Love Required (9 page)

He was grateful when the waitress approached for their drink orders, which he happily gave for him and the boys. Once she got Tori’s order and promised to return to take their orders, Jason turned to his nephews. “Go wash your hands, boys.”

Both of them did as they were told, which left him sitting alone with Tori and Lexi. Wanting to avoid any awkward silence, he mentioned the conversation he’d overheard in the car. “So, you think Spiderman is the coolest superhero, huh? I thought all woman liked Superman the best.”

She giggled as she turned Lexi in her lap to face the table and Jason. “I’d have to say Superman would probably come in second, but that’s only because I’m afraid of flying. Scaling the side of a building is more appealing—less distance to fall.”

“That’s a valid method of determining,” he said with a smirk.

“Glad you approve,” Tori said with a nod as the boys returned to the table. The waitress brought their drinks, took their food order, and they all chatted very casually. But Jason’s primary focus was to stare at the new objects of his desire, without being caught.

TORI couldn’t get over how much she was enjoying her conversation with Dylan and Ryan. The two boys seemed much older than their nine or ten years. She smiled as she noticed that they almost constantly finished each other’s sentences. Looking up at Jason, she asked, “Do they always do that?”

He huffed a laugh as his gaze moved from Lexi to her. “What, share the same brain? All the time. It’s always been funny to watch.” Jason then continued his game of peek-a-boo with the baby. Lexi giggled and watched as Jason did it again. When he dropped his hands down and smiled at Lexi, Tori’s heart melted a little bit. He really was good with little ones, making it sad that he didn’t have any of his own.

His gaze finally lifted away from Lexi and met hers. “Their relationship is pretty cool, but you should really see how Gillian is with Allie. I’m pretty sure those two can communicate without talking. My brother jokes that they are two halves of a whole, and it sure seems that way.”

She remembered the two women from the night before, but she hadn’t been around them together. It must be amazing to be so close to someone like that. Tori and her mother were close—so much so that her mother worried too much about what Tori would do without her. When her mother was diagnosed with cancer, she had made it her mission to make sure Tori wasn’t alone after she was gone. It was also this closeness that Damien used to his benefit, taking advantage of Tori in her grief.

Not wanting to let that evil infiltrate the good time she was having, she gave herself a mental shake before standing. “I better go wash up before our food comes,” she said as she moved Lexi to her hip and reached for the seat.

Jason stood and moved to her side of the table. “You can just leave her with me when you go to the bathroom. I don’t mind.”

Tori considered it, reminding herself that she didn’t know him and shouldn’t be leaving her daughter with him. She shook her head and was about to say no thank you when Jason continued, “I know you don’t know me, so will it make you feel better to take my car keys with you. I can’t very well steal your child without my car, now can I?”

Shaking her head, she said, “You really do have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

He shrugged before reaching for the baby. When Lexi leaned toward him, Tori let him lift her into his arms. Pulling his keys from his pocket, he handed them to her without moving his gaze from Lexi’s face. “What can I say, I’m a problem solver. I could let you have my wallet, too, if it would help.”

Taking the keys from his hand, she answered, “That won’t be necessary. I’ll be right back.”

She heard him say, “Take your time,” as she walked away. Looking back over her shoulder, she gasped at Lexi clinging to Jason as he hugged her to him with his eyes closed. Like a father holding his child, it was a perfect sight, which made her both elated but also so sad. Her daughter’s father was a monster, incapable of what she was witnessing at that moment. Dashing away the tears that had quickly filled her eyes and spilled over, she made her way to the bathroom.

Tori quickly washed her hands and then looked at her reflection as she turned off the water. Grabbing a towel, she took a deep breath and got her emotions in check. Jason was a friendly man helping her out with her tire, not someone signing up for the vacant father position in Lexi’s life. She needed to make sure she remembered that before she made a fool of herself. Squaring her shoulders, she gave herself a nod of agreement and left the bathroom. All the way back to the table she couldn’t help but think of Jason filling the vacant position in her daughter’s life, as well as her own.

CHAPTER SEVEN

JASON gathered all the restraint he could muster and held onto it when Tori insisted on paying for their meal. Her determination was so great, he feared if he fought her on it, the likelihood he’d be able to get her on a date with him would be slim. And damn, he really wanted to take her on a date. After subduing his alpha tendencies and a few minutes of negotiation, he allowed her to pay for his and her food, but drew the line at paying the whole bill since his nephews were not her responsibility.

He grumbled a bit, and she smiled her victory at him over the roof of his car before getting in. They picked up the new tire, which she believed was just a repaired version of the flat, and made their way to her work. He positioned his car behind hers and, before climbing out, told Ryan and Dylan to entertain the baby.

When Tori followed him, she said, “They’re really great kids. You can tell they have a lot of experience with babies.”

Jason smiled as he thought of his niece, Ella. As he pulled the tire from his trunk, he made sure to grab a work blanket he had in there, too. “I might be a little biased, but I have to say that all of my nieces and nephews are pretty great kids.” He dropped the blanket to the ground before lying on it and positioning the jack under the car. “I even like the teenaged ones.”

He felt her squat down next to him, but he didn’t take his attention off what he was doing. “Wow, even the teenagers? You really are biased.”

Letting out a laugh, he sat up so he could jack up the car. “Don’t get me wrong,” he said as he continued with changing the tire, “Madison is sixteen, and to say she hasn’t been a handful at times would be a lie.” He stopped talking as he hoisted the flat tire off and then replaced it before continuing, “There were times during Gillian and Logan’s divorce that I wanted to shake that girl. But she was forced to come around in the end. She’s much easier to get along with now.”

“That bad, huh?” Tori said when she held out her hand full of lug nuts. He smiled at how she was helping him and grabbed one from the palm of her hand. “Yeah, she was, but it was understandable at the time.”

One by one, he replaced the lug nuts and tightened them. When he got to the last one, he paused as his fingers made contact with her skin and looked up at her. There was slight hitch in her breathing, which was the only indication that she was affected by him. Grabbing the last one, he closed his fist around it and dropped his arm to rest on one of his knees. Squatting for so long was making his feet ache, but he didn’t want to move. She was at the same level, in a similar position. The fact that their time together was almost up didn’t escape him. He thought,
There’s no time like the present
.

“Hey, Tori?” he asked in a low, deceptively calm voice.

“Yeah, Jason,” she replied in a soft, shaky one of her own.

“I know you said your husband wasn’t around anymore … I was just wondering if he was still a husband, or if he was an ex-husband?” Jason asked.

Her jaw clenched for a moment before she released it, saying, “Oh, he’s definitely an ex-husband.”

Before he could respond, she stood and slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans and sighed. She looked anywhere but at him. He slowly released the jack and lowered the car before also standing. Lifting the tire that still needed repair, he hauled it to his trunk. When she saw what he was doing, she asked, “Did you mean to put my other tire in your trunk?”

Closing the trunk, he dusted off his hands as he looked at her. “Sure did.”

Confused, she asked, “Okay … why?”

He smiled confidently and shrugged as he leaned back against his car. “Gives me an excuse to have to see you again.”

Her hands slipped from her front pockets and into her back ones as she shifted from one foot to the other. This movement caused her shirt to tighten across her chest, giving him a perfect image of what was lying beneath. He was certain the vision before him would be relived repeatedly over the next few days. Or at least until she gave him another one. Tori brought him back to the conversation, asking, “Did you really need an
excuse
?”

“No, but it helps in case you have one.”

“An excuse for what?” she asked, looking both confused and curious.

“To tell me no when I ask if I can see you again.” He knew he was smirking, but he couldn’t help it. He was really enjoying watching her squirm—every emotion possible crossing her face. There was surprise, followed by a little excitement, then topped by apprehension. When she didn’t answer him, he feared apprehension was going to win, so he added, “So Tori, do you need an excuse to see me again? ‘Cause you have three more tires that might need some attention. I could easily just keeping swapping the new ones out until you finally say yes.”

She let out a laugh and dropped her head down to stare at the ground. Using her foot to play with a rock on the pavement, he let her think for a moment. Jason knew he had it in him to be more convincing, and he could definitely up his game if necessary. But he wanted her to say yes without needing an excuse.

When she looked up at him and gave him a shy smile, he knew he was in. “You want to see me again, for like … a date?”

“Yes, a date. But to be honest, I’d accept appointments for any and all car problems, maybe to carry some heavy boxes. Oh, I’m pretty good with yard work, too. You know, all that stuff that makes it worth having us
stupid
men around.” He winked at her and waited for her response.

As hoped, she smiled and said, “Well, as you can see, my tires have seen better days. And my yard really could use some attention.”

She was playing with him. And he loved it. “Great. Just tell me when, and I’ll be there. Then afterward, maybe you’ll let me take you somewhere so you can thank me for all of my hard work.”

With an unbelieving look she said, “You really would do something like that, wouldn’t you?”

Jason shrugged. “I’m thinking you’d be worth it, Tori. So yes, I probably would.”

“I work a lot of weekends,” she added.

He replied, “I’m my own boss and can work around your schedule.”

“I’m not the type of mom who would give up spending time with her daughter for anyone.”

“Do I come across as the type of man who would have a problem spending time with you
and
your daughter?”

“I have baggage,” she said abruptly in what appeared to be a last ditch effort to deter him.

She would have to accept that he was not a man who was easily deterred. “Like I said before, I’m really good with the heavy lifting.

TORI couldn’t help but smile at Jason. “You weren’t kidding when you said you had an answer for everything, huh?”

He only smiled as he stood leaning against his car. Strong arms crossed over his broad chest as he waited for her to respond to his original question.

She straightened her face and said, “No.”

His confident posture faltered, and he stood up, so she felt a little bad for attempting to tease him. Apparently he was a sensitive guy, so she continued, “No, I don’t need an excuse.”

And just like that, his face lit up with a smile. He raked a hand through his short dark hair before dropping it down and slipping it back into his pocket. His shoulders rose as he straightened his arms and asked in a seemingly happy tone, “When is your next day off?”

“Wednesday, but I’m off on Friday, too.”

“Wednesday works better for me,” he said. “It’s sooner than Friday.”

And just like that, the hope she had been holding at bay blossomed a little more. “Wednesday it is then.”

“Wednesday,” he agreed with that same happy tone and a smile to match.

They stood there quietly staring at each other for a few moments before their attention was redirected toward the backseat of his car.

“Uncle Jason,” one of his nephews called out. “The baby is waking up, and I think she wants her mom.”

Tori quickly moved to the open car door, feeling a little bad that she seemed to be in her own little world, practically forgetting about her daughter. Okay, she didn’t forget her daughter, since she was within ten feet of her and until two minutes ago was sound asleep. She needed to give herself a break, but it was odd for her to be feeling these emotions. It was foreign for her to be thinking of anyone but Lexi, even if it was just about herself. Shaking that off, she reached in and lifted the car seat out of the car. Before she even had her fully out of the car, Lexi gave up whining and started smiling, easing some of her tension.

Smiling back at her, she moved to get her purse and the diaper bag from the front seat. When she closed the door, she could see Jason removing the base for her. He quietly moved to Tori’s car and strapped it in before taking the seat from her hands. When he started talking to Lexi, Tori found herself once again being drawn to him.

“Now you’re going to be a good girl for Mommy, aren’t you? Yes, you are. You’re always a good girl, aren’t you?”

Tori just smiled and watched as he bent over and snapped the seat into place as Lexi just smiled and giggled at him in answer. She dropped her bags into the front seat and turned back to him as he stood up and closed the back door. “She says she’s going to be a good girl for you. Just so you know.”

She smiled up at him. Her life had been nothing but complicated over the past few years, so she couldn’t help but marvel at how content she felt at the moment. The only light in her life had been Lexi. She was her strength and courage all balled up into one beautiful little package. Dating a man was not something she worried about, at all, and she was fine with that. But that didn’t seem to be the case anymore. Even with all her baggage, she wanted to take the risk. And something told her Jason could carry it without a problem.