I walked into the house and took in a deep breath. Home.
God, I loved how it smelled in my folks’ house. It was like a fresh bouquet of spring flowers. The smell hit you instantly. I glanced around the living room and smiled when I saw flowers in a vase. My mother always had fresh flowers somewhere in the house. It was something I’d picked up from her. “Is her husband with her as well?”
My mother turned and looked at me. “Husband?”
“This Jax woman. You said she had a little girl. Is her husband staying here while she’s working in the area?”
“No, she lost her husband a few years back in an accident. He was a firefighter. I think a building fell on him or something horrible like that.”
I brought my hand up to my mouth. “That’s terrible. Poor thing.”
With a nod, my mother said, “Yes. But she’s done an amazing job with her daughter.”
She started toward the kitchen and called back, “I made your favorite potato soup! It’s going to snow tonight, so I knew you’d want it!”
And just like that, I felt a sense of warmth surround me.
I was back in Boggy Creek.
Finally, I was home.
Bishop
I walked into The Coffee Pot and smiled when I saw her. I headed toward the booth and stopped. I pulled out the small bouquet of flowers I had behind my back and held them in front of me.
Her little, round blue eyes looked up at me and widened. A smile grew across her face and Ashley shrieked in delight. “Mommy, it’s Bishop!”
Jax pulled Ashley back down into the booth and covered her mouth with her hand while she laughed. “Goodness, Ashley, alert the whole town, will you?”
I winked at Ashley, then slid into the booth across from Jax and her daughter. “These are for you,” I said and handed the flowers to Ashley.
“I love them!” Ashley exclaimed, burying her face in the small bouquet I had picked up at Schmick’s Market.
Never in my wildest imagination did I think I’d date a woman with a kid. Not in a million years. But when Jax showed up nearly a month ago at my door and asked if she could walk around the tree farm, I was interested. We hit it off immediately, and she even laughed at my sad attempts at flirting.
The second time she showed up, I decided it was time to move on from my past. As hard as it was to admit that things were over with me and Abby, I knew I needed to. I had thought about calling her right after I came back from Boston. Even had her name pulled up on my phone…but then I stopped myself. A part of me was afraid a guy would answer, or that Abby would be upset that I’d ignored her all those times she’d tried to call or text.
I was positive she had moved on, and it was time I did the same.
So, I’d taken a deep breath and asked Jax out. She’d informed me right away that she was a single mom with a ten-year-old daughter. Apparently, that was something she always did right off the bat. She’d learned it was easier to have a guy make up his mind about dating her sooner rather than later after he found out she had a kid.
Strangely enough, it didn’t scare me off. If anything, Jax appealed to me even more now. We had gone out on three dates so far, all dinner dates and all with Ashley.
Tonight was going to be our first night out alone. I wasn’t going to lie; part of me wanted to have Ashley come along. Why, I wasn’t sure, and I really didn’t want to think too hard on it.
“Are you excited about your date with Mommy tonight? She said you were going to dinner, then watching a movie,” Ashley said.
My gaze lifted to Jax. She smiled and her cheeks blushed slightly. It was cute. It didn’t make my heart flutter or my stomach drop with anticipation, but I liked it. “I am excited. Are you excited to hang out with your grammy?”
Ashley giggled. “Yes! She got here this morning.”
Jax’s mother was in town to help her watch Ashley. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be staying in Boggy Creek while she did her research, so having her mom here from Boston was going to be a huge help.
“I’m sure you’re going to have a lot of fun with her,” I said to Ashley as she wiggled and jumped in her seat.
Jax smiled. “She’s more than excited. Grammy gives her lots of yummy foods. Stuff Mom doesn’t let you have, huh?”
Another giggle and nod from Ashley.
“What time should I pick you up?” I asked Jax. It was at that moment I saw Greer and Arabella on the other side of the restaurant—and both of them were staring at me like something was wrong. I smiled and nodded at them.
Greer moved toward our booth. “I don’t think we’ve met your friends,” she said as Arabella walked up and joined her.
I cleared my throat. It wasn’t like I thought Greer and Arabella wouldn’t be okay with me moving on. It felt awkward, though, introducing them to Jax and Ashley. Abby and Greer had been Arabella’s best friends. But they were my friends, as well, and I was pretty sure they’d be okay with me dating again. Hell, the fact that I’d slept with other women after Abby wasn’t exactly a secret.
Fuck, would those feelings of guilt ever freaking leave?
I stood. “Um, Greer, Arabella, this is Jax and her daughter, Ashley.”
Both Arabella and Greer smiled and said their hellos.
“My mommy and Bishop are going on another date tonight, and this time I get to hang out with my Grammy,” Ashley said.
Both Greer and Arabella turned to look at me. When I caught Greer’s eyes, she raised a single brow. Arabella had a sweet smile on her face, but I could see the disappointment in her eyes. I wasn’t sure who or what she was disappointed with. Me? Abby? The world? Who in the hell knew?
“If you’ll excuse me, Jax,” I said, “I just need to talk to Greer and Arabella for a moment.”
Her brows drew down slightly, obviously noticing the tension between all of us. “Of course, no problem.”
Greer turned and started to walk across the restaurant, heading straight out the side door that led to the small patio. Arabella and I followed her silently.
The second we were outside, Greer spoke. “You’re dating someone?” It wasn’t an accusation per se, more of a shocked question.
I rubbed at the back of my neck.
“You’ve gone out with her before, Bishop?” That question came from Arabella.
“Listen, you guys, I know it’s hard to see me with someone else, but I can’t keep living my life waiting for someone who doesn’t want me. Abby divorced me. I haven’t spoken to her in a really long time.” I looked down and kicked at nothing on the floor before meeting their eyes. “I need to move on. I want…I want…”
“You want what?” Arabella asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
I let out a frustrated breath. “How do you admit you want a family and kids when the only person on this planet you truly want it with doesn’t feel the same way? How do you move on without forgetting the past? I’m tired of sleeping with women, hoping it will make me forget about her. I need to… I’m not getting any younger, and I need to move on.”
Tears built in Arabella’s eyes, and she pressed a hand to her mouth. I couldn’t help but wonder if her reaction was because she felt the same way about Hunter.