Page 67 of A Night To Remember

“Give it some time and she’ll get over it, okay?”

Charlie could only nod in response.

“So anyway, as I was saying, my mother especially would love it if the two of you could get together for lunch in the near future.”

“I’d like that but it doesn’t mean—”

“So it’s okay if I give her your number?” He cut her off.

She shrugged. “I guess that’ll be all right. Jake—”

“I have an idea, why don’t we head to the market after this so that I can get the ingredients for my famous spaghetti and meatball dish. I make my meatballs with Italian sausage and ground veal with my own secret seasoning.” The earnest gleam in his eyes almost made her want to say yes but they were already heading down a slippery slope. Charlie had already made it clear that a physical relationship was all that she could handle from him, but Jake didn’t seem to take the hint or at the very least, didn’t want to.

“Jake, I don’t think—”

He turned to Kristy. “What do you think kiddo? How about Daddy make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight.”

“Yummy!” Kristy’s whose face was now a mask of chocolate sauce and pancake bits bounced in her high chair at the mention of her favorite meal for dinner.

Charlie was trying to keep her temper in check but Jake wasn’t playing fair and it wasn’t like she could point it out to him with Kristy listening in. The delicious breakfast that she’d enjoyed only moments before no longer held its appeal but she stuffed her mouth with the culinary concoction anyway to keep herself from saying something she would regret. She had a feeling that this would be an even longer day than she had anticipated.

Jake didn’t care that he’d been pushy to get his way or that he’d had to use his two-year-old to accomplish his goal because he was fighting for his woman. He had to make Charlie see that they belonged together as a family. As she’d already pointed out to him earlier, it had been his idea to invite her along to breakfast with him and Kristy this morning. It had only taken subtle suggestion to the little girl to get her on board and he let Kristy’s cuteness do the rest.

He realized it wasn’t fair but he saw no other way to get her to agree to come out with him. He figured if they went out together as a family, Charlie would see that this was the way things were meant to be. After the stunt he’d pulled at the diner, Charlie had visibly cooled toward him. She answered him whenever he asked a question, but her responses were short and there was a gruff undertone to her words. He could tell she was pissed but he pretended that everything was okay for their daughter’s sake.

Her iciness toward him fortunately didn’t last throughout the day. They’d gone to the specialty market to purchase the items for dinner later on, and then headed back to Charlie’s place to store the groceries. He then suggested they take Kristy to the playground. Afterwards, they’d gone to the duck pond to feed the ducks. Seeing Kristy’s joy made Jake realize that he was doing the right thing. Their daughter’s happiness must have had the same effect on Charlie because after a while, she’d thawed considerably, even laughing at some of the corny jokes he’d made.

When they all headed back to Charlie’s house, Jake went to work in the kitchen while Charlie and Kristy assisted him. The day had been pure magic for Jake. He got to spend time with the two most important people in his life.

Dinner was a hit. Kristy really liked the food he’d prepared. She’d cleaned her plate and asked for seconds. Charlie moaned as she ate, reveling in each bite. It was difficult to get through the meal watching her take so much pleasure in her food. By the time they were finished eating, Jake had a huge hard on. He was thankful that the table concealed his erection because things would have gotten awkward really quickly, especially with Kristy’s presence.

“Well, I think I should get little miss cleaned up and put her to bed. I have work tomorrow and she has preschool.”

“Okay, I’ll start on the dishes while you’re bathing her and then I’ll help tuck her in before she goes to sleep.”

“She’s practically falling asleep now. We had a busy day and she didn’t have a nap.” Charlie pointed to their daughter who seemed to be fighting sleep. “But you don’t have to do the dishes. You cooked this amazing dinner for us. I can do the cleaning up.”

“I insist. By the time you finish bathing her I can be done. Besides, that will be less work for you. Go ahead.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

By the time he finished with the dishes, Charlie called to him to tuck Kristy in. When he walked into the room, Kristie’s eyes were fluttering as if she was losing the battle with sleep. Every time her lids closed, she’d shake her little head. “Daddy,” she whispered, giving him a sleepy smile.

He knelt beside her bed. “Did you have fun this weekend, princess?”

“Yes. I love you, Daddy.”

He kissed her forehead. “Love you too, princess.”

“I want you to stay with me and Mommy.”

Jake stole a glance at Charlie who seemed to stiffen at the little girl’s wish. He gave Kristy another kiss on the head. “We’ll see, now get to sleep.” He barely got the words out of his mouth before Kristy had dozed off.

Charlie gave Kristy a kiss on the cheek before gesturing for Jake to follow her out the room.

“Today was perfect, don’t you think?” Jake asked as soon as they were in the living room.

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