Home is Where the Heart is(7)

She stepped in, watching him sleep as she ran a hand over his head of wild curls he obviously got from his father when Jordan was a child. If only Jordan knew he even existed.

At whatever cost, and for however long Jordan remained in town, Cassie was determined to make damn sure her son was protected from any lateral damage caused by a secret as big as discovering one had fathered a child without knowledge was. She had to, because Jake was her everything. Cassie wasn’t going to allow her son’s heart to break the same way she had been hurt before he was born.





Jordan made his way through the tavern to where his childhood friends were sitting. He wondered if Nick and Gabby were together. From the sight of them right now, they did look pretty sociable together, and at this stage, he had seen it all. Six years was a long time to be gone. Anything could have changed in the time he was in Miami making a career for himself.

Gabby sipped at her mug of beer, twirling a strand of her thick black hair around one finger. “You should just make your move on Cassie while you still can,” she said to Nick. “With Jordan back, who knows how much longer she’ll be available.” She wasn’t happy about Jordan being back, but she knew Cassie and Jordan had a history together, and sometimes, that triumphed over everything in life—whether she liked it or not.

Nick was flabbergasted. He didn’t understand. “Why would I ask Cassie out? She’s my friend; I don’t like her like that.”

Gabby shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know; I guess I figured you just liked her.”

“She’s my friend,” he repeated. “That’s all.”

Gabby turned slightly so she was looking straight at Nick. “Well, why else would you always be there to support Cassie and Jake throughout all these years if you weren’t harboring a crush on her? A normal guy wouldn’t do that. I’m sorry; I guess it just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Nick took a mouthful of his beer, his shoulders sagging. “I don’t know. I thought I was helping out my best friend who couldn’t physically be here for his family, and so I stepped up for him. Maybe by me just being there for both Cassie and Jake, it would feel like a part of Jordan was also there too, since he and I were so close, ya know? It probably sounds silly.”

Gabby shook her head profusely, placing a hand on his shoulder. “No, it doesn’t sound silly—well, maybe a little, but it is also very sweet. You should know you don’t owe anything to Jordan enough to stand by and support his child so he can go off and chase his dream. If anything, he owes you for all you’ve done for his kid. It should have been him taking care of his family, not you. Cassie, Jake, I, and especially Jordan are so very fortunate to have found an incredible friend in you.”

Before Gabby knew what was happening, Nick was leaning in toward her and kissing her tenderly on the lips, but in the most elusive way. He didn’t want to overstep his mark as her friend, just in case Gabby didn’t want it. Gabby actually liked it in an unexpected way. She was kissing her very good friend. She had never thought about kissing Nick before, so why was she suddenly enjoying being kissed by him now instead of pushing him away? It just didn’t make much sense to her, but she didn’t care. She was stunned, but now she understood what all the girls who had kissed him were going on about when they would tell her he was a great kisser, because it was most definitely true.

Gabby suddenly realized where she was and pulled away from Nick, still in total shock from what just happened.

She didn’t say anything.

She couldn’t say anything.

Instead, she just sat there brooding over the kiss she just delighted in with someone she had considered a friend since they were kids.

“I like you, Gabby,” Nick said without holding any of it back. “I like you a lot, and I just thought you should finally know the truth. It’s not Cassie I want—it’s you.”

Before Gabby could respond to his declaration, someone she least expected to show up interrupted them with an upbeat grin on his face.

“Hey, guys!” Jordan said, pulling up a barstool and straddling it.

Nick was the first to return the greeting. Obviously, he was glad to have the interruption and Gabby didn’t seem to mind either.

“Jordan! I heard you were back in town. It’s good to see you, man.” He smacked Jordan on the back in welcome.

“Yeah, I wish it were under a lot better circumstances, but it’s good to see you too. We will have to catch up sometime before I leave.”

“Oh, yeah. How is your Dad doing?” Nick asked with concern.

“He’s doing a whole lot better now. He should be out of hospital in a couple of days.”