Taken: A Kept Novella (9 page)

“Why?”

He leaned closer. “Because I don’t want to share you.”

Her cheeks warmed, and she searched for something to say. “You didn’t tell me you called Sophie ‘Soapy.’”

“Avery gets credit for that. She was two, I think, when Sophie was born. And then Sophie just started using it for herself. It’s pretty cute, isn’t it?”

“It’s adorable.”

“Yeah.” He sobered. “She wasn’t doing very well tonight.”

“She’s usually better?”

“Lots. I’m hoping she’s just tired and not…” He ran a hand through his hair. There was a place he wouldn’t let himself go. “Her immune system is basically shot. Plus, because of the Down’s, she has a hard time verbalizing where her pain is. I’m hoping she’s not coming down with an infection or something.”

“I’ll pray she’s just tired.”

“Jordan?” came Avery’s voice.

“Say no,” Cam whispered, his lips hardly moving.

Jordan twisted in her seat.

The girl’s light brown hair fell across her face, and even though she had to be happy to be out of that hospital room, sadness still lingered on her features.

“Yes, Avery?” Jordan asked.

“Do you and Uncle Cam want to watch a movie with us?”

A movie? “What happened to your board game?”

A soft growl of disapproval came from Cam.

Avery shrugged. “We changed our minds. You want to watch
Despicable Me
?”

What a fitting movie choice for this poor little family, torn apart by death—and now deception. While Anna was doing everything she could to parent her kids, there was no way the older two didn’t slip through the cracks sometimes. Right now Avery looked like she needed some love.

Jordan looked Cam’s way.

His head was shaking, just barely. Just enough for her to notice.

“After our pizza?” she asked him.

His eyes widened.

“Cam,” she whispered and looked back at Avery, then him again.

This time he really looked at his niece—and she saw the moment he realized how much this little girl was hurting too.

“Can we wait until after we eat?” he asked her.

Avery’s face brightened, and she nodded, her hair shaking across her face again.

“Okay. You guys find something to do until then.”

Avery ran back to tell Logan.

Cam groaned. “Am I ever going to get some time alone with you?”

“She needs love too, Cam. Did you see how heartbroken she looked when she came in here? She looked lost.”

“Yeah. She did.” He sighed. “Don’t tell Anna. She’ll feel bad.”

“You don’t think she should know?”

“What can she do about it? I’m just glad she’s quit working until Sophie…”

“Gets better.”

His jaw tightened. “Right.”

Which meant he was providing so much for them. Jordan laid her arm across the sofa back, her hand on top of his. “Does she look at you as her dad?”

“I don’t think so. I don’t do any disciplining or anything like that. I mean, they’ve only lived with me for the last six months, since Sophie’s been so sick. I was always just the fun uncle before.” A dry laugh escaped him. “I don’t feel much like the fun uncle these days.”

“Maybe they don’t need a fun uncle right now. I say we watch the movie out here, squeezed into the same four-foot space on the couch, and give them lots of love.”

Cam raised an eyebrow. “I’m game for that.”

Cam, clearly not born and raised in Chicago, had ordered some national chain pizza. Jordan ate it anyway, sitting beside Logan and trying to outdo his knock-knock jokes during dinner. Avery made up her own jokes—which were bad enough to be funny—and dinner ended up being nothing but average pizza and lots of laughter.

When the kids had washed their hands and faces, then showered, because it was getting to be that time of night, the four of them curled up on the couch. Cam settled next to Jordan with one arm around her and the other on Logan’s shoulder. Avery climbed onto Jordan’s lap, and Jordan snuggled her close, her damp hair smelling of strawberries and clean skin.

Partway into the movie, Avery fell asleep, but Logan kept quoting favorite lines half a second before the movie did.

Cam sent Jordan a faint side smile, then tried to pull her even closer. “Four feet,” he whispered. “Remember?”

“Fine,” she whispered back, pretending annoyance even as she snuggled into his side.

His fingers slid through her hair, and his warmth surrounded her even more. He felt solid beside her. Solid, stable, and, yes, super attractive. She gave in pretending to be interested in the movie and rested her head on his shoulder, loving the feel of his chest moving beneath her.

Cam ran his hand down her hair.

Would this be them in a few years? In his home—her home?—with kids of their own?

What would that mean for Anna and her children? Would coming into Cam’s life push the kids and Anna out of his? Did he have that much of himself to go around?

Avery twitched, and Cam looked down at her. “Why don’t we put her in bed?”

Jordan nodded.

Cam whispered to Logan that they’d be back, then stood and scooped Avery out of her arms.

Jordan followed him and pulled down her covers. She stepped back while Cam laid Avery down and tucked her in, pausing to brush her hair away from her face before standing up.

He set his arm casually across her shoulders, his gaze still on his niece. “I could see us doing this,” he finally whispered.

Jordan turned into him, her arm around his waist. “Me too.”

He didn’t look at her. Only nodded.

She rested her head against his shoulder. “How tall are you, Cam?”

“Where did that question come from?”

“I was planning on shoe shopping tomorrow. I need to know if I should buy heels or not.”

“Like you aren’t tall enough with your Foster DNA.”

“This is where you’re supposed to tell me that you like tall women.”

“Tall women with dark hair and dark eyes.” He peeked at her. “Who are also ten years younger.”

“Nine years—”

He silenced her with a kiss. A quick kiss that ended too fast. He swallowed and stepped back. “I have
got
to stop doing that.”

Those weren’t her thoughts, exactly, but clearly he meant it. She stepped back a bit so he’d be less tempted. All of which was exactly the opposite of what she wanted.

“Jordan. I just realized you don’t have a car here.”

She shrugged. So far every time he’d kissed her, he’d immediately decided it was time for them to say goodnight. Maybe kissing him wasn’t the best idea right now. “We’ll figure it out. What about the kids in the morning? When do you have to go to work?”

“Anna will come here early. Get cleaned up and take them back with her.”

And they’d spend another day in the hospital? How much time had they spent there already?

Suddenly shoe shopping didn’t seem all that important. “What if I came here and stayed with them?”

He squinted at her. “What do you mean? Like all day?”

“Sure. I don’t have a job yet. I’ve got no plans for tomorrow that can’t wait—”

Cam grabbed her and hugged her close.

Didn’t let go.

Jordan wrapped her arms around his back and rested there in his arms, feeling him swallow, listening to his deep breathing, enjoying the way his hand tangled in her hair.

When he finally relaxed his hold, his eyes looked suspiciously moist. “Thank you,” he whispered, his voice cracking a bit. “You know you don’t have to.”

“I know. But I want to. They’re your family. So I want to help them—help
you
—however I can.”

He kissed her again, slowly, deeply this time.

Jordan wound her hands around his neck, her fingertips in his hair, lost in the tenderness that was Cam Winters.

When he pulled back—and Jordan swayed a bit on her feet—he stayed close and gazed into her eyes. “Why did I wait so long?”

“For what?”

“To be honest about how I felt about you. To think that we could have had more time together—”

“Well, we’re together now. So quit sending me home every time you kiss me, and let’s enjoy the rest of our evening.”

He gave her one last kiss. “Deal.”

Wednesday morning Cam greeted Jordan at the hotel room door with a kiss. “Since I’m leaving in a sec,” he teased before letting her inside.

She swatted his arm. “Where are the kids?”

“Still sleeping. They may sleep all morning, and I say let them. They’re probably catching up.”

“Sure.”

He looked good, dressed in a pale blue dress shirt and gray pants.

“You dress up for work.”

“Goes with the job. The VP of marketing can’t come in looking casual.”

“You’re the VP of marketing? Since when?”

Surprise flashed across his face. “For over a year. You didn’t know that?”

“A year ago you were just Dillan’s friend.”

“Well, don’t be too impressed. There’s a VP for everything at work. On the other hand…” He surveyed her a moment, a smile creeping across his face. “It really
is
my charm she’s fallen for.”

“No, it’s the kisses. If you want me to keep hanging around…” She cocked an eyebrow.

He obliged with another sweet but short kiss. “Don’t try to get me in trouble, Foster. Clearly there are plenty of things we need to
talk
about so we know each other better.” But he pulled her close for one last kiss. “I like saying goodbye to you before heading off to work,” he whispered before releasing her. “See you at singles group tonight.”

The kids slept until just after Anna, looking worn and rumpled, walked in at nine, almost like they sensed her arrival. She showered, dressed, and ate the continental breakfast in the room with the kids.

“How’s Sophie doing this morning?” Jordan asked as Anna prepared to return to the hospital.

“A little better. She got her usual breakfast, and one of her favorite nurses stopped in to see her. Sophie’s not one of her patients anymore, so that made Sophie’s morning.” Anna paused as Avery ran by, dressed in her pajama bottoms and summer top. “I got a text from Joelle this morning. She said she hasn’t told her husband yet.”

“What a relief that is.”

Anna shot her a grateful look. “I know. Wish I’d known that yesterday. I’d have slept better. What are your plans for the day with the kids?”

“I thought I might get them outside. Would they like going to a park? A playground? Is Logan too old for that?”

“Take a soccer ball or something, and he’s in. Avery too. When will you be back here?”

“After lunchtime, I’m sure.”

“Okay. I’ll pick up the kids sometime in the afternoon so they can get time with Sophie.” Anna pulled Jordan into a hug. “You have no idea what a huge help this is. Thank you.”

How could she have stayed home, knowing all Cam and Anna and the kids were going through? “I’m happy to do it, Anna.”

Anna released her and called towards the bedroom area. “Avery? Logan? I need to go.”

The kids came running.

Anna said her goodbyes and told the kids to obey Jordan. They both hugged their mom, and she was off.

“So,” Jordan said once the door was closed, “what do you guys want to do? Go to a park? Throw a football around? Play catch?”

Logan’s eyes lit up. “I’ve got my soccer ball.”

It’d been a long time since she’d played soccer. And it certainly wasn’t her favorite. But Anna sure knew her son. “You like soccer, Avery?” she asked.

Avery nodded. “My daddy played soccer.”

Okay then. Soccer, it was.

And Jordan would make sure she enjoyed it.

That night they met in the parking lot, Cam having pulled in as she locked her car. “How do we let everyone know we’re a couple?” he teased as they neared the church entrance. “Should I dip you and plant one on you? Right as we walk in the classroom?”

Oh, it was tempting. “I say we just be ourselves and see who’s observant and who’s not.”

“Then you’re expecting everyone to know before the night’s out.”

True. There was nothing like a church singles group for finding out who was dating whom. Even if it had been just two days.

The classroom was filling up. As they walked in, Cam raised an eyebrow at Jordan, a smirk on his face.

“I’m waiting,” she teased him back.

The back rows were fairly full, so Cam picked end seats on the second row. He let Jordan go in before him, but before he could follow, Garrett scooted in between them. “Jordan, move down one. I’m gonna have to sit between you two and chaperone, I can tell.”

And it was out.

Leave it to Garrett.

From the front row, Miska caught Jordan’s eye and laughed. Dillan chuckled beside her.

Were they not going to help? “Garrett, don’t you have a seat already?”

He leaned close to her and whispered. “Matt needs to know you’re taken.” He straightened. “Fine. But I’m watching you lovebirds.”

Matt was back?

Cam sat beside her and laid his arm along the back of her chair. “Your brother,” he said, giving his head a small shake.

If Matt even came over and tried to get her to meet him for dinner or coffee or anything—

“Hey.” Cam’s voice in her ear brought her back. “You okay?”

She flashed him a smile. If Matt was watching, she couldn’t let him know she gave him any thought at all. Because she didn’t. Not anymore. “I’m good.”

He eyed her, clearly not quite believing her. “Anna told me you offered to watch the kids tomorrow too, but there’s no need.”

“They’re going to spend the day at the hospital again?”

“This is their normal right now. Sophie needs to see them, and they need to see her too. Which means you get to go shoe shopping, finally.”

“And you never told me how tall you are.” She tried to lose herself in playful banter. “I still don’t know if I can buy heels or not.”

“I’m six foot. What are you?”

“Five ten.”

He pretended annoyance. “We better have tall kids.”

By the end of the study, Jordan had forgotten about Matt. But when the class was over and people milled around, talking, Cam stiffened.

She followed his gaze.

Matt Burcham walked toward her, his military haircut from his Marine days gone, but his shock of blond hair still looking as good as ever.
He
still looked good.