Trust Again Read online

  He hung his head. “God, Ellie. I wish I could have been with you.”

  She sighed. “It wouldn’t have mattered. He would have just waited until I was alone.”

  Mr. Oliver walked into the room with a can of 7UP. Jacob stood up and held out his hand.

  Her dad took his hand with his free one and gave him a firm shake. “My daughter tells me you two have become close.”

  Jacob nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  Mr. Oliver poured the can of soda into a cup of ice and gave it to Ellie. “She also tells me you would never hurt her.”

  “No, sir. I’d die first.”

  Mr. Oliver smiled. “No need for that. We’ve already established your character at our last meeting. If my Ellie is happy, I’m happy. Just glad she is close enough for me to keep an eye on this time.”

  Jacob looked at Ellie as if seeing her for the first time. “If I have anything to do with it, she’ll stay close.”

  Her dad smiled. “That is all I needed to hear.”

  ***

  Viola hugged Ellie tight. “I can’t believe you went through that alone.”

  She looked around her cozy apartment, happy to be back home. “No woman should ever go through what I did.”

  Her friend had tears in her eyes. “If you ever need to talk about any of it… ”

  Ellie shook her head. “I just want to put it behind me. I want to forget.”

  “Your secret is safe with me, Ellie.”

  She laughed. “Small town people talk, remember? Unintentionally or not, things seem to spread like wildfire around here.”

  Viola sighed. “Well, they won’t hear about it from me.”

  Ellie looked at her friend. “It’s okay. I can deal with anything now that it’s over. The sheriff collected my medical records from New York. Bryce isn’t going to get away with it anymore.”

  The knock at the door didn’t send Ellie into a panic. She smiled and got up from the sofa. She opened the door to Jacob holding the most beautiful baby boy she’d ever seen. Wide, blue-green eyes met hers, and her heart melted.

  Jacob smiled. “Someone wanted to meet you.”

  “Hello, Milo.” Ellie reached out and felt the soft, blond hair that was close to the color of Jacob’s. “I’m Ellie.”

  The baby hid his face in Jacob’s chest. “He’s shy at first.”

  Viola stood up. “He’s adorable.” She paused. “I was just leaving.”

  “Thanks for checking on me,” Ellie told her.

  She nodded. “Of course. See you later.”

  Viola left, and Ellie turned to Jacob. “How are you doing with all this?”

  They sat down on the sofa and Jacob placed the baby boy between them. “A little overwhelmed.”

  Milo reached for the stuffed bear that Jacob had gotten Ellie.

  She smiled and handed him the toy. “You like the bear?”

  Milo grinned, showing the only two teeth he had, and put his face in the bear’s fur, making his blond hair stick up with static. He smelled of baby lotion and sweetness.

  “It’s going to be okay.” She took Jacob’s hand. “There’s something that I haven’t told you.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I can handle any more surprises right now.”

  “It can wait.”

  Milo climbed into Ellie’s lap. “Ma Ma.” All that was wrong in the world faded away. A joy that she’d never felt filled her heart. She looked at Jacob.

  He shrugged. “He doesn’t know what’s going on. Sorry.”

  She looked down at the baby that had just called her what she wanted to be called for a long time. “Don’t be sorry. He can call me anything he wants.” She had to tell him. He deserved to know. “Jacob, I have to tell you something.”

  “Tell me.”

  She swallowed and looked down at Milo. “I can’t have children.”

  He crinkled his forehead. “What do you mean?”

  She could see he was confused. “I can’t get pregnant. Ever.”

  Jacob pulled her close to him with Milo sitting between them. “Because of Bryce?”

  Ellie nodded. “He tricked me into getting my tubes tied. I let him take so much from me. I can’t have babies.”

  “I’m sorry.” He kissed her lips and put his forehead to hers. “But that doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

  “And how do you feel?” She looked into his eyes. “About me?”

  He smiled. “Isn’t it obvious? I love you, Ellie.”

  Her eyes misted and her heart skipped a beat. “I love you, too.”

  Her phone rang. She reached over to pick it up and Milo climbed over to Jacob and cooed.

  The sight of them together warmed her heart. “Hello?”

  “Ellie, this is Sheriff Stone, I thought you’d want to know that Bryce Lindun has died. He suffered a heart attack a few weeks before he’d even gotten struck by the lightning. His heart was just too weak to sustain the damage.”

  She swallowed and tried to find her voice. “Thank you for letting me know.” Ellie hung up the phone and looked at Jacob.

  “He’s dead.” She blew out a deep breath. “That monster will never hurt any woman again.”

  Jacob placed a hand over hers. “Are you okay?”

  A twinge of guilt kept her from smiling. “Is it wrong that I’m happy?”

  Jacob shook his head. “It is understandable. And no, it’s not wrong.” He took her other hand. “What he did to you was wrong.”

  Ellie bowed her head in shame. “I wished him dead all the time, you know.”

  He kissed her. “Want to know a secret?”

  She looked up at him.

  “So did I.”

  ***

  A week had passed since Jacob had brought Milo home. He was proud of himself for keeping Milo in a dry diaper all week and seeing that he was fed and happy. He even figured out how to ease his teething pain by freezing a wet wash cloth. But now it was the weekend, and he couldn’t wait to see Ellie. He was upset when she told him they both needed some space this week after everything they’d both been through. But that only made him more determined to finish the miniature house on the lot. If he could physically show her what he was able to provide, maybe she would like the idea as much as he did. With Ryan’s help, he had even figured out how he was going to propose to the woman he couldn’t live without.

  ***

  How did she let him talk her into this? Ellie put her free hand up to the blindfold Jacob had tied around her eyes. Her other hand held the chocolate heart covered in gold foil he had just given her, but told her not to eat. “Are we almost there?”

  Jacob laughed. “Yes. Now be patient. Trust me.”

  Ellie swallowed. “That is easier said than done.”

  She gripped his hand as he helped her out of the truck. Her heart pounded wildly. Being blindfolded was not her idea of a good date.

  “Okay, you can look.”

  Ellie took a deep breath and pulled the soft cloth off of her head. “Where are we?” They stood in an empty lot next to some trees with only brownish grass and something under a huge blue tarp.

  Jacob stood face to face with her, grinning, making her uneasy. Something fell from the sky above them, causing her to look up.

  Ellie smiled. Thousands of colorful candies sprinkled down on their heads. “It’s raining jelly beans!”

  Jacob nodded. “I guess that means you have to trust me.”

  Astonished, she watched the candies fall around them, covering the grass. “That is what I said. I guess I should stick to my word.” She didn’t even look up to see how he had pulled this off.

  “Good.” The jelly beans stopped, and Jacob picked her up and gently swung her around. “Open the candy heart I gave you.”

  She gave him a strange look before unwrapping the foil. He broke the chocolate and a diamond ring fell into her hand.

  “Ellie, you are my sugar and I can’t live without your sweetness. Marry me.”

&nbs
p; A tear slid down her cheek as she looked into the most perfect pale green eyes. The eyes of her fiancé. “Okay.”

  Jacob raised an eyebrow. “Okay?”

  She laughed. “Yes! All the candy in the world couldn’t change my mind now.”

  He put the ring on Ellie’s finger, then showered her with kisses. Clapping and whistles came from above their heads.

  Ellie looked up to the trees and saw a few teenage boys climbing down.

  Jacob shook his head and looked at them. “I told you to wait until after... oh well.” He walked over to the tarp and pulled it away, revealing the most detailed playhouse Ellie had ever seen, complete with shutters and bronze coach lights. “This is what our house will look like by Christmas.”

  Ellie gasped. “Our house?”

  Jacob nodded. “An exact replica. The lot we are standing on is already ours.”

  “Really? Oh, Jacob, it’s beautiful. And perfect.”

  Chapter Ten

  “So, Thanksgiving at the Tuckers’ is okay with you?” Ellie asked her dad.

  He nodded and took a sip of his coffee as he sat at his dining table in the kitchen. “If that’s where you want to go, that’s fine with me.”

  “Did you ever get to the grocery?” Ellie peeked inside her dad’s fridge and smiled when she saw apples, yogurt, corn on the cob and a half gallon of 1% milk. The last time she’d reached inside here to grab a soda, she’d noticed soda was the only thing he had.

  “Yes, I did. Told you I can take care of myself.” He got up to open a drawer. “It’s not every day your little girl gets married.” Grinning, he handed her a check.

  Ellie looked down at the gift, enough to pay for the whole wedding. “I can’t take this. It’s too much.”

  Her dad waved his hand in the air. “Nonsense. I’ve been saving for your wedding day since you were five and pranced around the store with your princess costume, carrying bouquet of flowers made from tissues, declaring it was your wedding day.”

  Ellie sucked in her lower lip and blinked back her tears. “Have I ever told you what a wonderful dad you are?”

  He chuckled. “Once or twice.”

  She smiled and hugged the only parent she had really ever needed.

  ***

  Ellie looked up from the counter as Jacob walked into the shop carrying Milo. When the little munchkin’s eyes widened in wonder at the train set, her heart filled so full of happiness she thought she would burst. She walked over to the two loves of her life and gave Milo a locomotive like the one on display.

  Jacob grinned. “You’re going to spoil him if you’re not careful.”

  She ran her fingers through the little boy’s silky hair. “I grew up in this toy shop most of my life. Am I spoiled?”

  Jacob tilted his head as if deep in thought.

  Ellie’s mouth dropped open. “Hey!”

  He laughed and kissed Milo’s head. “No, she’s not spoiled. We’ll have to see what we can do about that.”

  She rolled her eyes and laughed.

  Jacob tossed his head back to get the bangs out of his eyes. “Did you ask your dad if he wanted to come to Thanksgiving at Ryan and Maisie’s?”

  “He does.”

  Ryan looked around to make sure there were no customers and gave her a quick kiss. “Great. I guess I’ll see you tonight.”

  “See you tonight!” She looked forward to spending some alone time with her fiancé. Since Maisie had to prepare for Thanksgiving tomorrow, she couldn’t watch Milo, but Viola had offered. It would be their first time alone since Jacob’s proposal.

  ***

  The overwhelming feeling of becoming an instant dad was finally subsiding. Jacob managed to pack a diaper bag in five minutes. Ellie had suggested that they just stay at her place tonight to watch a movie and bake cookies for tomorrow. He was all for it, as he was beginning to run out of ideas for dates. So what if he had to watch a chick flick? As long as he was next to Ellie he’d watch figure skating. He was about to walk out the door when he smelled the rotten stench known as a dirty diaper. What age could he start potty training? He held his nose and took Milo over to the sofa.

  Jacob made a face. “Okay, little man, no more butternut squash for you.”

  Milo kicked his feet and laughed.

  Just as he pulled up Milo's tiny jeans his phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Jacob? How are you?” Kate’s voice took him by surprise.

  He picked up Milo and threw away the diaper. “I’m great. Why are you calling me?”

  “I was just wondering if you had plans for the holidays.”

  Jacob let out a huff. “Yeah, as a matter of fact I do.”

  “Oh. Spending it with Ryan?”

  He rolled his eyes. Kate had never been there for him and only tried to pop back into his life when it was convenient for her. “Yeah, and my fiancé and our son.”

  She gasped. “You have a son? How is that possible?”

  Jacob laughed. “I’d explain how babies are made to you, but hey, you already know that, right?” He wasn’t about to tell her how he became a parent. It wasn’t any of his cold-hearted ex’s business.

  “Funny. Well, have a nice Thanksgiving. I just remembered I have plans too.”

  Milo started squirming and said, “Da Da.”

  Jacob looked down in surprise and hung up the phone.

  “You said Da Da!”

  ***

  Ellie ejected the romance movie from the DVD player. Good thing she’d already seen it, or she would have missed the most of the middle and part of the end with Jacob’s kisses and caresses. His sensual touches had her almost begging for more. She wanted to make love to him now. Was waiting until after they were married really that important?

  Jacob broke the suction between their lips. “When do you want to get married?” he asked in a husky voice.

  His heart racing against her hand made a heat pool below her belly. “We don’t have to wait.” She grabbed a hold of his shirt pulled him back down on top of her.

  He sighed and pulled back. “Yes we do. You deserve the best. I want our first time to be as husband and wife.”

  Ellie let out a breath and sat up. “Let’s get married now.”

  Jacob laughed. “Now?”

  She nodded her head frantically. “We don’t have to tell anyone. It will be our secret.”

  He raked his hand through his hair. “Slow down there, princess. No one can marry us this late on the evening before Thanksgiving.”

  She pursed her lips. “Then you’d better stop kissing me like that.”

  He bent down and pressed his lips to her neck. “You mean like this?”

  “Jacob Jones!” Her face heated. “Stop!”

  He smiled. “Okay.”

  She crossed her arms as he stood up and went toward the kitchen. “Come back.”

  He turned to her with a sly grin. “Don’t you have cookies to bake?”

  She rolled her eyes and got up. Sighing, she got the recipe and gathered the ingredients for snickerdoodles. They wouldn’t be as good as Ginger’s, but she’d give it a try.

  Jacob watched her as she measured and stirred. She looked up from the stainless steel bowl. “Can you preheat the oven to 350?”

  He walked over to the oven and pushed the appropriate buttons. She tried to keep her mind on the batter she was mixing with the wooden spoon and off of Jacob’s biceps. Concentrating on the task at hand, she scooped dough on to the cookie sheet. Jacob snatched a bite of uncooked dough and shoved it in his mouth.

  Her eyes widened. “You’re going to get food poisoning. That has raw eggs in it!”

  He shrugged. “I’ve been eating cookie dough all my life. Hasn’t hurt me yet.”

  She shook her head and handed him the cookie sheet. Seeing him bend over must have gotten her flustered, because when she went to put the flour back in the fridge the container slipped out of her hands, sending a burst of flour all over the kitchen. A white cloud of dust filled the air.

 
Jacob laughed. “It snowed early this year.”

  “Oh, you think it’s funny, do you?” She grabbed a handful of the flour and playfully threw it at him.

  “Really?” He smirked and grabbed some flour to throw back at her. Within seconds, every surface of the kitchen was covered in white, including them.

  Ellie started laughing so hard she sat down on the floor to catch her breath. Jacob sat down beside her. “You look like a snow angel,” he whispered, and he brushed away some of the powder from her hair.

  She looked up to his flour-covered face and grazed his face with her fingertips. Their bodies couldn’t resist the pull any longer. The first batch of cookies weren’t the only things heating up in the kitchen. She unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time when what she really wanted to do was rip his shirt off as fast as she could to see his muscular chest and feel his skin on hers. His expert fingers ran up and down her hips then pulled her to him.

  He kissed her neck and whispered in her ear. “You’re gorgeous.”

  Need surged through her. She smiled and lay back on the flour-covered floor. Jacob ran his fingers through her hair and touched his hot lips to ear. She closed her eyes as they explored each other’s bodies until they both found complete bliss.

  ***

  Making love on the kitchen floor covered in slippery flour had been the best night of Jacob’s life. Ellie was all he had ever wanted in a girlfriend and now she would soon become his wife. Somehow he had gotten lucky enough to get a do-over. He wished they could have met before everything bad had happened to them. Things would be so different. But past was past and what was done was done.

  Ellie placed Milo in his car seat like a pro. She’d make an amazing mom. Milo reached his chubby fingers up and grabbed Ellie’s hair while blowing raspberries. Maybe things were just as they were meant to be.

  “You think anyone will know?” Her cheeks turned pink. She started to reach for her earring and stopped. It’d been a while. Maybe she was breaking the old habit.

  “I don’t care if they do.”

  The pink shade of her cheeks deepened as she fastened her seat belt. “I hope we have enough cookies since we burned the first batch.”

  Jacob laughed. “But it was so worth it.”

  ***