Rae pointed as Becca said, “Justin.”
Blake scooped his son out of the playpen and with great delight handed him the metal stick that went with the dinner bell. “Ring away.”
Justin went to town, squeezing his eyes tight as he whaled on the triangle that had called so many Colemans to share sustenance at this table.
And not just food, Blake realized all over again, but the feeding of the deepest kind of need a man could have. Lust was a hunger, pride as well. But this was bigger.
This was food for the soul.
PJ marched to his chair, both hands plastered over his ears. Becca held the door for her sister as Lana carried in a glass bowl filled to heaping with sliced pickles. Rae pulled out the chair for Jaxi like the queen that she was.
The absolute monarch of this love-filled place.
Matt’s question came to mind again. What did Blake think of Mark pursuing a relationship with Auntie Dana?
Maybe it didn’t matter so much what Blake thought. Did he understand why the man wanted it? He glanced around the table that was surrounded with his children and covered with food that had been prepared with love. He looked into Jaxi’s eyes and saw amusement and strength and so much connection—
What Blake couldn’t understand was why Mark had walked away in the first place.
But then again, maybe leaving hadn’t been Mark’s idea.
Blake finished the meal, gave Jaxi a kiss of thanks, then helped wash the dishes. Rae and Becca chattered the entire time they worked at his side, but his earlier thoughts distracted him enough, he figured he may as well follow through.
He waited until after homework was done, and after the kids were tucked into bed, before scooping Jaxi up and giving her a tight squeeze. “I’m going out for a little bit. Want to stop in and chat with Rafe for a while.”
Jaxi nodded, but she seemed a little distracted. “Trouble?”
“Not at all,” Blake assured her.
“Okay.” She went up on her toes and pressed her hands to his chest, leaning in and nuzzling against him like a cat. “I’ll be here when you get home.”
That was the kind of promise he liked. “I won’t be late.”
“Even better.” She headed off to the computer station at the side of the room. “Got some stuff I wanted to look up, anyway.”
She was already focused on the screen before he had enough layers on to be willing to face the winter’s chill.
He didn’t even feel guilty for the partial lie that he’d just told. He knew damn well that Rafe and Laurel were out tonight and that pulling into the Angel homestead meant he should find his aunt by herself.
Maybe he was out of line, but ever since his da had basically passed the baton back in January, Blake had been struggling to figure out what it meant. What he was supposed to do.
Uncle Mark showing up had been a doozy of a puzzle, but this small moment seemed clear. He had to find out from Auntie Dana if she wanted some extra protecting.
The Angel homestead always had a cozy glow to it, but the place was worn at the edges. Rafe and Laurel had worked hard to try and turn things around, but the years of neglect by Uncle Ben meant some things could only be temporarily patched until they could be rebuilt.
Blake grabbed the package he’d brought as an excuse off the seat beside him and made his way to the door.
Auntie Dana opened it almost immediately, surprise in her eyes. “Blake? Something wrong?”
He shook his head, stepping in as she backed away to let him enter before too much warmth escaped into the bitter chill. “Jaxi found a few more things you might like. I thought I’d bring them to you.”
His aunt looked him over, her gaze going suspicious. “Well. That’s very considerate.”
Drat. Jaxi had seen Laurel earlier that day. This was probably the second package Dana had received.
Being sneaky was not Blake’s forte.
He took a deep breath and decided to lay it on the line. “I wanted to let you know I heard about Uncle Mark’s…intentions. If you have any problems…with him… Or if there’s ever anything else that I can do—just let me know.”
Auntie Dana’s cheeks flushed fire-engine red as if she’d been standing in front of an open stove for a good hour. “Well.”
She opened her mouth to say more when suddenly, to Blake’s horror, another voice rang out.
“Blake Coleman. Did you just stick your nose into your aunt’s business without her asking you to?” It was his mother, Marion.
“I’m pretty sure I heard it too.” His aunt Kate said, amusement ringing in her voice. “Dana, did you put out an ad for a knight in shining armour and not tell us?”
Dana lifted her gaze skyward for a moment before stepping back far enough, Blake spotted his mother and other aunt settled at the kitchen table. They had cups of tea in front of them as well as a cake, and it was very clear he had interrupted one of their hen parties.
Hell, no getting out of this without feeling like he was twelve years old. He grinned. “The offer stands. And now I’ll go mind my own business.”
“That would probably be a good idea,” Auntie Dana said with a nod. “Give my love to Jaxi.”
“Blake.” His mother again.
He paused with one foot out the door. “Yes, Ma?”
“Tell your father I’ll be home by ten.”
Which was, as he figured out later, Marion’s way of getting revenge on him. Because when he pulled into the yard at his father’s to offer the quick message, he found Uncle Randy there as well, the two of them playing cards.
His dad looked him over. “And your mom gave you this message to pass on to me?”
“Yes, sir.” Blake really did feel twelve years old and getting sent to a timeout.
“Which means you saw your mom tonight,” Randy pointed out, his grin widening. “Which means you were over at Dana’s.”
His dad tilted his head to the side and looked almost sympathetic. “Oh, Blake. Tell me you didn’t do something I’m going to hear about for the next umpteen days.”
“I didn’t do something…” Blake began to repeat dryly before caving into a sheepish smile. “The Coleman ladies are scary. They barely look at you, yet they know exactly what you’ve done.”
“Both generations,” Randy said with a nod. Then he held up a hand and raised an additional finger. “Three generations. Heck, four if you count back to the original matriarch, who I bet never let Stan get away with a single thing either.”
Mike raised his glass in the air. “To the all-powerful Coleman women.”
Blake was still chuckling when he made his way home. He pulled Jaxi away from the computer to enjoy a celebration with his own wonderful Coleman woman.
15
Gabe had spent a lot of years being called an angel, but he’d known it wasn’t true. He was just as prone to anger as the next man, but he’d worked hard to still those urges when the time hadn’t been right.
If he was going to get himself a label, he wanted it to be patient.
Then Allison wandered around the corner of the barn, her bright eyes glancing up to meet his, and he knew the right word was blessed.
He hadn’t deserved her. Hadn’t deserved any of the good things that had come over the past years, but he would take them whether they were his by rights or not.