Granting Wishes (2 page)

She wanted to know what was wrong with him. Where should he start the list that would probably shock her and have her running home back to her daddy? Not to mention, her daddy wasn’t someone he wanted to get on his bad side. Noah Cane was a retired Navy SEAL that would love to kick the shit outta him for hurting his precious baby girl, although she wasn’t a baby anymore. At twenty one, Lilah was only a few years younger than him.

Jake however, could understand that type of papa bear anger. He’d do the same for his Roxy. It made him respect the hell outta her daddy for being that kind of man, but he certainly didn’t want to end up in a rough and tumble with him because he broke his daughter’s heart
, or scared the hell outta her with the intensity of his feelings for her and his feelings about relationships.

Lilah was such a pretty, yet naive young woman he didn’t want to taint her with his negativity and disbelief in love and relationships. It would be different if she weren’t
such a good and loving woman. She was the relationship kind of girl. He didn’t do relationships. Not anymore. To hell with that.

Last time he did, he’d been young and dumb and gotten the girl pregnant. It changed his life forever. Not that he regretted his beautiful little girl that he’d raised by himself. He would always be grateful for his toe-headed bundle of joy. But damn it, his heart ha
d been a mess when Roxy’s birth mother had so easily signed over her rights and never looked back. He thought they had been in love; high-school sweethearts that ended up in college together, seemingly on their way to the perfect future. What a load of crap. To this day it was still hard to even say her name. Alana ruined his outlook on love and trust between a man and a woman. Yes, they were young when Roxy was conceived. They should have been more careful instead of losing themselves in the heat of the moment that night. One night was all it took to change the course of their lives.

Jake was twenty years old when Alana had come to him crying, asking for money for an abortion. She didn’t want her college career to be interrupted by pregnancy or starting a family. Instead of giving her money, he proposed marriage, fully intending on taking care of Alana and starting the family they had talked about
, only earlier than they had planned. He’d been scared but excited at the prospect. The fact that Alana wanted nothing at all to do with marrying him or having his baby had shocked him. And that’s where they hit a milestone in the relationship he thought was unbreakable. Through many tears and arguments, she decided to grant him his only wish, and not abort their baby. Her only terms was that she didn’t, and would never want, anything to do with the child. Alana was focused on her law degree. A baby didn’t fit into her plans. That’s when he decided that Alana no longer was a right fit for him.

The break-up
was amicable. Their differences were too obvious. His disappointment in her was too great. In no way could he understand her ability to not care about the life they had created together.

He had held out hope that she would feel differently when she delivered the baby. Sadly, he was mistaken. On the day Roxy was born, Alana turned her head and refused to look at her, hold her, or have any say in naming their daughter.

It was the final move that shattered Jake’s heart and turned it cold and hard as stone.

From then on, the only female in his life other than his mother, was his sweet baby girl.

Sure, through the years he had a few dates on occasion just to get his mom off his back. But no one made him want to love again. He hadn’t taken another woman to bed since then either.

D
amned if Lilah didn’t have him wanting to do both. That’s why he felt so…pissed off when he was around her. She made him want things he swore he’d never succumb to after Alana. Love was bullshit. It was nothing but a lie or fantasy. Like unicorns, and pots of gold at the end of a rainbow. He was stupid for thinking about having feelings for someone again. A complete and total idiot. But when he heard her sweet voice, smelled her warm skin, and felt her pressed against his side, his brain forgot how firmly he was against believing in anyone. For the first time in a very long while, he wanted to believe that there was good in someone. No, that was a lie. Not just someone. Delilah. Either that or it was the loneliness that he lived with every single day for years making him want to give in and feel.

“Jake,” Lilah pushed. “What is it? What’s got you so wound up if it isn’t me?”

He took a deep breath and shook his head. It wasn’t Lilah’s fault he was so conflicted inside. He had no right taking it out on her. She had tried so hard to not only be his champion, helping him rebuild and branch out with the charity work at Kringle Farms, but she also tried to be his friend. It was hard for him to accept that without doubting her, simply because she was female. And his take on females was pretty sour ever since Alana had broken his heart and deserted him and Roxy.

“Can we start over, Lilah?” Those words that left his mouth surprised him as much as it did her.

She cocked her head to the side and gave him her sweet smile. The one that made him feel warm all over. The same one that she gave to Roxy every time she saw her and swept her up in a big hug.

That thought made
things appear more clearly to him.

He was scared.

Scared that he would let her in and get hurt again. He was worried that in the process, Roxy would get hurt. His daughter already loved Lilah. All the days she had spent at the farm with them organizing fundraisers and repairs had brought the two closer, to the point of being inseparable when Lilah came to visit. But even knowing all that, and knowing that the potential was there to fall hard for this woman; he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when she answered.

“We can start over.”

His shoulders sagged and some of the strain left his tensed up muscles.

“How bout I fix us a drink and we go sit on the porch swing out back so we can talk.”

“I would like that.”

Again she gave him that smile that made the closed off part of his heart actually feel something. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. So he avoided the thoughts and feelings for a moment and went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Slim pickings, but as always he had cans of cola and bottles of beer. If he remembered correctly, he had a bottle of Southern Comfort in the cabinet above the stove.

“Not much to offer other than water, cola, beer or even better, I could mix us a Southern Comfort and cola.”

She laughed and patted his shoulder. “You don’t bring lady friends up here often, do you?”

He had the courtesy to blush while giving his head a shake. “Actually, other than family, you’re the only woman I’ve ever brought here.”

From the surprised look on her face he had stunned her. And that embarrassed him even more. But it was the honest truth. He wasn’t sure why it was important to him for her to know he wasn’t the type to bring women home with him all the time. It seemed to please her though, if he was reading her smile right. She looked more at ease, and that was good enough for him.

“I think I’ll take the Southern Comfort and cola if that’s what you’re having. It’s been a long day and I think I deserve something to help me relax.”

Okay, she surprised him a little. He hadn’t really expected her to choose that. His perception of her was more of a wine type lady or a mint julep, but he was pleasantly surprised she had a bit of country girl in her despite the fancy upbringing she’d had. Goes to show you should never judge a book by its cover. Lilah sure was a down to earth person with a big heart for helping people.

“My kind of woman,” he grinned at her as he pulled down two mason jars with handles on them that his mother had brought up to the cabin probably twenty years ago. He loved them, but at the moment he wished he had a fancier glass to offer, something beautiful and delicate like her.
God, how wimpy does that sound?

Pushing that aside, he got to work mixing the drinks. Two fingers of liquor, a few ice cubes and topped it off with ice-cold cola. He remembered the straws he had in the drawer for Roxy. She loved to have a colorful straw in her cup to sip from. He had noticed that Lilah seemed to have the same affection for drinking from a straw. Every time she came out to the farm she was sipping some sort of iced coffee from a straw. Not that he spent a lot of time staring at her lips or anything.

Her sexy, full, silky soft lips that sent his heart into overdrive.

Clearing his throat, Jake handed her
a glass and headed out the patio door. He didn’t bother turning the porch light on. All that would do is draw the bugs out. He led her over to the end of the porch where the swing was and sat down beside her. Still quiet, he sucked in a sharp breath when her thigh pressed against his. Her soft floral scent wrapped around him along with the muggy night air coming off the lake. Not a man of many words, Jake simply began rocking the swing as they sipped their drinks. Complete awareness of her feminine form pressed against his side kept him on edge, but relaxed him in the same breath. Or maybe that was the Southern Comfort. Either way, he was okay with it. His father always told him when he found the right woman, it would be someone he could talk to about anything, but they would also be able to be okay in the quiet moments too.

The silence seemed to be okay with Lilah. She relaxed against him and slowly sipped her drink.

The moon was nearly full and it reflected off the lake, giving off enough light he could study her face. She looked serene as she swung her leg with the rocking motion of the swing. She was delighted to point out where she saw a doe enjoying a drink at the edge of the water, and a few fish jumping and frolicking in the moonlit water. He took pride in the fact she took joy out of such simple things. It was obvious why his daughter had taken to her so easily. Something about her was comforting to the point she put a person at ease. It explained why she was so good at her job. Lilah wasn’t one to pass judgments and there was nothing snooty or uppity about her. Even though her parents were filthy rich, you’d never know it because she was so down to earth. If he was honest with himself, he would admit that her financial status intimidated him. He wasn’t poor by any means, but he didn’t have the kind of money she was used to having. If they were to end up in a relationship, he couldn’t give her the type of lifestyle she was used to. It wasn’t that it made him feel less of a man, but it did bother him that he wasn’t good enough for her.

Jake huffed and took a long drink, letting the alcohol dull his over-active mind. It wasn’t like he was looking for a relationship. But he knew Lilah wanted more from him. Some things you could read from a woman’s demeanor. Lilah was the marrying type. Or so it seemed. He’d thought that about Alana too though
, hadn’t he?

Lilah’s hand rested on his knee, snapping him out of his current state of mind and sending
a shot of heat that went straight to his groin. Good thing his glass was near empty because it gave him an excuse to jump up and head back inside. This time, three fingers of liquor, a cube of ice and topping it with cola did the trick. When Lilah quietly followed him in and added more cola to her drink she invaded his space once again by leaning against the counter, side-by-side.

“Why do I get the feeling I’m making you uncomfortable?” she asked. Her eyes were boring into the floor like there was something fascinating there to keep her attention. But he knew that his mood was putting her on edge and that was the last thing he meant to do. It wasn’t her fault his mind was moving ninety miles an hour and his groin was on the highway to hell when he was next to her.

“I’m sorry, Lilah.”

“That’s the second time you’ve apologized to me tonight and neither time was it necessary.”

This time when she looked up at him she stroked her fingers along his cheek before her lips pressed there briefly.

His skin burned where her lips had touched. Or maybe that was his alcohol induced imagination.

“Guess I’m not real good with words or fancy talkin’,” he paused a moment and shrugged his broad shoulders. “Or with women, as a matter of fact.”

She cleared her throat, eyes leaving his and heading to the floor again.

Shit, he’d made her uneasy again. While he cursed under his breath, he downed his drink and went about fixing another.

“I think,” she hesitated briefly, “I think you talk just fine. And I’m not so good with men either, obviously.”

Jake snorted and capped the bottle; taking his drink in one hand, and her hand in the other.

“Thanks, darlin’,” he headed out to the porch again, tugging her along with him. It was easier to talk without the bright light of the kitchen shining down like a spotlight. Darkness was like a blanket of comfort. Once they were
settled again, he felt better. He was relaxed by the liquor, the darkness, and warmth of her soft body against his.

“I think if you were any better in the men department, you might kill me with how damn perfect you are.”

She laughed and squeezed his hand.

He loved the sound. Pure, sexy,
feminine joy. It made him want to do more to make her happy so he could hear that sexy, husky laughter again.

Chelsea was in a dream world. The wedding was a fairytale. She had cried from the beauty of it. Wishing deep down that she too, would be so lucky as to find the one that would make all her dreams come true. Every girl wanted her happily ever after right? There had been one time in her young life that she thought she might get the guy she’d always had a thing for.

Dominic Cane was not only her best friend, Lilah’s twin, but he was Chelsea’s friend too. She’d had a crush on him for as long as they had known each other. He was smart, sexy, kindhearted, talented, strong
, and had a great sense of humor. He also had a protective side that she loved. His family was his world and he would do anything for them. It didn’t hurt that he had a rock hard, dark skinned body that looked like the finest, most perfectly sculpted milk chocolate bit of goodness she could lick for days on end.

Dom
was a tall guy, broad shouldered, yet trim. He made her feel small; something she rarely felt with her overabundance of curves that some would refer to as fat. She was comfortable in her skin most days. But, there were those days where she felt too big. Like she wasn’t good enough or pretty enough because she would never be a size four. Was she big-boned? Not really. Did she like to eat and have a sweet treat now and then? Hell to the yes. And she wasn’t the kind of girl that ordered a salad on a date. If a man couldn’t love her with a little extra padding, he wasn’t what she was looking for anyways.

That was one thing about Dom. He never looked at her differently like other boys did. At school dances he whisked her away and they would dance all night without a care in the world. Other boys would say things to her like “You have such a pretty face” or “You’re such a nice girl” and it hurt. God it hurt more than she ever let show. The only person she’d ever confided in was Mikayla, Dom’s mother. It was years ago, right after Dom and his siblings were placed in Mikayla and Noah Cane’s home. It was a bench-mark in her close relationship she now had with Mikayla. She was like a surrogate mother to her still.

There was a barbecue that day at the Cane’s. A ‘welcome to the family’ party that she’d been invited to attend with her best friend Delilah. It was a fun day, at least it had been until Jade, Dom’s current girlfriend had ruined it. The girl had shown her true colors when she turned on Chelsea and said awful things to her after she’d seen the way her boyfriend had been looking at her when they’d been chatting. Mikayla had found Chelsea crying and took her aside to talk. Chelsea had confided all the horrible things that Jade had said to her. There were crocodile tears streaming down her face as she held her head down in shame and defeat. But Mikayla had pointed out things Chelsea’s young eyes hadn’t seen and boosted her confidence and helped her retain some of her pride that day. Dom had been eying her appreciatively. In truth, he always had. After that, Dom had taken his mom’s place in the swing next to her and they’d talked for a long while and he had apologized for his girlfriend’s mean-hearted remarks. That was the day that Chelsea had fallen hard for him. For the last seven years, no other guy had ever measured up to Dominic Cane. She was afraid that no one ever would either.

It was obvious he didn’t feel the same way about her though. Even though he had ended up breaking up with Jade, he had never asked her out. Not once. They often all went out together, the twins, Chelsea and a few of their other friends. Dancing, dinners, movies and such were a norm, but never had he asked her out so
that just the two of them were alone. She’d spent the night with Lilah numerous times, so much so, she was there more than she was at home, but he was always respectful towards her. It was a complete and total frustration, but what was a girl to do?

But today during the wedding, Chelsea had imagined she and Dom were in front of the family, pledging their undying love to each other,
and then dancing the night away in wedded bliss. She still felt the currents of romance in the air as she stayed late, helping Mikayla clean up. She was, after all, one of the family practically. It was proper etiquette to help one another like that. Once the majority of the work was done, she was shooed off to enjoy the rest of her night.

Chelsea hadn’t wanted to go back to her rental house alone. Mr. Chewy, her Siamese cat would be there to greet her with his rumbling purrs of love and meows for his customary treat that she gave him as soon as she returned home every day. The routine was a comfort and while she loved her fur baby more than her own life, she desperately wanted to have someone to come home to at night. Or at least have someone to call at the end of the day when she was curled up in bed and talk about their day before she closed her eyes to go to sleep. She didn’t want just anyone though.

She wanted Dominic.

Speak of the devil. There he was in his perfectly fitted trousers, starched white shirt and loosened tie. He was helping with the cleaning up too. That was something that not many men would do, but this family of men believed in helping take care of the ladies in their family. It was another thing she loved about him. Not to mention the way the pin-striped pants fit over his rear-end.
Good gravy on a biscuit that should be illegal.

Taking note of the frown he had going on above the bridge of his nose, she approached him quietly and couldn’t help but wonder what it was that was troubling him. Maybe it was something she could help him with.

“Hey, Dom I’m heading home. I wanted to tell you goodnight and hug you before I left.”

Whatever it was, it had his full concentration because when he looked into her eyes he didn’t say a word. He simply stared at her to the point she was a little breathless and uncomfortable under his sharp stare.