Chapter Twelve
With Natalie and Paul already drifted off to sleep and Jenna and Lily fighting it, Daisy closed the book again.
“All right. Good night,” she whispered.
Jenna mumbled something incoherent in response, and Lily nestled deeper into the pillow. Oliver lifted his head briefly before resting it back between Natalie and Paul, perfectly happy where he was, and she smiled as she leaned over to turn the lamp off. She paused for a moment to give her eyes time to adjust, enjoying the soft breathing of the kids sleeping contentedly around her.
It was moments like these that reminded her why she did everything she did.
Carefully, she crept out of the room, leaving the door open behind her just enough to allow Ollie to get out.
Everything was so still. Had everyone gone to bed? And by everyone, she meant one in particular.
She strained her ears, trying to hear any sign of movement. Nothing.
She should feel relief. Relief that she didn’t have to make a decision as to whether to take things any further with Jack.
Only, her footsteps were a little heavier as she processed the fact that she wasn’t going to have any more time alone with Jack Harrison tonight.
No more arguments for how wonderful things could be if she just said yes.
No more languid looks or inadvertent touches.
No more possibilities of a few stolen kisses…
Not unless she wanted to.
She paused. Could she really be that forward? Just knock on his bedroom door and hope he’ll invite her in?
Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest when she realized the answer. She’d known the answer all day, really. Even before the little pep talk with Benny.
She liked this man. Really liked him. More than anyone in a long time.
More importantly…she trusted him.
This—whatever it was—could be something good. And although she’d been wary of pulling the kids along with her during the process, she was also becoming more aware that this could be good for them, too.
No. It could be great.
Daisy stepped forward with more excitement, knowing what she was going to do but wanting to run a brush through her hair, maybe brush her teeth and do a few more things to make herself presentable.
Her door was shut, even though she didn’t remember closing it, and when she pushed it open she held her breath at what she saw.
Candles surrounded the room, the light from their flames dancing against the walls and ceilings, painting it in a soft glow. Romantic music was streaming from the speakers, something from Nora Jones, one of her favorites.
And in the middle of it all stood Jack. Grinning at her in that way that made her stomach flip somersaults and her skin tingle in anticipation.
“What? No rose petals leading a trail to the bed?” she asked, but she was smiling as she stepped into the room. Jack closed the space between them, shutting the door before taking her hand in his.
“I considered it, but hoped you’d settle for an IOU since red roses seem to be in short supply in the flower bed.”
She inhaled, trying to calm her shaky breath as Jack put his hands around her, resting them on her lower back as he brought her forward so the only place she had to move her head was up, staring into his bright blue eyes.
“The kids are asleep?” he asked. “Or are you supposed to go back to read another chapter of Mr. Potter?”
“They fought it, but after today, they were goners.”
“I liked what you did with them, the whole snug as a bug thing? It was cute.”
He’d been watching her? She hadn’t known he was there, and she felt silly remembering the bedtime routine. “It’s just something I’ve been doing since Jenna was a little girl and was afraid to be alone in her room. It seemed to always calm her. I continued the tradition with Natalie and Paul.”
“You’re a great mom, you know. They’re lucky to have you.”
The look in his eyes as he stared at her was anything but platonic, his heavy eyes having that distinct bedroom quality.
It was as if a hot fire was lit in her lower belly, and she struggled against the long-forgotten urges that were beginning to take hold. Like wrapping her arms around those shoulders and lifting her lips to his. Or kissing the skin below that strong jawline, inhaling the musky scent, likely tinged with sweat and campfire, and sinking into everything Jack Harrison.
Jack was staring at her lips like they were edible, and when his head dipped, she knew it was only a matter of time before—
No. If she let him start kissing her now, she’d be a goner.
And there were still a few things they had to discuss.
She pulled back, taking a step away from the warmth of his body, already missing it. “How’s this going to work then, Jack? You and me? The kids?”
Instead of looking annoyed, he just smiled as he grabbed her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her up against him as he moved them along to the music.
She debated pulling away again, keeping her head about her so she couldn’t be suckered in to staring too deeply into those eyes, but she liked the sense of strength and comfort of his arms.
It was a compromise of sorts, she supposed. At least he wasn’t kissing her.
“Well, for starters, once we arrive in Salt Lake,” Jack said, not hesitating a beat, “I thought we might all go to dinner. Or you can all come to our place for dinner. Aggie makes a mean prime rib.”
“Aggie?” she asked, trying to stifle the pang of irrational jealousy at hearing the name.
“She’s almost like one of the family so I hate to call her anything as provincial as a maid. But she’s basically been with us since Lily was a baby, watching out for her—for both of us, really. Making the occasional dinner, cleaning up after us in between the weekly maid service. That sort of thing. She’s also in her early sixties and happily married for forty plus years,” he added with a grin, as if he’d known exactly what she’d been thinking, darn him.
“See.” She shook her head. “That’s kind of a big thing to not know about someone you’re engaged to—real or not.”
“Not at all. The most important things you need to know about me, you already do.”
“And what’s that?”
“For starters, you know how I’ve already started falling for you. For your kids. You know how much I love my daughter and, although sometimes I struggle, I only want the best for her.”
“You’re a great father,” she agreed, even though it came out as barely a whisper, her throat constricting the moment he mentioned falling for her. And her kids.
“And you’re a great mother and as much as we don’t know about each other, it will be exciting and thrilling to discover everything together.” He spun her around, still smiling. “I suppose you’ll probably meet my father, but you don’t have to worry. I know he’s going to love you. He’s always after me to start dating, give him more Harrisons to add to the lineage of future political leaders.”
His dad? Former mayor and past gubernatorial candidate? It was strange to think that the man she’d seen on lawn signs back in high school was Jack’s dad. Someone she’d be meeting possibly very soon.
“Then maybe you’ll even let me meet your family,” he continued. “Your parents and those siblings of yours.”
“I’d love for you to meet them. If you have the time.”
“I won’t lie. There will be a lot of things that will demand my attention when we get back. And with you starting your own business, there may be nights where we don’t see each other at all. But there will also be as many—if not more—times when we do carve out time for each other. When we’ll be able to shut out the outside world and get back to us. It’s those moments, looking forward to them, that will make it all worth it. I know one thing. I’d rather have you in my life, for whatever time we can find, than not at all.”
He made it sound so easy. So…reasonable. And she hoped and prayed he was right because she was finding that time away from Jack and his daughter was becoming something unbearable.
“Is there any other reason you’re hesitating?” he asked.
Damn right. She was terrified about taking this plunge with this man. A man who was going to be front and center in the public eye for the next year or even longer, if he wins the next election.
She tried to smile. “When I let myself consider the possibility of dating again, I always envisioned it would be to a nice, dependable man with a dependable, steady job. Maybe a divorced accountant that I met at one of the kids’ PTA meetings. A nice, normal man with a normal job. But you? You’re going to be the freaking governor. I don’t know what that’s going to mean.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t either. I don’t know what it’s going to be like picking you up for a date with a security entourage following us or trying to plan a romantic evening in a quiet restaurant without worrying about the attention. Frankly, I’m still a little clueless about how Lily’s and my life will be affected. But we’ll figure it out…together.”
She bit her lip, looking over his shoulder as she considered this. All of this. Wanting to leap, wanting to say yes.
He stopped dancing, instead moving his hand to her face where he tilted her head so she was looking into his eyes again. “I only know I want you to be a part of it. I want to know that after we leave tonight, you’re going to have my number on speed dial. That you’re going to continue to be a part of our lives as much as we are going to be a part of yours and the kids. I’m not going anywhere, Daisy.”
Damn. He really was a politician, the sweet talker.
She worked to blink back the wetness in her eyes, knowing that despite the risks, she wanted to be a part of his life. “All right then. I guess I’m in.”
His face, so drawn and concerned before, opened into a blinding smile. His hand caressed her cheek, the skin underneath his fingertips tingling from his touch.
This was a good man.
She could trust him.
Knowing this, and knowing that after all her inner battles to resist his charms, she didn’t have to fight anymore, need and desire rushed through her…and she didn’t want to wait anymore.
Raising herself on tiptoe, she lifted her mouth until it nearly reached his, happy for the moment when he realized what she wanted and met her halfway.
Red-hot and all-encompassing heat curled through her, stoked hotter when his lips added pressure and she opened her mouth to him. Last night, their first kiss had been more tentative, aware of the eyes of those around them, but tonight his kiss was fierce. The taste of his tongue as it swirled with hers sinful.
She gripped his arm, her other arm hooking around his neck in an attempt to bring him closer to her. His fingers touched the small of her back, caressing, and her knees felt like they might give.
But Jack’s arms were there, holding her, lifting her, and carrying her like she weighed nothing until they reached the bed.
Then he was touching her, tasting her, making her remember what it was like to feel so loved, so happy, so wanted, and she held him tighter to her, kissing him back with what felt like her entire being.
She’d missed this. This feeling of being loved.
But this was more. More than she’d felt before. Right now, she felt adored. Special.
Something she wasn’t sure anyone had ever made her feel.
Then her thoughts crashed together as she became almost mindless under his caresses until soon she wasn’t thinking anything at all.
Only feeling. And loving. And being loved.
…
Jack opened his eyes, knowing exactly where he was and who he was with, the realization bringing him only elation. The sun had barely crept into the room, and he rolled over, placing a kiss on Daisy’s lips.
She murmured something but didn’t open her eyes, and he took the moment to stare at her, enjoying the contrast of dark hair against smooth, olive skin, thick lashes that curved into her upper cheekbones, her face soft and relaxed without worry.
How long had it been since he’d spent the entire night with a woman and woke up to such a feeling of gratitude and wonder? Of wanting to share the rest of the day and every day and night with her?
He played with a lock of her hair, enjoying its softness under his fingertips before leaning forward to kiss her bare shoulder. Careful not to wake her, he slipped from the bed, knowing that if they were lucky, there’d be another hour before the rest of the house stirred.
Time for him to get started on his own surprise.
Daisy had spent every morning of her vacation making breakfast for everyone, it was time someone else returned the favor. Notably…him. Hopefully his culinary skills would hold up under the pressure of being judged by such a practiced chef.
He’d just poured the egg mixture into the pan when Daisy ambled in looking every inch like a woman who’d just spent the night making love. His heart swelled in his chest as he stared at her, the soft glowing skin that contrasted against the dark richness of her hair. At lips that needed to be kissed even though it had been mere hours since he’d kissed them soundly.
He wrapped his arm around her when she reached him, pulling her against him to do exactly that again, enjoying the slight moan that slipped from her mouth. If he wasn’t careful, he might need to abandon his idea of making breakfast and sweep her back to the bedroom where he could show her again how much he valued each and every attribute she possessed.
He eased back, smiling as he caught the dreamy, contented look on her face, the red tinge around her mouth caused by the coarse growth on his jaw. His phone vibrated from the counter.
“I’d ask how you slept but I think we both know how that went,” he said, reaching over to answer it, enjoying the flush that crept up her cheeks.
“There’s been a development.” It was Stuart, of course.
“There always is,” Jack said, grabbing a spatula and trying to salvage the eggs that were already too brown on the bottom.
“Aaron Leary wrote an editorial that was in the Tribune this morning. I’ll spare you from dredging through it, but in essence, he thinks instead of you wasting time and Utah tax dollars frolicking in the sun with your girlfriend, you should be here preparing to assume the duties of governor.”
“First, Daisy isn’t my girlfriend, she’s my fiancée,” Jack said, nearly mangling the words, his temper rising. “Second, this isn’t costing the taxpayers anything. This is my vacation, the first I’ve taken in three years and it’s on my dime.”
Stuart cleared his throat. “That’s almost entirely true. You have to keep in mind that your security detail—even though mandated under law to be there whether you want them to or not—are being paid from the state’s coiffures. The central point to his argument is that there’s going to be a big transition coming in the next few weeks, and Leary and his cronies are sounding the alarm that you’re not here to oversee it.”
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “I was planning on returning Sunday. Will that be soon enough for my detractors?” Something was smoking and he looked down to see that the eggs were a mess. He flipped off the burner and took the pan to the sink, his attention caught on Daisy who was sitting at the counter, sipping her cup of coffee, a wide, beautiful smile on her face as she watched the show.
Stuart paused. “That’s four days away. I hate to think what Leary could pull next.”
Damn. It pained him to think about bringing this vacation to a close any sooner than he planned, but he wasn’t seeing another alternative. Stuart was right. He needed to step up now.
As if sensing his change in heart, Stuart continued. “The plane could be there by this afternoon, Jack. You could be in front of the press giving them your full undivided attention in time for the evening news.”
He sighed. “All right. But make it tomorrow.”
Jack dropped the phone, taking a moment to stare at the dark brown eggs still stuck to the pan. He flipped the water on to soak the pan before grabbing another one and placing it on the stove. Turning around, he grabbed another carton of eggs from the fridge and set them on the counter.
“Did you plan that complete failure at making eggs to try and coerce me into helping?” Daisy teased. “Because you could have just asked.”
“Not a chance. I’ll get this right this time,” he said, cracking the shells again, one by one.
“You going to tell me what Stuart wanted or should I guess?” she asked finally, as he still struggled to accept that their time here was being cut short.
“It’s Aaron Leary. The guy who will be gunning for me in the primary next year,” he said, whisking the eggs in an angry frenzy as he relayed what little he knew about the editorial and Stuart’s recommendation he get back in town and nip this latest in the bud.
“It makes sense,” she said slowly, her attention on her coffee mug rather than meeting his gaze. “You’re away and there’s no better time to try and position themselves better.”
The disappointment he felt was also evident in her tone, and he set the bowl down and took a seat next to her, turning her to face him. He looked into those dark, luminous eyes, hating the sadness. “Just because Lily and I are leaving sooner than we planned, doesn’t change anything about how I feel about us.” He took her hand, holding it higher so the engagement ring caught the light. “After all, we are engaged. I put that ring here the other night because I knew in my heart I wanted it to be permanent. And although we’re really just coming into this relationship now, I have no doubt that we will be saying I do one day.”
Her face broke into a smile that was one of surprise and happiness, and it was hard to miss the mist in those eyes. She paused, as if processing the words, before the smile turned more impish. “You’re awfully sure of yourself. Assuming that I’ll accept. Is there anything that you’re not sure about?”
“Nothing important.” He leaned forward to kiss her again. But there was still more to talk about. “There will be a plane waiting to take Lily and me home tomorrow at noon. I’d like you to come with us.”
She blinked. “A plane? As in your own plane?” She sounded incredulous.
“I wouldn’t say it’s my own. It’s more of a plane-sharing arrangement the Harrisons have with a few other families.”
“Right. You have your own plane,” she repeated.
“Okay. Something like that,” he said, grinning. “I know you weren’t planning on leaving until Friday. But consider the long, torturous drive that even if you left at the crack of dawn probably wouldn’t put you in Salt Lake until that night. Wouldn’t it be so much easier, more relaxing to just come with us?”
Tempting. So tempting, but there was a big problem with that prospect. She got up and went to the coffeepot to refill her cup, adding a touch of half-and-half as she did. “My car is here and I could hardly expect my aunt to drive it back to Salt Lake alone. Which reminds me. I’m going to need to get a ride to the shop to pick that up. It should be ready for us by now.”
He grinned. “Actually, I’ve already taken care of it. It’s sitting in the driveway as we speak.”
“You—what?” she asked, setting the spoon down she’d been using to stir her coffee.
“I had the car brought here this morning. I know you’ve been restless without it. Although to be honest, I am surprised it’s even running after everything the guy told me was wrong with it.”
“But I haven’t paid for the repairs yet.”
“I took care of it this morning,” he said blithely.
Her eyes clouded over with frustration. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
He cocked his head, confused. This wasn’t going at all how he’d planned. “I wasn’t doing this to make you angry. I was trying to be helpful. I know how stressed you were about the cost of the repairs.”
“Yes, I was stressed, just as anyone would be. But it’s my responsibility. Not yours.” She breathed in and released it before meeting his gaze again. “Thank you for trying to help, but it wasn’t necessary. And I’m going to pay every penny back.” Her eyes flashed at him in warning.
“All right. I’ll send you a bill,” he said, willing to indulge her on this issue even though he didn’t really see the problem since he had the means to easily pay it and she didn’t. He walked back around the counter and added some seasonings before whisking the eggs again. “As for getting the car back to Salt Lake, it’s no big deal. I’ll be doing the same for my Mustang—there are services that will get it back for us. Just think about it. Instead of the long, torturous ten plus hours of drive time—if you’re counting all the bathroom and food stops you’re bound to have with three kids in tow—you’d be back home in the comfort of the state-of-the-art private jet at a fraction of the time.”
“What? We get to ride home in an airplane?” Paul shouted, racing into the kitchen, the other kids right behind him.
“Hold up, Paul. I haven’t agreed to flying home,” Daisy said.
“But that’s what Jack just said,” Paul argued. “I’ve never been on anything so cool. Does it have its own bathroom?”
“It does,” Jack said, smiling at the kid’s excitement. “But I’m afraid that the reason for the plane is because Lily and I have to leave tomorrow.”
This sent up a wave of disappointed groans from the kids, especially Lily. “But, Dad, you said we were staying until Sunday.”
“I know, sweetie. Unfortunately, something has come up, and I’m going to need to get back sooner than I expected.”
“I want to come with you,” Natalie said. “It won’t be any fun without Lily and Ollie. And you, of course,” she added, patting his hand.
“Well, I’m glad to see where I rank,” he teased.
“Mom! Can we? Please?” All three of the kids were now bouncing up and down, clasping their hands in front of them in a plea.
“I’m going to need to think about it. In the meantime, what do you all think about pancakes?” she asked, grabbing a bowl from the cupboard.
“And eggs,” Jack added, determined to at least contribute something to their meal this morning.
With Daisy sifting the ingredients next to him, he felt that familiar sense of contentment returning as the routine of the breakfast ritual took over.
They could discuss leaving together more later. However, if the kids had their way, he was fairly certain tomorrow’s ride was going to be a full house.
A full house—that was something he could get used to.