching up to do, but I’m a quick learner. There’s plenty of negative a person could find within me, and they probably wouldn’t have to look too hard to find it either. But they’d also find a man who means what he says and says what he means. Now to convince Jo.
“I’m not them,” I say firmly.
