The Naughty List Bundle - Kylie Adams [298]
“Later. Right now I have something that I want you to understand. Do you have your listening ears on, Jordan?”
“My listening ears?” She hadn’t used that term on him since before he’d become a teen.
“Don’t get smart, son. Just pay attention.”
He grinned even as he said, “Yes, ma’am.”
“I have never regretted marrying your father. How could I when I have you?”
“He was a damn drunk.”
“He was human. He made mistakes and in my mind, he’s paid dearly for them. He lost me, and he lost all of you. Surely there couldn’t have been a worse penalty.”
Jordan gripped the receiver hard. “He was irresponsible, selfish—”
“No, sweetheart, he was just an alcoholic.” She sighed, then continued. “We humans are prone to screwing up our lives on occasion. Most of the time we’re given the chance to make amends. Your father was a wonderful man when I met him. Things happened that he couldn’t deal with, and he…well, he wasn’t strong enough to cope. If you ever get to meet him, I hope you keep that in mind.”
Jordan didn’t want to meet him, ever. But to appease his mother, he said, “I’ll think on it.”
“Now tell me about this young lady you’re going to marry.”
He choked on his own indrawn breath. “I didn’t say anything about marrying her! I haven’t even known her that long. It’s just…”
“It’s just that you love her. So why wait?”
“Well, one good reason might be that she doesn’t want to marry me. In fact, she doesn’t even want to see me.”
“That’s ridiculous! Why wouldn’t she? There’s no finer man than you.”
Jordan got an evil grin when he said, “I’ll tell the others you said so.”
Laughing, his mother replied, “You’re all equally fine men. And I can tell them myself this evening.”
“There’s no need to call back. Everyone’s here for breakfast.”
“That’s not what I meant. Brett and I are flying in tonight. We should make it to the house by about five.”
Jordan froze. “You’re coming here? Tonight?”
“Now, Jordan, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you didn’t want to see me.”
Jordan quickly reassured her otherwise. But in his mind, he was thinking of the cookout, the fact that Georgia would be there with her kids. He’d hoped to tell her about the studio, but until he knew for certain that there was a building that’d work, he didn’t want to mention it.
His mother again told him that she loved him, and Jordan reciprocated. It’d be good to see her, and the babies would love it, not to mention how Casey would feel. But with his mother there, he didn’t know if he’d be able to get a single moment alone with Georgia.
And that’s what he wanted, because he was through with waiting. He’d planned to cement their relationship in the oldest way known to mankind.
Now that he’d seen firsthand how she responded to him, he knew it would be so damn good, so explosive, she’d never be able to deny him again.
RUTH WAS in the kitchen baking when Georgia walked in. She paused, watching her mother for a moment before announcing herself. Ruth looked pretty in a matching nightgown and robe decorated with small sprigs of yellow flowers. Her light brown hair, now slightly streaked with gray, was twisted at the back of her head in a loose knot. She was humming as she put a new sheet of cookies in the oven.
“Morning, Mom.”
Ruth turned with a smile and then went to Georgia to kiss her cheek. “You’re up early!”
Georgia grinned. “So are you. And baking already?” She made a beeline for the coffeepot, as usual. Now, whenever she drank a cup, she thought of Jordan—and remembered everything he’d made her feel.
“I wanted to bring something to the cookout today. I’m looking forward to it.”
Georgia’s heart swelled. The kids had talked about little else for the past few days and her mother’s eyes glowed with just the mention of the gathering. Georgia hadn’t realized how isolated, how withdrawn from society she’d kept them all. Between working so much, both at the bar and on the house, there’d been little time for playing. It seemed every day she found another way that she’d failed the ones she loved most.
“I’m sorry. I hadn’t thought