Jenna went to find Ethan. He was still working on his lunch, so she decided to finish in the kitchen. She pulled out the boxes she’d been storing in the dining room and started going through the cabinets, packing up anything she had two of, or knew she could live without wherever they ended up.
When she’d finished she pushed the boxes out to the garage, put Ethan down for his nap, and then started packing in her father’s room. She was stacking those boxes in the hallway when Bri came strolling along. “Where have you been?” Jenna asked. “I need help getting these down to the garage.”
Bri helped her push the boxes toward the back stairs. “Just so you know, Ally Stewart’s calling everybody saying Brandon’s gonna buy our house and kick us out.”
“
That may be true.”
“
And that doesn’t make you mad?”
Jenna stood, taking a moment to catch her breath. “I hope he does buy it. Better than the bank forcing us out. We have to leave, either way, so what’s the difference?”
“
The difference is he’s doing it to be mean. That doesn’t make you mad?”
“
No. I can get these. Go get more boxes from the attic. You’ll have to tape some of them back together again. Thank goodness Dad kept all the old moving boxes or we’d be digging through dumpsters today.”
The phone rang and Jenna gave her sister a look but Brianna jumped out of reach and answered, then started talking to one of her friends as she headed to the attic, saying, “I know. She’s horrible. She’s no friend of mine.”
For a moment, Jenna thought how nice it would be to move far away, far away from all the gossip. But she’d dealt with it all before. She’d get through it again. She only hoped Brianna could, too.
***
At Jack’s, Sam stood on the back porch and watched a handful of the kids splashing down at the pond. Having fun, enjoying the summer. His sister, Frankie, and his sisters-in-law, Becky and Crystal, were hanging out, keeping an eye on everyone. Becky looked slim and athletic again after losing the baby weight. Frankie waddled around in a two-piece, her big belly in full view - something she would never do in a public place. Crystal was in the water with the kids, floating her ten-month-old girl who kicked happily. Sam wondered if Ethan knew how to swim. He knew almost nothing about the boy.
Jack’s house was a favorite gathering spot for the family during the summer, no invitation needed. Sam looked around but didn’t see any of his brothers.
Making a mental note to tease Frankie about the bikini later, he tried to imagine Jenna like that, when she’d carried Ethan. He tried to imagine Ethan splashing and laughing in the water, and Jenna laughing right along, but found it hard. They both needed a little fun in their lives. And a lot less worry. Worry he was causing himself because he couldn’t get his mind straight.
His brother, Boone, came out of the barn carrying an inner tube. “Found it,” he called to his wife. Becky went to retrieve it and Boone turned toward the porch, spotting Sam. Boone had let his hair grow out and Sam noticed for the first time his brother’s hair had a golden tint to it in the sun. He immediately thought of Ethan.
“
There you are,” Boone said, stepping up to have a sit.
“
Where’s Mike?” Sam asked.
“
He’s managing a new band. Went to hear them rehearse. He talked about it at lunch. Where were you?”
“
Sorry,” Sam said. He remembered lunch with his family, but he’d only been interested in talking about Ethan and Jenna. He hadn’t really been listening to anyone else.
“
I thought you’d bring this mystery kid out for us to see.”
“
No,” Sam said. “Probably not till the party.”
“
Two weeks? Jeez. Mom’s gonna have an aneurism before then. She’s all excited and upset.”
Sam backed up to sit down. “About what?”
“
I don’t know. You know how she is. Excited about meeting the kid, upset you didn’t marry the girl.”
“
I might have if I’d known.”
Boone blew out a breath. “Yeah, right.”
Sam frowned at his brother. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Boone glanced at the back door. “Heard Angie moved out?”
Sam leaned forward, then sat back and crossed his arms. “Yeah.”
“
He’s hiding up in his room, all down in the dumps about it. I don’t know why he didn’t just marry her. They practically were, anyway.”
“
Yeah,” Sam said. “I don’t know why, either.”
“
You’re gonna end up just like Jack.”
Sam closed his eyes to stay calm, realizing this was only the beginning of the pestering from his family. His mother had told him the same thing. “I’m just freaked out about the kid. No big deal. You’d be, too, if you found out you had a two-year-old all of a sudden.”
Boone chuckled. “The freak-out comes even if you think you’re prepared.”
Sam looked out at the kids splashing in the water. Becky held the new baby on her lap. She and Frankie sat on a blanket and Frankie now wore a rainbow-colored umbrella hat. Something else he could tease her about, when he felt up to it.
“
You were this way?” he asked his brother. “When Chase was born?” They watched the boy, now nine, run down the pier and do a cannonball into the water.
“
Not at first,” Boone said. “That came about a week later, when I looked down at him and realized it was really happening. That he was really mine. My responsibility. I’ve got four now and I freaked out each time. But you get used to it. You get busy and figure out what you’re doing. Now I can’t imagine them not being here.”
Sam suddenly realized he was getting that way, about Ethan. He couldn’t imagine him not being here, now that he was here. He wanted what Boone had, the wife and family, moments like this watching his kid splashing in the water, knowing he had his life straight, and had a certain future. He wanted to be settled. Even still….
“
So, go ahead,” Boone said, giving Sam’s bouncing knee a bump with his fist. “You’re bursting. Talk about this boy of yours.”
Sam chuckled at himself. “He’s amazing. Rambunctious. Healthy. Can already run like the wind. Cutest kid you’ve ever seen.”
“
Yeah, we all think that,” Boone said, giving him a look.
Sam realized what he’d just said. “Sorry.”
“
So, are you gonna marry her?”
Sam leaned forward again. “We’re a long way from that.”
“
Mom said you’re thinking of just going back to Texas. Forgetting all about him.”
“
What?” He’d never said that. Not exactly. He had to stop spilling his guts to people. It did nothing but get him in trouble. “That’s not true.”
“
I hope not, bro, because that pisses me off.”
“
It’s not true,” Sam insisted. “I have to go back, but I’m not forgetting about him. We’ve just started working out the details.”
“
I thought you were here for two weeks? So why am I having to drive you to the airport tomorrow?”
“
I just have some business to deal with. I’ll take my truck and leave it at the airport. I’d hate to put you out.”
Boone chuckled, still seeming slightly hostile. “You’re running, again. Same as always.”
Sam had had just about enough. “Keep fussing at me and I’m going somewhere else.”
“
No, I’m done,” his brother said.
They sat in silence for a while, watching the kids play. Becky had pulled out a picnic basket and a few kids ran up for a snack, wrapped in towels.
“
You know,” Boone said, “I heard rumors today she’s having money problems. That her dad left his finances all messed up.”
That got Sam’s attention. “Jenna? Seriously? I saw she was selling her house.”
Boone only shrugged. “I was asking around about her. Crystal has a friend in the real estate office she’s using. Of course, you can’t believe everything you hear.”
Sam thought about it and remembered seeing Jenna’s hands shake when she’d spoke of selling the house. He’d known something was wrong, but had figured it was all about him and the baby, and losing her dad.
“
We were just talking,” Boone said. “Wondering if that’s why she’s telling you now. Looking for money.”
“
Who’s we?” Sam said, even though he knew. His entire family.
“
Maybe a test is in order.”
Maybe. “He’s mine. I know it.” He was about to say he trusted Jenna, but he wasn’t so sure he did. She should have told him about the boy two years ago. She could have tracked him down. He was still a little angry about that. On the other hand, he could have stopped by to see her during his many visits home over the past three years. He could have found out where she was attending law school, back when he’d thought she was attending law school, and contacted her. But he hadn’t gone to the effort. He’d been too afraid of how much he’d liked her. He’d been annoyed that he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her. And even now, three years later, the fear lived on. A part of him was secretly glad she hadn’t told him. He’d had two years of freedom. Now he was good and trapped.
But he was about to solve that problem. He was catching a plane tomorrow, not because he had business to tend to, but because he needed some space. He needed to go home, away from Jenna and the boy, away from his family, and think about things. He needed to run.
He’d decide later whether or not to come back.
***
Jenna stumbled over a box and grabbed at Ethan’s hand before he could put a Styrofoam peanut in his mouth. He immediately reached for another one, so Jenna picked him up and maneuvered around the packing boxes in the den.
“
Brianna!” she called as she stepped into the foyer to yell upstairs. “Where are you?”
Jenna checked the clock again. It was nearly six. Sam was three hours late. She’d almost told Ethan Sam was coming back to see him and was glad now she hadn’t. She’d suspected he might not actually show. He was probably well on his way back to Texas by now.
A good five minutes passed before Brianna, looking about twelve years old with her hair in braided pigtails, stepped into the den holding the phone in her hand. “What?”
“
You’re supposed to be watching him so I can pack. And I told you to take all these packing peanuts out of the boxes. We don’t need them. We’re only putting things in boxes until we can get them set out on tables Saturday.”
“
I’m packing my room.”
“
No, you’re not. You’re talking on the phone and playing with your hair.”
“
Sorry. Hey!” Bri objected when she saw the box Jenna was packing. “Those are
my
DVDs and Blu-rays!”
“
We don’t need them.”
“
Yes, I do! We don’t even have cable or internet anymore. That’s all I have left to watch!”
Jenna looked down at the box but couldn’t give in. “I have to sell the players and TVs, so it won’t matter.”
Brianna pulled the box toward her, guarding it. “But you don’t have to pack it right now. The garage sale isn’t till next weekend. Let me have
something
.”
Jenna held up her hands in surrender. “Fine. We can pack these later. Just watch him, please.”
Huffing, Brianna took Ethan and walked away, somehow managing to hold the toddler and text at the same time.
From outside, she heard a car door slam and went to look out the front window.
Sam’s dark green pickup was parked in front of the house. A second later the doorbell rang.
She dropped the curtain and slumped down out of sight, silently cursing, wishing she’d had time for a shower – and to put on something decent - the old blue t-shirt she wore had a bleach stain above her right breast. Around four-thirty she’d given up hope he would actually return and had spent an hour digging through dusty boxes in the hot attic. The dust had mixed with sweat and left her feeling grimy all over. Her hair was a mess.
Darnit. For a man who made clocks Sam had no concept of time! She wanted to see him, but not like this.
Without Brianna to run interference, she had to force up her nerve and answer the door herself.
And darnit again, he looked incredible, as always. He still wore the jeans and gray boots but had changed into a crisp plain white t-shirt, one that showed off every impressive muscle. His chestnut hair was still damp from a recent shower and a stray tendril fell loose over his forehead, almost calling to her to reach out and smooth it into place.
He smiled and gave her a once-over without ever losing the welcoming glint in his eyes. His gaze lingered for a moment on her breasts, or on the bleach stain on her shirt.
“
Come in,” she said. “You’re late.”
“
Sorry,” he said, wiping his feet on the doormat before stepping into the foyer. “I had some things to do. Time got away from me.”
He smiled brightly at her and she noticed a change in him. As if he’d been rushing around and was still wound up with energy.