Page 118 of The Business of Love Box Set 1: Books 1 - 4

JACKSON

H annah and Hailey’s apartment smelled like BBQ ribs. My mouth had been watering since I first walked in the door about an hour ago, and it was getting harder and harder for me to continue giving all my attention to Chessie, Rick’s daughter.

She and I had made ourselves comfortable on the plush living-room rug while the “adults,” Kim, Hailey, and Hannah, all sat around the island in the kitchen sipping drinks and enjoying themselves.

Chessie passed me a tiny pink denim jacket and nodded pointedly at the doll in my hand. “She’s going to be cold if you don’t put a jacket on her.”

I took the jacket and struggled to get the tiny arms and hands through the sleeves with my clumsy fingers. “Good call, Chess. Very good call. Where would she be without you looking out for her?”

“She’d probably be cold,” Chessie said simply.

I chuckled.

The kid had a sense of humor and didn’t even know it.

Chessie and I finished dressing her remaining dolls in weather-appropriate outfits, rain boots, jackets, long pants, gloves, and one even got a faux-fur leopard-print winter coat.

Chessie made sure to emphasize that it was fake fur and not real because she was passionate about the treatment of animals.

Once all the dolls were dressed, we took them over to the kitchen island to show them off to the adults.

Rick picked up the doll I’d dressed in the pink denim jacket and turned her around in one hand.

He peered up at me from beneath his dark brows.

“You know, for a guy with no kids or younger siblings, you’re freakishly good at this. ”

The girls snickered.

“Chessie picked out her outfits,” I said.

Chessie, who was standing beside me, nodded proudly. “Her boots match her jacket, Daddy. See?”

“I can see that,” Rick noted. “Well done. Well done.”

The women praised Chessie and picked on me.

“I don’t appreciate these gender stereotypes you’re cornering me with,” I said defensively.

Kim snorted. “It has nothing to do with your gender, Jackson. It has to do with your age.”

The women giggled.

I prickled. “Come on, Chessie. Let’s go back to the dolls. At least they don’t mock me.”

Chessie shrugged. “I’m bored.”

More laughter ensued at my expense, and even though I put on an act that I was offended, I was actually enjoying it. Things felt normal again. And right. Like everything was as it should be.

Being able to spend an evening amongst friends and have the pregnancy and mine and Hailey’s new relationship out in the open was icing on the cake.

Sharing food and drinks and laughs helped Hailey relax and let her hair down, even though she was sipping water in between sparkling apple juice, which she shared with an appreciative Chessie.

Hannah left the island and lifted the lid of her Crockpot to check on the ribs. Steam poured out of the open top and carried with it the rich, sweet, tangy scent of the barbeque sauce.

Rick got to his feet to peer over her shoulder into the pot. “That smells incredible.”

“Sit down before you hurt yourself, Rick,” Kim said.

Hannah covered the pot back up. “Give it another fifteen minutes and we’ll be good to sit down and eat. Can I refill anyone’s drinks?”

Everyone held up their glasses. Hannah splashed more wine and sparkling apple juice into long-stemmed wine glasses, and once we had fresh drinks, we all sat down for some adult talk. Chessie quickly tired of the conversation and went back to her dolls.

I’d been wondering all evening about how different things would be in just eight or so months. There would be a new little one in the house. My little one.

I watched Hailey out of the corner of my eye while she talked animatedly with Kim and Hannah about the doctor’s appointment we’d had a few days ago.

“It really made things sink in that we’re going to be parents,” Hailey said. “It was crazy and scary and wonderful all at once.”

“I’m glad you guys went together,” Kim said.

Hailey agreed. “Thanks for suggesting Jackson tag along. It gave us a chance to work through our crap once and for all. And we’re better than ever. Right?” She flashed me a smile.

I lifted my drink. “Cheers to that.”

Rick leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. “That was delicious, Hannah. Thank you for preparing such a feast.”

Hannah beamed at everyone gathered at her dining table. “I was happy to cook for everyone. It felt good to have a family dinner, didn’t it, Hailey?”

Hailey was holding my hand under the table. “Definitely. What did you think, Chessie? Did you like it?”

Chessie, who was sitting beside her father, looked like she was about to fall asleep at the table. “It was yummy. I’m so full.”

Everyone chuckled.

Rick and I got to our feet and began gathering plates.

The women protested, but he and I knew what was good for us, and after someone prepared a big meal like this, it was only fair for the guests to do the cleanup.

We brought the dishes into the kitchen. I rinsed, plated, and loaded the dishwasher while Rick scrubbed pots and pans and transferred leftovers into containers to be stacked neatly in the fridge.

“So a baby,” Rick said as he ran a scrub brush from one end of a baking tray to another. “That’s big news, man. How are you feeling? Excited?”

I closed the dishwasher with my hip and leaned up against the counter.

I plucked a drying towel from where it hung on the dishwasher handle and began drying the pans and pots he passed to me so I could put them away.

“Honestly? I think I’ve gone through every emotion in the book since I first found out about the baby.

Fear and excitement seem to be the top two. ”

“I was the same.”

“When did it go away? The fear, I mean?”

“Never,” Rick said. He caught my shell-shocked expression and laughed.

“Relax. It just changes, I suppose. In the beginning, you’re afraid of how much your life will change.

You worry you won’t be a good father and that you’ll let your family down.

All that stuff. But eventually, you realize you can do it and then other fears replace the old ones. ”

“Other fears?”

Rick eyed me. “Do you really want me to go over them, or would you prefer to live in ignorance a little longer?”

I slid the dry pans into the standing cupboard in the corner of the kitchen and slung the damp drying towel over my shoulder. “I suppose I should take advantage of the not knowing for as long as possible, huh?”

“I would if I were you. But hey, don’t let me scare you.

Fear means you care. It means you’re invested.

You want the best for Hailey and the baby.

If you weren’t scared, I’d be concerned.

You’re a good guy, Jackson. You’ll be an awesome father.

Just look at Chessie tonight. She wanted to play with you, not the rest of us. That’s a good sign.”

I hadn’t thought about it that way. “Thanks, man. I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

Rick turned off the sink and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “You didn’t need it, but anytime you need some reassurance, you can come to me. I’ve always liked the idea of taking a younger weaker man under my wing for mentorship.”

“Thanks—” I blinked. “Hey. Hold on a second.”

Rick draped an arm around my shoulders and threw his head back with booming laughter. “It was too easy, Jack. Too easy.”

Hailey smiled over her shoulder at us as we approached the dining-room table. “What are you boys laughing about?”

“Rick is bullying me,” I said.

“I’m sure you started it,” Kim teased.

Rick’s arm fell from my shoulders and he nodded at Chessie, who was slumped in her chair with her cheek being crushed by her hand. She looked like she was going to fall asleep sitting up. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s go lay down in the spare bedroom. It’s well past your bedtime.”

“I don’t want to go to bed,” Chessie said before a massive yawn nearly swallowed her whole.

“Uh huh,” Rick said. “You don’t look tired at all.” He reached down and scooped her up. Chessie wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes as soon as her cheek hit his shoulder. He held up a finger to us. “Just give me a minute. I’ll be back.”

“Good night, Chessie,” Kim called after them.

Chessie never lifted her cheek from her father’s shoulder.

I ached for the day where I would do the same thing with my child.

I caught Hailey watching me with a small smile on her lips as I moved around the table to sit back down beside her. She pulled her chair closer and crossed one leg over the other. Her foot rested against my calf and she took my hand in hers.

Kim grinned at us and sipped her wine on the other side of the table. “Have I mentioned how nice it is to see the two of you like this?”

“Only half a dozen times this evening,” I said.

Hailey giggled. “I don’t mind hearing it.”

“In that case, it’s really fucking nice,” Kim said.

Hannah chuckled. “About time, right?”

Hailey turned to me and rested her chin on my shoulder. “We’re never going to hear the end of this, you know?”

“Oh, believe me. I know.”

Rick returned after putting Chessie down.

He sat back down and talked to Kim about how Chessie was already asleep, and as they chatted, Hannah topped off wine glasses once more.

Nobody was driving home and it was a celebratory evening so nobody was holding back.

We all wished Vanessa and Rhys had been able to join us but their little one was under the weather so they’d had to cancel last minute.

It was probably a good thing. Rick ate enough ribs for the both of them combined.

I cleared my throat. “Now that everyone is all in one room again, there’s something I wanted to do.”

Hailey lifted her chin from my shoulder and I stood up. “What is it?”

I pulled my chair out of my way, and with all eyes on me, I went down on one knee.

Kim groaned.

Hannah flinched.

Rick let out a low, uneasy sound in the back of his throat.

I fought myself not to smile as Hailey stared down at me with her mouth hanging open.

“Jackson!” Kim barked. “What the hell are you doing? Have you learned nothing? Stand up!”

“Hailey Brown,” I said, reaching for her hand. She let me take it but she looked like she wanted to run right out of the room. “I have a proposal for you.”

Kim buried her face in her hands. “Oh God.”

I ignored her. “I’ve wanted to ask you this since our appointment with Dr. Davies and I wanted to wait for the right moment. This feels right to me.”

Hailey shook her head. “Jackson, I don’t want to—”

“Let me finish,” I said. “Hailey Brown, will you move back to New York City with me so we can do this thing for real? I want all of it. I want the king-sized bed and the houseplants and the candles. I want the baby diapers, cribs, onesies, Lamaze classes, the whole nine yards. I’m all in.

With you and with our family. But I want us to be in the same city.

” I searched the eyes of the woman I loved. “What do you say?”

Hailey’s eyes filled with tears and a giggle left her. She nodded fiercely. “Yes. I’ll move to New York with you.”

“No running away this time?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No running away. I promise.”

Hannah tapped the side of her wine glass with her knife. “Kiss! Kiss!”

The others joined in and I got to my feet to pull Hailey toward me and dip her low for a deep, passionate kiss in front of our friends, who whooped and hollered in celebration until Chessie bellowed down the hall for all of us to be quiet.

Hailey laughed against my lips and pressed her hands to my chest. “I love you, you crazy boy.”