Page 61 of Reclaimed Dreams

Watching him blush and stutter was endearing. When was the last time he’d had his mother call him to task for something? She did like him, and if she could help him be a better man for her baby, she would.

He ran a hand over his mouth, his beard rasping in the sudden silence. “I, uh, I didn’t mean to—”

Jo silenced him with a glare. “Don’t finish that sentence. I hope you meant to, and I hope you treated her with respect. If you haven’t, you need to fix that.”

“How do I fix it if she won’t talk to me?”

"Well, for starters you could apologize. And I don't mean this rambling defense of inexcusable behavior that you've just trotted out for me. I hope you've gotten that out of your system, so you don't spew that crap at her. The best apology is only three words long, but you have to mean them. I. Am. Sorry." Jo ticked off the words on her fingers. “Next, you need to back those words up with actions. She needs to see that she can trust you again. It won't happen overnight, but I happen to know my daughter is pretty special. She is worth the work and the wait.”

Jake nodded and retreated into his thoughts. Jo pulled him from his musings with a firm grip on his shoulder. She stood in front of him now, and he won points for meeting her eyes in spite of his shame. She needed him to understand and not give up hope, so she laid it on the line.

"In spite of all this, I think you could be good for each other. Play it straight, Jake. Apologize for what you did wrong, acknowledge your fault, and tell her how you'll change. That's what you do when you love someone."

He nodded and dropped his head. Jo let him have his moment and scanned the work site for her husband again. This time she was rewarded with Dom striding across the parking lot.

"Ryland! We need to have a talk."

Jo could do Jake one more favor since it served her own purpose. "Dom, don't beat the boy up. He knows what he did is wrong, and he's going to fix it."

Dom pulled up short, confused. "But…but… Did you know about the…?"

"Double pilot? Yep." Jo linked her arm through Dom's elbow and turned him away. "Come walk with me through the vines, Dom. I need to talk to you."

Dom was still blustering, but he allowed her to lead him toward the gravel drive. She called back to Jake as they were about to turn the corner.

"Don't mess this up, Ryland. I like having you around."

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