Kace (Allen Securities) Read online

  He smiled and when it didn’t reach the corner of his eyes, she knew her lack of words had hurt him. She ached to soothe his pain but couldn’t bring herself to be open like that. Maybe someday, but for now, this would have to do.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jessica walked in the warm house and looked around. It was just like she would expect a well-loved house to look like. Everything was clean but comfortable. There was a certain bit of old-world charm that she always loved in the older houses of the area.

  When she looked around, she felt the air whoosh out of her lungs and her head spun. So many people in just about every corner of the house. The lack of women around was noticeable. The men were gathered in groups watching the latest game or huddled over a video game.

  Kace squeezed her side as he guided her through the house to the sound of women laughing. As they rounded the corner to the kitchen, she spotted Olivia at the center of all the hustle in the kitchen. She stopped when Jessica came into view.

  Olivia raced to her and crushed Jessica into a big hug.

  “I’m so glad to see you,” Olivia said, her tummy just starting to poke out.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to see you,” she said into Olivia’s light brown hair.

  Olivia pulled back and glanced to Kace. “Reed said you’d been busy.” She raised a brow and winked when Jessica started to blush.

  “Well, Kace,” said a short woman with curly salt and pepper auburn hair. “Who’s your friend?”

  Kace took her hand and pulled her over to the older woman.

  “This is Jessica, my goddess.” He grinned at Jessica.

  Without thinking, she swatted his hard stomach with her hand and laughed when the other woman did the same to his arm.

  They looked at one another, then laughed.

  “You’ll do just fine,” she said. “I’m Marilyn. Kace’s mom.”

  Jessica smiled and took her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Are you really a goddess?” A little blonde girl said to the side of her.

  “Yes,” Kace answered.

  “No.” Jessica turned to glare at him. “Don’t listen to him. He’s an idiot.”

  “Mom,” the little girl shouted. “She said Uncle Kace is an idiot.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time he was called that,” Marilyn mumbled.

  “What’s that, Mom?” Kace came behind her and wrapped his arms around Jessica’s stomach.

  His mother rolled her eyes. “You get that from your father.”

  “Get what from me?” A large man stood at the doorway to the living room, his dark hair similar to the other men in the house.

  “That smart mouth of yours,” Marilyn said.

  “I thought you liked my smart mouth,” the older man said and waggled his eyebrows.

  “James,” she shouted. “The children!”

  “Are fully grown. They will live.” He winked at Jessica, and she giggled.

  Kace’s arm tightened around her middle. She leaned back on his shoulder and looked up at him. He watched his father as he went back to picking on his wife. Jessica loved that his face softened when he final looked down at her.

  He kissed the top of her head, and she felt a warm tingle where his lips had touched her.

  “Gross! Now they’re kissing,” the little blonde girl shouted back to her mom.

  “No, we weren’t,” Kace shouted back.

  His mother cleared her throat and blushed.

  “Gross,” Kace hollered like the little girl. “They are kissing!”

  Jessica snorted.

  “Oh hush,” his mother said. “Why don’t you give her a tour of the house?”

  “Show her the boat house,” a blonde woman from the kitchen said. The baby in her arms stirred at the noise.

  James choked on a laugh.

  “Shut it, you,” Olivia said from the kitchen.

  Kace cleared his throat and ushered her along. “On that note, we’ll take our tour.”

  “What’s up with the boat house?” Jessica whispered.

  Kace grinned. “That’s about as far as Olivia and Reed got on their tour.”

  Jessica laughed. “I’d believe it.”

  She followed him upstairs and down the hall. The stopped outside the last door at the hall.

  “First stop, my bedroom.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  “Trying to carry on the tradition?” Jessica laughed.

  Kace grinned when she opened the door.

  He watched as she slowly walked around the room. She picked up a few track and field trophies he hadn’t brought over to his house and flipped through a childhood book. His mother had insisted on keeping the room as it was. Her thought was that they would all have kids one day, and it would be nice to stay in their dad’s old room.

  When she stopped in front of a picture, he knew this was going to be a little harder than he expected.

  “Your friends?” She held up the picture.

  The smiling faces staring back were still hard to look at, even ten years later. He stood behind her and pointed over her shoulder.

  “That’s me, my cousin Johnny and Paul,” he said.

  He watched as she ran a thumb over his smiling face.

  “You and your cousin look so much alike,” she said. “Same blue eyes like your mom.”

  Kace smiled. She would notice that. “Cousin’s on our mom’s side. He stops in when he’s on leave sometimes.”

  Jessica turned in his arms and grinned at him. “Ah, a man in a uniform.”

  Kace straightened up a little. “Hey, I wear a uniform.”

  “Not when it counts.” She winked.

  He frowned. “Behave, or I’m going to show you some of the other elements of my uniform.”

  Visions of her at his mercy, cuffed to the bed, flashed through his mind.

  “And what about Paul? Those dimples and shiny blonde hair, I bet he broke a lot of hearts.”

  Kace laughed. “Paul had a way with people. His boyish looks were only part of it though. He was charming and just so great, you couldn’t help like him.”

  Jessica placed her hand on his chest, her smile soft and coaxing.

  “Had? What happened?” she said softly.

  Kace sighed and sat down on the bed. He was surprised when she sat on his lap and laid her head on his shoulder.

  “Paul was just amazing. There really was no one like him, and everyone knew it. So when he moved in the neighborhood, it made sense that we’d be friends with him. We were twelve then.” Kace ran his hand absently in her hair concentrating on the feel of it. “Johnny’s my age, so we quickly became inseparable. It just made sense.”

  He took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves. It was rare he even talked about Paul was glad for the chance. Despite how hard it might be.

  “Paul always said he wanted to go into the military and then be a cop like his dad. It was just who he was, and no one doubted he would. If someone had a problem, he was there to help,” he said.

  Jessica placed a hand on his cheek and soothed out the tension there.

  “What happened?” She continued to stroke his neck and cheek as he talked.

  “We were fifteen then. Still having to hoof it around on our bikes. Didn’t really matter much to us, but Paul had responsibilities. On the weekend he’d babysit his sister for a few hours. His older brother took the morning hours, and he took the afternoon before his dad got home from work.”

  Kace closed his eyes.

  “We rode downtown that day to play some basketball. The courts there were better than the ones near us. Johnny and I were squaring off for a match when Paul had to leave,” he said and sighed. “On the ride home, Paul passed a college girl yelling for help near an alley.”

  He could hear Jessica gasp. It was clear what he was about to say.

  “Paul did what he would do for anyone, he went to help.” He opened his eyes and looked at Jessica. “The girl, Lisa, we found out later, said that if he hadn’t
come along, she didn’t know what would have happened. Paul was able to get behind the guy and struggle for the knife, but he just wasn’t big enough to take on the weight of a grown man. They fell to the ground, and the knife punctured his heart. The guy took off running just as Johnny and I came around the corner. Lisa called out for us to stop him. I ran to help her, and Johnny tackled the guy. By that point, other people had gathered, and some men helped hold him down until the police got there.”

  Kace sucked in a breath, and his lungs hurt from the constriction.

  “His father was one of the first on scene,” he said. “I’ll never forget the sound of him crying for his dead son.”

  Jessica hugged him hard against her and smoothed the hair on the back of his head.

  “He saved her, and I’m glad he saved her. Really,” he said. “But there are days when I wish he would have just called out. Or ran into a store to get someone.”

  She kissed the side of his head as she continued to hold him.

  “Sounds to me like he was truly a selfless person,” she said. “Someone who deserves to be displayed and remembered.”

  She set the picture down on the nightstand and looked him in the eyes.

  “I’m sure Lisa remembers her hero,” she said quietly.

  Kace sat quietly, thinking over her words. It hurt remembering that day. There was no doubt about that, but not talking about him, it was almost like he never existed.

  “Is that why you went on to be a cop and Johnny went into the military?” Jessica broke into his thoughts.

  “I don’t think it was something that either of us planned on,” he said. “After he died, I would visit with Paul’s family. Johnny and I both did. I hated what it did to them as a family and wanted a way to make it better. Being a cop was just the right choice.”

  He shrugged.

  “Now Trent, Paul’s older brother, always planned to go in. When Paul died, he was nearly finished with college. He graduated and went in as an officer in the Navy and then on to be a SEAL. Now he leads his own platoon.”

  He shifted her off his lap and stood after she was on her feet. Kace stretched.

  “And Johnny followed him in?”

  Kace stopped mid-stretch. “Johnny and Trent were never the same after that day.” He let out a hollow laugh. “I guess none of us were. But them most of all. Johnny closed himself off and would only let a few people in. He and Trent had a bond that I just couldn’t understand. Maybe it was that they both lost people so close to them.”

  Jessica frowned. “But you all lost Paul. I can understand Trent, but Johnny was the same as you.”

  Kace shook his head. “When we were thirteen, Aunt Donna passed away from cancer. It was fast, and no one really had much time to prepare for it, least of all her children.”

  “Oh how terrible,” Jessica said.

  Kace nodded. “Mom tried to help. She used to point out what did four more matter when you already had six?”

  Jessica chuckled. Put that way, it wasn’t quite as crazy as it seemed.

  “I don’t know how much he had thought about the military before, but the summer after we graduated high school, Uncle Gary died from a heart attack.” Kace sighed. It was a rough time during those years. It seemed everywhere they turned there was death. “After that, he just seemed to shut down. Everything was about going into the Navy and being a SEAL with Trent. Of course, it wasn’t really a stretch. Aside from Mason, who works for Reed, the other two were already serving in the Marines.”

  “It’s no wonder he shut down,” Jessica said and looked to the picture. “Do you still see him?”

  “Not as often as I used to,” he said. “He’ll pop in for a day or two, but he’s always on his next mission. Off somewhere he can’t talk about. Killing Osama’s cousin or some shit like that.”

  Jessica put her small hand in his. “You worry.”

  Her tender words struck him to the core.

  “Always,” he said quietly. “He doesn’t value his life, and I know he takes more risks than he has to. I’ve seen the scars.”

  She rubbed his arm. “Hopefully he’ll find peace.”

  Kace nodded. He hoped so as well, or he might be going to another funeral.

  Jessica laced her fingers with his. He liked the intimacy they shared.

  “Is Trent’s dad still a policeman?”

  Kace shook his head. “Retired last year and driving his daughter Anna crazy.”

  He grinned. Anna was tough, but the last he had seen, she was ready to throttle her dad. College and dealing with a retired captain was pushing her patience to the limit.

  “Dinner,” his mom called down the hall.

  “Yeah, quit whatever you’re doing and come eat,” Cage hollered down the hall.

  “Cage!”

  He chuckled when he turned to see Jessica’s horrified look at the door.

  “It’s fine,” he said. “Everyone knows the house has paper thin walls.” He winked at her. “Cage knows firsthand.”

  Jessica grinned. “Maybe I should ask him about that,” she said.

  Kace laughed out loud. “I knew there was a reason I love you.”

  They froze.

  Hands still locked, he could see her pulse pick up in her neck and cursed his poor timing. He hadn’t meant to let it slip this way, but there it was, and there was nothing he could do.

  “Ah, well,” Jessica fumbled. “We should get to dinner.”

  His heart twisted as she slipped away from his grasp and into the hall. He had really hoped she might.

  Kace took a few deep breaths and swallowed the lump in his throat. It didn’t matter. He would just have to love her until she was ready.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jessica sat uncomfortably next to Olivia. There were so many people. She didn’t understand how they managed to run so many conversations at once without losing where they were. It didn’t help that she was trying to avoid the elephant dropped between she and Kace.

  He loved her.

  She thought he might take it back or laugh it off, but, if anything, he seemed to be waiting. Her stomach twisted. Guilt ate at her. She was sure she felt it for him, but saying those words out loud just made her cringe.

  It was too soon. They had just started something, and yet every time she thought about him saying it, her heart beat wildly in her chest.

  Olivia nudged her side, and she jumped.

  When she looked around, several people were staring at her.

  “Jessica runs a club,” Kace said to his mother.

  She smiled at him, grateful for the save. Heat boiled between them, and she had to look away, so she could catch her breath.

  Jessica looked back to Olivia who was eying her suspiciously.

  “Do you have any siblings?” Marilyn went on. If she was aware of the tension on their side of the table, she hid it well.

  “I have a sister,” she said and smiled. “Victoria is going to school to be a grade school teacher.”

  The older woman smiled back.

  “What about you?” Marilyn asked. “Do you like running the club?”

  Jessica thought for a moment. “Well I like doing the finances,” she said. “I’m not fond of the long hours to late nights, but there isn’t much for someone who doesn’t have a degree right now. It pays well at least.”

  “Have you thought about taking some classes?” Reed asked. She was surprised he would wade in.

  “Right now, paying for Victoria’s schooling has me nearing my limit,” she said and shrugged. “Maybe when she’s out.”

  “Speaking of the club,” Olivia said with a smile. “How are things going?”

  Kace squeezed her thigh, and Reed shot Jessica daggers over her friend’s head.

  She smiled. “Fine. A little crazy recently, but nothing I can’t handle.”

  Kace chuckled next to her. She could practically see the steam coming off Reed.

  Jessica cocked an eyebrow at him and turned her attention back to Ol
ivia.

  “So tell me all about the appointments for the baby,” she said and rubbed her friend’s growing belly.

  Olivia beamed from ear to ear as she talked about hearing the heartbeat and watching the baby on the ultrasound monitor. A piece of her ached for happiness like Olivia and Reed shared. He placed his large hand on her stomach and began to rub.

  Jessica smiled. It was nice.

  She jumped when a chubby hand reached out from under the table to push away Reed’s hand. For a split second, she thought she’d stepped into some sort of horror story.

  “No touch, Uncle Reed.” A sweet-faced child poked his head from under the table. Seconds later, another head popped up, but this one was a girl.

  Both had large brown eyes. The little girl stared with interest at her, but the boy was fixed on Reed.

  “Looks like you’ve got competition.” She grinned at Reed.

  “Mason, call off you attack son,” Reed called down the table.

  A tall man stood at the end of the table, his dark hair much like his cousins, the same clear blue eyes. He seemed tired, and if the dark circles under his eyes said anything, he hadn’t slept well in some time.

  “Sorry. Tommy, be nice.” He smiled, and she couldn’t help but smile back. “Sarah is taking acting classes, so I’ve got the kids.”

  Jessica watched as several people exchanged glances. No one seemed particularly upset she wasn’t there. In fact, she was fairly certain she heard James whisper hallelujah and Cage laugh.

  When she looked over, Marilyn was staring daggers at the two.

  “That’s no problem, dear.” She shot a look over to Reed. “If you can’t handle a three-year old, how are you going to handle a baby?”

  Reed blushed and looked hopelessly between his mother and Olivia.

  Everyone turned to Olivia when she started laughing. She pulled the little boy on to her lap. The sweet little girl made her way over to Jessica and scrambled to sit on her lap.

  “I think those pregnancy hormones have made her crack,” Cage said to Reed.

  Olivia turned to Jessica and wiped her eyes. When she had calmed down, she winked at Jessica and then turned back to Reed.