Dare to Love by user (read dune TXT) 📗

Thankfully, Jake had a huge backyard, easily accommodating the thirty or so guests

along with their children, with plenty of room to set up a game area for the kids.

She had

an inflatable bouncy house brought in for the little kids to romp around in, and a trampoline for the older kids, which they loved. Even a few of the more daring adults had

ventured onto it once or twice today.

The best part of the day had to be the children. They were all adorable. They ranged

in age from six months old to twelve. She’d told Jake there was nothing more boring than

to drag a child to a stuffy party where nothing was set up for them to enjoy. So she’d

made sure there were plenty of activities for them, no matter their age.

The last thing she wanted was to have the children endure what she’d had to.

Endless

social engagements more fitting for adults than children. No other kids to play with. Her

father hadn’t had the first clue what to do with a child. She’d been his companion and

hostess at parties from the time she was old enough to talk.

He told her the best way to teach her about the family business was to expose her to

it. So while other girls her age were playing with Barbies, she’d been taught to play the

“who’s sitting on the Supreme Court” game.

Not today, though. Today was a day for fun and games, both for the adults and the

children.

So far, so good. The kids were having fun, the adults were milling and enjoying, and

she hadn’t had a moment to even speak to Jake in about two hours. Which pretty much

left her surrounded by a bunch of strangers.

Not that it mattered. This was the friendliest group of people she’d ever had the pleasure to meet. The women didn’t raise their eyebrows at her presence there with Jake,

instead welcomed her as if they’d known her for years. She just hoped she didn’t get

anyone’s name wrong.

“You’ve done a wonderful job today, Lucy.”

She turned and smiled at Bob’s wife, Shelly. “Thank you, Shelly. I hope everyone’s having a good time.”

Shelly beamed, her rosy cheeks plumping up with her grin. “You can bet on it. The rest of us will have a hard time making our turns as spectacular as this one.” Lucy frowned. “Too much, you think?”

“No, not at all.” Shelly laid a hand on her arm. “It’s perfect. Just what this stodgy old

group needed. And we’re thrilled there’s something for the kids to do.”

“Speaking of kids, I need to go make a call. Can someone hold Bayley?” One of the contractor’s wives, Lucy thought her name was Maria, handed off the infant into Lucy’s arms.

She couldn’t recall ever holding a baby before. Not having any brothers or sisters or

relatives with children meant her exposure to babies and small children was, well, nil.

But she cradled Bayley in her arms. The infant looked up at her, smiled a toothless grin, and promptly drooled all over Lucy’s chest.

“She likes you,” Shelly said.

“She’s adorable,” Lucy countered, feeling a maternal urge to protect this child unlike

anything she’d ever experienced. Was that a natural feeling? Did all women feel this

way?

“You look good with a baby. Thinking of having your own any time soon?” Jake had warned her Shelly would be the worst at matchmaking. He’d told her that

as soon as Shelly and the rest of the women found out they were dating, they’d have a

wedding date set before Lucy could utter a word.

He was nearly right.

“Um, yes, I’ve thought about having children, of course.” Lucy kept her eye on Bayley, who found her silver necklace fascinating, flicking the dangling beads on the

chain with her chubby, wet finger. “I’ll need to focus on finding a husband first.” Shelly laughed. “Honey, with your looks and that body, I can’t imagine you’d have much trouble.”

Lucy felt her cheeks warming. “Thank you. You’d be surprised how difficult it is to find a good man.”

“You might have already found one. Jake is a prize that many women have tried to

claim for themselves.”

“Really?” Lucy looked around, trying to find Jake. She didn’t see him.

“Really.”

Shifting Bayley in her arms, she and Shelly took a seat on the glider. The baby sat forward in her lap, and found Rascal to be quite entertaining. Every time he licked her

hand she’d pull it back and giggle.

Trying not to think too hard about what happened the last time she’d been in the glider, she turned to Shelly. “Does Jake date a lot of women?” She immediately felt guilty for asking the question, knowing she was prying into Jake’s personal life, but curiosity got the better of her.

“Not really. Like I said, he’s had plenty of offers, and he goes out now and then.

But

he spends way too much time on business if you ask me. Not like he’s getting any younger, and I need grandchildren.”

Lucy laughed at Shelly’s comment. “Kind of see yourself as his pseudo-mother, do you?”

She nodded. “Poor boy had it rough the first part of his life. I’m just glad he ended up with Bob and me. We’d always wanted children, but it never happened for us.”

“I’m sorry.” Lucy looked at Shelly now, still a beautiful woman though she had to be

well past sixty. She wore her hair in a stylish chin-length cut, and it was a thick, gorgeous

silver. Lucy’d give her right arm for straight, sleek hair like that.

“It’s okay. We long ago accepted it. And I think God had a plan for us. We were needed to take care of Jake. He’s more my son than any other child I could have ever

given birth to.”

The woman’s obvious love for Jake warmed Lucy. “Jake’s a very lucky man.” Shelly’s brown eyes glittered with happiness. “Thank you. But now, like a concerned

mother, I want to see him as happy as Bob and I have been all these years.”

“I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before the right girl comes along.” Why, as soon

as she uttered