Page 48 of Colt

22

Colt

It shouldn’t have been a surprise that Jenna disregarded my request not to bring Jett and Jasmine along today. She never gave a shit about anything I wanted. She was one of the most selfish women I knew. I wished things could be easy between us when it came to co-parenting, but as more time passed, I realized that would never be the case.

“Daddy, can you push us on the swings?” Jasmine asked, tearing my gaze away from Jenna and Ember. Jenna was a bitch and Ember had been through the wringer of bitchy people so I couldn’t help but be a little worried for her.

“Daddy?” Jett echoed.

“Sure, let’s go!” The park was quiet this morning, allowing us to pick whatever we wanted to do.I lifted each of them onto a swing and stood between them so I could push them at the same time.

Even though I was enjoying my impromptu time with my kids, I kept glancing back at Ember. I could tell by the way she positioned her body, Jenna was on the attack. She was sitting straight as an arrow with her arms folded on the table; her hands balled into fists. If I weren’t her ride home, she would have probably bolted by now. I didn’t know what to do. If I went over there to rescue her from the evil bitch, then my kids would end up meeting her, but if I kept them away, she was going to have to deal with Jenna all alone. The only thing that helped me remain calm was knowing that Ember wasn’t some weakling. I’d known that about her years ago and now, having gone through the death of her dad, Torch blackmailing her, her brother going to jail, and Fitz being killed right in front of her, she hadn’t broken. Even when I’d added to her hell. She was strong, and I had to trust that. Strangely, I did trust Ember in this situation.

“Who’s that lady talking to Mommy?” Jasmine asked as she continued soaring through the air.

Well shit! It looked like I was going to have to address the issue anyway.

“Her name is Ember. She’s a friend of mine.”

“She’s pretty,” Jett added. The kid was definitely my son.

Jasmine giggled. “I like her hair! She looks like a princess.”

I laughed at my daughter’s observation. Princesses were a regular part of our time together, whether it was watching movies, having tea parties, or playing dolls. Of course, that was something I kept to myself. The jokes from my brothers would be endless if they ever found out.

Looking at the two women, it was impossible not to notice how different they were. Not just in looks either. While Jenna’s actions were almost always self-serving, Ember was one of the most selfless people I knew. She was here because I asked her, even though she had nothing to gain from helping me. She was loyal to the core. That was evident by the lengths she went to protect her brother and sister. And while I hated to think of her with Torch, I now understood the very complicated reasons behind her choices.I also knew she still struggled with Fitz’s death and her guilt over it. We’d talked a lot about him, and told stories—great stories, some of which I hadn’t ever heard. There was a lot to Ember I was learning, more than I let her learn about me. But, while spending time with her, I found myself telling her things, only to stop when I realized I was sharing intimate, personal information. She always listened, never pushed, let me set the pace, and damn, if I wasn’t careful, I’d fall for her.

And I couldn’t let that happen.

I thought I’d loved Jenna, but I’d only been in lust with her. I had a youthful, immature idea of love, but Ember was the real deal and it freaked me out.

“Can we go meet her?” Jett asked, snapping my attention back to him and his sister.

There was no way for me to stop this train now. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Maybe if I played up the ‘just friends’ angle in front of them, it wouldn’t be a big deal. I could only hope it went well.

“Sure,” I responded as I brought each of their swings to a gentle stop. I held both of their hands as we made our way back to the picnic table where Jenna and Ember were sitting. As we got closer, I could tell there wasn’t much conversation happening between them, but there were plenty of dirty looks being thrown in my direction from Jenna.

“Hey ladies, these two wanted to come over and say hi.”

Ember looked at me, her eyes wide with shock. Or panic, I couldn’t tell which. Everything so far was the opposite of what we’d planned for today. But she recovered quickly and faced Jett and Jasmine.

“This is my friend, Ember,” I introduced.

Jenna guffawed across from behind me, but we all ignored her.

“Hi there,” Ember said, smiling. She even got off the bench to kneel before them so they would be at eye level. It had an effect on me in ways I hadn’t anticipated. “Your dad has told me a lot about you.”

I hadn’t really, but I was grateful for the effort she made to make them comfortable.

“Hi, Ember. I’m Jett,” he said, and pointed at his sister, “and this is Jasmine.”

My little man was already at ease while Jasmine developed a sudden bout of shyness, hiding behind my legs.

Ember smiled. “It’s very nice to meet both of you.”

“Daddy said you’re his friend. Does that mean you’re going to be our friend too?” Jett asked.

Jenna snorted again, and I pinned her with a look that said she better knock it off.