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And the way he was feeling right now, if he went inside that house, he’d scare the girl off for sure, absolutely. He could imagine how it would play out—the very second he scented her, he’d be unstoppable. The license in his desk drawer was having much the same effect as a red flag would have on a bull. He was ready to charge her. To erase every inch of distance she was trying to maintain between them. Fuck that shit. She was as good as his, and very fucking soon she’d learn that he always got what he wanted.
But he couldn’t scare her off until she was one-hundred percent in his possession.
No, he had to wait—had to control his baser instincts now to accommodate his long-term goal of owning every inch of her. Waiting wouldn’t kill him. Friday would get here soon enough.
But then it occurred to him, he’d need her alone for a while to assuage the almost out-of-control desire he felt for her. He needed just a day or two, complete with nights, and after that, then maybe they could settle down into married life.
And another thing he had to concern himself with: how to tell Zach about the upcoming marriage.
Chapter Nine
Tuesday evening, just as Janet put Hannah down for the night, Jeff tapped on her bedroom door before pushing it open. “Hey,” he said, glancing around.
“Hey,” she answered in a whisper with her finger to her lips, tilting her head to where Hannah lay asleep.
He entered her room and motioned with his head for her to follow him into the bathroom, which she did, as he obviously was trying not to wake Hannah. He launched into speech without preamble. “So, I figure I’ll tell Zach as soon as possible. We’ll get it done on Friday—and then I’d like to take you away for the weekend.”
She took a quick intake of breath. Get it done? The guy just kept piling on the romance. And leave her baby? With who? “Who would keep the kids? I’ve never left Hannah before.”
“What about your mother? Could she come for the weekend? Do you think she’d mind keeping Zach as well?”
Her mother was going to freak out if she got married again so soon. But taking care of the kids? That part of the equation would be her mom’s dream come true. “Of course she wouldn’t mind. But I haven’t even told her yet!”
“You need to call her and tell her this is happening. And then invite her here. She can come as soon as tomorrow if you want—that will give Zach some time to get to know her before we take off for the weekend.”
He was blowing her mind with the speed of things, but what else had she expected? Jeff McIntyre wasn’t a guy who did things half-assed. And why was she letting him steamroll her? Where was her guilt about that? It was true she was worried, but she was also feeling a buzz to her senses, an intoxication that was producing a kind of high at the thought of being permanently in his bed. It was an exhilaration that seemed to fully control her mouth as she said, “Okay, I’ll call her.”
“Do it tonight,” he said, tilting his head to the extension on her bedside table. “And I’m going to tell Zach right now that this is happening.”
Suddenly more worried about Zach’s feelings in all of this, even more than the phone call to her mother she needed to make, she nodded her head in agreement, a feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach.
Were they doing the right thing?
Maybe not, but the situation couldn’t continue as it had been. Jeff was right about that at least.
****
Jeff tapped on his son’s door and then entered.
Zach walked out of his bathroom at the sound of the knock, his toothbrush lodged in his mouth. Jeff shut the door and strolled over to the bed, where he sat on the end and waited.
His son raised his eyebrows in question, but then spun on his heel toward the bathroom again.
A few seconds later, his kid walked out, sans toothbrush. “What?” the boy asked without mincing words.
“Sit down a minute, kid, okay?”
Zach gave him a layered, questioning look, but sat in his desk chair and spun it until he faced Jeff. The boy raised his eyebrows once again.
Jeff launched into speech without conscious thought. “You feeling okay? No sinking spells since you’ve gone back to school?”
“I’m okay,” Zach said, shrugging his shoulders.
Jeff nodded his head and paused, just long enough for Zach to ask, “What’s going on?”
Jeff took a sustaining breath, not knowing how to continue. He and his son had been through so much together, but that didn’t make this conversation any easier. “Things have changed since Janet’s been here.”
His kid let out a snort. “No shit.”
Well, Jeff could take that as either a good or bad indication. “You like her, don’t you?” he asked, fairly confident his boy would answer in the affirmative.
Zach looked as if he was taking the question very seriously. He tightened his lips as he nodded his head, but otherwise remained silent. Jeff felt a hit of relief. “This is going to come as a shock, but I don’t know how else to say it.”
The kid narrowed his eyes, his hands contracting on the armrests. “Just say it, then.”
Jeff gritted his teeth and then firmed his lips—and then he spit it out. “I’m going to marry her.”
The emotions that skipped across his son’s face were for the most part, easy for Jeff to read. He saw shock, followed by a small hint of relish. But then a blend of curiosity and disbelief settled on the boy’s features. “Why?” his son asked succinctly.
Well, now, that was a damn good question. How to tell your not-quite thirteen-year-old kid enough without telling him too much?
“Are you doing it for me?” his son asked.
Jeff shook his head in answer. No, he wasn’t doing it for his kid, although he didn’t think the marriage would hurt Zach in any way. “No, I’m doing it for me,” he answered honestly.
Zach wore a completely blank stare for a single moment before exclaiming, “Holy shit, Dad. Are you serious?”
Jeff felt one side of his mouth tip up. “Yeah, I’m serious. She likes it here—and we like her being here, don’t we?”
His son rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”
Jeff exhaled a pent-up breath. “What do you mean?”
“How naïve do you think I am?” His son stared at him as if he were the more mature of the two—as if he didn’t know what the hell Jeff was doing or thinking. “You don’t have to marry her.”
“I realize I don’t have to marry her. I want to marry her.”
Zach snorted derisively. “No, you don’t. You want to sleep with her and you think it’s going to screw me up somehow if you do.”
“Zach—”
“I get it, Dad. She’s nice and pretty and I get it. But I’m not eight years old. I’m almost thirteen. I’m not going to be emotionally stunted if I find out you’re banging our housekeeper. You don’t have to screw up like this. Geez, we need to get you some professional help.”
“Look, little dude, I’m going to let all that slide because I know emotions are high right now. But I’m going to marry her and I want to know if you’re going to be okay with it.”
His son let out a long puff of air. “I guess.”
“You guess. What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Look. I’ve already said you don’t have to marry her. But here’s the deal, I guess. I like her. She’s not pushy and she doesn’t try to be my mom. The baby’s kind of cool. Janet’s good with math and shit and that helps. If that’s the way things will continue to be, I guess I’m okay with it. If she starts trying to be my mommy, I might have a problem with it.”
“I don’t think she’s going to try to be your mommy,” Jeff said to make his son feel better, but knowing Janet would certainly keep up her mothering ways.
“No? I hope not because I might screw up and hurt her feelings if she does.”
“I don’t want you hurting her feelings.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to, either. So, when?” his son as
ked.
“We aren’t going to make a big deal out of it. On Friday, we’ll go to the courthouse and do it. The plans aren’t final, but I expect her mother will come from Shreveport and stay for a few days.”
His son paused before drawling, “O—kay.”
Jeff took a deep breath. “Listen, I’m not going to pull this crap on you often, but just for the weekend, I want to take Janet some place and I’m pretty sure her mom is going to stay here with y’all.”
Zach’s eyes widened before they turned into gleaming slits of warning that made Jeff bite back a smile. The boy gritted his teeth and said, “I don’t like old women who try to hug me and kiss me. I’d sincerely appreciate it if you let her know that she’s here to babysit Hannah and not me. I can take care of myself.”
Jeff had to grin as he tussled his son’s hair. “I know you can.”
****
