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The man is every bit as charming and adorable as I remember and I really do feel like I’m catching up with an old friend. Sitting at the bar next to Jake, I’ve got a genuine smile on my face for the first time in what feels like forever.
“So, let me get this straight…you bought out the company you worked for when we were in high school. Changed the name and now you run the whole show?”
“You make it sound far more impressive than it is,” he chuckles and takes a sip of his beer.
“Well, I’d say that it has its perks. Right? I mean you are getting to enjoy a cold beer on your lunch break. I can’t think of many places that would allow that.”
Jake holds up a single finger. “One beer. That’s the limit. And yeah, I guess it has its perks,” he chuckles.
“I wasn’t judging,” I quickly defend. “You had pretty good judgment back in the day. I’m sure that hasn't changed.”
“Think about it, how many people have business meetings and drink wine, etc. Right? I figured one beer on occasion, with a friend,” he winks, “wouldn’t hurt.”
“True,” I raise my Strawberry Daiquiri to that.
“Plus, I’m off the clock for the day. I’ve been going since before the crack of dawn. I’ve got some guys coming in to work the later shift to keep things running smoothly. I’ll be heading to pick up my little princess from my mom’s then going home where I can just keep an eye on things in case one of my guys needs me.”
I nearly choke when he makes mention of picking up his little princess. “Little princess?” I question, already trying to picture Jake Edwards as a dad.
A huge grin spreads across his face and his eyes light up. “Yeah. Eviana, or Evi for short. She’s three. Rotten as hell, and way smarter than I’ll ever be.”
“So, she’s in factjustlike you?” I tease. Jake may have been charming and caring but he was always playing some kind of prank or getting into harmless trouble because the guy could not sit still.
“Oh she’s waaaaay worse than I ever was. Saying I’ve got my hands full is an understatement,” he’s still smiling…like a proud father.
It’s both incredibly sexy and slightly terrifying all the same. A thousand more questions run through my mind. Starting with thoughts about his wife. What she looks like. Is she a good mother? Not to mention the fact that I may or may not be jealous of a woman I’ve never even met.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Jake continues. “That little girl is hands down, one of the most unexpected blessings in my life.”
Curiosity peaked, I playfully demand pictures of the little girl - that turns out to be the spitting image of Jake with the exception of long blonde hair.
“Oh man, she could be your twin. I’m sure your wife loves that.”
Jake’s face falls for a moment and then he shakes his head. “No wife. Her mom skipped town not long after she was born. Apparently she couldn’t handle motherhood.”
I gasp. “Shit, Jake. I’m sorry.”
He shrugs and takes another drink of his beer. “I’m not. I’m only a little embarrassed to say that I didn’t really know her all that well. We may have, uhm, hung out once or twice and next thing you know, she shows up on my doorstep and tells me she’s pregnant. Ghosted me for a bit after that and came back around right before Evi was born. I felt pretty shitty for insisting on a paternity test when Evi was born, but I didn’t feel like I could trust her mother. I guess that instinct was right. If only I’d known that before I slept with her. Then again, I wouldn’t have Eviana and I would never want to go back to a life without her.”
Jake’s emotional confession has my own heart in my throat.
“I’m not really sure what to say back to that but, if you’re half the man you were back in high school, I’m sure Evi’s lucky to have you as her dad.”
“I hope so. Sometimes she makes me question my abilities and my sanity,” he laughs.
Our food eventually arrives and we spend a few minutes savoring our lunch choices in silence until Jake turns the heat on me.
“Alright, Alex. So whose heart did you break on your way backhome.”
I let out an uncomfortable laugh and try to figure out the best way to explain my super short and mostly uneventful marriage. “Okay so, no judgment,” I warn.
Jake holds up his hands. “You won’t getanyjudgment from me. Scout’s honor.”
Normally, I’d call a guy out for pulling the scout’s honor line. Except for the fact that Jake Edwards was actually a Boy Scout. Eagle Scout if I recalled correctly.
“We met on the riding circuit. It’s really so cliche. I was barrel racing, mostly for fun, and he was a bull rider.”
My lunch partner’s eyes widen. “Barrel racing?”
