One Last Gift_A Small-Town Romance Page 6

  Riley laughed and immediately bounced to another topic. “Mom, can I play basketball with Mark again tonight?”

  She cupped her hand around Riley’s shoulder. “I don’t know, Riley. You remember what happened last time. You landed in the ditch on the way home. Besides, Mrs. Jenkins is coming over.”

  Riley fist pumped. “Yay. Video games after dinner.”

  Jack watched the interaction of mother and son, and something deep in his soul turned over. That could have been his son. Their son. The child he and Casey were meant to have. His heart wrenched and he choked back a surge of unexpected anguish.

  Jack busied himself with returning the tools to the truck, leaving Riley chattering away with his mom. The reminder of what could have been was too much for him. Casey was a mom. And he wasn’t the father.

  How old was Riley? Jack didn’t know a lot about kids, but he had to be at least school age. How long after Jack had gone to Boston did Casey find someone else? Not long, by the looks of it. Jack had so many questions, he wasn’t sure one dinner was enough to get them all answered.

  “Jack, it’s all done.” Casey’s voice startled him and he spun around.

  The ladder had been retracted and the tree stood in all of its glory. Dad had picked the perfect one. And Jack was so glad he was here to witness it. He couldn’t wait to see it lit up.

  Casey stepped up beside him and he had an idea. There was only one person he wanted to witness the tree lighting with, and she was standing right beside him.

  Casey spoke as if the sight of the tree hadn’t moved her at all. Maybe it didn’t. After all, she’d been here the past ten years. Without him. “Are you ready to go back to the lot? I have some paperwork to wrap up.”

  “Sure, I’m ready. You need to finish in time to go home and get all gorgeous for tonight.” He waggled his eyebrows and grinned. He couldn’t help it, especially when he was rewarded with the blush that crept up her cheeks.

  “Maybe tonight isn’t such a good idea, Jack.”

  “No way. You said you’d go, and I’m holding you to it. I’ll be there at seven. And don’t be manufacturing an excuse of no childcare. I’m sure Mom would be happy to watch him if your sitter falls through, since it sounds like they know each other well.”

  She flinched but schooled her features. He hadn’t meant to hit on a sore spot, but he was still reeling from the idea that she’d had a child.

  Chapter Nine

  CASEY YANKED THE green sweater over her head and threw it on the bed. What was she doing, going out with Jack? Nothing good could come of this. She’d only reluctantly agreed, admitting to herself that she couldn’t put off the inevitable conversation any longer. But then she’d noticed the realization on his face when Riley ran up to her on the town green and called her Mom.

  Jack would have questions. Hell, she sometimes wondered herself what had driven her to such destructive behaviors after Jack had left town. Like picking up a man she hardly knew and going to bed with him. But nothing would make her regret Riley or the life they had built together.

  This dinner, however, was another story.

  When she’d told Riley where she was going, she was prepared to call Jack and cancel if her son had any concerns. She hadn’t dated anyone in years, her social life typically restricted to the eight and under crowd and a few girls’ nights from time to time. But Riley’s face had lit up—to the point she’d had to caution him that this was not a date date, just two old friends getting together to catch up. That hadn’t stopped Riley from shoving her down the hall while he ate so she could get ready. She shuddered to think what the kitchen would look like when he was done.

  And here it was, five minutes before Jack was supposed to show up, and Casey wasn’t any more prepared than she had been when she stepped out of the shower. Sure, she’d taken a few extra minutes on her hair and makeup—she wasn’t about to waste a night out, however ill-advised it might be. But she wasn’t any closer to knowing what to say to Jack.

  “Mom, Jack’s here!” Riley’s voice traveled down the hall, and the butterflies stirred up a new, rapid beat in her belly. Well, she certainly couldn’t greet him half dressed. She snatched her red sweater dress off the hanger, pulled it over her head, and fastened the belt around her waist. She always felt audacious when she wore this dress—which wasn’t often—and she needed all the confidence she could get. She stepped into a pair of low heels and grabbed her purse off the dresser and opened the bedroom door.

  “Mom, uh—”

  After she righted herself to keep from knocking Riley to the ground, she pulled him into a hug. “Are you sure this is okay? I can always go another night.” Or not at all.

  “No way, Mom. You’re going. You look beautiful. And Mrs. Jenkins is already here. I’m so gonna beat her in our Ultimate Sports Arena rematch.”

  Casey released him and he bounded down the hall. “She’s ready, Jack.”

  She rounded the corner, her stomach in her throat. It had been a long time since she’d gone on a date with Jack.

  “Thanks, Ri—” Jack’s words stopped and his mouth gaped open.

  Heat rose on her cheeks as his eyes trailed down and then back up her body. She brushed her hands over her dress. Had she overdone it? They were just going to J.J.’s. She’d been there with Riley dozens of times, but tonight felt different.

  Jack stepped closer, placed his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her cheek. He then leaned in and whispered, “You look beautiful.”

  “Hey, Mom. Look where you are standing.” Riley gestured to the doorframe where Casey had hung a sprig of mistletoe. She’d tacked it up every year and enjoyed grabbing Riley and planting a kiss on his cheek whenever she caught him under the mistletoe. Now he’d turned the tables on her.

  Heat grew on her cheeks as her gaze locked with Jack’s.

  “It’s tradition,” he said as he lowered his head. She couldn’t help that her eyes fluttered closed when his lips brushed against hers.

  Jack pulled back but kept a hand lightly at her waist. “Mrs. Jenkins and I were just getting acquainted. Sounds like she and Riley have big plans tonight.”

  Casey turned to her friend Suzanne. Maybe Jack could act like the kiss meant nothing, but her stomach was tied in knots from that simple contact. “Thanks for coming out tonight. Not too late for him. It’s a school night.”

  “Aw, Mom.”

  Casey couldn’t help but smile at her son. “Don’t Aw, Mom me. And no tricking Mrs. Jenkins into reading more than one chapter in Harry Potter. I’m onto you, buster.”

  Riley attempted to shy away, but she knew better. She ruffled his hair and turned back to her favorite neighbor and sitter. “We’ll be at J.J.’s. I won’t be late. Just call my cell if you need anything.”

  Suzanne turned her caring gaze on Casey. “We’ll be fine. You go off and have fun.”

  Jack’s hand pressed against the small of her back, reminding her of when they were younger. How she’d loved walking into a room with Jack at her side. How he made sure everyone knew she was with him.

  Some things never changed.

  “You know where the Tylenol is if he needs it…or the cough medicine.” You would think she had never left her son with a sitter before, based on the nerves in her belly. She had, plenty of times, but never to go out with the one man who could always tie her in knots.

  Jack nudged her shoulder. “They’ll be fine, Casey. Trust me, that boy does not look like he feels bad.”

  Riley had grabbed the game controller and was deep into a game of Crazy Basketball, leaping off the couch and cheering as he made a basket.

  Jack hustled her toward the door. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jenkins. Riley, bud, I’ll see ya later. Mind Mrs. Jenkins, okay?”

  Riley shoved a thumbs up Jack’s way, never turning away from the television. “You got it.”

  Jack was so good with Riley, comfortably sliding into a parental role. If only they’d had the opportunity to be parents to Travis.

 
Jack grabbed Casey’s coat off the rack next to the door and shuffled her out the door before she could say another word. After the door closed behind them, he held out her coat. “Here. It’s cold out.”

  “Thanks.” She slid her arms into the sleeves and pulled the lapels closed. Jack’s hand lingered on her shoulder, and she raised her gaze to meet his for just a moment. He opened his mouth, as though to say something, but then closed it again. His hand returned to her back, and he helped her into a sedan that suited the man who’d come home almost two weeks ago more than the man standing beside her in his dark, well-fitted jeans and black fisherman’s sweater.

  What she wouldn’t give to run her hands up his sculpted chest, to feel the muscles she knew he hid beneath the layers.

  Where in the heck had that thought come from? This was not a date. This was just two old friends catching up. Yeah, right. You keep telling yourself that, Casey.

  When Jack climbed in the car, he smiled and squeezed her hand but didn’t say much as he pulled away from the curb. “Is J.J.’s okay? We can go someplace else.”

  “J.J.’s is fine.”

  They didn’t say much else on the short drive to the restaurant. Maybe Jack wanted to wait until they were seated to interrogate her. Or maybe he’d decided he didn’t want to know any more about her life. They could just catch up as old friends and that would be the end of it.

  He parked and escorted her to the door. As they stepped inside, the low hum of voices mixed with music from the juke box didn’t calm her racing nerves.

  “Hey, Casey. How ya doing?” The bar owner, Joey, greeted her with a hand on her shoulder and a quick peck on the cheek. “How’s Riley?”

  Jack’s hand pressed more firmly against her back, and he stepped a bit closer to her. Yep, still possessive. But he didn’t have anything to worry about with Joey. Especially with his fiancé Brittany waving at Casey from the bar. She returned with a quick finger wave. “He’s good. Home with Suzanne tonight. Joey, this is Jack Murphy. He’s Sid and Jackie’s son.”

  Joey extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. Joey Bennett.”

  Jack shook hands but then quickly hooked his arm around her waist. “Great place.”

  “Thanks. How’s your dad?”

  Casey studied Jack as he carried on the conversation with Joey. Jack “fit” here in Oak Grove. She had never understood why he felt the need to leave. Sure, he was ambitious and had grand plans for his career, but he could have found a way to make it work from Oak Grove, or at least Philly, if he’d wanted to. But being with her obviously hadn’t been important enough for him to try.

  Before Casey could ponder that, Joey steered them to a dark booth in the corner, slid two menus onto the table, and left them alone.

  She stared at the familiar menu for a few minutes, if only to cut the tension that arced between her and Jack. He studied his menu like it was the most interesting read he’d seen in a long time then set it on the end of the table.

  A few minutes later, they placed their orders and they no longer had their menus as a distraction. Casey stared at the wall. Tapped her foot to the music. Fiddled with her napkin in her lap. Anything to avoid making eye contact with Jack. The intensity of his gaze weighed down on her.

  “So, tell me about Riley.”

  Casey smiled. She could spend all night talking about Riley. “He’s a great kid. Quiet but thoughtful. He loves to read and play with Legos.”

  “How old is he?”

  She knew where Jack was headed with this. “He’s eight years old and in second grade.”

  Jack’s eyes widened. No, it hadn’t been all that long after Jack left that she’d gotten pregnant. He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Where’s his father?”

  She shook her head and sipped the soda that had appeared in front of her when she wasn’t paying attention. “Who knows? He’s not in our life.”

  “Not at all? Not even child support payments?”

  “I have Riley. That’s all that matters.” Sure, there were times that having a partner in her life would make things easier, and as Riley got older, he’d need a father figure. Sure, he had Sid but she saw how he envied the father-son relationships his friends had. But for now, things were good. She wouldn’t trade her relationship with Riley for anything. Even Jack.

  Jack raked his fingers through his hair. “Have I really been gone that long?”

  “Why don’t you ask me what you really want to know, Jack? How long did I wait before I jumped into someone else’s bed?” She spat the words with much more venom that she intended. But Jack had left her. He didn’t have a right to dictate what happened after he was gone.

  “That’s not what I was asking at all. I just, I don’t know how you did it. So soon, I mean.”

  “You mean so soon after Travis died?” She’d tried to explain her grief to him in the months after Travis’s death, but Jack had never understood.

  Jack’s eyes softened.

  Maybe he hadn’t been as unaffected by their son’s death as she’d made him out to be. After all these years, she’d painted him with a brush of indifference.

  He reached out his hand and covered hers. “It’s just that I couldn’t imagine taking that risk again. Especially not so soon. Maybe not ever.”

  She’d expected Jack to have questions about her life, but she surely hadn’t planned to dig down and talk about Travis. Especially with someone she assumed had forgotten their son. “I’m not you, Jack. I didn’t cut off everyone in my life and run away. I stayed here and dealt with the memories. Every day without Travis was torture. I had a hole in my heart, and I went looking for something to fill it. I needed something, anything, to give me a purpose in life. I was happy when I got pregnant. Don’t get me wrong—Riley isn’t a replacement for Travis. He’s my son, just as Travis was my son. But from the moment the nurse placed Riley in my arms, my healing began. I’d held my breath for the entire nine months of my pregnancy, afraid I’d lose him like we lost Travis. But he was born healthy and he’s great. I don’t miss Travis any less—it’s just different now.”

  Jack covered her hand with his. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you. I just couldn’t wake up every morning and be confronted with everything we lost. I couldn’t stand to watch you grieve and not be able to help you. I needed a fresh start and I wanted you to come with me. But you didn’t and I lost you, too. It was too much.”

  “Didn’t you think it was too much for me, too? I carried Travis inside me. Felt him kick. And then one day, all of that was just taken away from me. From us.” Tears welled in her eyes and she blinked them away. After all this time, she thought she’d cried all the mournful tears she had for what they’d lost.

  “Oh, Casey.” Jack released her hands and she immediately felt the loss of his warmth and comfort. He moved across the booth and slid in beside her. And in another second, she found herself wrapped in his arms, her face pressed against his sweater. She clung to him and the tears that she’d locked away fell. His arms tightened and she sank into him, drawing the strength from him that she’d exhausted in herself. He stroked her back, murmuring words of comfort as she clung to him.

  Eventually the tears slowed and she relaxed her grip. But he didn’t let her go. He pulled back just enough to look at her, for her to see the red rims of his own eyes.

  “Feel better?”

  She nodded and pulled away, but he didn’t release her. He cupped her head and his gaze darkened. He lowered his head, and for a minute she thought he was going to kiss her. And he did. On the forehead.

  His lips were warm and soft against her, but not where she wanted them. For as much as she had been fighting Jack, she’d been fighting her feelings for him even harder, and she’d lost that battle.

  “Ahem.” Their waitress stood at the end of the table, plates in her hands.

  Casey swiped at her eyes and tried to move away from Jack, but he kept his arm firmly around her.

  The waitress placed their meals on the table and left as quickly a
s she’d arrived. This wasn’t good. How could she get her heart rate under control when Jack sat beside her, his thigh pressed up against hers, his arms brushing hers as he lifted his fork? A steady hum of arousal built deep in her gut and spread throughout her, leaving her fingers tingling and every cell of her body begging for more of Jack’s touch.

  She studied him, and despite the tousled hair, he looked like nothing had changed. Maybe she’d just imagined his expression just before he’d kissed her forehead.

  The conversation veered away from serious topics for the rest of the meal, and Casey found herself laughing more than she had in a long time. She’d forgotten how much fun she always had with Jack. He might believe he presented a different image, but deep down he was the same Jack she’d fallen in love with all of those years ago. And had never fallen out of love with.

  Her eyes widened with the realization.

  “You okay?” Jack whispered, the deep rumble of his voice washing over her.

  She nodded, unable to speak. Afraid of what she might say if she did. She couldn’t allow herself to get involved with Jack again. She’d barely survived when he left the first time, and while she was much stronger and more mature, he was the one person who could completely gut her.

  Jack threw his napkin down, slid out of the booth, and extended his hand. “Would you like to dance?”

  Just as his words trailed off, the deep strains of a soulful ballad filled the room. The lights had been turned down, and several couples stepped onto the dance floor at the back of the restaurant. She hesitated for a second. Could she handle being held by Jack again, feeling his heart beat? Would she regret it if she didn’t spend at least a few minutes being wrapped up in his arms? She’d played it safe for most of her life. She deserved to do something for herself, and right now, that meant dancing with Jack.

  Casey placed her hand in his. When they reached the dance floor, he spun her around and pulled her to him. Shoulder to hip to thigh, his hard planes against her.