Page 55 of Tides of Discovery
I choked on my wine. Jack patted my back while Ryan gave his daughter an embarrassed look.
“Lily, remember what we talked about? Some questions are private,” Ryan said.
“But Holly’s moms love each other and they got married. Uncle Cooper and Uncle Jack love each other, so they should get married too.” Her child’s logic was simple and straightforward.
“It’s okay,” Jack said smoothly. “That’s a good question, Lily. Uncle Cooper and I haven’t been boyfriends very long. People usually date for a while before they decide to get married.”
“How long?” she pressed.
Jack looked at me, his expression warm but enigmatic. “That depends on the people. Some know right away, and some take more time.”
“Which are you?” she asked.
Ryan intervened. “Lily, let’s talk about your school project instead. Tell Uncle Cooper about your solar system model.”
As Lily launched into a detailed description of her papier mâché planets, I tried to regain my composure. But my mind kept replaying Jack’s words:Some know right away. The gentle way he’d handled Lily’s question without dismissing the possibility.
And more disturbing was my own reaction. For one breathtaking moment, when Lily had asked about marriage, I’d been able to picture it perfectly: Jack and I exchanging vows, perhaps in the redwoods, surrounded by friends and family. The vision had felt so right, so possible. But I had a tendency to jump ahead, to put more value into relationships than the other person, and look what happened with Ben. No, I couldn’t let myself do that again.
After dinner, while Lily showed Jack her solar system project in the living room, Ryan and I cleaned the kitchen. Through the doorway, I could see Jack sitting cross-legged on the floor beside her. She held Neptune while she explained its composition with adorable inaccuracy.
Ryan followed my gaze. “Can I be honest about something?”
I nodded, and apprehension crept up my spine.
“I’ve never seen you this happy, Coop. Not with anyone else you’ve dated. Certainly not with Ben. The way you look at Jack…” He shook his head. “I’m just really glad you finally found someone who seems to get you.”
“Ryan—” I started, not sure what I was going to say. Because I truly was happy. That I couldn’t deny. But our arrangement was temporary.
He waved me off. “You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know that I’m happy for you. Both of you. Finally.”
I stilled. “What do you mean, finally?”
Ryan gave me a knowing smile. “I noticed it the first time you two came into the bank to drop off your deposit bag. He looked at you like you were the center of his universe. Wasn’t sure if you saw it.”
Before I could respond, Jack appeared in the doorway, grinning, Lily right beside him. “Lily tells me she’s ready for ice cream.”
The moment between us passed, but Ryan’s words echoed in my head as we served ice cream and moved to the living room for coffee. Had Jack really looked at me differently all along? For years? Had I been too caught up in our friendship to notice?
I watched him more carefully as he sat beside me on the couch, occasionally letting his knee rest against mine or his hand brush my shoulder. Was that new, or had he always found these small ways to touch me?
Lily fell asleep against Jack’s side while we talked, and he looked surprised but gently adjusted to accommodate her. He continued his conversation with Ryan about the economic outlook for small businesses in coastal towns as if the munchkin using him as a pillow was the most natural thing in the world.
Eventually, Ryan checked his watch. “I should get this one to bed.” He carefully lifted Lily from the couch.
“Yeah, we should head out.” I stood. “Thanks for dinner. It was great.”
Jack rose beside me. His hand found the small of my back again in that nonchalant yet familiar way that made my pulse quicken.
“We’ll have to do this again.” Ryan adjusted Lily in his arms.
“We’d like that,” Jack said without hesitation, which made me feel strangely breathless.We.
The drive home was quiet. Jack drove while I gazed out the window and tried to sort through the knotted web of emotions the evening had stirred up: confusion, happiness…hope.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Jack said as we pulled up outside my apartment building.
I turned to look at him and studied his profile in the dim light. “Just thinking about what a nice evening it was,” I admitted. “Lily really took to you.”
