An Unexpected Gift by Kate Pearce

Author:Kate Pearce [Pearce, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

“Everything okay, Mom?” Jay’s head came around the door of her office.

“Oh, hi! You scared me!”

Bella scrambled to hide the tab open on her laptop that held details of the wedding party. She’d received confirmation from Erin’s family that they would attend, had sorted out accommodation at Hayes Hotel, and just needed to go over the final catering arrangements with Billy.

For some reason she was dragging her heels on that last matter. . . .

“You look kind of guilty to me,” Jay joked. “Are you buying shoes again?”

She laughed. “You know me so well.”

He leaned against the door frame and continued to regard her. “How’s Sonali working out for you?”

Bella swiveled her chair around to face him. “She’s amazing.”

“Good.” He nodded. “I’m just off to the suppliers. Do you have a list for the kitchen?”

“Yup.” She found it on her desk and handed it over to him. “Same old stuff.”

“I haven’t heard anyone complaining.” Jay obviously wasn’t finished. “Are you okay yourself?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Bella asked.

“You seem a bit down.”

“I’ve just been busy. Even though Sonali’s a quick learner, I’ve still had to go through everything with her.”

“You sure that’s it?” Jay persisted.

Bella fixed him with her best Mom stare. “If you have something to say, Jay Ronald Williams, why don’t you just spit it out?”

He came in and sat down on the only other chair. “I saw you with Billy Morgan at church last Sunday.”

Bella raised her chin. “Doing what?”

“Nothing in particular.” He hesitated. “It was just the way he was looking down at you—like you were really special to him.”

She shrugged. Having a son who’d been a Navy SEAL meant he noticed every tiny detail. “We’ve known each other since we were kids. We’re good friends.”

“I know that, but this was something new.” He looked at her. “If you want to have a relationship with him, I wouldn’t mind.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Like I’d be consulting you?”

He smiled. “You’d think I’d be worried you’d forgotten Dad. I wouldn’t. I want you to be happy.”

“That’s very nice of you, but maybe I can’t get over your father. Maybe it’s me who’s the problem,” Bella said.

“There’s no shame in moving forward, Mom,” Jay said gently. “I had to learn to let go of the past, and trust Erin.”

“I know you did.” She smiled at him. “I’m very proud of you both.”

“I just want you to know that I love you, and that I’ll always have your back whatever you choose to do.” He came over to drop a kiss on the top of her head. “Thanks for everything you did for me when I came home from the hospital. You were my rock. I don’t tell you that enough.”

“Oh, get along with you.” She gave him an affectionate smack on the rear. “I’ve got to get back to the kitchen. Avery found me a great dishwasher as well, so I hardly have to do a thing anymore.”

He laughed, and went out leaving her sitting there feeling like crying again.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.