Page 18 of Laying His Claim
“That’s what you get from being distracted by a beautiful woman,” his brother said at his elbow.
“‘Scuse me?”
“You’ve been staring at Jalissa all morning,” Tyler informed him, standing on his other side. The three men leaned back against the wall of the swimming pool, water up to their chests, while the babies paddled within arm’s reach, now secure in their little animal-shaped flotation devices.
He could have denied it, but it was true. The sight of Jalissa in that dazzling one-piece swimsuit was so alluring that he was glad he was submerged in water; it would help cool his desire. Since that kiss in the car, things had been uncomfortable between the two of them, and he’d give anything to lessen that tension.
“How’s she doing lately?” his brother asked.
“Great,” he said with admiration. “She’d getting stronger. She works out on her own for two hours a day; her physiotherapist has helped a lot, too, but even she has said it’s time for Jalissa to strike out on her own.”
“And her memory?” Tyler asked delicately.
Justin shook his head. “Not much progress.”
“That must be hard,” Finn said.
“She’s a trooper.”
“She is, but I meant hard onyou.Being in love with someone, being ready to marry someone, and thenbam,they don’t even remember you.”
Justin couldn’t stand the look of sympathy his brother was giving him, especially since it made him feel like a fraud. ‘Love’ was a loaded word, and as much as he liked, admired and desired Jalissa, he wasn’t sure it applied to this situation anymore. As for their “engagement”, well, he’d done what he’d had to do, given the circumstances.
His mind was dragged back to that terrible night; the night of the accident, when she’d revealed her pregnancy to him, and then said so many cruel things before storming out.“I don’t love you! I want nothing to do with you! I want no ties at all!”He remembered the pain, the twist in his gut as he’d watched her go. That had been the Jalissa of the past. Did he love the Jalissa of the present?
Better to not say anything, he thought. “I’ll go see if the kids are ready for their hot dogs,” he said and walked to the shallow end of the pool.
Once the kids were fed, they begged, pleaded and badgered their way back into the water, and this time, the women joined them. Kalilah and Finn shared their news, and Justin felt a spark of joy. He clapped Finn on the back. “Way to go, brother. Making me an uncle again, huh!”
“I hope one day you’ll return the favor,” Finn responded, grinning proudly.
Immediately, Justin’s gaze flew toward Jalissa. She was holding Sebastian in her arms, playing a splashing game, and the sight of them together drew him irresistibly to her side. “Hey,” he said.
She smiled happily at him, “Hey.”
He searched her face for signs of the version of Jalissa who had stormed out of his house screaming and yelling that night, but found none. What he saw was a mom who was enjoying a moment of sunshine and fun with her little boy. It warmed his heart.
“Throw the ball to Daddy, Sebastian,” she urged. The baby batted ineffectually at the ball and went into peals of laughter.
They played with him for half an hour and to Justin, it was a perfect moment. The awkwardness was forgotten and, once again, Seb was the glue that bound them together. They were like a family.
“He’s getting so big,” she commented admiringly. “I can’t believe he’ll be one soon.”
“We’re going to have the party to end all parties,” Justin promised.
“The girls said you’d say that! What are you planning? A house party? Kids’ Zone?”
“We’ll think of something,” he assured her. For now, he was simply content for it to be just the three of them, together.
Chapter 7
Jalissa and Justin stood under the harsh lights of the storage unit and looked around at the neat piles of boxes. Kaiya, God bless her, had carefully packaged everything from Jalissa’s apartment into separate identical boxes, and then labeled each one: Kitchen, Bedroom, Books, etc. Immediately recognizing her intent, Justin flicked open a Swiss Army knife and slit the tape that sealed each box.
She began slowly, starting with less personal items, like kitchen equipment and books. She was surprised to see how many kitchen gadgets she had, and while she didn’t remember much about brand names in the culinary milieu, she wasn’t so ignorant that she couldn’t recognize quality when she saw it.
Had she really used all of these expensive items? What sort of food did she cook? Jalissa hesitated, glancing up at Justin. He nodded, encouraging her to go ahead.
She ran her fingers along the smooth brushed chrome gadgets, enjoying their understated sleekness. There were the usual items, like blenders, stand mixers, can openers and juicers, the kind you’d find in almost any kitchen. But there were also machines that spoke of a woman who enjoyed her time in the kitchen: hand-mills, pasta makers, bannetons and the like.
