Page 82 of I'll Carry You

Jason gaped at her. She’d told him so many times to leave Jen alone. What the hell was she playing at? “You told me to leave.”

“And you’re going to listen to a crazy old woman? Not to mention, I didn’t know you loved the girl. You’d be a fool to leave now.”

“Who says I love her?”

Mildred wiped her hands on her pants. “You’re paying the rent on a firetrap on Main Street for her—which you begged me not to tell her father about. And you still haven’t left yet. The Jason that showed up here a few weeks ago would have left for Chicago by now. You love that girl. Even if you won’t admit it. You’re just like your daddy, it turns out.”

Loved her?

No, he was just filled with regret for what he’d done to her. Money was the only way he had to make things up to her. She wasn’t making any sense.

“Well, I can’t even see her right now. She’s got a restraining order against me.”

“Psh.” Mildred blew a breath so hard out of her lips that her lips vibrated. “Her daddy told me differently. Says she refused to go get one. Then he called me back last night, tried to get me to call her and convince her she should take the money.”

“What do you mean? The money is going to be Colby’s. He’s the legal heir.”

“He’s not the legal anything right now. She must establish paternity first. She’s refusing that, too. Says she doesn’t want your money.” Mildred wagged a finger at him. “You want to convince her you’re not in it for the money? Convince her to take it. No expectations on your part. Maybe then she’ll believe you.”

He almost smiled. The idea of Jen refusing hundreds of millions of dollars was just about the most “Jen” thing he could imagine. She’d wanted so badly to prove that she could make it on her own—and he’d let her down with that, too.

“Do you think she’d allow me to finish the baking competition with her? It doesn’t even end for a couple of weeks, though, does it?” Jason raked his fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

“The final round is tonight—then Peter’s announcing the winners during his ‘Christmas Special.’” Mildred looked toward the heavens. “I swear if that man gets any more media recognition, I’m not even going to be able to tolerate him. He’s been feuding with my friend Bunny for years. The two of them just need to schtup and get it over with.”

He didn’t want to think about those two elderly people schtuping. Cringing, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Never change, Mildred.”

Mildred whooped with laughter. “I tell it like it is, sonny. Now, you going to get your ass over to that baking competition? Jen deserves a shot at winning.”

“She’s not even going to go, I’m sure.” Not to mention the idea of seeing Jen in public under the circumstances they’d left things was intimidating as all hell.

Mildred held out her hand. “Give me your phone. And open the dial pad. I don’t know how to work those damn devices.”

Jason frowned, then took out his phone. He unlocked it and handed it over.

Squinting at the screen, Mildred took a good minute to type in a phone number, then dialed it. She lifted it to her ear as it rang. After a moment, she said, “Bob? It’s Millie. Millie Price. I’m calling from Jason’s phone. Ha ha, got you there, didn’t I? Anyway, can you get Jen over to that baking competition?”

She paused while Bob responded.

“Listen, Bob, I’m going to shoot you straight. I love Jen, and I love Colby. This dickwad grandson of mine...well, he’s only been around a couple of weeks.” Mildred gave Jason a laughing wink. “Jen doesn’t deserve to be humiliated in front of the whole damn town by not showing up tonight. Everyone is going to assume something went south between them. And she deserves to win.”

Another pause. Mildred nodded and then added, “We’ll all be there. What can he possibly do? Also, he’s going to do his best to convince her to take the money. Sound fair? Okay. Good boy. Now you get Jen there on time. Colby, too. Tell him Granny Millie is bringing him a big lollipop.”

She hung up and handed the phone to Jason. “All settled. Bob’s going to try to get her there. That’s the best we can ask for, right?” She linked arms with him. “Now, seeing as you have two working arms and legs, and you want to help so badly, why don’t you get up there and finish those gutters? I’ll go make you some hot cocoa.”

As Jason watched her shuffle back up toward the house without waiting for a response, he set his hand on the ladder. Her schemes were hard to keep up with. But for the first time in his life, he’d felt known. Understood.Loved.She’d seen so much without him having said a word. And he knew he’d miss that. He knew he’d miss her.

ChapterTwenty-Seven

Jen checkedthe time on her phone for the fifteenth time and slipped it back into her purse. “Don’t you think you can drive any faster, Dan?”

Dan looked back at her and Colby in the back seat of his car. “You realize I’m a cop, right? I won’t speed through Main to get you there faster when you’re the one who took forever getting yourself ready.”

She didn’t know how she’d allowed her father to rope her into going back to the competition.

Okay, that was a lie.

A lie she kept telling herself and her family.“I don’t know how you talked me into this.”

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