Wild Irish (Book 1 of the Weldon Series) (21 page)

Alexi fanned her cheeks. “This is not helping.”

“
You’ve got guilty written all over your face. Remind me to teach you the art of subterfuge, though why people are obsessed about hiding what everybody does is beyond me. ”

“
That’s it. I’m going to go bury myself in the pasture.” The notes of “Happy Birthday” being played on a fiddle twanged.

“
Time’s up.” He scooped her into his arms and ran.

She had no choice but to hang on for dear life as he dashed to the people gathered by the picnic tables. She thought she’d die the minute he set her down, but all the loving chaos reigning over the Weldon’s gathering swallowed up their arrival. The fiddler playing “Happy Birthday” wasn’t singing happy birthday. He crooned lyrics that compared Jackson to an old shoe. Two kids begged Jesse’s mother to light the candles, and Jackson stood, looking really uncomfortable at being the center of attention. She touched Jesse’s shoulder and whispered. “Your brother isn’t happy.”

“
I know.” Jesse sighed. In that second, she saw layer upon layer of tough bad-boy skin fall from Jesse’s persona, giving her a glimpse of the man inside—a man who cared deeply. “I’m worried about him. His wife died a couple of years ago in a car accident and he hasn’t rejoined the living yet.”

“
Oh.” The air rushed from her lungs and she caught hold of Jesse’s hand. “I know,” she said softly. “I know some of how he feels, and I know how you feel, too. After I lost my mother, it was years before I could have fun when I went to a party. The happiness in the people around me hurt for a long time. And my father, I don’t think he’s actually rejoined the living, yet. Twenty-two years and he’s still withdrawn.” She blinked away the gathering moisture in her eyes.

She’d give anything to have a big loving family, had thought often that her and her father’s pain would have been less if they’d had a large family. Seeing Jackson said otherwise. Maybe there were some hurts that only time could heal. And in her father’s case, maybe even time wasn’t enough.

Looking serious, Jesse squeezed her hand.

“
What’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. I--”

A real rendition of “Happy Birthday” started, calling their attention. Once Jackson blew out the candles, James and Jared decided that Jackson needed to have a birthday spanking before he could have his cake. This must have appealed to all of the men, because the second Jackson took a step to evade James, it turned into a madhouse, but nobody could catch hold of Jackson. “I’d better go help,” Jesse said, tearing after the crew.

She wondered if Jesse planned on helping Jackson, or not.

“
Those boys of mine.” Jesse’s mother, Emma, seemingly happy and friendly came up, shaking her head, a dishtowel in her hands. “They could raise enough cane to sugar the world.”

“
You must have had your hands full when they were little.”

“
My hands and my heart. And they’re still full. Come and get some cake while there’s any to have. Once the men get their hands on Jackson, the cake will be next. With the Weldon’s, you either eat first and play later or you don’t get the treats.”

Laughing, she followed Jesse’s mother. The kids were all sitting at the bench eating cake as if tomorrow wasn’t coming. They probably had already learned the eat-first wisdom. But looking at the double sheet cake taking up almost a third of the picnic table, she thought there’d be enough for weeks to come.

“
Do you like lots of icing or just a little?”

Alexi patted her stomach. “I’ll compromise and take a little piece with lots of icing. I’m saving room for a double serving of your blackberry cobbler at the hospital.”

Emma smiled, and carrying two pieces of cake, she headed toward an empty table. “I’ve enjoyed our talks over blackberry cobbler in the cafeteria, but you never mentioned you knew Jesse.”

Alexi, bringing two glasses of tea, joined her. “I, uh, only knew him a short time back in high school. I didn’t think it mattered.” Alexi was thankful for the dessert. She concentrated on it, finding the melt-in-your-mouth texture of the chocolate icing irresistible. “This is delicious.”

Emma smiled. “I’ll give you the recipe. Don’t be embarrassed about Jesse. I already knew you knew him. I saw you two together a couple of times on his motorcycle back then. And your eyes lit up every time I mentioned him. So the newspaper’s picture wasn’t a surprise.”

Alexi set her fork down, her cheeks burning. “I, we, uh—”

Emma laughed. “You don’t think I know what my boys are like? Their daddy took me stargazing for the first time when I was twenty and the stars haven’t stopped shining since.”

Alexi choked on her tea. “We didn’t exactly—”

“
Lord, I’m making a mess of this.” Emma handed her a napkin. “Are you okay?”

Drawing in air, Alexi managed to smile. “I’m fine. You’ll have to forgive me. You haven’t said anything wrong.”

A cheer rang out and the boisterous men grew nearer.

“
They caught Jackson.” Emma smiled. “Maybe I’m going about it the wrong way and now I’m out of time.” Emma reached across the table and clasped Alexi’s hand. “Weldon men hit a woman like a freight train, and are more stubborn than a devil, but their hearts blaze true. If you ever need to talk, I’m here. I may love my boys but I’m not blind to their faults. ”

“
Thank you.” Alexi smiled and squeezed Emma’s hand. Just then, Jesse came around the corner of the house. He held Jackson’s feet. James and Jared held Jackson’s arms. Jackson fought, telling what he’d do to them when he got loose.

“
Mom, Jackson’s ready for his birthday cake. Face first.”

Emma got up and stood protectively in front of her birthday masterpiece. “You boys ruin my cake, I’ll tan your butts blue.”

Alexi scooped up her last bite before anything disastrous struck. The chocolate cream cake would be a sin to waste.

“
A drink then,” James said.

“
Yeah, a long cool drink from the toilet,” Jared added.

Laughing, Jesse’s father, John, separated from the crowd. “You boys bring this mob into the house and I’ll tan your hides.” He grinned and she could see that all the Weldon boys were a chip off a devilish block. Close to sixty, gray-haired, and a bit thicker around the middle, John Weldon could still turn women’s heads. “There’s always the creek,” he said. “Meanwhile, I’m heading for the cake.” The other men followed John. Emma started cutting huge chunks of cake.

“
Good thinking. The creek.” Jesse turned to leave and Jackson fought harder, managing to free his feet.

“
Hell, we’re in for it,” Jesse said, taking off.

“
Head for the hills,” James said, right on Jesse’s heels.

Jared didn’t run and Jackson went for him first. “Wait,” Jared said, holding up his hands. “Let’s make a deal.”

“
What?” Jackson said, caging him.

“
I’ll help you get them later if you let me get cake now. It’s disappearing fast.”

Jackson eyed the cake and then Jared. “Deal.”

They both joined the men getting cake. Right before her eyes the cake disappeared. Emma laughed. “See what I mean?”

“
I didn’t believe you. I’m glad I had mine first.”

“
Come on into the house, I’ve something that I want you to hide in Jesse’s car until he takes you home.”

Curious, she followed Emma. Hidden in a cabinet were two more cakes, individually wrapped in plastic. “I always bake extra.” She handed one to Alexi. “Don’t let Jesse see it until he takes you home.”

Laughing, Alexi agreed. “Your family has a lot of fun together.”

“
Fun and love are the heart of the home.”

Alexi left the kitchen, knowing what Emma meant. The Weldon home was small and cozy, neat, but relaxed, with a world of loving and living etched upon everything. It was more of a home than hers, despite the generations of Jordans who’d lived in it. She liked the soft blues and yellows weaving through the country décor of the kitchen, dining room, and living room that formed one huge great room. Cross-stitched sayings and years of the Weldon boys’ lives caught in pictures adorned the walls. She could spend hours exploring it all, but took just a few minutes to make her way outside.

She returned to the backyard party by walking around the side of the house instead of through it, where she would have been tempted to stay and delve deeper into Jesse’s life. She was still in the shadows when she heard Jesse talking to James.

“
So, bro. Is she
the
one? Mom’s smile when she looks at you with Alexi shouts that she sees a grandkid in the near future.”

“
Damn. I was afraid of this. I told her that Lexi and I aren’t an item.”

Though she didn’t expect to hear different from Jesse, Alexi still felt a stab of hurt.

“
Looks that way to me, man,” James said. “You two have got in-love written all over your faces. Disappearing to the pasture was like a wedding announcement around here.”

Alexi closed her eyes, and the heat of embarrassment made her cringe. She’d known better. She should have immediately marched back to the party. What was it about him that made her go against her good sense?

“
In love?” Jesse’s incredulous response rang and Alexi winced. Then she had to strain to hear the rest.

“
Haven’t you figured life out yet? Love doesn’t exist. It’s just feel good euphoria for getting your needs met. It’s just sex, bro. Alexi’s good in bed. We are not in love. The itch will wear off soon and we’ll go our own merry way.”

Good in bed
. Why is it that every woman wants to hear a man say that, but when he does, it makes her feel bad? She sucked in air, trying to ignore the pinpricks of hurt Jesse’s words caused. He didn’t say anything she hadn’t thought and he wasn’t telling James one thing while leading her to believe another. They were having a fling and she needed to grow up and face the cold facts. This was sex, not love, and she’d better be very careful she didn’t confuse to two. Had she already? Surely, she was smarter than that. Only a fool would fall in love two days after abandoning her wedding.

“
Hell, Jesse, be serious! Love exists. What do you think mom and dad have been doing for nearly forty years?”

“
Drop the Walt Disney glasses and wake up, lil’ bro. Mom and Dad are good at meeting each other’s needs. That’s what’s given them a successful marriage. That’s the crux of it for every relationship. Do you think they would have stayed together if they weren’t getting their needs met? You take a good look at this emotion called love that people walk around professing to have. People are in love until they realize their needs aren’t getting met then love takes a hike and they go looking for someone else. I realized a while back that I suck at meeting needs beyond the bedroom so I do what I do best and then move on.”

“
That’s bullshit. I may not have everything figured out, but I know your take on relationships is off base. If you stick to this love ‘em and leave ‘em and screw the rest philosophy, you’re going to wake up one day and realize you broke your heart by stepping all over it, pretending it didn’t exist. And the hell of it is you’re going to lose a good woman like Alexi in the process. I’m getting some birthday cake. I, at least, have the intelligence to value something good when I see it.”

“
I didn’t say I didn’t value her. Alexi is… well hell, she’s the best, most honest woman that I seem to know.”

“
Then you better wake up and smell the coffee, bro.”

Alexi leaned against the side of the house, lost in a swirl of emotions. She knew love existed, believed in it with her whole heart. But when she looked back and examined her relationship with Roger, she had to admit that what she believed about love in her heart was not a part of her relationship with him. She and Roger had pretty much fallen into the rut Jesse had described, but on even a more superficial level, a social one. They’d met each other’s social needs, responsibilities, and family obligations, and that was it. The sexual, spiritual, emotional had been a void— because she didn’t have any expectations in those areas.