She was young and blonde and pretty and I watched Jude’s face for a reaction but he barely looked at her. For all the crap we’d gone through and all our years of separation while he was in the Marines, I knew he’d never cheated on me. He’d always been loyal. He’d never given me cause to worry or feel insecure that he’d rather be with someone else.
“Hey Lila.” She gave me a bright smile and I made the introductions. Jude scowled when I introduced him as Brody’s cousin. What else could I say? Tori knew nothing about Jude.
When she went inside, he said the words I suspected he’d been meaning to say before we were interrupted. “Just give me another chance to prove myself. That’s all I’m asking.”
I nearly laughed. That was asking a lot. But I found myself nodding in agreement. “Guard him with your life. If anything...” I looked away then back at him so he would know where I stood. “Noah is the most important person in my life.”
I couldn’t stress that enough, and I needed him to hear it and understand it.
“I know he is,” he said quietly, and I could hear the acceptance in his tone. My heart no longer beat just for him.
He smiled but it wasn’t the same smile as earlier. It was sadder and infinitely more beautiful.
“Can we go now?” Noah approached the two of us but looked up at Jude.
Jude put his hand on Noah’s shoulder. It was such a paternal gesture. How would Brody feel if he knew Jude was spending the day with his son?
After I said my goodbyes and watched Jude’s truck pull out onto the highway, I walked back inside. Christy raised her brows but didn’t say anything in front of Tori. She’d only started working for us a few months ago and knew nothing about Jude. I could see she was curious but it wasn’t something I planned to share with her.
How could I even begin to explain what Jude meant to me?
“Bring him as your plus one,” Sophie said as I pulled into the McCallister’s driveway, windshield wipers slapping.
“Noah’s my plus one.”
“Fine. If you don’t bring Jude, I’m setting you up with the divorced lawyer. Your choice.”
“That’s… ugh, no. I don’t need a date for the wedding.” Sophie’s wedding was in three weeks. Black tie. Two hundred fifty guests. On her family vineyard. Christy and I were doing the flowers. “I have to go.”
“K. Bye. And don’t forget to invite him.”
I had no intention of inviting Jude to Sophie’s wedding. Cutting the call, I got out of my car, dashed across the front yard and up the porch steps, seeking shelter from the rain. Running my fingers through my damp hair, I knocked before I pushed open the front door. I wasn’t sure why I always knocked. This house was like a family home to me. The only one I’d had since my mom died.
I followed the scent of garlic and tomato sauce to the kitchen. Kate pulled a lasagna out of the oven and set it on the counter before turning to look at me. “Hi honey. How was work?”
“Good. It was busy but it was good. Where are Noah and Jude?” I asked, noting the four place settings on the kitchen table.
Kate pointed to the window with a smile on her face. I looked out at the back yard where a tent was pitched. It looked like the same tent Jude had once decorated with fairy lights on our camping trip. The same tent we used to have sleepovers in the summers we were just kids. Me, Brody, Jude.
“Do you need help with dinner?” I asked. “I can make a salad or...”
“All done. Go on out and see them. I know you’re dying to.”
I laughed because it was true. I wanted to see what they were up to. I ran across the back yard and said, “Knock, knock” before I pulled back the tent flap and ducked inside, out of the rain.
My hand went to my heart.
They were asleep. My son and the man who I had loved so fiercely. The man who had stolen my heart had his arm wrapped around my baby boy and my heart expanded like a balloon, so full it was nearly bursting.
As if he could feel the weight of my gaze, Jude stirred and his eyelids fluttered open. He scrubbed a hand over his face and tilted his chin down to look at Noah as if to make sure he hadn’t neglected his duties or broken his promise to keep my son safe under his watchful eye at all times.
“Looks like you wore each other out,” I said with a small smile.
“You were right about him. He never stops.”
“Was he okay for you?” Noah could be a handful. Stubborn. Willful. Prone to temper tantrums when he didn’t get his own way. But in my eyes, the good outweighed the bad. He was smart and funny and sweet and he made me smile and laugh every day.
“He was great. He’s an amazing kid.” Jude smiled as if he was proud of that, as if he had some hand in making Noah who he was. And I forced myself not to think about what it would be like if things had worked out differently and we’d had a child together.
“Hey Noah.” I crawled farther into the tent and gently lifted his arm, pulling his small body against mine. I pushed his hair off his forehead with my hand and stroked it as he woke up, still dazed and half asleep.
It was easy to see why they’d fallen asleep in here. It was cozy inside, with the rain falling outside and the lighting hazy, the tent keeping them warm and dry.
“What did you guys do all day?”
“What didn’t we do?” Jude said with a laugh as he sat up and raked his hand through his messy hair. I was staring again. I needed to stop this.
