Page 93 of The Encounter
He stopped in front of the door and pulled her into his arms. “It’ll be okay.”
Before they could pull away and knock, the front door swung open.
“You two get in here before you catch a cold!” Jackie said, waving her hand in the air to get them to follow her inside.
As soon as she closed the door behind them, she had Jace in her arms. “Hey baby.”
“Hey Mom.” He kissed her cheek before they pulled apart.
“Hi Maddie! It’s so wonderful to see you again,” Jackie said, pulling Maddie into her arms next.
Maddie laughed and hugged her. “It’s wonderful to see you again, too.”
After they pulled apart, Jackie led them toward the living room. Jace took Maddie’s hand, and she smiled brightly at him. Dan stood from where he sat on the couch and walked over to them, pulling Jace into a hug before doing the same with Maddie. Within minutes, Jace knew he no longer needed to reassure Maddie. She had completely relaxed.
They all sat on the couches around the living room with glasses of wine in hand. The house was modest, considering the wealth his parents had. He had grown up with money, but his parents tried not to spoil him. Once he had been diagnosed with leukemia, they had been a little less strict and spoiled him more. But after he had gone into remission, they went back to not spoiling him.
He didn’t mind. He had everything he needed with his parents and his health. Despite not understanding much about cancer as a child and only understanding that it made him feel sick and put him in the hospital frequently, he understood that his health was something that was a blessing. He had beat cancer along with Haley’s sister, and that was more than he could have ever hoped for. Several of his friends from the hospital hadn’t been so fortunate.
Out of everything, it had brought his family closer together. His parents stopped working crazy hours and focused more on the family, and they had designated family nights weekly. It was something he loved and something he knew he wanted for his own children someday.
His own children.
He looked over at Maddie as she laughed at something his dad said, before she looked his way. Her entire face lit up.
A sudden rush washed over him.
What if she was the one he was meant to be with? The one he would have children with?
He knew he had never felt about anyone the way he felt about Maddie. That much had been apparent to him when he found her drugged on his office floor. But now his brain had propelled him forward into thinking of their own family someday.
He took a deep breath.
Maddie’s hand rested on his knee and she squeezed it before whispering, “Are you okay?”
He smiled brightly at her. “Of course. I’m just happy you’re here.”
“Me too.”
29
Jace called Kayla first thing the next morning. He knew asking his girlfriend’s best friend and roommate to work for him might create problems, especially since she was also dating one of his other employees. But when Maddie mentioned Kayla was struggling with bills, he knew it meant that Maddie would foot the other end. Without insulting her and offering to pay her bills, he thought the best course of action would be to ask Kayla to work for him. That way, he could get off the floor again, Kayla could make some money, and Maddie would have less of a burden on her plate. It might be a win-win-win situation all around.
Kayla had told him she had bartending experience from college, but that she would be rusty. He didn’t mind and told her he’d like to have her come in to work and help them out for the time being. She immediately jumped at the chance and was scheduled to come in that night to work alongside both Haley and himself.
If Kayla was rusty, having Jace behind the bar as well would help get them through the crowds at a faster pace. But if Kayla seemed to do well, he would step away from the bar and hopefully get his evenings back.
He enjoyed bartending occasionally, but he missed spending time with Maddie on the nights he worked. Between Haley and Seth, they could help run the place while he was gone. He certainly didn’t need the money, and he truly wanted to get more time with Maddie.
Jace couldn’t get enough of her. He almost felt like he suffocated when she wasn’t near. She was his air.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and shot a text over to Maddie.
Kayla is coming in tonight to work. Are you planning to come down?
The little dots danced across the screen, showing that she was writing back.
She already told me. No, I think I’ll let you guys work and stay out of the way.
