Forbidden (The Soul Mates Book 4) by Victoria Johns (39)

I watched Carly fall asleep again. I did it so often it could be my new hobby. I was feeling thankful for all the choices I’d made. She didn’t know I’d called Jonas and my parents, and secretly told them about the twins growing in her belly and my plan to marry her before I brought her home. Of course, she didn’t know about my plans then either. I hadn’t even asked her yet, but I wanted her to have some joy when we got home. I wanted someone there to make a fuss over her like I knew she deserved. To have my family reeling in shock would have devastated her, like it had when she saw the reaction from her own parents. I’d told everyone but Jake. I didn’t want him to have to keep more secrets from Lacey.

Looking back on the night, I was glad I’d told them. They understood that we had wasn’t forbidden; it was fate.

I heard the cabin door open and close slowly. I was expecting a visit from Jonas, so I slowly peeled myself from around Carly. It was always like that. We had this unexplained need to spoon each other while we slept. I even loved it when she spooned me. It was like we were shrouding our babies between us. I couldn’t wait for her to get bigger so I could actually feel them move, too.

“S’up?” I asked, tying the drawstring on the track pants I’d slipped on.

“Just checking in.”

This was the side of Jonas that no one outside our family saw. Caring, considerate and protective. The thought that any of his family members were hurting would be killing him. It was no wonder Jake ran to him when he was in trouble. Our big brother was a hero in all our eyes.

“You did that tonight, didn’t you?”

“What?” he said, faking innocence.

“You knew we were coming home and you invited them round.”

“Kind of,” he confirmed.

See, a fucking hero. He knew her mom and dad would freak out when they found out and he wanted to soften that blow for my new wife. Give her some support when their devastation hit. “She’s in there sleeping and not crying. Sleeping because of you, brother. You gave her a safe place, with support, to blow their world open and then the fuss afterwards to soothe the hurt. You took a risk bringing Oli and Lottie into it, but I’m glad you did. I hope what he said tonight will sink in before we see them again.” I was almost welling up and he could see how grateful I was.

“What are your plans now?”

“Don’t know. Not sure the high school will be keen on recruiting a tutor who knocked up a student. Legally speaking, I’m clear. Morally, it’s all a bit hinky.”

“True. But you need something. Babies need feeding unless the plan is to stay at home while Carly goes out to work.”

“Shut up.” I laughed at him. “I’ll provide for my family.” I went to talk, but hesitated.

“Spit it out,” Jonas demanded.

“What if Tommy never comes round? What if I’ve fucked things up between her and her family.”

“In my experience of being both a parent and a rebellious wild child, we shit ourselves that our kids will turn out like we did. Or worse, make the same mistakes.”

“What we have isn’t a mistake.”

“You know that. He doesn’t. Right now, he can’t see past his own parental fuck ups and he’s a stubborn ass motherfucker. You’ve made his mistake by falling for someone you shouldn’t. No one likes to be reminded of their own fuck ups.”

“That doesn’t help him or me, or make this any better for Carly.”

“No. But all he sees is an older guy who’s defiled his innocent daughter.”

I laughed. Carly was a damn freak in the bedroom like me. It wasn’t like she was this choir girl I’d corrupted.

“That right there. That look—that intimate knowledge about his daughter between the sheets kind of look—won’t help. If I were to see that on any faces around my girls, those guys would disappear quietly and die a slow, painful death.”

I truly believed that and my nieces were fucked when they started dating.

“You need a job, some stability. You have to prove that you can provide Carly with a home and that you’re serious, that this isn’t some game. No job should be beneath you. You’ll do anything to give his precious daughter the best life.”

I slumped back in the chair, rubbing my hands on my stubbly chin. I hated the thought of hunting down a job. I had some cash set aside, enough to start renting a decent family home, but I’d never make the monthly payments without employment.

“Here’s an idea,” Jonas said. He stood up and threw me a newspaper. I hadn’t noticed it sat on the chair beside him. “This is your ‘two birds, one stone’ opportunity.

My brother was already walking away from me as I started to unfold it. Circled in red pen was a wanted advertisement.

Jonas had disappeared by the time I’d finished reading the ad a couple of times.

He was a motherfucking genius.

* * *

When Carly woke the next morning, she was desperate to make a start on building bridges with the family. Waiting a whole morning before we could go and start that was not part of her plan.

I needed to go and apply for a driving job and I was going to apply in person. Best case scenario, he’d have already mellowed out a bit and give me the job on the spot. Worst case scenario, he was going to punch me again. But at least I’d given him that chance while we were alone and Carly wouldn’t have to see it and feel disappointed in her dad again.

With no warning, I left her with Dolly to help take care of their twins, which meant while I was attending a job interview, she’d be getting a glimpse of her potential job for the future. Raising two crazy ass kids.

I was as nervous as fuck when I parked up the car. Straightening the tie I’d worn, I walked towards the cab office. I was desperate for him to take me seriously.

“Hey, Tara,” I said to the old, but reliable and friendly office manager/desk clerk/driver babysitter behind the front desk. “Can I speak to Tommy about his drivers wanted ad?”

“Hey, Jack, sure.” I watched as she rolled back her chair and bellowed, “Someone here about the job.”

“Sure, send them in.”

“You heard the man. Go on back.”

So, I did. Standing tall, running a hand through my wayward hair, I walked into the office.

“What the fuck?” he snapped when he looked up and saw me.

“I’d like to be considered for your vacancy, Sir.”

“You think fucking up my family is some kind of joke?”

“No, Sir. I need a job. I have a wife and twins on the way and can’t care for them properly unless I have a regular wage.” I hoped that my respectful reply and explanation would set the tone for our conversation. I wanted him to see how serious I was. It also took a little bit of wind out of his sails.

“I don’t want my daughter married to a fucking driver.”

“Why not? It’s a respectable job. Nothing wrong with it. My best friend’s husband is a cab driver. He’s generous and has provided them with a good life. I believe it’s important to be involved in your local community and what better way.”

“Or he used to be generous, until someone sucked the joy out of his life,” Tommy replied.

“I’m sorry. I need a job, and you need a driver. There’s no shame in asking for a job and I’d like you to consider my application, for everything.” I was still stood up. He hadn’t invited me to sit down, so I didn’t.

“You’re fuckin’ serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

Now his sails were completely wind free, flapping around going nowhere, like he and I. Like this situation until he decided to start being a bit more reasonable. “Tell me why you did it?”

It was the first time he’d spoken to me in a calm manner. His voice wasn’t bellowing at a hundred decibels and there was a glimmer of hope that we could turn things around.

“I swear I didn’t plan on it. She was like a bolt out of the blue. She’s different. Mature, so fucking mature and very easy to love.”

“She was from the minute she hit my door stoop.”

I braved the chance to continue. “What we felt was mutual and believe me I tried to stop. But she wore me down. I ran away from Hawkstown to find my purpose and it found me. I felt so disjointed until she started to put me together again.”

Tommy still sat in his chair with his elbows leaning on the desk. This could go either way. In a heartbeat, he could throw down and kick my ass the minute he heard a word he didn’t like.

“She’s missed out on so much life. It kills me to give you my blessing. I feel like I’m letting her down.”

“Don’t you get it? The very best parts of who she is came from you. Her spirit, her fire. That’s all Sevens.”

“Yeah, her ability to wrap the most unsuspecting of male victims around her finger comes from her mom, trust me. And I don’t mean the trailer trash who gave birth to her.”

“I see so much of Lacey in her, too.” I needed to confirm that for him. I needed him to know that while he gave her his bloody-mindedness, Carly got Lacey’s compassion and forgiveness from her second-chance mom.

“I need to think. I have this asshole who’s married my daughter coming over in a couple of hours and I need to get my head around it. I can’t go on this angry and Lacey will fucking explode eventually. It’s affecting us all. Come back later and we’ll talk.”

“Tommy, I want to stand here and say that if I could make my heart beat this way for anyone else, I would, just to spare you this trauma. But I can’t. I’m a selfish asshole and I love her. I don’t want a life without her. A piece of my heart grows inside her right now and that’s special. Don’t make her do this without you guys by her side. I promised her she could have the wedding of her dreams when we were all a family. It was wrong of us to elope and I’m sorry you didn’t see her get married. She was so fucking beautiful.”

“You can leave now, Jack.”Tommy didn’t say it with any kind of anger, he looked like he was pushing the words out from a throat thick with emotion. I’d made my point and he looked like he was finally ready to think it all through like he’d said. I suspected he’d been working hard to stop his brain and heart from collaborating and conspiring about his pride. All his emotions were finally coming to a head.

“And the job?”

“I’ll consider your application to be my driver, my son-in-law and the father of my grandkids.”

I nodded at him and left him to it, feeling hopeful. I hoped we’d turned a corner and taking Carly home in a few hours wasn’t going to be too stressful for them all. Just to be on the safe side, though, I wasn’t going to tell her where I’d been. I didn’t want to get her hopes up. I needed to be prepared for it to not go my way and be ready to pick up the pieces of my wife’s broken heart. Because if this didn’t work, I knew for sure she would never extend the olive branch again and that would truly break her apart.