Page 32 of The Jackpot Screwer
It was good to see her smiling and I knew why when I went into the living room and Jim was in there reading the newspaper. It looked like things were progressing well with them.
“Hey, Jim.”
He looked up and gave me the briefest hint of a smile. “Carter.”
Okay, so maybe he was still pissed at me for getting his daughter pregnant.
“You want a drink, honey?” Darcy asked.
I was about to answer when my tooth started to throb. I’d had it all day and it was gradually getting worse. Feeling in my pocket for some painkillers I nodded.
“Water would be great please, but not too cold.” I pointed at my mouth. “Toothache.”
“Oh no. You got a dental appointment to get it sorted?” Darcy’s brow furrowed as she rubbed my arm.
“Yeah, Tuesday. I can cope until then.” I showed her the painkillers.
She gave me a sympathetic nod and then turned to her husband. “Jim, you staying for a drink?”
He folded his newspaper and gave her a smile. “Thought I might stay for dinner, if that’s okay.”
The way Darcy’s face lit up, I guessed it was more than okay.
“Want to have a quick word with Carter too.”
My stomach rolled at the thought. It wasn’t that I was scared of Jim, more that I respected him. The thought he was disappointed in me didn’t sit well and worried me more than him ripping me a new one.
Darcy gave me a comforting pat on the arm and left Jim and I alone.
“So,” I said with a grimace. “I guess this is where you punch me, right?”
Jim raised his brows and pointed to the couch. “There’ll be no punches thrown in this house. Now, sit.”
Carefully lowering myself onto the couch, I kept my gaze on him, just in case he changed his mind.
“I’ve known you all your life,” Jim said resting his hands on the arms of his chair. “You’re a good boy and maybe I’d always hoped you and Bronte would eventually see each other for the good people you both are. All that fighting and arguing since Bronte could first talk was a little much at times, but Darcy always said it was foreplay to a great love.”
I grinned and wanted to high-five his wife. “She wasn’t wrong.”
“You being apart doesn’t actually back that up though, does it, buddy?”
“Not my choice, Jim.”
“I know, I know.” He nodded slowly. “But, got to wonder why she’s pushed you away.”
My shoulders slumped as I thought about how Bronte saw me. It was disappointing that she didn’t think I was committed to her and the baby, that I wasn’t up to the job. Admittedly before her I’d been a player, going from girl to girl and only caring about how I’d spend my paycheck at the end of each month. Then my Lollipop made my heart flip inside out. It might only have started out as one night of sex, but I’d quickly realized that one night wouldn’t be enough. She changed me.
“She’s worried I’m not in this for the long haul, Jim. But I am.” I took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eyes. “I swear to God. Her, the baby, they’re all I want. I’m ready for this. It’s what I want.”
Jim leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees, his blond hair was greying at the temples, but his blue eyes, a mirror image of Bronte’s, were bright and youthful. The stress of his relationship had taken its toll over the last few months, we’d all seen it, but watching him now it was clear that he was in a better place.
“That’s good to hear, Carter,” he replied. “Words don’t mean anything though. It’s actions that prove you’re telling the truth. Thing is, son, you need to make sure you get that balance right. I thought buying Darcy anything she wanted or needed and just saying I love you was enough. As you know, it wasn’t, and we ended up having problems. Her defense mechanism was to distance herself from me because she thought I didn’t want her any longer. And actually, I thought she didn’t need anything from me, except money.” He sighed heavily and glanced at a picture of them on their wedding day. “We should have talked. I should have talked. I should have told her that I loved her how she was. I should have showed her instead of just writing a check. I should’ve supported her more with her mom. Betsy going into the home broke Darcy and I just let her deal with it alone, because I thought she could.”
“But you’re getting back on track, right?” I asked hopefully, not being able to stand the thought that they may crumble and never rebuild.
Jim nodded and smiled. “Yep, we are. I’m still staying at the apartment, for now, but it’s great to be getting to know each other again. Starting afresh if you like.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Good, that’s real good.”
