Page 5 of Hard Focus
Chapter Two
Connie
Connie blinked at the display of her phone. It was just after seven o’clock in the morning. She checked the time again, then verified it was indeed Saturday, as she’d remembered. She stretched and changed position, trying to decide what had woken her. A hand touched the small of her backandshe startled, then saggedbackwardsinto Jonas’ familiar arms.
“Hey,” she said, sleep giving her voice awhiskeyrasp that sounded sexy to her ears. Jonas must have felt the same way, because he settled against her back, his hand moving to her hip where he started tracing her bare skin in random circles.
His lips grazed along the column of her throat, and he nipped at her earlobe before telling her, “Mornin’.” His own voice was gravel-filled,andConnie shivered at the masculine sound. “What time is it?”
“Seven. Still early.” She reached for his hand, bringing it up between her breasts. “Lots of time.”
He pressed his hips forwards,andshe shivered again. “Yes, there is.”
An hour later, she fixed herself a cup of coffee and turned to lean against the countertop. She watched as he lifted his mug and drained it. “We need to go, Connie. Go get dressed.”
“You want me to come along today?” He was due to pick Adrianne up soon, and Connie hadn’t dressed, expecting him to want to spend the weekend with his daughter. “It’s your birthday.”
“Yeah,” he said, placing his mug next to his breakfast dishes in the sink. “Exactly.”
“I thought you were taking Adrianne to the zoo.” Pressing her fingers against one temple, Connie drew small, tight circles against the sensitive skin. Her neck was tight, and she felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. “A daddy and daughter day.”
He turned and took the cup from her hand, placing it on the counter. Pulling her towards him, he covered the back of her neck with his palm and began massaging her gently. “It’s my birthday. Shouldn’t I get to pick what I want the most?” Connie made a noise and burrowed her face against his shoulder, slowly relaxing. “My pick, if I can have it, would be to have both my girls with me today. I don’t want to have to pick her over you, or vice versa. I want it all.” She remained silent a moment, letting the heat from his hand soak into her tense muscles, releasing the stiffness. “Come on, baby. Lemme take you to the zoo with my girl. I’ll buy you cotton candy.”
Connie chuckled softly. “Sweet talker.”
“Whatever it takes to get what I want.” He swayed in place with her, shifting side to side. “I’ll be honest.” The movement ceased,andshe lifted her head, staring into his face. “It’s easier with Adrianne when you’re with us. You’ve seen it, how she’s afraid of me sometimes, but she likes you. It makes her less nervous, and gives me confidence that I can actually do this thing.”
“You’re a good dad,” Connie disagreed with a quick headshake. “Sure, you’re a little rough around the edges with some things, but that’s just adadthing, I think. My father was the same way with my little sister, and we were a nuclear family unit.” She smiled at the memories that rushed to mind. “I remember this one time, I was probably six, which means she would befiveish,when he turned a shopping cart over on top of her on a parking lot. She wanted to ride in the cart instead of walking,andhe told her okay, then turned back to lock the truck and didn’t see her climbing up the side of the cart. It dumped over on top of her and broke her arm.” She stared at Jonas, willing him to listen. “You haven’t met my dad”—part of her was surprised she withheld the word “yet” but she pushed forwards—“but he’s the best. And yet, his daughter’s arm was broken on his watch. You”—she poked him in the chest with one stiffened finger—“are a good dad.”
“You’re still going to come with us, right?” He leaned close and nuzzled her neck. “Please?”
“To the zoo,” she said softly, stifling the brief flash of resentment she felt at having her Saturday commandeered by Jonas and his child. It wasn’t as if she had anything important to do, but therewaslaundry and shopping, and a new book release she’d been excited to dive into today.I’ll come home before supper, she promised herself.It won’t be the whole day.
***
“Stay,” Jonas murmured, lips against the side of her head. His arms were wrapped around her tightly as they stood in his quiet kitchen.
Connie tried to stifle her sigh of annoyance. “Jonas.”
“Please? I didn’t get my present from you yet.” Connie stiffened. “Don’t you want to stay with me? We can end the day like we started it.” He chuckled, and the sound grated on her nerves in a way it hadn’t done before. “I’d like to unwrap my present starting now.”
It had been the whole day.
“I’ll wait in the car,” Connie told Jonas. She eyed the two men on Audrey’s front porch. One she knew as Cole, but she hadn’t heard the other brother’s name yet.
He sighed. “I’ll be right back.” The car’s suspension shifted slightly as he climbed out, the hard slam of his door closing echoed through the vehicle, and Connie winced at the outward expression of anger boiling inside him.
“Is my kid ready?” She heard Jonas bark the question at the two men. They didn’t respond, not even a twitch, standing stoically in front of the door. Connie saw shadows shift behind them and knew the door was opening. “Well? Do I get the kid today, or not? I’m not late, so you can’t use that excuse this time. I’ve got her booster seat, snacks in the car, and even brought my woman like you demanded.” Connie’s head tipped to the side at that last statement. He hadn’t shared that Audrey was the one who wanted Connie to come along. “Not that it’s written in the agreement, but this is me trying to get along.”
“Adrianne, or Addy.” Cole’s voice rumbled through the air, anger grinding the words to pieces. “Not the kid.”
Connie caught herself nodding. That was one of the things Jonas did that irritated her the most when it came to Adrianne. It was always “my kid” or “the kid” and he only seldom spoke her name when talking about her. Talking to her was another thing, but Connie had noticed he avoided it then, too, referring to her as “my girl” most of the time. Validating a child’s identity was crucial in emotional development, and denying her name was something that felt almost cruel. She stared at her knees in surprise.Did I just think of Jonas as cruel?
A shout from outside pulled her attention back to the drama unfolding on the front porch.
“I’ll call my kid whatever I want to. Not like I had a choice in the matter.” At Jonas’ words, Cole took a stepforwards, stopping only when his brother placed a palm against his chest. “Oh, yeah, big man. Come on down.” Jonas was taunting Audrey’s brother now, and Connie’s brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of why he would do that. They were just here to pick up Adrianne, take her to the zoo, and celebrate Jonas’ birthday. Not to pick a fight with her uncles. Uncles Adrianne seemed to like a fair bit better than her own father, and he knew it.That’s it, she thought,he feels threatened by Adrianne’s relationship with Cole and his brothers.This had to feel like the only way he could strike out against it. Jesus.
“She’ll be ready in a minute,” the second brother said. Connie saw the movement of his hand behind his back, hidden from Jonas, and she watched as the door closed from whatever sign he’d given his sister. “Thompson, you need to not comeatus with an attitude. It’s bad enough you’re here at all.”
