Page 15 of Jasper (Guardians of the North #5)

VANESSA

“I thought you were spending the day with Jasper,” Erin says, eyebrows drawn in confusion as I walk toward the hotel shuttle.

“I’m not,” I say, still fuming about the way we left things last night.

How dare he have the audacity to tell me Mom’s deathbed wish was fucking stupid .

It was the only thing she ever asked of me.

The only thing she ever wanted for me—to not know the pain and misery she experienced being married to a military man.

“Where are you going then?”

“To the festival,” I say, as though that were the most obvious answer. “I helped plan the damn thing. I should at least make an appearance.”

I hate that Jasper ruined my perfect memory of Cape Cod. Why did he have to tell me he loved me? I feel the edge of tears desperate to rush to the surface, forcing me to double down on my anger.

“What about your dad?”

“What about him?” I fire back, my harsh words causing my friend to take a step back. “Sorry. I’m a little on edge.”

“Is this about Jasper?” she asks. Though she was still awake scrolling on her phone when I returned to the room last night, she did me the kindness of not asking any questions. I owe her an explanation.

“It’s not going to work out,” I say. “It was never going to work out.”

“Why?”

“You know why, Erin.”

I watch the shuttle empty, but before I can take a step forward, Erin catches me by the arm, looping hers through mine. “I need to show you something first.”

“I don’t have time?—”

“This won’t take long,” she says, dragging me across the hotel lobby to the gift shop I’ve yet to visit. A woman I recognize from the J-Squad dinner last night is behind the counter. Her hand rubs her belly lovingly as she talks to an elderly couple. It’s stupid that I’m envious of her glow.

I’ve always wanted kids, but my career has been too demanding to even consider it at this point in my life.

It’s why I started writing children’s books.

It was the escape I needed. A way to hold onto that dream. To promise myself someday my future children would read my books.

“Vanessa, hey!” Mara greets me with a hug, as though we’re old friends.

Damn Jasper.

I didn’t just fall for him. I fell for everyone in his life, too.

“Hey, Mara.”

“Mara, I’m Erin,” my bestie pipes up. “I wanted to introduce you to someone.”

“We already met,” I say to Erin, my eyebrows drawing in confusion.

“Mara, you met Vanessa Wheeler. But have you met Vanessa Sterling ?”

“No way!” Mara shrieks, turning half a dozen heads. “You’re Vanessa Sterling?”

“I—I’m, uh?—”

Mara drags me by the arm to the book section. “I love your books! I have them all.” She rubs her belly again. “I’ve been reading them to my baby girl every day.”

“You have?”

“I can’t believe you’re the author. But now it all makes sense.”

“It does?”

“Jasper insisted we carry these books.”

My heart stops beating for several seconds. “He did?”

“He’s so proud of you, you know. I just didn’t realize you were the same person. Oh, I feel so foolish. But you know, pregnancy brain and all! You have to do a book signing before you leave. I can order more today. How long are you staying?”

“A book signing?” The sound of Dad’s voice causes me to stiffen with dread.

Well fuck. This is not the way I wanted to tell him about my decision to leave the event planning world to pursue children’s books.

Maybe I’ll get some bonus points because I used Mom’s maiden name for my pen name.

Or maybe it’ll just break his heart a little more.

Too late to back pedal now.

Slowly, I turn to face him.

“Dad, we need to talk.”

“Everything okay?” he asks, his expression showing a rare glimpse of compassion.

Erin offers me an encouraging smile.

“Yeah, but I have some things I need to tell you.” I hand him one of my books. “And it can’t wait.”

First Dad.

Then Jasper.