Page 13 of Bear's Midlife Bridesmaid
“We’re turning around and heading back,” Ian replied.
Jace nodded. “As the wealthiest among us commands, yes. Don’t worry, though. Your pay won’t be getting cut. I explained to him that the cost of the trip is nonrefundable.”
“Bet he didn’t even care.”
“Nope.” Jace knew they shouldn’t be talking about Hugo. It was only a couple of days ago that he’d been reminding his son of how professional and respectful they should be. At the moment, though, Jace didn’t care any more about respecting Hugo than Hugo did about respecting anyone else. The way he’d spoken about Erin still made Jace’s blood boil. An uncomfortable feelinglike a deep itch had taken up residence under his skin at not knowing exactly where Erin was or what she was doing. This was only because it meant he didn’t know if Hugo was anywhere near her. Erin wanted to make it up to Gretchen for stopping the wedding, and it seemed likely she could run into the erstwhile groom. Jace couldn’t trust that man to keep his mouth shut, and he’d hate to have to shove the douchebag into the water all the way out there. Well, no. He’d love to do that. He’d just hate having to explain it to Rodney later.
“Hello?” Ian waved a hand in front of his face. “That cinnamon roll can’t be that good.”
“Sorry. I was lost in thought.” Jace blinked, bringing himself back. He took another deep drink of coffee, figuring he needed it. “What were you saying?”
“I was asking what you were going to do with the rest of the week,” Ian repeated, though Jace hadn’t heard him the first time. “Cutting this trip short means I’ve got some extra time on my hands. I think I might use it to go look at some apartments.”
“That would be a good use of your time,” Jace answered carefully.
“Yeah, there are some openings in some of thebetter apartment complexes, so I thought I might check them out.”
Jace set his plate and fork aside. He’d take them down to the galley later. Right now, up there at the top of the boat, things were peaceful and quiet. He’d take advantage of time with his son when he could, whether he was getting paid or not. “You know you don’t have to move out.”
“I know.” They’d had this conversation a few times already. “I just figured I’d go see what was out there. It’s better than watching you sit on the couch and scratch yourself when you’ve suddenly got some time off work.”
He couldn’t help but laugh at the joke. They both knew Jace was far too active to be lying around uselessly, even if he did have time off. There was always something to be done, whether it was maintenance on his boats, repairs on the house, or an adventure to be had. “Sure, I can’t blame you there. Your old man just isn’t very exciting anymore.”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s what it is. Just looking at you makes me want to fall asleep.” Ian punched his dad in the arm.
Jace’s heart warmed. It wasn’t easy watching his son grow up. Ian wasn’t the same little boy who used to run into his arms when he got home from work.Nor was he entirely different. Time went by and changed things, and it was changing things for Jace as well as Ian. “Um, I actually did have an idea about what to do with the rest of the week. I wanted to run it by you.”
“Shoot.”
He opened his mouth and took a deep breath, finding it harder to say than he imagined. “It’s about Erin.”
“The lady you can’t keep your eyes off of?” Ian asked with a grin.
It was more than his eyes that’d been on her. “Yes. She’s my mate.”
Ian’s brows shot up. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” Jace swallowed. He’d dated a bit here and there since Maggie’s death, but he’d always kept that world separate from his son. It’d only seemed right. Even now that Ian was a grown man, it felt like a bit of a betrayal to admit he had such strong feelings for someone. “It caught me by surprise, and I wanted to feel it out and be sure before I said anything, but I’m sure now.”
“Wow. That’s big news,” Ian replied.
Jace took another sip of coffee. So far, not so bad. “She lives in Salem, which is just far enough away to make it difficult for the two of us to spend more timetogether and get to know each other. I was thinking about asking her to join me at our place for the rest of the week if she’s able, but I wanted to check with you first.”
“With me?” Ian asked. “Why?”
“You live there, too,” Jace pointed out. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay with it.”
To Jace’s surprise, Ian laughed. “I don’t care. I’m excited for you, Dad.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Jace replied. “It’s pretty exciting for me, honestly, but I don’t want anything to be awkward for you.”
Ian adjusted the throttle slightly. “I’ll be fine. I can always go stay with Bailey and give the two of you your privacy. Thenshecan watch you lay around on the couch and scratch yourself.”
“I’m sure that’s the only thing I’ll have to say to convince her,” Jace laughed. He finished his coffee and relaxed into his seat. It was a beautiful day, the sort that would’ve been absolutely perfect for this wedding cruise if it’d gone as planned.
It was an ending for Gretchen and Hugo, but it might be the perfect beginning for him and Erin.
7
