Page 53 of Tides of Discovery
But I could tell Jack was devastated, as if he’d let me down in the worst possible way.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Cooper
“We don’t have to stay late.” I glanced at Jack as he pulled into Ryan’s driveway. “I can plead a long week if you want an escape hatch.”
It had been four days since Martin had strutted into The Coffee Cove and accused me of health code violations. Two days since the Instagram spoofing. The past days felt like a nightmare—the kind where you’re not sure what’s real and what’s your mind playing tricks on you in the dark.
The truth was spreading now, thank God. Customers were trickling back in. Mrs. Hendershot had returned this morning with an apologetic smile and ordered her usual lavender latte. Frank Erhart had stopped by, complaining about dogs crapping on his lawn like nothing had happened. Meta had finally taken down the fake profile after what felt like an eternity of back-and-forth chats.
It wasn’t perfect. The sting of suspicion still lingered at the edges of conversations. Wary glances didn’t quite fade fast enough. But it was getting better. The Coffee Cove was breathing—shallowly, maybe, but breathing all the same.
And through it all, Jack had been a constant: steady as the tide, fierce as a storm when he needed to be. Every time the weight threatened to pull me under, I’d find him there. A look. A touch. A quiet reminder that I wasn’t standing alone in this fight.
For the first time all week, I let myself believe we might just survive this. But I was concerned about Jack’s comfort with my family. “I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to skip the whole evening.”
Jack smiled, and the glow from the streetlights enhanced his light brown hair. “I’m looking forward to dinner, actually. It’s been a while since I’ve talked with Ryan, and I’ve only met Lily briefly at the coffee shop.”
Jack slid the car into Park, and we climbed out.
The front door flew open before we even reached the porch, and Lily came barreling through. Her curly hair bounced with each step, and her unicorn-patterned leggings blurred as she ran.
“Uncle Cooper! Uncle Jack!” she squealed and hurled herself at us. I froze momentarily at the “Uncle Jack” title. It was the first time she’d called him that, and it hit me with unexpected force. I caught her flying form first and swung her up for a hug before she squirmed to get to Jack.
Jack looked surprised, but recovered quickly. He took her from my arms with a hesitant smile.
“Hey there,” he said warmly. “I see you’re wearing your unicorn leggings again.”
Lily beamed at him. “They’re my favorite!”
“They’re pretty cool.” Jack set her down gently.
Lily grabbed his hand, instantly won over. “I have lots of unicorn things! Want to see?”
Ryan appeared in the doorway, still dressed in slacks and a crisp button-down from his day at the bank. “Let Jack at least get inside before you drag him off to your unicorn collection, Lil.”
I grinned at my brother. “Too late. She’s already claimed him.”
Ryan stepped forward to greet us and gave me a quick hug. “Good to see you smiling, bro. You look better than I expected after the week you had.”
“We’re recovering.” I followed everyone inside.
“Uncle Jack, come see my room! I have unicorns everywhere!” Lily tugged insistently on Jack’s hand.
Jack glanced at me, eyebrows raised in question.
“Go.” I laughed. “I’ll help Ryan in the kitchen.”
As Jack let himself be pulled away, I watched him go, struck by how willingly he engaged with my niece despite barely knowing her. It felt so natural, somehow, to see him step into this role in my family.
“He’s good with her,” Ryan said as we headed to the kitchen.
“Yeah,” I said softly. “He loves kids. He wants a family.” Jack was an only child, his mother gone when he was young. After his father died during our junior year, he’d made a drunken confession one night that he’d always dreamed of having siblings, of having a big, extended family. But now it was just him.
I’d never seriously considered having my own children before. Being an uncle fulfilled me. But suddenly I could picture it. Could imagine Jack teaching a child to ride a bike, reading bedtime stories in that warm, gentle voice of his, being the kind of father who made everything feel safe and possible.
The thought should have terrified me. We were still temporary. But instead of fear, I felt a quiet certainty settling over me. If my feelings for Jack continued to grow the way they had been—and everything in me suggested they would—then maybe someday we could build that kind of life together. Maybe someday I’d get to watch him be a father to our children.
