Page 64 of The Promises We Broke
"About how good your mom's cooking is," I said, which earned me a smile from Delaney as she adjusted baby Barrett against her shoulder.
The little guy was barely a month old but already showing signs of the Farrington stubbornness, refusing to let his mom put him down for even a second. Blake was sitting next to him, making faces that kept earning what she declared to be his very first smile, while Xander helped Amelia with her spoon in an attempt to keep her mashed potatoes and carrots out of her hair. It was pure domestic bliss and everything I didn't realize I'd been missing.
"So, Dad," Trace said, turning his attention to Jasper, who'd been unusually quiet throughout dinner. "How's the business expansion going?"
Our father looked up from his plate, something flickering across his expression that I couldn't quite read. "Fine. Good. The coastal markets are... different from what I'm used to."
"Blue Point Bay has such a charming art scene," Blake said casually. "I went up there last month for a gallery opening. Beautiful work from local artists."
Jasper went very still, his fork frozen halfway to his mouth. "Art scene?"
"Oh yes," Reece chimed in, her tone carefully neutral. "Apparently there's quite a thriving community up there. Artists, photographers, sculptors. Some of them have been there for decades, building their careers."
"I'm thinking of doing an event when the gallery opens, so I've been looking for talent in the area," Blake said, staring hard at her glass of water.
Something was going on and the girls weren't exactly being subtle about it.
I watched my father's face, seeing something shift in his expression. A flicker of what looked like longing, quickly suppressed.
"Jasper," Delaney said quietly, "is there someone in Blue Point Bay you've been thinking about?"
The question hung in the air, and I could feel the entire table holding its breath. Jasper set down his fork, his hands trembling slightly.
"Why would you ask that?" he said, but his voice lacked conviction.
"Because you look like a man with unfinished business," Billie said gently. "And sometimes unfinished business is worth finishing."
Jasper's eyes met hers across the table, and I saw something break open in his expression. "Caroline," he said quietly, like the name was a prayer he'd been afraid to voice.
This was the woman he'd fallen in love with. The one he'd left to come home to us. I looked around the table trying to figure out if everyone else knew the story, but I wasn't getting anything from them. I hadn't thought to discuss this with my brothers before now and I didn't know if what our father had confided in me was something that wasn't common knowledge.
"Caroline," Delaney repeated softly. "She's special to you."
"She was... she is..." Jasper stopped, running a hand through his graying hair. "It was a long time ago. Before I understood what I was giving up."
Jasper looked around the table awkwardly and I could tell this was a conversation he didn't want to be a part of.
"It's never too late," Booker said firmly. "Look at Gage. He came home after eleven years and we're all better for it."
"That's different," Jasper protested.
"Is it?" Xander asked. "You've been divorced for months now. You're free to make your own choices about who you want in your life."
"What if she doesn't want to see me?" Jasper's voice was barely above a whisper. "What if she's moved on, built a life without me?"
"What if she hasn't?" Blake said. "What if she's been hoping you'd find your way back to her?"
The silence stretched between us, heavy with possibility and fear. Finally, Jasper looked up, his eyes bright with unshed tears.
"I wouldn't even know how to find her," he said.
"We could help," Reece offered carefully. "If you wanted us to."
Jasper was quiet for a long moment, staring down at his hands. When he looked up again, there was something different in his expression. A tentative hope that reminded me of my own journey home.
He looked at me, a question in his gaze and I knew he was asking me if I was okay with this. We had a long way to go in our relationship but the fact that he was considering my feelings in this, when he clearly still had feelings for this woman, meant more to me than I thought he probably realized.
A lump formed in my throat as I nodded, realizing that I wanted this for him. I wanted him to finally have something real in his life. A love that Regina had never been able to give him.
