The Best Man's Baby(57)

Claire had been right about everything. His brothers didn’t blame him, and they didn’t look at him differently. Actually, it looked like they finally, truly understood him. Quinn and Evan had stood and the three of them had awkwardly embraced. And then Holly, who had been inconspicuously wiping away tears with her sleeve while he spoke, gave him the biggest, warmest hug. Quinn understood why he bought William’s company, but then his brother insisted that as of Monday morning, he was having the legal name of the company changed to Manning Brothers Construction. Jake agreed and followed up by saying he’d make W.W. Custom Homes a division of their company, and he’d be a partner with Quinn.

Jake could never remember feeling such peace, and he knew it was because nothing was hidden anymore. He was accepted for who he was. His family loved him despite everything. And the only thing missing when he was standing there with his brothers was Claire. Claire had shown him that acceptance and forgiveness were easy with genuine love, and she had been right.

Now he had to tell her he loved her.

He didn’t love her out of duty, because there was a baby on the way, or because he was attracted to her. No, he loved her with everything he had, with pieces of him he didn’t know existed. He wanted to love her like she needed to be loved. He wanted to love her like the man he was supposed to be, the man he felt like when he was with her.

The man she saw in him.

…

Claire looked over the employee work schedule one more time. She was trying to find a way to alter her store hours with minimal impact on everyone. Unfortunately she was operating with just half a night’s sleep. Her bed had felt empty without Jake in it. She wondered how she barely made it through one night without him, when she had made it her entire lifetime without him, because now she was in love with him.

She stared at her red marker and almost smiled, remembering the night she’d shown Jake her plan A and plan B charts. Had that really only been a few weeks ago? Everything had changed. A few weeks ago, she thought Jake was a just a man looking for a good time. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

She put the red cap back on her marker with a sigh. It was time to go home. She wasn’t accomplishing much anymore. Claire gathered her coat and purse and slowly made her way to the front of the store.

Her feet and her heart skidded to a screeching stop. Jake was across the street, looking straight ahead, into the window. She tried to ignore the painful throbbing of her heart. She wanted to run out into the street, wanted him to say he loved her and take her to the house he’d found for them and start fresh. She wanted him to bury the past.

She kept walking until she reached the door, holding his gaze. He gave a quick wave. Maybe it was in the way he was standing. Maybe it was in the unshaven appearance or the haggard look on his otherwise handsome face, but she knew he needed her. She opened the door. Warm spring air greeted her as she stepped out onto the street. With trembling fingers she locked up and turned around. Jake was making his way across the street. Claire met him halfway.

“Hi,” Jake said, his voice sending her heart into autopilot.

“Hi,” she replied, letting her eyes travel over the length of him. He didn’t look well. He looked…tired.

“Will you come with me?” he asked, the vulnerability in his face appealing to her heartstrings. Her eyes darted around the nearby parking spaces. His bike was nowhere to be seen.

She gave him a puzzled frown. “Where are we going?”

“I thought we could go to the house again.”

Claire looked away.

“Come on. You’ve got to at least listen to what I have to say,” he said in a low voice.

“Of course I’ll listen to you.”

He didn’t say anything. She shifted from one foot the other, waiting.

“I really wish we weren’t standing on the road,” Jake mumbled, looking from side to side. They moved closer to the curb.

“Fine. Where’s your Harley?”

A twinkle appeared in his eyes. “My Harley is in the garage.”

“Well, how did you get here?”

“This,” Jake said, nodding with his chin toward a black SUV.

“What’s this?” Claire asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Ours.”

She looked at the black Range Rover he was standing beside.

“I bought it. This is the closest I get to minivans,” he said, cocking his head in the direction of the shiny SUV.

Claire smiled at him. “I hate minivans.”

“We were meant to be together, Claire,” Jake said, reaching out to grasp her hand. She unsuccessfully tried to ignore the way her entire body responded to his touch and his words.