Page 11 of Sharing Forever in Hope Creek (Hope Creek #2)

‘No,’ Jack denied instantly. ‘Mitch pointed out that the mere fact I’m concerned about being a detached parent—the way my parents were—means I’ll make sure I’m not.

’ She watched his Adam’s apple move up and down as he swallowed.

There was vehemence in his voice as he said, ‘Almost the instant I realised I could be the father, I swore that no child of mine would ever go through what I’d gone through—feeling unwanted.

’ He resumed his seat next to her and took her hands in his once again.

‘Mitch grew up knowing his parents had never intended to have a child. Maybe that’s one of the reasons we have similar driven personalities and bonded so well—his birth was accidental and my birth was fulfilling the agreement that my mother made to my father when they married—that she’d give him two children. ’

‘I’m sorry. I—’

‘ Don’t be.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘Look at Mitch and how good he is with Kade. He had the worst parents and he’s been a brilliant father, even when he found out that Kade isn’t his biological child.’

‘You’re right. He’s fabulous.’

‘All these years, I’ve told myself I shouldn’t be a parent, but Mitch …

’ He let go of her hands so he could underline his point.

‘Mitch made me start seeing things differently. Not only did he point out that my sister and I have turned out well—and Jacinta is a great mother—but he made me believe that I can be a good father because I’m determined to be everything my parents weren’t. ’

‘I’m hoping that brand of logic is right,’ Callie said quietly. ‘Margaret said much the same thing to me when I admitted I was worried I’d be lacking as a parent.’

‘Stella and Mitch have both mentioned that the Richardsons fostered all three of you girls.’ Jack reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Callie’s ear.

The natural familiarity of the intimate gesture made her brain turn to mush.

For a few heartbeats, she felt incapable of thought or speech, wanting his hand to come back and stroke her cheek.

Wanting him to lower his head and claim her lips with his own.

It was a struggle to get her brain to cooperate and formulate an appropriate response.

‘Ah … yes.’

‘It made sense because it struck me how unusual it was for Margaret and Jim to have three daughters with such different colouring.’

Callie forced herself to sit more upright to try to resist the forcefield of attraction that kept pulling her closer to him.

‘Margaret is everything I want to be as a mother.’

‘How old were you when you were fostered?’

‘Eight. Jack …’

‘Yes?’

She hesitated. ‘The last thing I want is for you to feel trapped into this.’

‘Honestly?’ He shook his head and confessed, ‘I’ve spent much of the last couple of days inwardly freaking out, and it’s been damned hard having to focus on any of the meetings I’ve had, or any of the business decisions I’ve needed to make.’

Callie loved his honesty.

Loved that he was a man who could admit to fear and uncertainty.

‘That I can even feel a skerrick of excitement about being a father is even crazier, because initially I felt like I’d been caught in a huge steel snare. I felt physically ill when I found out you were pregnant.’

She drew her lower lip under her teeth for a second. ‘That’s understandable.’

‘Now I’ve had a few days to get my head around it. And seeing the ultrasound photo just now—well, there’s been a bit of a shift in my thinking. I’m feeling more connection.’ He tapped a finger against his temple. ‘But there are still uncertainties circling in here.’

‘It’s good we can communicate honestly,’ she ventured.

‘Yeah. It makes me believe that we can work through this together.’

There was a lot to work through but they had six months to sort it out.

‘It’s getting late, Callie. Are you tired?’

He was right and at the mere mention of fatigue, Callie stifled a yawn. All the strain of the last couple of days was starting to hit her. ‘It’s time to sleep,’ she agreed as she stood up.

Jack stood too and placed his hands on her shoulders. ‘I’m going back to the vineyard tomorrow for another inspection. Will you come with me? I’d like your opinion on the place.’

Even though she had several tasks to help Stella with, she didn’t hesitate. ‘Yes.’

‘Great. I’ll let the current owner know we’ll both be there.’

For a moment they simply stood and looked into each other’s eyes.

When she felt her body swaying towards him, Callie told herself to take a step backwards. Before she could, Jack drew her body against his and she found herself stepping willingly into the strength of his embrace.

She almost sighed contentedly because she loved being held against his broad chest, her head cushioned against his shoulder as her arms worked their way around his waist.

Oh Lord. The feel of him was so wonderfully familiar it felt as though she belonged right here in his arms.

‘I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you found out,’ he said huskily against her ear.

‘That was hardly your fault,’ she murmured, still busy savouring the scent of him.

His big hands ran soothingly down her spine. ‘You’re my priority now. Nothing is as important as getting to know you and figuring out together how we’re going to handle this.’ He rested his chin on top of her head. ‘Stella said you’ll stay on in Hope Creek for about a week after the wedding?’

‘Mm. I’m going to hang around and enjoy the week of activities she’s got planned with the friends who are staying on after the ceremony.

I’ll also be here to help with the post-wedding clean-up.

’ She snuggled in further, wanting this physical closeness to last forever. ‘I’ve organised leave from work.’

‘Mitch told me you’re an assistant manager at the Grand Azure Hotel?’

‘Mm.’ She wished he’d stop talking so she could devote every ounce of her consciousness to the sensation of being held against him.

‘Our working worlds overlap seeing we both have a connection to hospitality.’

He moved slightly and she reluctantly raised her head to meet his eyes. ‘There’s so much to talk about.’

‘It’s not going to be difficult for us to get to know each other.’ He smiled. ‘Besides, if Jim questions me every time he sees me, you’ll know everything there is to know in no time.’

She couldn’t stop her small laugh.

‘You’ve got a great family, Callie. I can see why Mitch is so ecstatic to be part of it.

’ He paused for a moment and his hand moved to settle under her ponytail at the nape of her neck.

His thumb kneaded at the tight knot there.

‘Eight is young to be separated from your natural parents. It must’ve been hard for you.

’ He paused before he asked the question she most wanted to avoid answering.

‘Did your parents die in an accident like Stella’s parents? ’

If only she could say yes.

‘No.’ She shifted restlessly. ‘My parents couldn’t … couldn’t take care of me anymore.’ She couldn’t bring herself to say any more—couldn’t reveal her inner shame or relive the agony she’d felt when she’d realised the truth about her parents.

‘You’re fortunate to be here. Morgan’s prickly and I can understand Jim’s reserve, but Blue’s warmed up to me. He gave me a firm handshake and a nod of approval as we said goodnight, and Margaret hugged me, patted me on the back and assured me things would work out well.’

She was relieved Jack didn’t push her for more information about her birth parents. ‘Morgan’s had a bit of a rough time recently with a relationship breakup so she’s not kindly disposed to men in general right now. She gave Mitch a very tough time before she accepted him.’

‘He told me.’ Jack laughed before commenting, ‘Stella actually apologised for Morgan’s attitude and told me she’ll come around in time but I’ll have to prove my commitment to you before she does.’

‘Stella’s right.’

‘I like Stella. I met her years ago in Melbourne when she came to watch Mitch play. Then we saw each other again when I visited Mitch at Stanford.’ His voice was filled with admiration. ‘I’ve followed her career a bit. It’s good to see how well she’s coping since her accident.’

‘She’s been very brave and has adjusted well.’ Stella had been the highest-ranked female tennis player in the world for years before her lower leg had been amputated after a car accident.

Jack shifted so he could frame Callie’s face with his hands.

‘I want to know all about what plans you’ve made for the baby and the medical care you’re receiving, but I don’t want our relationship to grow out of your pregnancy, I want it to grow because we want to spend time together. Does that sound feasible to you?’

It sounded wonderful.

Her throat felt so thick with happiness and she couldn’t articulate a single sound so all she could do was nod.

‘I want to develop a relationship with you despite the baby not because of the baby,’ he underlined while she still grappled for an appropriate response.

Callie’s heart sang. ‘Thank you for being so supportive.’

His hand shifted so he could smooth the pad of his thumb over her cheek in a tender gesture. ‘I mean it, Callie. No matter what happens between us, I’ll always be there for you and the baby, but right now I’m here for you.’

She didn’t have time to analyse her thoughts or her feelings as he lowered his head to claim her mouth with his own.

Her lips parted as their breaths mingled, then she welcomed the soft brush of barely there kisses.

They were explorative kisses that teased and tantalised as they reacquainted themselves with the feel and taste of each other while his hands released her ponytail and threaded through the thick curtain of her hair to soothe her scalp at the back of her head.

Anticipation escalated as he used his teeth to graze at the fullness of her lower lip before his tongue tip swept over the spot, then began a more erotic and deeper foray to tease her mouth.

Heaven.

It was impossible to stop herself from leaning into him as every cell in her body rejoiced at this physical reunion.

Yes, his kisses were as heady as she remembered.

All-consuming.

All-encompassing.

Addictive.

Her pulse reverberated through the sensitive spot near her collarbone and she felt light-headed as she clung to him, afraid her legs would give way at any second.

No thoughts. Only feelings flooded through her.

I’m drowning.

Any moment now she’d surely sink in this sea of sensation.

Urging her to tilt her head back, his lips left hers to kiss at the corner of her mouth and she sucked in a deep breath.

Oh, each kiss is so tempting.

So divine.

His lips trailed along her jaw, his teeth grazed the shell of her ear then he kissed all the way down the sensitive flesh of her neck.

Raising her hand to his cheek, her fingertips touched the rough stubble at his jawline and she revelled in the male–female differences between them.

His hard to her soft.

His rough to her smooth.

Unhurriedly, he explored every inch of the skin of her neck, driving her desire higher with kisses and caresses that drugged her senses until she was in a state where sweet bliss warred with rampant need.

Her fingers tugged his head up so she could seal their mouths again.

This time she took control, deepening their kisses and communicating her hunger.

It was instinctive to tilt her lower body into his more firmly, seeking closer contact with his rampant arousal.

The universe spun around her, only steadying when Jack eased away from her.

‘As much as I want to make love to you, I think we should put the brakes on.’

He did?

It took her some time to pull herself together.

He was right, of course. They weren’t at his hotel suite now and could hardly leave a trail of clothes between the verandah and her bedroom.

He glanced down at her abdomen. ‘Our “us” is different now than it was when we were two adults meeting at a nightclub. Then we only had to think about the two of us and what we wanted but now there are three of us to consider.

‘I’ve given it a lot of thought over the last couple of days and while it’s going to be a strain—for me at least—I think we should take sex out of the equation for a while.

I’d like to see if we can have a relationship without it, because what our baby needs most from us is for us to be friends—not lovers. ’

Her heart sank. ‘I’m confused. I thought … You want us to be friends, not lovers?’

‘No. Yes.’ He moved his hands expressively.

‘What I’m saying not very well is that I want us to wind everything back.

We already know we’re more than physically compatible.

But I want to do this the traditional way and establish a solid friendship.

I don’t want us to be based on our baby any more than I want us to be based on chemistry alone. ’

‘Oh.’

‘If we find—and I think we will—that we can have a relationship outside the bedroom, then I absolutely want to take it back there again. Right now though I think making love will only complicate things.’

In that moment, Callie felt as though she had only been masquerading as an adult for the last ten years, because Jack’s was a mature decision.

She was going to be a mother and she had to make wise decisions and plan for the long term.

It was the volatile physical need that had led to their baby in the first place.

‘It’s not going to be easy to keep it to friendship when I feel there’s so much physical awareness between us,’ she admitted shyly, ‘but you’re right.’

He allowed his head to fall forward so that his forehead rested against hers. ‘It’s going to be torturous, but it’ll be less messy if we find we’re not compatible—easier to co-parent as friends than if we became lovers again and it doesn’t last.’

Co-parenting with Jack.

Her hand rested over her womb where their baby was developing, and her happiness wobbled.

She shouldn’t kid herself here. This could be hell if she decided she wanted an all-in relationship with Jack and he got cold feet.

It could be worse still if she desired him and she had to share their child with a woman he ended up with.

Stop it!

Stop entertaining negative possibilities right now.

Firmly, she swept her fears away.

Fate had brought them this far, now it was up to them.

Callie hoped fervently that they could grow close and that they’d be lovers again.