So she let him lead her to the bedroom.
And she let him slowly strip her down, kissing all the skin he exposed.
And when he guided them both down onto the bed, she let him love her as only he could.
Chapter Eleven
The next few days were filled with a lot of anxiety and speculation, and Jamie swore he didn’t know if he was coming or going. Fallon was suspiciously quiet on the subject of Jenn and what was going to happen, and he really couldn’t blame her. After his siblings had all come for dinner that night, her opinion was definitely in the minority. Ryleigh was the only one on the fence, and mostly everyone agreed that he needed to take every step to make sure that Jenn didn’t get access to Asher and to have her parental rights removed.
It made things more than a little tense at home, but this morning he had called his uncle to say he’d be in late because he felt like he and Fallon needed to hash this out once and for all.
Only…they didn’t.
Asher was fussy and then Fallon had gotten a request for a phone interview on some position she’d applied for. He knew that one was coming, but he still wished she didn’t have to do it. What he wanted was for her to stay and take care of his son, but when he brought that up, she told him how much it was bothering her that they were sleeping together and he was paying her to watch Asher. And no matter how much he explained that the two had nothing to do with each other, she still wasn’t comfortable with it.
So basically, they weren’t on great terms because of this situation with Jenn, she was going to find a job elsewhere which meant he was going to have to find someone else to care for his son, and even though she was still living with him and sharing his bed every night, they hadn’t made love since that afternoon before everyone came over.
Basically, his life was turning into a shit show once again.
When he arrived at the pub, the lunch crowd was dying down, and Jamie looked up to find his uncle staring at him intently.
“What? What’s the matter?” He glanced at his watch. “I appreciate you covering for me this morning. I thought I would have gotten in sooner, so…sorry.”
“Nothing to apologize for. We had plenty of coverage.”
“Oh. Okay, good.” Stepping behind the bar, he put his phone and keys down and started straightening things up.
“Everything okay at home?”
“Um…yeah. Sure.”
“How are things going for you?” Ronan asked casually. “Everything good with you and Fallon?”
That was…not what he was expecting.
Smiling nervously, he wiped down a small section of the bar. “Yeah, we’re uh…we’re good. How come?”
“And Asher? Is he doing well?”
“He’s fine.” Then he smiled. “He was lifting his head this morning while Fallon was doing that tummy time thing with him, and I swear he did it for a solid minute and was looking proud of himself!”
“That’s good. That’s good,” his uncle said before fussing with some of the bar glasses.
“Is everything okay? You seem a little out of sorts.”
Straightening, Ronan looked over at him. “Jenn was here this morning,” he said solemnly. “She was waiting outside when I got in and she was looking for you. I told her you would be here this afternoon.” He paused and looked a little remorseful. “I was going to call you, Jamie. I really was. But as soon as she left, we had two deliveries show up at the same time and I had to help Bobby check them in and…I’m sorry. I hate that I’m practically ambushing you like this.”
He let out a mirthless laugh. “You wouldn’t be the first. That seems to be the way things happen lately.”
“Jamie, honest to goodness, I’m sorry.”
“Hey,” he said, forcing a smile. “We’re good, Uncle Ronan. I should have been here. None of this is on you, okay?”
“I just hate that you didn’t have any time to prepare and…”
“It would have been the same if I’d shown up for work on time,” he reasoned. Letting out a long breath, he wondered what he was supposed to do. “Do you think I need to call the attorney? Or Patrick and Liam?”
“Honestly? Call your lawyer and just let him know what’s going on. As for your brothers, I don’t think that’s a good idea. It might put Jenn on the defensive.”
It made sense, but he really didn’t care too much about how she felt. She didn’t care about his feelings all this time, so why should he be concerned for hers?
Still…he needed to hear her out before telling her his plans. It was time for her to get a taste of her own medicine and see how it felt to have her world turned upside down.
At least…that was what he planned on doing. Of course, there was the off chance that she was coming to give him exactly what he wanted and asking him to have papers drawn up terminating her rights to Asher.
Please be that…
For all his tough talk, he genuinely hated being the bad guy and wished more than anything that it didn’t have to come to this. But where his son was concerned, when pushed, he sure as hell was going to push back. Asher’s well-being was the only thing that mattered here. No matter what Fallon said about emotions and explanations, to him, it didn’t matter. He was going to do what was best for his son, and that meant keeping people who didn’t have his best interest out of his life.
Even if she was his mother.
Well, not Jamie’s mother, but…
Just thinking about how his mother was going to react to coming home and finding out she was a grandmother made him smile. She was going to lose her mind in the best possible way. So many times he wanted to call and tell her, but he knew she’d cut her trip short and from everything Fallon had been hearing from her own mother, they were all having a fantastic time. It was the right decision to wait to tell her.
“You need to wipe that scowl off your face,” Ronan murmured as he stepped in closer.
“Why?”
“Because Jenn just walked through the door.”
Turning his head, he spotted her, and all he could think was…shit.
Ronan put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Hear her out and don’t do or say anything rash.”
He nodded. The lawyer had essentially told him the same thing the day they had talked in his office, but…keeping his mouth shut wasn’t exactly Jamie’s strong suit.
“You got this, kiddo,” was the last thing his uncle said before stepping away.
Letting out a long breath, the first thing that went through his mind was how he wished Fallon were here, or that he at least had time to call her and hear her voice to calm him down. They might disagree on what was happening, but just the sound of her voice was usually enough to soothe him when he was feeling anxious.
Like right now.
“Hey, Jamie,” Jenn said quietly as she approached the bar. He had to fight to stay calm and not lash out, but his hand kept clenching and unclenching into fists while he mentally counted to ten.
“Jenn,” he said gruffly.
“I stopped by earlier and you weren’t here,” she began nervously. “Your uncle wasn’t sure what time you’d be in; he just said this afternoon, so…”