hand.
Laughing, she followed him out of the barn and to the chicken coop that was off to the side of the barn. “We hab fifty chickens! And they all have eggs!” he exclaimed excitedly.
“Do you collect them?”
Puffing up his chest, he told her, “I hold the bucket for Angie.”
“Such an important job.”
She listened with half an ear as he told her the cute names he’d given each chicken. And told her all the facts he knew about them, and about how the rooster woke them up at sunrise. Every kernel of information he had, he happily told her about.
Looking around the farm, she realized it wasn’t as small as Dom had tried to make it sound. It was actually quite large. He didn’t have many animals but acres of open land. She could see herself happy here. Peaceful. If only her father would leave her be.
*****
Dom watched as Jax pulled Deedee happily behind him from the barn to the chicken coops, talking animatedly. She seemed to listen to every word, too. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought this moment would come. But here they were, and his two favorite people seemed to genuinely like each other, and it couldn’t make him happier.
“She’s a keeper,” Case said behind him.
“Yup.”
“You’re not letting her go, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Gonna marry her, huh? Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Yup.”
“I’m happy for you, man.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll leave ya to it then,” he said making his way out the way he came in.
“Later.”
What he was feeling for Deidre may not be love yet, but he was old enough to know a sure thing when he found it. And he found it in spades with her. He looked forward to having everything with her. A life filled with happiness and as many children as he could possibly put in her.
The way she accepted Jax, even though she was pissed at him, showed him more than she would ever know about how she felt about children. She loved them unconditionally. He hadn’t worried about Jax loving her, he knew his son would. But with how much he’d opened up to her it amazed Dom.
Ever since Brooke dropped him and ran, there has always been something missing in Jax. A need to be loved by a mother. Every boy needed it. A father could only do so much. There was no doubt he loved Jax with everything he had, but there was only so much he could do to fill the void she had left.
When he’d hired Angela to take care of the house shortly after Jax had arrived and just before Case did, he didn’t expect her to fall in love with his son and want to take care of him the way she had. But she’d helped fill the role of mother as best she could. He was happy she could let that position go and be more grandmotherly now.
Case had been a godsend. He’d helped keep Dom sane on the sleepless nights of colic and teething. Things neither of them were prepared for and had fought like a battle. When Jax had fallen while learning to walk at eleven months old, he’d tumbled down the porch steps they had just finished fixing. Jax thought it was funny, Dom and Case panicked when they saw blood from a scratch on his arm and rushed him to the hospital like he was losing a limb. It was his first real injury—certainly not his last —and they’d been more upset than Jax.
The doctors and nurses had laughed at how worried they were for such a small cut but assured them it wouldn’t be his last, which was true. Since then, they’d made three more visits to the ER. Twice for stitches because he couldn’t seem to run without falling, and once for a bump on the head they’d worried could be a concussion because he’d hit the bottom rung of the paddock.
They didn’t freak as much as they used to, but the worry never dulled. Nor was there ever a dull moment with a toddler around. However, neither of them would change a thing. He just hoped that once Case found a woman, she would accept the relationship he shared with Dom’s son.
Deciding it was time he went and joined his
Laughing, she followed him out of the barn and to the chicken coop that was off to the side of the barn. “We hab fifty chickens! And they all have eggs!” he exclaimed excitedly.
“Do you collect them?”
Puffing up his chest, he told her, “I hold the bucket for Angie.”
“Such an important job.”
She listened with half an ear as he told her the cute names he’d given each chicken. And told her all the facts he knew about them, and about how the rooster woke them up at sunrise. Every kernel of information he had, he happily told her about.
Looking around the farm, she realized it wasn’t as small as Dom had tried to make it sound. It was actually quite large. He didn’t have many animals but acres of open land. She could see herself happy here. Peaceful. If only her father would leave her be.
*****
Dom watched as Jax pulled Deedee happily behind him from the barn to the chicken coops, talking animatedly. She seemed to listen to every word, too. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought this moment would come. But here they were, and his two favorite people seemed to genuinely like each other, and it couldn’t make him happier.
“She’s a keeper,” Case said behind him.
“Yup.”
“You’re not letting her go, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Gonna marry her, huh? Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Yup.”
“I’m happy for you, man.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll leave ya to it then,” he said making his way out the way he came in.
“Later.”
What he was feeling for Deidre may not be love yet, but he was old enough to know a sure thing when he found it. And he found it in spades with her. He looked forward to having everything with her. A life filled with happiness and as many children as he could possibly put in her.
The way she accepted Jax, even though she was pissed at him, showed him more than she would ever know about how she felt about children. She loved them unconditionally. He hadn’t worried about Jax loving her, he knew his son would. But with how much he’d opened up to her it amazed Dom.
Ever since Brooke dropped him and ran, there has always been something missing in Jax. A need to be loved by a mother. Every boy needed it. A father could only do so much. There was no doubt he loved Jax with everything he had, but there was only so much he could do to fill the void she had left.
When he’d hired Angela to take care of the house shortly after Jax had arrived and just before Case did, he didn’t expect her to fall in love with his son and want to take care of him the way she had. But she’d helped fill the role of mother as best she could. He was happy she could let that position go and be more grandmotherly now.
Case had been a godsend. He’d helped keep Dom sane on the sleepless nights of colic and teething. Things neither of them were prepared for and had fought like a battle. When Jax had fallen while learning to walk at eleven months old, he’d tumbled down the porch steps they had just finished fixing. Jax thought it was funny, Dom and Case panicked when they saw blood from a scratch on his arm and rushed him to the hospital like he was losing a limb. It was his first real injury—certainly not his last —and they’d been more upset than Jax.
The doctors and nurses had laughed at how worried they were for such a small cut but assured them it wouldn’t be his last, which was true. Since then, they’d made three more visits to the ER. Twice for stitches because he couldn’t seem to run without falling, and once for a bump on the head they’d worried could be a concussion because he’d hit the bottom rung of the paddock.
They didn’t freak as much as they used to, but the worry never dulled. Nor was there ever a dull moment with a toddler around. However, neither of them would change a thing. He just hoped that once Case found a woman, she would accept the relationship he shared with Dom’s son.
Deciding it was time he went and joined his
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