Trust Again (9 page)

Jacob stood face to face with her, grinning, making her uneasy. Something fell from the sky above them, causing her to look up.

Ellie smiled. Thousands of colorful candies sprinkled down on their heads. “It’s raining jelly beans!”

Jacob nodded. “I guess that means you have to trust me.”

Astonished, she watched the candies fall around them, covering the grass. “That is what I said. I guess I should stick to my word.” She didn’t even look up to see how he had pulled this off.

“Good.” The jelly beans stopped, and Jacob picked her up and gently swung her around. “Open the candy heart I gave you.”

She gave him a strange look before unwrapping the foil. He broke the chocolate and a diamond ring fell into her hand.

“Ellie, you are my sugar and I can’t live without your sweetness. Marry me.”

A tear slid down her cheek as she looked into the most perfect pale green eyes. The eyes of her fiancé. “Okay.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow. “Okay?”

She laughed. “Yes! All the candy in the world couldn’t change my mind now.”

He put the ring on Ellie’s finger, then showered her with kisses. Clapping and whistles came from above their heads.

Ellie looked up to the trees and saw a few teenage boys climbing down.

Jacob shook his head and looked at them. “I told you to wait until after... oh well.” He walked over to the tarp and pulled it away, revealing the most detailed playhouse Ellie had ever seen, complete with shutters and bronze coach lights. “This is what our house will look like by Christmas.”

Ellie gasped. “Our house?”

Jacob nodded. “An exact replica. The lot we are standing on is already ours.”

“Really? Oh, Jacob, it’s beautiful. And perfect.”

Chapter Ten

“So, Thanksgiving at the Tuckers’ is okay with you?” Ellie asked her dad.

He nodded and took a sip of his coffee as he sat at his dining table in the kitchen. “If that’s where you want to go, that’s fine with me.”

“Did you ever get to the grocery?” Ellie peeked inside her dad’s fridge and smiled when she saw apples, yogurt, corn on the cob and a half gallon of 1% milk. The last time she’d reached inside here to grab a soda, she’d noticed soda was the only thing he had.

“Yes, I did. Told you I can take care of myself.” He got up to open a drawer. “It’s not every day your little girl gets married.” Grinning, he handed her a check.

Ellie looked down at the gift, enough to pay for the whole wedding. “I can’t take this. It’s too much.”

Her dad waved his hand in the air. “Nonsense. I’ve been saving for your wedding day since you were five and pranced around the store with your princess costume, carrying bouquet of flowers made from tissues, declaring it was your wedding day.”

Ellie sucked in her lower lip and blinked back her tears. “Have I ever told you what a wonderful dad you are?”

He chuckled. “Once or twice.”

She smiled and hugged the only parent she had really ever needed.

***

Ellie looked up from the counter as Jacob walked into the shop carrying
Milo. When the little munchkin’s eyes widened in wonder at the train set, her heart filled so full of happiness she thought she would burst. She walked over to the two loves of her life and gave Milo a locomotive like the one on display.

Jacob grinned. “You’re going to spoil him if you’re not careful.”

She ran her fingers through the little boy’s silky hair. “I grew up in this toy shop most of my life. Am I spoiled?”

Jacob tilted his head as if deep in thought.

Ellie’s mouth dropped open. “Hey!”

He laughed and kissed Milo’s head. “No, she’s not spoiled. We’ll have to see what we can do about that.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed.

Jacob tossed his head back to get the bangs out of his eyes. “Did you ask your dad if he wanted to come to Thanksgiving at Ryan and Maisie’s?”

“He does.”

Ryan looked around to make sure there were no customers and gave her a quick kiss. “Great. I guess I’ll see you tonight.”

“See you tonight!” She looked forward to spending some alone time with her fiancé. Since Maisie had to prepare for Thanksgiving tomorrow, she couldn’t watch Milo, but Viola had offered. It would be their first time alone since Jacob’s proposal.

***

The overwhelming feeling of becoming an instant dad was finally subsiding. Jacob managed to pack a diaper bag in five minutes. Ellie had suggested that they just stay at her place tonight to watch a movie and bake cookies for tomorrow. He was all for it, as he was beginning to run out of ideas for dates. So what if he had to watch a chick flick? As long as he was next to Ellie he’d watch figure skating. He was about to walk out the door when he smelled the rotten stench known as a dirty diaper. What age could he start potty training? He held his nose and took Milo over to the sofa.

Jacob made a face. “Okay, little man, no more butternut squash for you.”

Milo kicked his feet and laughed.

Just as he pulled up Milo's tiny jeans his phone rang. “Hello?”

“Jacob? How are you?” Kate’s voice took him by surprise.

He picked up Milo and threw away the diaper. “I’m great. Why are you calling me?”

“I was just wondering if you had plans for the holidays.”

Jacob let out a huff. “Yeah, as a matter of fact I do.”

“Oh. Spending it with Ryan?”

He rolled his eyes. Kate had never been there for him and only tried to pop back into his life when it was convenient for her. “Yeah, and my fiancé and our son.”

She gasped. “You have a son? How is that possible?”

Jacob laughed. “I’d explain how babies are made to you, but hey, you already know that, right?” He wasn’t about to tell her how he became a parent. It wasn’t any of his cold-hearted ex’s business.

“Funny. Well, have a nice Thanksgiving. I just remembered I have plans too.”

Milo started squirming and said, “Da Da.”

Jacob looked down in surprise and hung up the phone.

“You said Da Da!”

***

Ellie ejected the romance movie from the DVD player. Good thing she’d already seen it, or she would have missed the most of the middle and part of the end with Jacob’s kisses and caresses. His sensual touches had her almost begging for more. She wanted to make love to him now. Was waiting until after they were married really that important?

Jacob broke the suction between their lips. “When do you want to get married?” he asked in a husky voice.

His heart racing against her hand made a heat pool below her belly. “We don’t have to wait.” She grabbed a hold of his shirt pulled him back down on top of her.

He sighed and pulled back. “Yes we do. You deserve the best. I want our first time to be as husband and wife.”

Ellie let out a breath and sat up. “Let’s get married now.”

Jacob laughed. “Now?”

She nodded her head frantically. “We don’t have to tell anyone. It will be our secret.”

He raked his hand through his hair. “Slow down there, princess. No one can marry us this late on the evening before Thanksgiving.”

She pursed her lips. “Then you’d better stop kissing me like that.”

He bent down and pressed his lips to her neck. “You mean like this?”

“Jacob Jones!” Her face heated. “Stop!”

He smiled. “Okay.”

She crossed her arms as he stood up and went toward the kitchen. “Come back.”

He turned to her with a sly grin. “Don’t you have cookies to bake?”

She rolled her eyes and got up. Sighing, she got the recipe and gathered the ingredients for snickerdoodles. They wouldn’t be as good as Ginger’s, but she’d give it a try.

Jacob watched her as she measured and stirred. She looked up from the stainless steel bowl. “Can you preheat the oven to 350?”

He walked over to the oven and pushed the appropriate buttons. She tried to keep her mind on the batter she was mixing with the wooden spoon and off of Jacob’s biceps. Concentrating on the task at hand, she scooped dough on to the cookie sheet. Jacob snatched a bite of uncooked dough and shoved it in his mouth.

Her eyes widened. “You’re going to get food poisoning. That has raw eggs in it!”

He shrugged. “I’ve been eating cookie dough all my life. Hasn’t hurt me yet.”

She shook her head and handed him the cookie sheet. Seeing him bend over must have gotten her flustered, because when she went to put the flour back in the fridge the container slipped out of her hands, sending a burst of flour all over the kitchen. A white cloud of dust filled the air.

Jacob laughed. “It snowed early this year.”

“Oh, you think it’s funny, do you?” She grabbed a handful of the flour and playfully threw it at him.

“Really?” He smirked and grabbed some flour to throw back at her. Within seconds, every surface of the kitchen was covered in white, including them.

Ellie started laughing so hard she sat down on the floor to catch her breath. Jacob sat down beside her. “You look like a snow angel,” he whispered, and he brushed away some of the powder from her hair.

She looked up to his flour-covered face and grazed his face with her fingertips. Their bodies couldn’t resist the pull any longer. The first batch of cookies weren’t the only things heating up in the kitchen. She unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time when what she really wanted to do was rip his shirt off as fast as she could to see his muscular chest and feel his skin on hers. His expert fingers ran up and down her hips then pulled her to him.

He kissed her neck and whispered in her ear. “You’re gorgeous.”

Need surged through her. She smiled and lay back on the flour-covered floor. Jacob ran his fingers through her hair and touched his hot lips to ear. She closed her eyes as they explored each other’s bodies until they both found complete bliss.

***

Making love on the kitchen floor covered in slippery flour had been the best night of Jacob’s life. Ellie was all he had ever wanted in a girlfriend and now she would soon become his wife. Somehow he had gotten lucky enough to get a do-over. He wished they could have met before everything bad had happened to them. Things would be so different. But past was past and what was done was done.

Ellie placed Milo in his car seat like a pro. She’d make an amazing mom. Milo reached his chubby fingers up and grabbed Ellie’s hair while blowing raspberries. Maybe things were just as they were meant to be.

“You think anyone will know?” Her cheeks turned pink. She started to reach for her earring and stopped. It’d been a while. Maybe she was breaking the old habit.

“I don’t care if they do.”

The pink shade of her cheeks deepened as she fastened her seat belt. “I hope we have enough cookies since we burned the first batch.”

Jacob laughed. “But it was so worth it.”

***

Maisie opened the door with a wide smile. “Happy Thanksgiving!” She held the door open for them all to shuffle inside. The house was warm and smelled like heaven. With their dog, Happy, curled up in front of the fireplace, Ellie felt like she’d just stepped into a picture perfect holiday.

“That smells delicious!” Jacob told her.

“It does.” Ellie nodded.

Maisie smiled. “Thank you.” She kissed Milo’s head. “Dinner is ready, everyone is here. Let’s go eat.”

Ellie slipped Milo out of his thick jacket. “Thanks for having us.”

Mr. Oliver nodded. “You have a lovely home.”

Ryan walked into the room. “We’re glad you could spend Thanksgiving with us. Maisie’s been cooking all day. Come on back.”

They all followed Maisie and Ryan back to their kitchen and exchanged hellos with Maisie and Ryan’s families. Bowls of mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing and pies surrounded a perfectly browned turkey.

Maisie pointed to the empty highchair next to her daughter. “We already bought another highchair for the baby, so Milo can sit next to Blossom.” The little girl dressed in a pink sweater dress and striped multi-colored tights was already finger painting her tray with mashed potatoes.

Ryan pulled out a chair for his pregnant wife while Jacob fastened
Milo in the seat and sat down next to him. Ellie took a seat between her dad and Jacob.

Ryan cleared his throat. “Everyone is here. Welcome. A little tradition we have is to go around the table and say what we are thankful for.”

Ellie had missed too many Thanksgivings with her dad. A sense of fulfillment filled her chest. She had so much to be thankful for. They all did.

Chapter Eleven

“Just a minute.” God, it was nice to hear a knock at the door and not panic. She glanced at the clock. Jacob wasn’t supposed to be there for another hour. She smiled and opened the door. “You’re earl—” Her smile faded as the woman she hadn’t seen since she was four stood in front of her. “Mom?”

The tall redhead with lips much larger than Ellie recalled, grinned. “Oh, good. You remember me.”

Ellie was speechless. Her mom had taken off when she was a little girl without so much as an explanation or a goodbye. Her dad was heartbroken. She could hear him crying in the middle of the night sometimes. Yet, he never said one bad word about her mom. He just told her that she was confused and maybe someday she’d be back. That she still loved them no matter what. Ellie had given up hope by the time she was ten. Now that someday was today. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words didn’t come out. Instead, she stood there with her mouth open.

“You’re so pretty. Can I come in?”

She stepped aside without a word. Her mom walked past her and sat down on Ellie’s sofa like it was the most natural thing in the world to do.

Ellie walked over to the chair beside the sofa and sat down. “What are you doing here?” she finally managed.

Her mom crossed her long legs and folded her hands on her knee. “I guess I owe you an explanation for why I disappeared when you were little.”

Ellie swallowed the large lump in her throat. “Let’s start with why you are here now.”

Her mom let out a breath. “Fair enough. I missed you.” She reached out to touch Ellie’s arm, and Ellie moved away.

“You missed me?” Anger and disappointment had replaced her surprise. “Did you miss me when I lost my first tooth? Or when I had my first dance? How about when I graduated high school?” Tears stung the back of her eyes, but she widened them and blinked. She would not shed a tear for this woman. This stranger.

Her mom nodded and hung her head. “I was sick, El.”

Ellie pressed her lips together. “Don’t call me that. My name is Ellie. You have no right to call me anything but.”

“Okay, Ellie. I was sick.” She licked her plump bottom lip. “I was an addict.”

Ellie looked over at the lamp on the end table. “An addict? What are you talking about? Dad never said anything about that.”

“It’s true. What did he say?”

Ellie narrowed her eyes. “I’ll tell you what he didn’t say is anything negative about you. Ever.”

She ran a hand over her short hair. “I’m sorry I hurt you both. I cared about nothing or no one when I was using. Your dad gave me an ultimatum, you two or the drugs.” She swallowed. “I guess you know which I chose.”

Ellie frowned. “I guess I do.”

“I’m better. I’ve been clean for three years.”

Acid rose in Ellie’s throat and her chest tightened as though she couldn’t breathe. Why did her mom have to come back? She would have rather not known her mom was a junkie. “Good for you.”

“I can’t believe you’re still here in
Pleasant Valley. Somehow I thought you might have moved away.”

“I did move away. Lived in
New York for a long time.”

Her mom’s eyes widened. “My baby in
New York. Wow.”

“I’m not your baby.”

A tear slid down her mom’s high cheek bone. “I guess I deserve that.”

“Yeah, you do. Does dad know you are here?”

“No. I don’t expect him to forgive me.” Her mom picked at a loose thread on her pants. She swallowed and looked down. “I was hoping you could.”

Ellie stood up and paced. “I just don’t know. Too much has happened.” She glanced at her mom’s pale face. “I need some time to process this.”

Her mom stood up. “Take all the time you need. If you want to get a hold of me, I’m staying at Garden Roof Inn.”

Awestruck, Ellie watched her mom get up and leave.

***

Jacob’s arms wrapped around her gave her at least some comfort. He listened while she’d told him about her mom leaving all those years ago and then showing up at her door tonight. He kissed her head. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.” Ellie squeezed Jacob’s hand. “I don’t want to think about this anymore tonight.”

Jacob sighed. “What if she leaves again? I just think you may regret not going to her while you have the chance.”

Her eyes widened. “And say what? That I forgive her?” She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”

He turned her chin toward him. “Just hear me out. I lost my mom, too. And if she came back for only a minute, I’d forgive her for not telling me about my sister.”

“But that is different! Your mom never left you!”

“I know it’s not the same thing, but—”

“No, it’s not the same at all. Don’t judge me. I can’t help how I feel.” Ellie let go of his hand and crossed her arms.

“No matter what, she is still your mom.”

“Oh, is she? Excuse me if I don’t agree.”

Jacob frowned. “Maybe I should go.”

Ellie sniffled. “Maybe you should.”

The only man she’d ever been in love with walked out the door. She picked up the pillow on the sofa and threw it across the room. Her silent tears turned into noisy sobs. She grabbed the other pillow and cried into it to muffle the sound. The last thing she wanted right now was for Viola to hear her next door.

***

The cold November wind stung Jacob’s cheeks as he walked out to his truck. His first disagreement with Ellie felt like someone had sucker punched him right in the throat. Frustrated, he climbed into his truck. Maybe she just needed some time. He understood why she was upset. She had a right to be. Halfway home he realized his error. Damn, why did
n’t he tell her that? He was so concerned that she would regret her decision he forgot to sympathize with her.

His mom had made tons of mistakes with him, but she was still his mom and he loved her. Things would work themselves out. He just hated seeing Ellie so upset. Their alone time was so precious now that he had
Milo and he went and screwed it up. Feeling like crap, he pulled into Ryan’s driveway to pick up his son. He zipped up his jacket and got out.

“Back so soon?” Ryan asked as he opened the door.

Jacob walked inside. “Yeah. Had a bit of a disagreement with Ellie.”

Ryan shut the door. “Sit down and tell me what’s going on in paradise. Maisie has the kiddos downstairs playing with cardboard building blocks.
Milo loves knocking them down.”

Jacob raked his fingers through his windblown hair and sat down on the tweed sofa. “Ellie’s mom left them when Ellie was four.” He paused. “And tonight she showed up at Ellie’s door asking for forgiveness.”

“Man, that’s rough.” Ryan leaned back in his seat. “What did you disagree about?”

“I told Ellie that she would regret not going to her mom.” He cringed.

He arched a brow. “Too soon?”

“Apparently.”

“Let her calm down and I’m sure she’ll make the right decision for her.”

Jacob sighed. “I hope so.”

***

Ellie woke up on her dad’s sofa with the pale yellow afghan tucked around her. She smelled coffee and blueberry pancakes. Dad made breakfast? Still in her clothes from last night, she sauntered into the kitchen.

“Good morning!” Her dad piled four pancakes on a plate and set it on the table, motioning for her to sit down.

“Morning.” Ellie yawned. “Sorry about all the whining I did last night.”

Her dad took a plate of pancakes and sat down across from her. “You had every right.” When Jacob left last night she felt so alone and confused. Without thinking, she had run home to her dad’s. He listened and hugged her, then turned on the TV and they watched re-runs like old times. She thought she could see tears in his eyes when the light from the TV flickered.

“So do you, Dad. She left both of us. I know how hard that must have been for you to raise me all alone.” She took a drink of her coffee. “And you never complained or cried in front of me.”

“I had to be strong for you, dear Ellie.”

She put her hand over his. “You don’t have to anymore. I’m all grown up now.” She laughed and waved a hand in the air. “Never mind that I slept on your sofa and you tucked me in while I was sleeping.”

He grinned. “You will always be my little girl. And I’m fine. I knew what was wrong with your mom and somehow it did make it a little easier knowing she had no control over what she was doing to us.” He poured more syrup over his stack. “And while I will never have a relationship with her again, it doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t, if that is what you want.”

Ellie sat down her fork. “That’s just it. I don’t know what I want.”

He pushed his glasses up on his nose. “You don’t have to decide until you do know what you want. She took her time coming back to you. You can take your time figuring out what that means for both of you.”

Ellie pushed in her chair and walked over to her dad. She kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, and thanks for breakfast.”

***

Saturday morning Jacob woke up to make
Milo breakfast. Baby oatmeal looked disgusting, but his little boy seemed to love the stuff. He barely slept last night, worrying about Ellie. If she didn’t call him soon, they would take a drive over to see her. Milo smacked his mouth, making oatmeal drool down his bib.

Jacob cleaned
Milo off with a damp cloth. There was a quick knock at the door, and he couldn’t answer it fast enough. Please be Ellie.

He swung open the door and grinned. “Hi.”

She smiled and came inside. “Hi. I’m sorry about last night.”

He shook his head. “No, I’m the one that should apologize. I shouldn’t have pushed you.”

Milo reached for Ellie and she took him, planting a kiss on his cheek. “He smells like oatmeal. I love that smell.”

Jacob drew his eyebrows together. “You do?”

“Mmm hmm.”

Milo
babbled and patted Ellie’s hair. It was the sweetest sight.

“Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to bundle
Milo up and go visit the house. It’s completely framed. And if you can use your imagination, you can almost see the rooms.”

“I’d love to. It’s not bad outside, though. It’s really sunny. He probably just needs his light jacket.”

***

Red and yellow leaves crunched beneath their feet. Ellie looked at the wood skeleton that would soon be their home. She walked through as Jacob gave her the tour. It was all coming together.

Jacob walked around on the slab of cement with a content look in his eyes. “And this will be Milo’s room.”

Ellie looked down at
Milo. “Hear that, baby boy? This is your room. I think we should decorate it with trains.” Jacob put his arms around them, making Ellie feel loved and protected.

“He’d like that.”

Ellie looked down at Milo. “You know, your daddy’s not half bad at painting, either.”