Cocky Roomie_ A Bad Boy Romance Novel(61)
“You look so tan, Jeremy!” I smile, giving him a big hug. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.”
“You’ll be seeing a lot more of me from now on.”
“I wish we could say the same about Jerald,” the congressman mutters.
Jeremy and I exchange a look, and my husband says, “It’s Jett now, Dad. When are you gonna give that up?”
“Never,” he grumbles, and heads out back.
My momma has been watching all this. I filled her in years ago about the trouble they have. She gives me a meaningful look as she walks Emma to me. “Well, now, that’s just gotta stop!”
“Not now, Momma.”
“I’m just sayin’ it’s a shame. Oh well. People can be very stubborn.” She smiles at Emma and touches her cheek as I bounce her on my hip. “Your father’s waitin’ for you to say hello.”
“I’m comin’ now.”
Jake walks over to me with his mind on his father and Jett. I know that expression very well by now.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” he mutters, then breaks out of it and points to Jeremy. “Now that this one’s staying for good.” They share a smile, then Jake spins around with a sneaky look on his handsome face. “I’ll get the chili. It’ll irritate Mom.”
Jeremy starts laughing.
Sure enough, as Jake appears with it and not using any help — it’s a huge pot — she spots him all the way down the yard. “I said for Jeremy and Jason to grab that!”
“Too bad, Mom!”
“Don’t drop it!”
He shoots me a look. “She still thinks I’m twelve.”
“Aren’t you?” I mutter.
“Very funny, babe. Hilarious.”
When later that night we watch Emma sleeping, he stands behind me like he did when I was turning the chili. His head is on my shoulder again and we’re both smiling at the rise and fall of her tiny chest. “I love how she sleeps with her mouth open like that,” he whispers.
“She got that from you,” I whisper back.
“No, I don’t sleep like that.”
“I’m waiting for her to start snoring like you, too.”
He lightly spanks my butt and I turn my head to receive a kiss. “Baby, I have something I need to tell you.”
Jake’s eyebrows go up and he motions for us to leave the baby room.
This place is my pride and joy, the first thing I decorated when we bought this home a year ago, right after she was born.
Emma would lie in her little carrier next to me while I picked out colors and decals for her walls. I showed them to her and asked which she loved the most, laughing and calling out to my husband that our daughter apparently has a thing for pale yellow.
“Look at this!” I told him as he rushed into the room. “Emma, you like this color?” I held up green and she just stared at it. “How about pink?” More curious staring. I showed him the yellow swatch first and then held it in front of Emma. “What about…oh you like that one, huh!?” She squirmed, smiling and reaching for it.
“Wow!” he said, kneeling down by her. Brown eyes just like her daddy’s flitted over to take him in. “You like yellow, huh Emma?” I watched him lean down and kiss her head, with so much love in my heart.
Everything about this room is special to me.
The furniture was mostly gifted from our families when they found out we were pregnant and that we’d be providing the first grandchild. Nancy went nuts with gifts. We donated some of them to a local shelter, but won’t tell her that.
We painted the room ourselves, too, while our Emma watched, so it really was a family effort. This is something I’ll tell her a million times when she’s old enough to remember.
And now Jake leads me into our much larger kitchen than the one we shared at the apartment. “Did something happen today while I wasn’t looking?”
“No, my daddy got along with yours this time.”
Jake nods. “Well, that’s a relief.”
“It’s something else, baby. It has to do with work.”
“Did Uncle Don not give you that raise?”
“Um…no, he did. But the thing is, I might have to turn it down.” My heart is picking up speed now. I can see I’m worrying Jake, but I’m a little nervous about what I want to propose to him. “There’s something I want to do that is going to sound out of character, but hear me out.”
Jake shoves his hands into his pockets and leans against the counter. “Spill it.”
I pause for courage. “I want to quit working for a while.”
Jake blinks at me and cocks his head like he didn’t hear me right. “Say that again? Why?”