"Of course," Jenna said, laughing.
"Well, I do miss you. But I want to hear how the trip home from California went. And what's this about The Fix?"
Jenna had left a brief message on her mom's voicemail right after the guys had proposed the partnership arrangement. Now, she explained in more detail.
"I think that's wonderful," her mom said. "I don't know what I could do from Florida, but if you need help, all you have to do is holler."
"I know," Jenna said. Her mom had always been mother and father to her. And, in many ways, her best girlfriend, too. "How's Doug?"
"So wonderful." Her mom didn't need to say anymore. The depth of feeling was evident in her tone.
"Was it worth the wait?" Jenna asked. "To get married, I mean."
"Well, I didn't know Doug before, so it's a moot question. And your dad was a nice guy, but he wasn't my guy, so it would have been a mistake to marry him." Even if that was a possibility, her tone seemed to suggest. "But if I'd met Doug back then, but not married him until now...well, that would be sad, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah," Jenna agreed as an invisible fist grabbed her heart. "It would."
"Why the deep questions?"
"Oh, nothing. Seen any good movies lately?" Her mom loved film and saw most movies on opening day. So it seemed like a good way to change the conversation.
She was right, and they continued to talk for another half hour before Jenna remembered the coffee and they said their goodbyes.
She poured a cup for Reece and herself, then headed back toward the living room, only to find the man and the little girl stretched out on the sofa, both fast asleep.
Jenna carried Faith to her bed, but doing the same for Reece wasn't possible. So she covered him with a blanket, turned out the light, and slipped away to Brent's bedroom, where he'd insisted she sleep tonight since he was getting home so late anyway.
She considered digging in her bag for her laptop, then told herself she'd do it in a minute, after she closed her eyes and relaxed for just a little bit.
The next thing she knew, she felt a heavy weight on her, a hand on her breast, and warm breath on her ear. She opened her eyes to find Reece on top of her, her shirt pulled up, and his hand working a lovely kind of magic on her body.
"You were asleep," she accused.
"And now I have a second wind. Objections?"
"None at all." She closed her eyes and succumbed to the pleasure of his touch--then yelped when the door burst open and, almost simultaneously, Reece tossed the quilt over the two of them, effectively h
iding any lingering nakedness.
Under the quilt, Jenna tugged her shirt down, then sat up. "Hey, kiddo. What's wrong?"
Her thumb escaped her mouth long enough for Faith to announce, "I had a bad dream."
Jenna and Reece exchanged looks, and then he patted the bed beside him. "Come on up here, then."
"Can I sleep here with you tonight?" She snuggled under the covers between them, and grabbed each of their hands. "Please?"
"Of course you can," Reece said, with a tiny smile for Jenna. And when he bent to kiss the little girl's head, Jenna's heart did a little flip-flop, and she knew in that moment what it was like to fall even deeper in love.
Reece woke to soft curves and realized that Faith wasn't snuggled up against him anymore. Instead, the warm body beside him belonged to Jenna--and to him--and he pulled her closer, cherishing the knowledge that she was truly his now.
He tried to drift back to sleep, but something kept tugging at the back of his mind. Something he needed to do. To check. Something that might be bad if--
Faith!
In an instant, he was bolt upright and reaching for the bedside lamp.
And less than a second later, he saw Brent leaning against the open door.