— FIFTEEN —
IT was amazing what modern medical technology could do—like date a pregnancy with shocking accuracy. Or so promised a pamphlet in the waiting room.
All Jake needed was someone to give him that date, and maybe he’d start breathing properly again.
Jake and Dani had both been let off the hook for work the night before, and had gone to bed early. Together. They hadn’t talked any more, but he was holding on to every bit of hope she gave him.
Now he was sitting in an obstetrician’s office with Tasha, his heart thudding in his chest.
He’d been up before dawn, and had left Dani in his bed while he went down to the basement and pounded out a hard run on the treadmill. It hadn’t done much for his anxiety levels. Then he put coffee on, woke Dani up with a long, slow kiss that helped more than the run did, and finally dragged himself out of the house as the sky started to lighten.
He picked up Tasha from Rodgers’ apartment. Their drive to Owen Sound was filled with a lot of silence and small bits of awkward conversation, which was followed by an even more awkward ultrasound once they arrived at the hospital. Tasha had headed in to the ultrasound on her own, but the tech had come back out to the waiting room after fifteen minutes and called out his name. “I don’t want this to be my baby” seemed like a totally dick thing to say, so he dutifully followed her back to the private exam room where he was shown a healthy baby on a screen, but given zero information. The tech handed Tasha a slip of paper and instructed them to go down the hall to see a doctor.
Thankfully the obstetrician didn’t make them wait long. Tasha kept glancing at Jake’s bouncing leg, but he couldn’t help it. He was nervous.
“Well, Natsaha, you’re definitely not ten weeks pregnant. More like somewhere between seventeen to twenty weeks.”
“What?” Tasha practically jerked out of her chair, surprise written all over her face. Jake knew how she felt. “Isn’t that like…halfway?”
Jake swivelled his head back and forth between the doctor who was still clicking through images on his computer, and Tasha, who was staring at Jake with the same uhhh, math is hard look that he felt was painted on his face.
“So what would that make the date of conception?” Jake finally asked, his voice cracking.
The doctor looked at him with a banal look. “That’s not a question I get a lot.”
Tasha grabbed Jake’s hand. “We’re just friends. It’s complicated.”
“I’m getting that. Hang on.” The doc lifted a layered cardboard wheel covered in numbers and fiddled with it. “Mid-to-late October.”
Relief had never felt so sweet—or so awkward. That timeline leapfrogged right over the only date they’d slept together in November. Jake sagged back in his chair, then twisted to Tasha. “So…”
“Yeah,” she gave him a half-hearted grin. “You’re off the hook.”
Jake looked back at the doctor. “And she’s okay?”
“Everything looks fine with the baby. I’ll send a note to your family doctor, and write you a requisition for another ultrasound for one week from today. That will give you a more precise date range, and a clear due date.”
They left the hospital as they arrived, two people connected in the most tenuous way. Almost friends. One time lovers, but Jake didn’t even have a clear memory of what it had been like with Tasha. Dani had crowded that out. He said a small prayer of thanks that this child wasn’t his—not that he wouldn’t have loved it, but hopefully Tasha had a stronger connection with the father.
Jake waited until they were back on the road to Wiarton before bringing it up. “You should probably talk to him.”
“Shut up.” The small smile Tasha had been wearing since they left the hospital slipped. “I will.”
“If he’s not excited, then he’s not worthy of you.”
Out the corner of his eye, he caught a small frown before she smoothed her expression. “You must really love your girlfriend if you think it’s that simple.”
A pang of guilt hit Jake square in the chest. “Look, I know not all guys are thrilled about the idea of starting a family. My brothers are all like that. But when push comes to shove, a real man steps up. That’s all I’m saying.”
She lifted her brows in response, but what that meant, he didn’t know.
By the time he got Tasha to the garage to pick up her car, which had been given the all clear after a wheel alignment, and made it to the armouries, a group of guys were already back in from a six hour door-to-door search through a local area affected by the power outages. Neighbours were helping each other as much as possible, so it was really just the reclusive characters they needed to worry about, and anyone without phone service.
They were still on standby for a larger rollout, and he was glad he’d gone home the night before. That was the army—hurry up and wait. But not long after he arrived, they got word they were all moving to a community centre closer to the largest blackout area. Jake grabbed his ruck and made sure his section did the same before heading for the buses laid on for them.
The next two days were non-stop work and sleep, with zero privacy. He was able to text with Dani, but he couldn’t call her, and that their new relationship was under strain and still a secret proved a double challenge that he was ready to be done with.
But his bluster about telling her brothers how he felt couldn’t be followed up on until they returned to the armouries, or were back in Pine Harbour. He wasn’t sure which he’d prefer. Choosing your poison still mean fucking staring death in the eye and taunting the bastard.
The decision was made for him when they piled on the buses and Rafe announced to a chorus of groans that while they were heading back to the armouries, they weren’t quite done just yet—they’d been voluntold to help the Hydro crews the next day, so anyone with the appropriate license was being roped into driving a Hydro truck to free up linemen to do the repair work. One more night of sleeping on an Army cot. As soon as he could hide in a private office, he called Dani and gave her the heads up that he was going to tell Rafe and Tom about them. She laughingly told him he was an idiot, but an idiot she loved, so that just fuelled him up for a battle.
Then he hung up and went to find Tom in the Company Quartermaster office. “Impromptu mess meeting, come on.”
Jake waved Rafe over on their way to the back of the building where the Sergeants Mess was located. He had a key to the bar, and it was relatively secluded. Probably no one would hear the yelling.
And if they did, they’d know it was senior NCOs hashing some shit out and mind their own damn business.
“What’s going on, Jake?” Rafe turned around in a slow circle, taking in the empty mess.
“Grab a beer.”
His friend made a sure, whatever face and grabbed three bottles from the fridge.
Opening their bottles at the same time, Tom and Rafe gave Jake matching confused looks.
He set his own bottle down on a table and crossed his arms. “I’m in love with your sister.”
Beer sprayed across the empty space between them and Rafe slowly wiped his mouth. “What?”
“And she’s in love with me. I thought you should hear it directly.”
Tom just sipped his beer, saying nothing. His hooded gaze didn’t give anything away, either.
“How…why…” Rafe shook his head. “No, I don’t want to know the details. What about that girl up north?”
“Just a friend.”
“That you banged after Lynn died.” Rafe rolled his shoulder as he spit out the words. “Don’t think that the fact I’m still rehabbing this sucker will hold me back from decking you.”
“There’s no need for that. Dani knows about Tasha.”
“Oh yeah? How did that conversation come up?”
“She saw her the night of the funeral. Tasha was at my house when Dani drove me home.”
Tom scowled and spoke for the first time. The ice in his voice promised that just because he was the most mild-mannered of the Minellis, he was still a Minelli, and he’d happily fuck Jake up if he deserved it. “That doesn’t sound great.”
“There’s a lot of things that don’t sound great. But they’re inconsequential.”
“Like what?”
It would be better if they knew now. If they took their punches and burned bright now, so when it came up later—and it would, because the entire peninsula had the population of most small towns, and enough people knew he’d been with Tasha that when she was massively pregnant in the spring, tongues would wag.
“Tasha’s pregnant.” Jake ducked out of the way as Rafe charged. “And it’s not mine, asshole.”
Rafe whirled and snagged Jake’s arm. “You didn’t fucking lead with that for no reason. What the hell did you do?”
Jake shoved Rafe hard in the chest. “Back off, man.”
“If you’ve hurt my sister—”
“I said, back off. She might be your sister, but she’s my Dani. I love her. I don’t know—” He cut himself off with a strangled curse. “Nothing gets in the way of that. This other thing…the baby’s not mine. But if it was, it wouldn’t change anything between Dani and me. She’s mine, first and foremost. Nothing touches that.”
Rafe scowled at him, then his eyes narrowed. “You love her?”
“I don’t ever want to have this conversation again. I don’t owe you or anyone else who isn’t Dani an explanation about this. But I’ve loved her for a long time. Now that I have her, I’m not letting her go.”
“How long?” His best friend’s voice had shifted into exactly the cold, quiet tone he’d always feared.
Jake looked warily between Rafe and Tom, who looked just as murderous as his brother sounded. “We’re going to do this once, and you can rail at me about that. Leave her out of this.”
“How. Long?”
“Long enough that I couldn’t do anything about it when I fell for her,” he admitted.
Tom exhaled, a long, worrying breath. “Her last summer of high school. You couldn’t keep your eyes off her. I thought you’d moved on.”
“I did. I knew I had to, so I did, okay? But I’ve never gotten over her.”
“Did you know she had a crush on you?” Rafe scowled. “Did you do something to make that happen?”
“Hell, no.” He scrubbed his face. “This was a mistake. We can’t have this conversation.”
“We should have had it years ago, apparently. You were supposed to be like a brother to her. Not break her heart and steal her happiness.”
“I haven’t—” He broke off. He had no clue how Dani really felt. If this would be too much for her to handle so early in their relationship, and he wouldn’t blame her if it was. One night. He felt sick at the thought that he might lose her over a foolish night of grief-fuelled escape. “Making her happy is my sole priority, I promise you.”
“You’re taking a big risk. What happens when you guys break up?” Tom lifted his hands, gesturing at the space around them. “We work together. Live practically on top of each other.”
Jake flexed his jaw, then rubbed along it with his knuckles. There was only one way to make Rafe understand, and Tom might not get it at all. Not yet. “Rafe, you went through that with Olivia. Do you regret any of it?”
“Only being stubborn for so long.” Still scowling, his best friend since the first grade rocked back on his heels. “It’s like that?”
“If you’d gut yourself to give your wife a kidney, then yeah, it’s like that.”
Tom shook his head. “You’re both fucking nuts. One minute Rafe wants to kill you, then you invoke his wife and all of a sudden it’s magical flower petals.”
His brother backhanded him. “You’ll understand one day. And whoever you fall for, her brother’s not going to like it.”
— —
Dani worked once while Jake was gone, but each night she ended up staying at his house instead of going home. Her parents hadn’t asked where she was staying, although it wouldn’t take long for Rafe and Tom to share the news.
She didn’t care if she was taking the weenie way out. She wasn’t up for any more drama, and didn’t want anyone’s opinion about her and Jake’s relationship.
Not that hiding was doing her any good, either. Really, the last thing she needed was time in a big, empty house to think about the near-miss natural consequences of Jake sleeping with another woman. It didn’t matter how enlightened or understanding Dani was supposed to be. In reality, when left to the quiet echo of her innermost thoughts, she burned with jealousy.
At something that ended up being nothing.
But it niggled, nonetheless.
That he’d gone to another woman after Lynn died, after he lost the closest person to a sister he’d ever had. Found comfort in another pair of arms. Inside her body.
It should have been enough that Dani was in Jake’s bed now, that his house smelled like her enough that when he got mad he had to leave. That should have made her giggle and clap her hands together. They were finally as they should be—Jake+Dani. Forever.
It was too bad they hadn’t had the time to sink into a forever type of relationship, one with a foundation strong enough to weather storms like this.
As if Jake was right next to her, curled up against her back, she felt his breath against her ear. You don’t think we have a strong foundation? They would. But the concrete was still curing, for heaven’s sake. I’m the contractor, gorgeous. You let me worry about whether or not we’re up to code.
He was good like that. He’d waited. She’d been ready to throw herself at him while still in college, damn the consequences. And he’d pushed her away…so she’d come home with a boyfriend.
She rolled over, grabbing her phone. She’d set it on his side of the bed the night before. The clock blinked silently at her. Quarter to six. He’d be up, wherever he was. Did you go to Afghanistan because I came home with a boyfriend?
It didn’t take him long. Good morning.
Answer me. It’s important.
What are you doing?
Testing how old some concrete is.
I don’t understand, but okay. Uhhh, yes. In part. Honest to a fault, that was Jake. Tears slipped sidewise down her face, splashing over her nose onto the pillow and wetting her cheek.
Sometimes it’s hard for me to remember that this isn’t exactly new between us.
Just think of how hard it was for me to remember that we weren’t together. That I didn’t have a right to punch all those guys in the face for touching you.
She smiled through her sniffles. What did I interrupt with my crazy demands?
Hay box breakfast. We’re about to roll out and provide support to the electrical company.
K. Stay warm.
You gotta know…I don’t regret going. It’s my job, and it’s important. You being with someone else made the timing right. But you didn’t send me fleeing the county, okay?
How could she respond to that? Nothing seemed significant enough, so after a minute she just typed a quick I<3U, watched the keystrokes turn into an animated heart on her phone, as if it was just that easy, then buried her face in his pillow. The tears would dry by the time he got home. He’d never know how much of a mess she was.
When she woke up the second time, she didn’t even look at her phone. If Jake was out in the freezing cold helping senior citizens, she could at least do some laundry. That led to pulling a roast out of the freezer, which inspired her to make muffins.
Except Jake didn’t have any baking powder. Or baking soda. Or brown sugar. In fact, given his pantry, the only thing she probably could make would be plain tea biscuits, and that would use up the last of his butter.
She debated calling her mother. “So, yeah, that boyfriend? It’s Jake. And I need baking supplies. Mind sending Dad down the road in his four-wheel-drive?”
The muffins could wait. Maybe she’d let her brothers tell her parents and just hide out here until she needed her summer clothes.
As if on cue, her phone rang. A brother this time, not a mother.
“Zander, to what do I owe the—”
“Seriously, you’re dating Jake Foster?”
“Seriously. I know, it’s like, oh my god, right? When did you turn into a teenage girl?”
“Do you know how many women he’s—“
She cut him off again, because no, not exactly, and for the sake of her sanity, that knowledge was going to remain unknown. “Let’s start again. Hey, big brother, what’s up in the Arctic tundra?”
“Bet you have more snow than we do.”
“Bet that lie you guys tell yourselves about it being a dry cold really bites this time of year.”
Zander laughed in her ear. “You okay?”
“I’m at his house right now, thinking about making muffins. I’m fine. You talked to Rafe and Tom?”
“On speaker phone this morning. They followed Jake around for a minute while I gave him a piece of my mind.”
Dani muffled a laugh.
“He seems serious.”
“I know.” It was overwhelming. “It’s lovely.”
“You’re making muffins for him?”
“Not really. He doesn’t have all the ingredients, so I was going to do some online shopping instead. He wants to take me to the regimental ball.”
Zander made a listening type noise that meant he’d come, said his peace, and now he would mumble along in the background until she tired of talking at him.
“So I might get a dress. And some lingerie.”
Or until he proved less mature than her and begged for mercy.
She laughed as he said a quick good-bye.
The lingerie had just been a threat to get Zander off her back. The truth was, Jake preferred her naked. She blushed as she remembered how quickly he liked to get every last layer off her body. But a dress…
She opened her laptop and surfed through a few websites before stumbling on the perfect dress. Dark red, strapless, fitted to the hips then long layers of tulle making an ethereal skirt. Her heart skipped a beat until she saw the price. Never going to happen. She sagged against the table. No fantasy was worth half her paycheque. Olivia would understand.
Her sister-in-law picked up on the first ring. “Want to come over and make cookies?”
Dani laughed. “No. I had a fleeting moment of almost making muffins, but it passed.” She hesitated. “And I’m at Jake’s, so I’d have to drive into town and I don’t think the salt trucks have been down the road yet.”
“Yeah…about that. When were you going to tell me?” Olivia was teasing, her tone was clear and sparkly, but Dani still felt guilty.
“It’s complicated.”
“So I hear. But all’s well that ends well?”
“Yes…” Dani told her about her dress plan and how badly they needed a night out—a formal coming out as a couple, something magical to reconnect.
“I think you’re underestimating the connection you guys have, but why not go for it? It sounds gorgeous, maybe you can wear it again.”
“The fact that I never wear fancy dresses is exactly why I need to buy one now. I didn’t even wear something this fancy for your wedding. Hell, I might not to my own wedding.”
Peals of laughter filled her ear. “If you think Jake’s going to have anything less than a black tie wedding complete with a five-piece band when he puts a ring on your finger, you’re out to lunch.”
When he puts a ring… Prickly awareness skittered across her skin. Of course she knew in the abstract that was a possibility—there wasn’t anything halfway about Jake, or how they felt about each other. And he was definitely at that point in his life. She was sitting in the middle of a forever family home, for goodness sake. But if Olivia could see that as plain as day…and here Dani was just sitting worrying about a date. Now she had to worry about something so much bigger. And scarier, because she was pretty sure she wanted to put a ring on his finger, too.
“You there, honey?”
“Uh…yep.”
“Did I freak you out?”
“Little bit.”
“First things first. Let’s find you a knock-off version of that dress…”
Maybe it was a bit of a Cinderella game, but they could use a fairytale night of romance.
Then everything could return to normal. Or not. Maybe Dani’s idea of normal was long gone.