Jake couldn’t bring himself to believe they would get her rights stripped just yet though. Not until he had paperwork in his hands. Renee had been popping in and out of his life and causing havoc since before he’d split from her the last time.
Shit, if he were honest he’d admit she’d always done it. From the minute he met her in the middle of a bar fight—one she’d instigated—she’d brought nothing but chaos to his life and their relationship. He couldn’t work out why he’d put up with it for as long as he had.
Although he had to admit it was the reason he’d refused to make their on-off relationship permanent by getting married when she’d first suggested it.
She’d harped on it for months before they had the big blowup and he’d walked away for good. It was then she’d supposedly hooked up with his best friend. No one would blame him for not believing anything she’d said about that night either, especially when Ry couldn’t remember a damn thing other than getting drunk at a bar and waking up beside her.
“Da da da da,” Mad chanted while slapping his now clean hands on either side of Jake’s face.
It was the perfect thing to snap him out of his head. He had to stop letting the memories take over. If this move was about giving himself and Maddox a fresh start, then he needed to make it one by wiping the slate clean.
Like Ry, he should put the past firmly behind him and get on with the future. Start building the life he wanted Maddox to have.
And he couldn’t do that until he found himself and Maddox a house.
A home.
Grinning at his boy he said, “Okay, Madman, Daddy gets the message. Let’s go find our home.”
* * *
Jake lifted a sleeping Maddox into his arms making sure not to jostle him too much when he closed the truck door before meeting Mrs. Russell on the sidewalk in front of the last house on her list.
So far he liked what he saw. The place was set back from the sidewalk and the front yard was fenced and appeared to be low maintenance. A flash of blonde hair grabbed his attention.
“Who’s that?”
“Who?”
He tipped his chin toward the woman at the side of the house.
“Oh, that’s Mallory Dawson. She rents the apartment above the garage out back.”
“There’s another garage?” Jake looked back at the house with attached garage. From what he could see, the dwelling stretched from side boundary to side boundary and he tried to remember if there was an alley running behind the property. “How do you get a car to it?”
“You don’t. Well, not unless you take it to pieces first.” Mrs. Russell laughed.
Jake didn’t know what was amusing but didn’t bother asking because he was busy watching the woman he’d seen in town yesterday. She’d closed the side gate between garage and fence and now walked along the driveway heading toward the dark blue SUV parked at the curb in front of the house next door.
“What will happen to her if the house sells?” he asked absently, watching her climb into the driver’s seat.
“That will be up to the new owner. The present one is happy to have someone around while they’re not here. I did try to talk them into leasing out the main house but they didn’t want to put any of their things in storage and weren’t keen on allowing a stranger to use their furniture.”
He turned back to face the house again and asked, “If all their furniture is still here, how quick of a turn-around are they looking for?”
Jake knew, thanks to Mrs. Russell, the owners were an older couple who’d gone to visit their son and grandchildren over Christmas and while there made the decision not to return to Sunnyville.
Mrs. Russell had also told him they had already put in an offer on a house in the same Dallas suburb their son and his family lived in. He hoped it meant they’d be happy to finalize a sale quickly.
“They’re open to anything if the price is right.” Mrs. Russell pointed to the front door. “Shall we?”
Jake’s gaze zipped back to the blonde, just catching a glimpse of the back of her SUV as she drove away.
Mallory Dawson.
She’d behistenant if he bought this place. And so far he was leaning toward purchasing the two-story four-bedroom with attached garage. Unlike the other houses they’d looked at, he had a good feeling about this one.
He nodded toward the front gate. “Lead the way.”
