Home is Where the Heart is (22 page)

“I believe you’ve done very well raising Jake on your own.”

“Well, I haven’t really done it alone. I’ve had plenty of support surrounding Jake and me throughout the years. But thank you. I’ve only done what I thought was right all along. Apparently, I was born to be a mother.”

She was born to be a mother to Jordan’s son, though he didn’t tell her that.

“I’m a little tired,” Cassie finally said, looking away from Jordan. Her eyes were focused on Jake in the bed. He was still asleep, and knowing how good of a sleeper he could be, maybe Cassie would be able to get some shuteye—even for just a few minutes or so. It was all she needed to gain a little bit of energy so she’d be ready for when Jake eventually woke up.

“I’ll let you know when he wakes up,” Jordan told her before she tucked her yoga pants-clad legs up underneath her as best she could, while still sitting in a very uncomfortable chair and closed her eyes.

Jordan watched the stunning beauty before his eyes drift off to sleep. He remembered watching her sleep when they had dated. She looked so peaceful, almost like an angel, except he remembered she used to snore. When he’d told her about it, she tried to deny that she snored, insisting he did instead. He studied her closely, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. He too drifted off to a light slumber, forgetting all about the events of that night.

I
t wasn’t until morning of the next day when the early sunrise was gently streaming in through the hospital window that Jordan realized his light slumber had turned into actual sleep, despite the uncomfortable position he was sitting in. Jordan looked over at Cassie as sun lightly reflecting off her blonde hair, giving her a golden glow. He couldn’t help but wonder how he ever got so lucky in the first place that Cassie chose him to be with when they’d dated in high school. She was stunning, even though he knew Cassie wouldn’t agree right now with her hair sticking up and mascara smudged around her eyes.

His dark brown eyes shifted over to their son, and even now, he still had trouble absorbing he had a child. Jake hadn’t moved. His body was perfectly still besides his breathing, and something told Jordan this was the only time Jake wasn’t busily moving about. He ought to capture this moment forever of his two favorite people in the entire world while he had the chance.

He took his iPhone out of his pants pocket and snapped a quick shot of his girl and then his son before they both stirred. He knew Cassie wasn’t really his girl anymore, but once upon a time, she had been his, and he hoped she would be again. Life was simply too short to let her slip away again.

His phone buzzed in his hands, and Jordan was thankful it was on silent, which would’ve no doubt disturbed Jake and Cassie from their sleep.

What could Paul want?
Jordan thought to himself when he read the name of the caller on the screen. Jordan paid Paul big bucks as his agent, mostly making his life run smoothly as he dealt with the press, tabloids, and business side of his life that came from being a professional football player, leaving Jordan to concentrate on the sport itself. He didn’t like dealing with trashy tabloids eager to make up a story over the real deal just to sell their magazine. Jordan thought of them as money hungry people, but he figured it was the life he asked for in order to follow his childhood dream.

Jordan’s finger slid across the screen to answer the call, then he slipped out of the room and talked to his agent in a hushed tone.

“What’s up?”

“How are you? I’m calling to check in with you and make sure you’re on track to return to Miami for training camp. I haven’t heard from you since the night you called to tell me about your kid. So tell me, how is fatherhood treating you?”

Jordan shook his head. He knew Paul couldn’t possibly be interested in hearing about his sudden thrust into fatherhood. When he’d made the phone call to fill Paul in on the recent revelations in his life, Paul hadn’t been interested in hearing about his news until Jordan confirmed through a DNA test that Jake was really his. Despite his reluctance, Jordan had managed to convince Paul to spin the story to the press in a positive way. Luckily, Cassie didn’t mind when he asked her for a DNA test. She understood that his job sometimes required an exact answer in regards to what happened in his personal life.

“You don’t really want me to answer that, right?”

“No, you’re right. I don’t. Despite everything, that isn’t what I called to ask you about.” Paul wasn’t the type of guy you could sit down and have a beer with. He only wanted to know details about your life when he needed to spin it in a positive way to the public. Jordan paid him a lot of money to do his job, and he had to admit, he did his job the well.

“We’re almost into July. That means training camp is approaching fast before the season commences, so the team is wondering when you’ll be back.” Paul was straight to the point.

“Yeah, that’s the thing,” Jordan said, his words running into each other. His hand ran over his hair. “I may not make it back by then. I’m not saying I won’t for sure, because I simply don’t know yet. But regardless, I will back by the end of July or beginning of August.”

Jordan listened to pure silence on the other end of the phone except for deep breathing.

“Does that cause a problem with the team? I’m not missing the season or anything, and I will be there for most of the camp. I’m only missing the first week or so.”

“Is there anything you need to tell me? What’s going on there?”

“My son is ill. He’s going to be okay, but he had to have an appendectomy and I would like to spend a little more time with him. It shouldn’t cause too much of an issue though, because most of the other players on the team are fathers themselves.”

Jordan continued to hold the phone to his ear as he listened to his agent respond to his worries, telling him how everything would be okay and he wished him the best of luck and not to think about football until his son was in the clear. Only then did Jordan finally realize he had hired a great agent. He wasn’t just someone who worked for him but he was a friend. Paul was one of the good ones, whose number one priority in life shouldn’t just be all about business, but family too. And now Jordan was beginning to realize just how much that statement meant to him.

Cassie slowly opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings, remembering where she was and realizing last night wasn’t some kind of nightmare. She was instantly slapped in the face with reality when she saw her little boy sound asleep in his hospital bed, and then noticed Jordan was gone from his chair.

She was wondering where he got to until she heard his deep voice outside the door, and Cassie was curious about whom he was talking to.

Cassie got to her feet, smoothing down the wrinkled clothes she was sporting. She could only imagine what her hair looked like right now. She bet it wasn’t the prettiest of looks, but she didn’t care. It wasn’t as if she was trying to look pretty for anyone special.

She walked over to the door, her ballet flats barely making a sound on the linoleum floor as she craned her head around the half-open door and saw Jordan with a phone to his ear.

Cassie tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear while she held onto the door and hoped Jordan didn’t see her, and if he did, then she hoped he didn’t mind she was practically eavesdropping on his conversation.

She tried not to listen, instead focusing on the patients, doctors, and nurses roaming the hallway, but something about his latest comment struck Cassie. Had she heard him correctly? Did he really just say he was staying in Yellow Valley a little longer?

Then Jordan hung up the phone, placed it back into his pocket, and turned around to find Cassie standing there.

“Cassie—”

But she didn’t give him much of a chance to say another word or explain himself.

“Did you mean it?”

“What?” he asked. He gave her a puzzled look. His nose was screwed up, but Cassie thought it was cute. “How long have you been standing there?”

She looked to the ground. “Not long. I didn’t hear your whole conversation, if that’s what you’re wondering, but I did hear you say you’re staying a little longer in town. So is it true?”

“Would it bother you if I did?” Jordan wanted to know what she was really thinking. His eyes were searching hers, waiting for a response.

“No, I’m not bothered by it. I think it’s good for Jake to have his father present. I just thought you’d be leaving soon. I figured with football season commencing soon, you’d be busy.”

“Well, I am busy with training, but it doesn’t cause a problem with getting to know my son. I’ve missed out on too much of his life already; I’m not going to do it again.” Jordan’s hand grazed the side of her face as he moved a strand of her hair away from her eyes. He wanted to look into her beautiful blue eyes. “I meant what I said.” His voice was raspy. “I want to be the kind of father Jake deserves to have, the kind who is present in his life and not just someone who walks in and out when the timing is convenient. I’m not walking away from my responsibilities as a parent.” She was glad to know he was in it for the long haul, but did that mean Jordan was also willing to try again with Cassie?

She didn’t ask him whether he desired to be with her or not, but neither did Jordan. He figured his actions would speak louder than words, and Cassie wouldn’t expect him to physically show her how much she meant to him as he placed his hands on either side of her face, his thumbs gently drawing imaginary circles along her jawbone. Then, in one swift move, he bowed his head down to her level, tilted it to one side, and kissed her softly and sweetly on her lips. She surprised him when she didn’t pull back from him, hers pressing into his in return as she too kissed him back just as sweetly. While she knew their kisses were always mind-blowing, Cassie wasn’t sure if she could handle anything more than stolen moments with her son’s father, especially since most of his time would be spent away from her in Yellow Valley.

After a couple of long, lingering kisses, Jordan wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she comfortably sunk back into his loving embrace like old times, suddenly remembering what it was like to be held by him all over again. It felt nice to be in his embrace, to feel his touch against her skin making her feel all warm and tingly inside, but knowing she couldn’t act on those feelings.

“Let’s go back in to Jake,” Jordan said. Cassie agreed, and for the first time all morning, her head cleared as they made their way back into their son’s room.