There was something familiar about her. He knew her from somewhere…
Frowning, he shook his head and turned to put Maddox in his seat. By the time he’d snapped Mad’s seatbelt into place, he’d made up his mind to approach her, but when he turned around and took a step toward her she was gone. Even with the advantage of his height and the distance he could see in any direction, she was nowhere to be seen.
She’d probably stepped into one of the shops lining the street, and it was equally probable he didn’t know her at all. He’d been in Sunnyville a week, and the few people he knew outside of Ry and Maz were those he’d met at their wedding last summer.
The blonde hadn’t been one of them.
He’d have remembered if she were. There was no point pondering where he knew her from. Not with that long sunshine hair and crystal blue eyes. She was striking in a way a man would never forget the first time he’d met her.
No, in spite of what he’d felt, he didn’t think he knew her. And yet…
He shook off the bizarre feeling and reached for Mad’s stroller. Once he had it folded, he secured it in the back of his truck. They’d come to town to grab a bite to eat before it got too late to make it home in time to give Mad his bath. As it was, he’d be pushing it to keep his boy awake on the short drive to Ry’s.
Checking his phone, he confirmed what he knew—he hadn’t missed a call or text from his best friend—and headed around the back of his truck to the driver’s side. He had no idea how long it would take Maz to have the baby and it had only been a couple of hours since they’d left for the hospital, plus it was pointless to keep looking at his phone.
Ry would call when the baby arrived.
After a quick glance at traffic, he opened his door, swung it wide, and hopped in fast, slamming it shut behind him. In the back Mad was babbling about something, making Jake grin.
He looked over his shoulder at his smiling, happy boy. “What’s that, Madman? You want bubbles in your bath tonight?”
Jake chuckled at the nonsense that came out his son’s mouth. Mad might not speak more than a few words Jake could understand, but he sure could talk baby-babble fluently.
Jabbing his key in the ignition, he cranked the engine, listening for any sign of wear and tear. He’d given the truck a full service before packing up and making the drive from Monterey to Sunnyville but he liked to keep on top of maintenance.
The last thing he wanted to do was transport Maddox around in an unreliable vehicle. Not that he stood a chance of hearing anything over Mad’s chatter.
Smiling, Jake checked his side mirror.
Downtown had gotten busier since they’d arrived. Now that it was closer to the dinner hour more people were around, and it took him a few minutes before he could safely pull out of his spot and head home.
Home.
It wasn’t Ry’s. Or here.
Not yet.
But it would be.
He liked Sunnyville, and he really liked being close to Ry again. Liked the idea of them both living in the same place for the first time in over fifteen years. He also liked the life Ry was building here. Wanted to be part of it. Wanted it for himself and Mad.
Not a wife. Jake wasn’t ready to have a woman in their lives.
The blonde from the sidewalk popped into his head.
What the hell? Why would he think of her?
In spite of the feeling of familiarity he’d had, he was positive he’d never met her—never seen her before—and he’d barely gotten a glimpse of her.
So why the hell would he think of her when he thought about having a wife?
He—they—didn’t need a woman in their lives. They had each other. Had Ry and Maz and the baby boy they were having right now.
Besides, look what happened last time Jake had a woman in his life. He scowled through the front window and tried to concentrate on driving.
The sound of his son’s voice cut through his tumbling thoughts, doing a brilliant job of clearing his mind. Mad told him something the little guy thought was important because his voice rose in volume and his babbling got faster, and Jake could see in the rearview mirror his chubby arms waving about.
“Is that right?” he asked with a grin.
