Page 46 of You’re Mine

“Thanks so much Roberto. I’ll see you and your family in a bit.” They do one of those quick man hugs, and then Jace takes us inside. “Let me show you guys the house.”

The mansion is beautiful. It feels completely different from Jace’s place in the city because this home is done up with a rustic feel. Colorful throws decorate the couches, and a roaring fire sparks from the middle of the room.

“Oh Mommy look!” squeals Jamie, immediately running forwards. Fortunately, I stop him in time.

“Sweetheart, this is hot. You have to be careful.”

My son nods, and I give him a hug. Jace interrupts.

“Let’s make s’mores,” he says jovially. “You want to do that, Jamie?”

Our son nods, his eyes wide.

“Definitely, Daddy.”

Again, the word tugs at my heart. This feeling of being a family is so natural, but will it continue?

Finally, when we’re all settled in front of the fire, I turn to Jace.

“Did you bring us here because you want us to live here?” I ask in a low voice. There are a lot of things to figure out that I’m back together with Jace. I want to live with him, but maybe, since the relationship is so new, he’d like us to be apart for a little bit.

But the handsome man shakes his head.

“That’s not it. My work’s in New York, and I don’t have a lot of reasons to come to Connecticut. It’s more of a weekend place, so I want you in New York with me. Both of you.” My smile widens so much it hurts. “We can talk about the details, but I do want to be as close to the two of you possible.”

My eyes fill with tears.

“I want the same thing.”

Jace smiles at me and then kneels down in front of Jamie.

“Why don’t I take you to your surprise now?” My son nods and lets Jace pick him up. I walk behind them as they talk in whispered tones, their ink-black heads close. I want to know what they’re saying, but it’s such a father/son moment, that I don’t dare interrupt it.

We get outside and Jace heads down the lawn. The land is beautiful, with towering oaks and dandelion lawns. My dad’s home was carefully manicured, but it had no heart. Here, there’s a wildness that’s beyond gorgeous.

“Okay, before we get to the surprise, I need to cover your eyes. Cool, space cowboy?” I love the nickname Jace has come up with for Jamie. I was surprised when we were both calling him little dude because it felt like a coincidence of cosmic levels. But I like the idea of each of his parents having their individual nicknames for him.

“Yeah, I want to see it!” my son giggles.

“Okay. Mom, I’m going to need your help. Can you cover his eyes?”

I come up behind Jamie and shield his gaze with my hands. Walking is a little awkward from here, but we make it work.

We get close enough for me to see what Jace has planned. There’s a family waiting in front of a playground with a jungle gym, trampoline, and a slide. It’s a child’s dream play area.

Everyone’s whispering. This must be Roberto’s family. I see his wife and three kids: two older boys, one maybe in high school or college and the other maybe a young teen, and a little girl about Jamie’s age.

“Can I look now?” Jamie yells.

“Yeah, yeah. Let the little guy see.” I remove my hands. Jamie looks around, his eyes wide.

“Whoa,” he wiggles until Jace lets him down and runs over to inspect the entire play area. The only thing he had before was the trampoline back in South Carolina. He loved it, but there wasn’t much else to do because Herb was so controlling. Most of the time, we even had to be quiet when jumping up and down.

“You can play here whenever we’re in Connecticut. We’re also having a treehouse built, but that might take some time. Hopefully, the next time we come up, it’ll be done.”

How did Jace manage so much in such a short amount of time? We’ve only been back for barely a day, but he’s already made room for Jamie and me in his life. Somehow, I know he was planning this. He had a vision of me and our son, and made it happen despite all the obstacles.

Jamie whoops and prances around the playground like a wild animal before finally noticing the little girl with Roberto. This is the first child he’s meeting in his life, and I watch anxiously. He claps his hands in front of him, rocking back and forth.

“Hi, I’m Elena.” She’s so quiet, I almost miss what she says.

Fortunately, my son is carefree and easy.

“My name’s Jamie. Do you want to play?” She nods, and the two of them run off to try out all the stuff Jace bought. I go to my man and hug him tightly.

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