I look down at my dirt bike and pat the handlebars proudly. It was a birthday present from my parents. “It’s definitely not street legal, and neither am I.”
The way her cheeks turn a shade of pink makes me feel something strange, and I shift on the seat. She tucks a lock ofher long hair behind her ear. “That makes you both sound a little dangerous.”
“Naw, I’ll keep all three of us upright. I promise.”
She giggles, and it pulls at something in my chest. I want to make her do it again.
“So, do you want a ride or not?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Jenny laughs, bringing me back to the present moment. Her voice has changed, matured. It’s soft and sultry. I like it. My gaze roams down her frame, and she shivers in its wake. Seems I still have some sort of effect on her.
That’s good. That’s really good.
When I stand, I wink at her. “I’ll be out in a minute. I just need to straighten up the bedding.”
Her cheeks turn redder than I’ve ever seen, and she spins away from me, visibly flustered. “Okay, yeah, um, I’ll just, yeah, I’ll go.”
I watch as she scurries away.
My eyes connect with Rachel’s as I round the bed, smoothing out the blankets. “I hope you’re really okay with this, because now that I’ve seen her, I’m never letting her go.”
When I round the corner, and my eyes take in the scene before me, I’m even more certain that I’ll never let her hide from me again.
I lean against the wall watching my daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and Jenny dance around the kitchen to the radio. It’s playing an old fifties tune. All three of them have a smile on their face. I am a rich man indeed.
I’ve seen this in a dream before, except it was Rachel, not Jenny, in the kitchen with them. It hurts my heart, but that wasn’t the way it was meant to be. I don’t claim to understand how the universe works. Maybe I should take Jackson’s stance and just accept things as they are.
Willow lifts her eyes to mine, and we have a silent conversation as she dumps a cup of chocolate chips into the bowl Aspen is currently stirring. So many things had to happen to lead us to this very moment. Some good, some bad, but all necessary.
I walk into the kitchen and whistle. “It sure does smell good in here.”
Aspen swats my hand when I stick my finger into the cookie dough. “No, Papa,” she scolds me, her little brows pulling together.
“You tell him,” Jenny says over her shoulder.
I step behind her. “Hey, now. Don’t you girls be ganging up on me.” I give her a slight tap on the bottom before walking out the back door to see how the guys are doing on the repairs.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Willow
Jenny stands at the counter, unmoving. I wait several minutes, and when she remains frozen in place, I slowly approach her.
“Hey.” I touch her arm lightly, and she jumps.
She begins to back away from me. “You’re not real.” Her gaze goes to Aspen. “None of this is real.”
I calmly walk over to my daughter. “Go outside and tell Daddy that Mommy needs him to come inside.”
“Okay, Mommy.” She jumps out of her chair and hurries out the door. Thank God she’s a smart little girl.
Jenny continues to slide around the room, her back against the wall. “I’m losing my mind. Raffe is not here. He’ll never be here.”
“Jenny, you’re not crazy. Raffe is really here.”
She begins to shake her head. “No. No, you can’t be real.”
