Page 84 of I'm Yours

Eli leans forward, both hands reaching toward my water glass. Keeping one hand on his tummy to keep him from sliding off my lap, I carefully bring the glass to his lips. He puts his hands on the glass, one over mine, and his slurping noises are far more entertaining than the flurry of activity surrounding this table right now. Once he’s had enough, he pushes the glass away and scoots back on my lap, his back pressing into my chest. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, then grins up at me with a self-satisfied expression, his big blue eyes framed by long lashes and the tiniest dimple appearing in his pudgy left cheek.

I gotta say, if they did nothing else well together, Pete and Jenna made cute children.

The fact that I have one of them on my lap, the other sitting next to me, and their stunning mother smiling at us as the sun highlights her golden hair, is a privilege I will never take for granted.

Once the initial excitement over Wynn and Noelle’s announcement has simmered down and food gets passed around, multiple conversations are started around the long outdoor table. I’m talking to Jenna and Braeden and Ember about the letter Ember received this week while making sure Eli gets more food in his mouth than on his clothesandtrying to feed myself when my phone rings. I consider just letting it go to voicemail, but the only time I do that is when Jess texts me six times about a recipe, calls, and then texts a second later that she doesn’t need my help anymore. And that only started happening because of the near heart attack her husband gave me on my birthday in June, which was in part due to Jess’s master plan of “surprising” me.

I pull my phone out, frowning when I see Colin’s name. The kid is terrible at responding to my texts and he’s never called me, so I have a feeling something’s up. I pass Eli to Jenna and quietly excuse myself from the table, waiting until I’ve stepped into the kitchen to answer.

“Hello?”

“Seth?”

Under any other circumstances, I might be tempted to joke around, but between the fact that Colin called me and he’s whispering tells me this isn’t the time. “Yes. What’s up?”

“My—” His voice is cut off, I hear a man yelling in the background, and then he’s back, his whisper uneven. “My dad showed up like ten minutes ago and he’s screaming at my mom.”

“Has he touched her?” I keep my voice as controlled as possible, not wanting to jump to any conclusions without knowing the facts.

“No, but I think he’s been drinking, and he doesn’t know I called you because I’m in the hall closet, but he’s really pissed off right now. We haven’t seen him for almost a year, and he hasn’t paid child support the past couple weeks. I think that’s why he’s so mad.”

“I can’t really do anything to legally interfere if he hasn’t touched her, but I’ll come over and try talking to him. It’ll probably be about ten minutes before I get there, though. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“What I need you to do is stay out of the middle of the fight,” I tell him, mentally calculating how best to go about this. “I know your instinct will be to protect your mother, but please, just keep yourself as far away as possible. That will be the best way to protect her.”

“Seth, I’m scared.” The admission is so quiet it’s nearly inaudible.

“I know, but you’re going to be fine. I’ll keep you on the phone until I get there, all right?” I wait for his mumbled agreement, press my phone to my chest to let Jenna know I need to go, then lift the device back to my ear as I jog through the house. “Okay, I’m on my way. Did anyone come with your dad? Do you know if he has a gun?”

“No, but he just—Mom!” The line goes dead.

Chapter Forty-Five

Seth

Apparently, someone thought today was the day to give me job security, and I’m feeling it. Between the sun beating down on my back for three hours during the afternoon standoff and the fight that started brewing before I ever stepped foot on the property at Colin’s trailer, all I want is a hot shower, food, and sleep.

But none of those things are going to happen right now. It’ll be late before I get to any of them.

Jenna’s fingers skim the skin on my jaw that’ll probably be purple by tomorrow, and her eyes soften when I wince. “Seth, you need to put some ice on that. It’s already bruised.”

Never mind. It’s purple long before tomorrow, I guess. I gently take her hand off my face, press a kiss to her palm, and lower our hands. “No, I need to go talk to Colin. You guys can take my truck and go home. I’ll borrow a vehicle from John or Wynn.”

“But—”

“No buts about it, Jen.” I know she’s only trying to make sure I’m taken care of, something I tend to push to the sidelines most of the time, so I soften my voice and pull her to me, both hands resting on her hips. Might as well seize the moment we have alone before it’s gone. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been bruised up, sweetheart. And it most certainly isn’t the worst time, either. But considering Colin hasn’t stopped shaking since he called me almost four hours ago, Ineedto go talk to him, then I have to get a report filed, and then I’ll try to put some ice on it.”

Jenna’s blue eyes study me for a moment before she slides her arms around my torso. “Please text me when you get home? And if you can’t get to sleep, I’ll leave my phone on in case you want to talk. And you—”

I cut her off by pressing my mouth to hers. She startles at the abrupt contact, but then her body softens against mine, her hands pressing into the muscles on my back, warm and firm and oh-so feminine. I kiss her slowly but thoroughly, knowing just how small she is compared to me and fighting to keep my heightened emotions in check. She borrowed shorts and a tee from Sarah, and one of my hands skims the warm skin just under her shirt near her waist while the other wraps around her slender shoulders to draw her closer to me. She tastes like summer air and the lemon cake I wasn’t around to have and familiarity. Every kiss is new and exhilarating, but loving Jenna has become such a lifeline in my life recently that I feel like I’m walking through the doors to a house I never want to leave each moment we’re together.

“I’ll call you when I get home,” I say quietly against her lips, letting my thumb trace her full lower one. I kiss her again, feeling the way her mouth trembles beneath mine, and let both of my hands settle on her skin. My thumbs rub small circles on her waist, and I pull away slightly. “Okay?”

She nods as she buries her face into my neck, tears soaking my skin as her arms tighten. “I’m so glad you’re safe. I’m so, so glad.”

I squeeze her tightly, knowing I could’ve been hurt far worse than I was in both instances today and thanking my lucky stars I’m here, at the inn I love like a second home, holding the woman who makes me fight harder to get home safely every single day. I’ve never been scared in my day-to-day work because I know danger comes with my job, but I don’t expect Jenna to feel the same way.

---