She sighed and set it back down. He had texted her a few times and called as well. He had congratulated her on her engagement and had also wanted to know if they could get together for a glass of wine or coffee.
In one of the messages, he said he wanted to make sure they remained friends.
But was that what she wanted? Just to be his friend? Could she even do that considering how he made her feel?
Kara frowned and returned to tidying up and getting ready to go out.
Perhaps spending time with Jamie will make things clearer.
When Jamie arrived, he had a box of chocolates for Kara and a tin of sparkly crayons for Maeve. They drove to the restaurant in Kara’s truck as it already had Maeve’s booster seat installed in it, and shortly after, they were all seated together at a small pizza parlor.
Dinner went smoothly as Maeve was kept busy drawing with her new crayons on the multiple paper placemats that the server continually provided. Jamie was a talented artist, something Kara had forgotten about, and as they were eating, he easily kept Maeve entertained by drawing her pictures of every animal she could dream up. His talent perhaps explained why coloring books and drawing materials of every color fascinated Maeve for long periods of time, something her nursery teachers had repeatedly told Kara was unusual for a child her age.
After dinner, they stopped at a playground to let Maeve run off some energy, and it was just after eight o’clock when they finally made their way home. Soon, an exhausted Maeve was bathed and fast asleep in bed.
“Well, that was a success,” said Kara. She brought Jamie a glass of wine from the kitchen and sat down beside him on the living room couch. “At least, it was for Maeve. Thank you for showing her such a nice evening.”
“It was fine. She’s a sweet little girl,” replied Jamie. “She takes after her mother, I guess.”
“Well, if she’s sweet, she certainly doesn’t take after her father,” Kara said, shooting him a slide glance.
“Touché,” laughed Jamie, settling back into the couch.
She smiled uncertainly back at him.
“So I guess my proposal the other night caught you off guard,” he said. “I noticed you’re not wearing the ring I gave you.”
Kara took a long sip of her wine and nodded. “Well, I must admit, I did find the whole thing confusing. You haven’t been in touch much since I got pregnant with Maeve, and now suddenly, you show up, spend a few days here with us and then propose marriage? It doesn’t make a lot of sense. What’s really going on, Jamie?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Nothing nefarious,” he replied. “I just realized that I miss living here. And I miss you. I finally realized how stupid I was to walk away from everything. Besides, I haven’t been out of touch all this time.”
“No?”
Jamie shook his head. “Every week my parents call me up and let me know what you and Maeve have been doing, and when I don’t hear anything, I call them and check up on you both. I meant what I said—I’ve realized now that what we had was pretty special all those years ago. So I decided to do now what I should have done when you first told me you were pregnant.”
Kara studied him through narrowed eyes and shifted slightly farther away from him on the couch. Jamie seemed sincere enough, but everything he was saying was so different from what he had told her all those years ago, it was hard to believe.
Before she could formulate a reply, Jamie slid over and leaned in toward her. Kara closed her eyes as he kissed her. It was a pleasant kiss—soft, tender, and not the least bit pushy. But there were also no tremors, no stars flashing, and no butterflies in her stomach.
Kara felt zip, nada, zilch—nothing when his lips touched hers.
She sighed softly and drew back. Jamie smiled at the sound and leaned in to kiss her again.
Frowning, Kara turned her head to one side, put both hands on his chest, and pushed him away. He looked up at her in surprise as she got to her feet and went to sit in an armchair across from him.
“You know, you’ve been pretty specific about what you want since you’ve been home, but you’ve never asked what I want for Maeve and me.”
Jamie looked puzzled and shifted back. “Haven’t I? Well, I suppose I’ve just assumed that what you want is a stable family for Maeve—an involved, caring father in her life, and some peace and security for you both. Am I wrong?”
“No, not really,” Kara answered, her hostility abating somewhat as she considered his words. “But Maeve and I already have a family with your parents, Mark, Mary, and Rachel. And I do well enough running the garden center, so we are financially secure,” she added, mentally crossing her fingers as she lied. She certainly didn’t want to share any of her financial worries with Jamie. “What makes you think we need you back in our lives?”
“Because I’m her father, and every child needs her dad,” he answered. “And you can’t take that away from her. We both know that wouldn’t be good for her.”
Kara’s hands clenched. “Do not tell me what’s best for her. Don’t forget, I’m the one who kept her in close contact with your family.”
“Yes, and we all appreciate that.”
“Your parents have been fabulous. Maeve couldn’t ask for better grandparents. Honestly, it’s just been you and Elizabeth who’ve made life difficult for Maeve and me from time to time.”
“I know, and I apologize for my part in that. But now I want to do better, be better, and that’s why I’m here. I’m trying to make things right.”
Kara tilted her head to one side and considered this. “That’s nice,” she replied, frowning.
“Is it? Really? Does that mean you’ll marry me?” Jamie asked, leaning toward her. “Do you want me to get back down on one knee again?”
Kara laughed. “No. At least, I don’t want you to do that right now, but I’ll think about it.”
And she would, she decided. She might not have felt the passion for Jamie that she had felt with Scott when their lips met, but that wasn’t all that was important in a relationship. Besides, Scott was off kissing Candy now and was considering leaving Larkin Bay for the bright lights of New York. Jamie was here and seemed interested in a future with Kara and being a proper father for Maeve.
I don’t need to have it all, do I?
Kara was clearing dishes at Sullivan’s Place when Candy walked over and tapped on the bar to get her attention.
“Are you thrilled?” she asked Kara, giving her a brilliant smile.
“About what?” asked Kara, picking up her full tray and balancing it on one hip while she gave Candy a bewildered look.
Candy swatted at her. “Your engagement, silly! You must be so happy. I’m always ecstatic when I get engaged.”
