Say You Love Me Page 24
“Fine. You can eat at school.” I waved him away with a resigned sigh. “Go brush your teeth, and we’ll leave.”
He turned up his chin. “I already brushed them.”
I eyed him skeptically when he pressed his lips together as if he was sealing a top secret vault but most likely trying to conceal the evidence of a bad brush job. “Did you set the timer first?”
“Uhhh....” He scratched the back of his head, averting his eyes. “I forgot.”
I leveled him with a stern expression. Thanks to his mother’s neglect, the dentist had had to fill six of Jake’s cavities last week. My sister, who was in prison for armed robbery, clearly wasn’t vying for the Parent of the Year Award. Now that I was Jake’s guardian, I was determined his next checkup would be better.
“Jake, remember what the dentist said.” I wagged a disapproving finger. “Do you really want more cavities?”
His eyes widened and then he vehemently shook his head. “I’ll brush them again.”
As Jake stood to go, my stomach made a weird grumbling sound, and I suddenly had the urge for a chocolate covered éclair.
Jake smirked at my midsection. “You can eat my eggs if you’re hungry, Auntie.”
I frowned at his snot. Nope. I seriously wanted a chocolate éclair. The urge was strengthening, and I knew I’d have to get to a donut shop ASAP. “Go brush your teeth, and we’ll stop for donuts.”
Jake punched the air. “Yes!”
* * *
I cleaned out the éclairs at the local bakery, and I wasn’t even sorry, not after biting into French vanilla cream and rich dark chocolate, and practically having a foodgasm. Before I realized what I was doing, I had polished off my third éclair, leaving nine left in the box. Jake ate two blueberry banana muffins with crumb topping, and when he was finished, I ate the crumbs off his plate. Those big chunks of sugar were calling my name.
“That’s a lot of sweets, Auntie.” He puffed up his scrawny chest, his mouth set in a grim line as if he was the adult. “You’re gonna get cavities.”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. “I’ll brush my teeth as soon as I get home.”
He shook his head, clucking his tongue. “Your butt’s gonna get big, like my music teacher’s.” He spread his arms for emphasis. “Her butt covers the whole piano bench, because she said she eats too many sweets.”
Oh, dear Lord!
I smothered a groan with my hand. “Jake, you shouldn’t talk about your teacher that way.”
He leaned back in his chair, flicking a pastry crumb across the table. “Okay, but don’t complain when your butt blows up.”
“My butt’s not going to blow up,” I snapped, but then an image of my ass growing as big as a piano bench popped into my head. Ugh. I’d bought a dozen éclairs. What did I need with all those donuts?
I suddenly felt bad, even though I was equally tempted to reach into the box and eat another. What was wrong with me? When I realized I wasn’t setting the best example for Jake, I decided it was time I came clean. He was going to figure it out soon enough, anyway.
I reached across the small table, ignoring the remains of sticky hot cocoa Jake had spilled earlier, and squeezed his hand. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“What?” His eyes widened with comical alarm, as if I was about to tell him my butt was timed to blow up in three seconds.
I patted his arm for comfort while searching the depths of his big brown eyes. “You know how much I love you, right?”
His cheeks colored, and he looked away. “Yeah.”
“And that no matter what,” I continued, “I will always love you and want you to live with me.”
He pouted. “Is the preacher gonna take me again?”
Damn. The boy could have taken a hammer to my heart, and it would’ve had the same effect. “No, no, not that.”
Last month, the courts had given Jake’s minister grandpa weekend visitation rights. Luckily, once they figured out the man was a blackmailing, tax-evading crook, they revoked his rights. When the feds got involved, the preacher fled the country. If that man ever came back to the States, I’d make sure he’d never get near Jake again.
I took a steadying breath and thought of the right words to say. “But there will be a big change coming soon.” I leaned over, clutching his small hand in mine. “Cesar and I are going to have a baby.”
“A baby? How come?”
I’d known telling Jake wouldn’t be easy, but I wasn’t prepared for the look of anguish that crossed his features. He pulled away from me before looking down at his lap.
I squeezed his shoulder reassuringly while trying to make eye contact. “Well, it sort of just happened, but that doesn’t mean we won’t want you, too, because I want you to be with us very much.”
When he looked up at me with hopeful eyes, my heart clenched hard, sending waves of relief and sorrow coursing through me. This poor kid had been through so much heartbreak with his neglectful mother. He was probably expecting Cesar and me to forget about him after the baby. I had to make him understand I loved him as if he were my own child, and I always would.
“Okay.” He shrugged. “Will he be my brother or my cousin?”
“Well.” I laughed and brushed a tuft of hair behind his ear. “He or she will be your cousin, but if you want to call the baby your brother or sister, that’s fine, too.”
He vehemently shook his head. “I don’t want you to have a girl, Auntie. Can you make sure it’s a boy?”
I frowned. “I’m sorry, but we don’t get to pick.”
He looked at me as if I’d just ran over his puppy. “Will I have to share my toys?”
Oh, so that’s what this was about. I squeezed his hands, doing my best to maintain a serious expression. “The baby will be too little to play with your toys.”
Jake didn’t look convinced. “But what about when the baby gets bigger?”
I thought it odd that Jake was so worried about his toys, but then I remembered he hadn’t had many when he lived with his mom. He’d only been with me a few months and was very possessive of the new things I’d bought him. “What toys are you afraid of sharing?”
“My race cars and my Transformers. Carlos’s baby sisters break all of his.”
Oh, that made sense. Jake’s friend from school, Carlos, had two little sisters, and from what I’d seen of them, they were hellions. No wonder Jake was anxious. “I see. Well, I totally understand your concern. The baby won’t be old enough to play with race cars and Transformers for a long while. By that time, you’ll probably be playing with something else.”
He stiffened, sitting up tall on the edge of his chair. “No, I won’t.”
“Okay then.” I patted his hands and took a sip of lukewarm coffee. “If you’re still playing with your race cars and Transformers, I’ll ask Cesar to build you a shelf where you can keep them out of the baby’s reach. Sound good?”
His shoulders sagged in obvious relief. “Yeah.”
But as we walked to the car, I could tell something was still weighing on Jake’s mind. “Auntie?” he asked as he strapped in his seatbelt.
“Yes, Jake?”
He fiddled with his fingers in his lap, and I could tell he was trying to work up the nerve to speak. “Will Cesar have time to play football with me after the baby comes?”
Once again, my heart clenched, only this time the pain lingered, the knot in my chest taking too long to unravel. “Of course, he will,” I said on a sigh.
He’d damned well better, I thought, then berated myself for thinking so little of Cesar. He was a good guy. He wouldn’t forget about Jake, although lately he’d had less time for both of us.
Jake bit his bottom lip. “And will you still swim with me?”
Aw, the kid was seriously going to pulverize my poor heart. “Absolutely.” I did my best to sound reassuring, even though my throat had tightened with emotion. “Jake, I have plenty of room in my heart for the baby and you.”
&n
bsp; “Promise?”
“Cross my heart.” I drew an X across my chest. “Now let’s get going.” I turned on the car and put it in drive, eager to get Jake to school before I started bawling like a baby. Why hadn’t I thought of Jake before carelessly having sex without protection? The poor kid had been through so much already. Now we were about to subject him to more change. I couldn’t blame him for being so insecure.
Jake stared out the window most of the way to school while an awkward silence hung between us. I tried to engage him in conversation, but he wasn’t very talkative, which was highly unusual for him. Poor kid.
As we crept down the freeway in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I had time to reflect on the kind of future I wanted for Jake. As long as he felt he had a place in our hearts, he’d adapt to the new baby. No matter what changes came our way, I was determined to make my nephew always feel wanted and loved.
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Books by Tara West
Eternally Yours
Divine and Dateless
Damned and Desirable
Damned and Desperate
Demonic and Deserted
Dead and Delicious
Something More Series
Say When
Say Yes
Say Forever
Say Please
Say You Want Me
Say You Love Me
Say You Need Me
Dawn of the Dragon Queen Saga
Dragon Song
Dragon Storm
Whispers Series
Sophie’s Secret
Don’t Tell Mother
Krysta’s Curse
Visions of the Witch
Sophie’s Secret Crush
Witch Blood
Witch Hunt
Keepers of the Stones
Witch Flame, Prelude
Curse of the Ice Dragon, Book One
Spirit of the Sea Witch, Book Two
Scorn of the Sky Goddess, Book Three
Hungry for Her Wolves Series
Hungry for Her Wolves, Book One
Longing for Her Wolves, Book Two
Desperate for Her Wolves (December 2018)
A Message from Tara West
Dear readers,
I hope you are enjoying my Something More Series. I’d originally only planned on writing Andrés’s books, but this series has received such amazing feedback, that I’ve decided all the sexy Cruz brothers deserve a story.
I hope you give my other books a try, especially my hilarious and sexy paranormal Eternally Yours Series. Start with Divine and Dateless, and I promise panty melting fun.
I have a lot in store for my readers in 2017, including Say You Need Me: Cesar Cruz Book Three, and book five in my Eternally Yours Series.
Please sign up for my newsletter at www.tarawest.com and as a thank you, I will send you a selection of free book downloads.
As always, I appreciate honest reviews at the site where you purchased this book. Getting recognition as an indie author isn’t easy, but your reviews help more than you know. It’s your reviews that help other readers find my books, so that I can continue writing for a living.
Blessings,
Tara