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Chapter X
The Tender Trap
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Jade makes her way into the bedroom, but Beck isn't in their bed. She sets her bag on the ground and heads into Finn's room, where she finds her boys. Beck had obviously fallen asleep next to their son, because the lamp on Finn's nightstand is still turned on. She decides to find Ezra, then, and goes into the toddler's room to see him fast asleep.
Jade wants nothing more than to hold him and hug him, but she doesn't want to wake him from his sleep, so she settles for rubbing his back and leaning over to kiss him in his crib. When she returns to Finn's room, she walks over to her fiancé and sits on the side of the bed that he's on. She moves some of the hair out of his forehead so the space is clear for her to kiss, causing him to wake up.
She watches as the waves of confusion hit him, each for a few milliseconds. He realizes that he must have fallen asleep after singing to Finn, and then, more obviously, that Jade is sitting in front of him. "Am I still asleep?" He asks groggily, and she laughs quietly.
"I missed my boys," she whispers, keeping her palm on his cheek.
Beck uses his other arm to pull her in closer so that he can kiss her lips, and everything that both of them had missed so much in the last three days is now just a memory. When they pull back, Jade looks over at Finn. "How is he?" She runs her hand gently through the six-year-old's hair, and Beck is about to answer her when Finn starts to stir. "Shhh, go back to sleep," Jade says softly, and bends down to kiss him. Finn closes his eyes again, but he rolls over so that he's curled up next to her.
"Back to the bedroom?" Beck suggests, grinning. When his fiancé nods, he stands up from the bed to let her off too. As soon as Jade moves, though, a whimper comes from Finn's mouth.
He tosses again. "Mama," he whines, still mostly asleep. Jade sits back to be with him, just to see his reaction, and he cuddles up to her again. She looks up at Beck, who smiles at her sympathetically.
"Bring him to our room," he sighs, knowing that it's what his fiancé wants. Jade smiles back and lifts Finn into her arms to carry him into the master bedroom. She hands him to Beck, who gets the little boy situated while Jade puts on her pajamas, and then joins them in bed.
They've only been asleep for a few hours when Finn begins to stir in his sleep. He's whimpering again, and starts mumbling what sounds like "Mama" and "I want Mama" over and over again. His parents are awake within minutes, and Jade looks up at her fiancé with furrowed eyebrows for an explanation.
"He's been doing this since Thursday night," Beck tells Jade, to her horror. "He sleeps in my bed or I sleep in his so that I can calm him down."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to worry. He just missed you, that's all. It's okay, babe."
Jade ignores him and looks down at Finn, who is still tossing and turning. "Mama," he cries.
"Shh, shh. I'm right here." She pulls him into her arms and kisses his head. "It's okay. Mama's right here." Finn's breathing slows as he settles down and falls back asleep. Jade looks back up at Beck. "You should have told me."
"I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't think you'd be this upset about it."
"Of course I'm upset, Beck. He wasn't ready to be away from me yet. He's been terrified of me not coming back, and the fact that he's crying in his sleep about it makes me feel horrible."
"I'm sorry. You're right; I should have told you. I just wanted you to get the chance to take the job in Denver; it was such a great opportunity, and I didn't want you to have to come home early."
"I know. But I would have come back in a heartbeat if I'd known it would help him sleep better."
He nods in understanding and apologizes again before dropping a kiss to her forehead. They doze off to sleep, Finn still in Jade's arms. It isn't until eight in the morning that the six-year-old wakes up again. When he opens his eyes, he realizes who he's snuggling with. "Mama!" He says suddenly. "Mama, wake up!"
Jade is already starting to blink tiredly, and her yawn turns into a laugh when she sees the excited look on his face. "Hi, baby."
"You're home!" He nearly yells, which wakes Beck up. Finn hugs her and rests his head on her chest, so she wraps her arms around him. "I thought you wouldn't be home until today," he says into her shirt.
"I had to come back early; I missed you too much."
"I missed you too, Mama."
Minutes later, Ezra's baby voice comes through the monitor and Beck and Jade both smile. "I know someone else who missed you, too," Beck says, sliding out of bed. He returns quickly with Ezra, who nearly jumps out of his dad's arms at the sight of Jade.
"Mama!" He screams, and Beck releases him onto the bed.
"Hi, bear!" Jade pulls him into her arms so that she's holding both boys at the same time. Ezra starts talking excitedly to her in that sweet voice she'd missed so much, and even though they can only usually understand about half of what he's saying, it's still just as adorable.
"Dad!" Finn says, leaning over to whisper in Beck's ear. "We have to set up Mama's stuff. The posters, remember?"
Beck nods knowingly and turns to let Finn hop on his back for a ride to the kitchen. "We've got a little bit of work to do," he tells his fiancé with a wink. Jade doesn't mention that she'd seen the artwork last night, and simply smiles.
"You stay here, Mama!"
"Ez," Beck says, "you wanna come with Finn and Daddy?
"No!"
"I vote no for him, too," Jade jokes, snuggling the baby closer to her.
"My son, the serial Mama's Boy," Beck laughs. He takes Finn into the kitchen, where they work together to finish the welcome home sign and put up the streamers they'd set out. Finn completes his drawing and Beck makes some coffee, and they return to the bedroom after fifteen minutes.
"Mama dink toffee!" Ezra points out as Beck hands her the mug. "I see! I see!"
"Careful, bear." Jade holds the mug sturdily in one hand while Ezra tries to see what's inside. "Look, yummy coffee."
"Yummy toffee!" He mimics.
"Mama, do you want to come see the kitchen?" Finn asks as she takes a sip.
"Of course I do." She grins and gets up from the bed, still holding Ezra and the coffee mug. She follows Finn and Beck into the kitchen and immediately sees the work they'd done.
"Do you like it?" Finn's green eyes open wide as he looks up at her.
"Like it? It's the best thing I've ever seen," she promises him. She sets her coffee on the counter and bends down to be at Finn's level. "Thank you so much, buddy. It's beautiful." Finn grins and hugs her, and then reaches back to the table to show her something else.
"I made this at school. Daddy wanted to hang it on the fridge, but I wanted to give it to you first." He hands the piece of construction paper to Jade, whose eyes glaze over as she blinks back tears.
There's hardly any white left on the paper, because Finn had colored so much on it. The sky is filled in blue, and a yellow sun shines from the corner of the picture. All the way to the left, he had drawn their house, and Beck's red truck right next to it. Then, four stick figures stand in a green grass covered in multicolor flowers. Beck is the tallest, and then Jade, and then Finn and Ezra are drawn much smaller. All four of them are holding hands (their stick arms are connected) and they all have smiles on their faces.
"Finn tuh-ler that!" Ezra exclaims as he points at the picture.
"That's right, he did color this," Jade tells him, and then looks down at the six-year-old. "Finn, this is the prettiest picture anyone has ever made for me. I love it." She kisses his cheek and Finn beams. "Can we put it on the fridge?"
He nods, so Jade hands the picture to Beck, who hangs it onto the refrigerator door with a magnet. "Alright," he says, "who wants pancakes?"
"Me!" Finn shouts, and Ezra copies him soon after. Jade sets the two-year-old down so he can play with Finn while she helps make breakfast.
Beck, meanwhile, is having a hard time resisting pinning his fiancé up against the counter for some morning fun. When she passes him from behind, he catches her arm and pulls her in to face him. "I missed you," he whispers, and, after making sure the boys aren't looking, kisses her for a little longer than usual.
Jade loves the lip action, but she doesn't realize how horny Beck actually is until, five minutes and several more kisses later, he sneaks an ass grab.
"Don't touch Mommy," she teases, swatting his hand away, and he grins.
Almost right after she speaks, she sees that their toddler has wandered behind the counter and is approaching Jade with little outstretched arms. "Mama, I wanna hug," he says, melting Jade's heart.
"You want a hug?" She asks him, and lifts him into her arms so that she can kiss all over his face. He giggles loudly and she hugs him close to her chest, and Beck finds himself wondering if he's actually jealous of a two-year-old. (A two-year-old, at that, who has about as much power over Jade as Beck himself does.)
"Give Mama a kiss," Jade says, and Ezra pecks her lips happily.
"Hey," Beck interjects after flipping another pancake, "doesn't Daddy get kisses too?" He puckers his lips towards his fiancé and son, and Ezra grins.
"No!" He giggles, pushing Beck's lips away with his little hand. "Only me!" He buries his head in Jade's neck and Beck presses a kiss to her temple.
"Okay!" Finn's announcement makes both of his parents look up. "I set the table! Are the pancakes ready?"
"Just about," Beck answers him, and flips the last round onto the plate that already has a stack. He carries the pancakes to the table and Jade brings the bowl of chopped fruit, and breakfast begins.
The following morning, when Finn has been dropped off at school and Jade is on her way to a photo shoot with Ezra, she gets a phone call from someone she hadn't heard from in several weeks.
"Jade, I'm so glad you answered."
She rolls her eyes. "Okay. Do you need something?"
"I just want to chat with my daughter."
Jade scoffs. "Good one."
"Why must you be so difficult, Jade?"
"Dad, when was the last time you called me just to chat? I don't think that has ever actually happened. Just tell me what you're calling for; I'm on my way to work and I don't have much time."
"Well, alright, if you insist. Margot and I want you to come to California before the wedding. Preferably, for Thanksgiving next week."
"What? Dad, the wedding is in a month, and—"
"I'm aware. I can book your flight to Los Angeles as soon as you say yes, and you'll be up here next week." When she doesn't reply, Collin continues. "Veronica has already agreed she's coming; it'll be a family affair."
"A family affair? So, I'm assuming you would also be getting Beck a ticket, and the boys?"
"Well, I'd prefer if you came alone—"
"Not happening. I come with my family or I don't come at all."
Collin sighs. "That's fine. I'll book four flights for next Monday, and the return flights on Friday."
"Five days? Dad, don't you think that's a little excessive?"
"Is five days really too much to spend with your me, Margot, and your sister?" Jade wants to tell him that yes, actually, it is too much—but she refrains. "Come on, Jade. Escape the snow of Colorado for a week and come to sunny California. I assure you, you will not regret it."
Despite her hesitation, she knows that Beck would want to go and that the boys would probably love the beautiful west coast weather. "Fine," she says. "Book the flights."
"Splendid. I'll email you with the confirmation."
She hangs up then, and groans in frustration. "Hey, Ez? How would you feel about randomly coming down with the flu next week, huh?"
Ezra babbles some gibberish back and Jade smiles at him. Later that day, they meet up with Tori and Andre at Eric's, a fun restaurant with an arcade. Beck picks up Finn from school because he has a half-day, and they meet the group for lunch.
Tori, who's now a month into her second trimester, has started to just barely show signs of a bump. The second she sits down at the table, she places an order of onion rings with their waiter. "It's all I've wanted since I woke up this morning," she tells Jade. "I don't even like onion rings!"
Jade laughs and gets Ezra situated in his high chair. "But Baby Harris does."
"Mama, I don't sit here!" Ezra whines as he twists his body to try to get out. "I dit out!"
"Okay, okay." Jade pacifies the fussy toddler by pulling him into her lap. She looks up at Tori and Andre. "I swear, the terrible two's are so real."
"Aw," Andre says, "but how can you ever say no to that face?"
"It's so hard. Especially when he's screaming." Ezra is fully content in Jade's lap, so she holds him for the time being. Beck and Finn arrive at the restaurant and the first grader heads straight for his mother.
"Hi Mama!"
"Hey, squirm," she says, pulling him into a hug. "How was school?"
"We didn't get to go to music class today because it was a half day, so it was kinda boring."
"Bummer. Well, we can practice piano today for as long as you want," Jade reminds him.
"Sweet!" He moves around the table to hug Tori and Andre before sitting at the end of the table. Beck, meanwhile, takes a seat next to his fiancé and across from Andre. He kisses Jade and tickles Ezra, who fusses and turns away.
"Bad day?" He asks Jade, in reference to the two-year-old.
"He won't even look at his high chair."
Beck chuckles and shakes his head. "Of course. Well," he says, turning to the couple on the other side of the table, "have you guys started doing anything for the baby yet?"
"We ordered the crib!" Tori answers excitedly.
"And speaking of that," Andre adds, "Beck, we might need your help putting it together."
"What do you mean? Isn't it just a standard crib?"
"Not exactly," he says, and Tori smiles apologetically. "My lovely wife here wanted an Italian crib. This kid's bed is going to be more expensive than ours." Tori grins and elbows him. "We won't be able to read the instructions, and you design stuff to build for a living—so we'll probably need some help."
"No problem," Beck laughs. "I'd be happy to."
"Aunt Tori?" Finn looks over at his aunt.
"Yeah, buddy?"
"Are you gonna have a baby boy or a baby girl?"
"It's going to be a surprise!"
"A surprise?"
"Uh-huh. Uncle Andre and I decided that we don't want to know if the baby is a boy or a girl until he or she is born! Isn't that fun?"
"Yeah, I guess so. So how long do we have to wait?"
Tori laughs. "About five months. It'll go by super fast, I promise."
"Dad, did you know that I was gonna be a boy?"
"Yup. I knew about both you and Ezra."
"What if you have another baby? Then will you find out again?"
"Most likely, yeah. I don't think Mama is patient enough to wait nine whole months," he teases.
"True," Jade admits.
"Good!" Finn exclaims. "I wouldn't want to wait to find out!"
Once their orders are placed, Finn decides he wants to go play in the arcade, so Beck and Andre say they'll take him. "Ezra," Jade says, "do you want to go play games with Daddy and Finn?"
"No!" He pouts, and lays his head back on her chest.
"Are you sure, buddy?" Beck ruffles the toddler's hair. "They have all the games you like, like the ones with the race cars."
This gets his attention, and he sits up as a grin replaces the frown on his face. "Race tars!" He repeats excitedly. "Mama, I do race tars!"
"Okay! Go with Daddy and Uncle Andre and Finn and you can play on them!" She hands Ezra to Beck, who kisses Jade's lips and takes his sons to the arcade area. "So," she says once she and Tori are the only ones left at the table, "how are things besides the intense cravings?"
"They're good! I'm so glad to be done with the first trimester, you know? The nausea has gone down so much, and I don't think I could have spent another morning vomiting."
Jade grimaces. "Yeah. Sounds like a blast."
"It's mostly good," Tori laughs. "What about you? You and Beck seem to be doing great."
"Everything is good, yeah. He's keeping something from me right now, but I'll figure it out eventually."
"What do you mean?"
"I can just tell he's hiding something. Nothing super serious, but the past few times that I've brought him lunch at work, he looks like he's making up something to tell me about what he's been doing all day. He's a terrible liar; it's actually funny."
"Does he know that you know?"
"Probably not. I haven't told him."
"You two are so weird."
Jade smirks. "But does it matter how weird we are if the sex is this good?"
"I figured it would be. Not in a creepy way, but you know what I mean. Beck is so... And you're so..."
Jade interrupts her before she can say anything else. "Got it. So, new subject: my dad called me earlier."
Tori's eyebrows shoot up. "What did he want?"
"To spend Thanksgiving with me."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. He said that he and Margot want to see me before the wedding, and they invited Veronica up, so it'll be a family affair. His words exactly."
"What about Beck and the boys? They'll come too, right?"
"He said he'd prefer if it was just me, which speaks even more to the fact that he doesn't know me at all. I told him I come with my family or I don't come at all, and he seemed okay with it."
Their onion rings arrive at the table, and Tori's look of utter excitement makes Jade laugh. "Pregnancy hormones are a powerful thing, huh?"
Tori has already started eating her first one. "You could put an obstacle course between me and these onion rings and I would still get to them. Anyways, back to your dad. It does seem pretty fishy—but what's the worst that can happen? If you're miserable, you can always just fly home early, right?"
"Not exactly," Jade mutters. "My dad is paying for our flights—there and back. If Beck and I wanted to come home early, we wouldn't just drop two thousand dollars on four last-minute plane tickets back to Colorado. We'll have to stay for at least five days."
"Well, that sucks. But look at it this way: Beck will probably be really excited to go. You know he's always wanted to. And besides, I love Breckenridge, but getting out of this snow would be awesome."
True to Tori's word (and what Jade has known for a while), Beck is happy about spending Thanksgiving with Collin and Margot West. He speaks with his parents, who completely understand, and he and Jade tell the boys that they're taking a trip to California. A week later, they're boarding a plane to Los Angeles and Jade is a bundle of nerves. They get their seats, which Collin had booked in first class, and Beck and Jade take the aisle seats to be closer to each other.
Finn takes the window seat next to his dad, while Jade puts Ezra in the other seat in her row. "Babe," Beck says, getting his fiancé's attention. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She shakes her head and hands Ezra his sippy cup of apple juice.
"Jade," he says, this time making his voice sound more inquisitive.
She sighs. "When I was on the phone with him, he sounded different."
"Different how?"
"He sounded like... Like he really wanted to see me. He really tried to convince me to come, and he's never done that before."
Beck smiles and reaches across the aisle to hold her hand. "He's your dad, babe. Of course he wants to see you. He just wants to spend time with his daughter."
As hard as it is for Jade to believe, she lets herself have hope that he's right. It may have taken Collin over two decades to realize it, but maybe he's finally decided to be a decent father.
The flight is quick. Ezra sits in Jade's lap, and they both sleep the entire time. Beck and Finn use the iPad to play Scrabble, which Jade had gotten both of them addicted to. By the time they land in sunny California, Jade is feeling better about things and the boys are ecstatic.
Not surprisingly, Collin West had sent a limo to pick them up at the airport. Beck had gotten a suite at the Roosevelt Hotel, figuring they could splurge on their stay since they weren't paying for the plane tickets. They get settled in the room—which is comprised of two bedrooms, a living area, and a kitchenette—and then begin getting ready for dinner at Jade's father's house.
While in the master bedroom, Jade finds herself staring out the window and into the vast of Hollywood. She feels Beck come up behind her, and he wraps his arms around her before dropping a kiss to the back of her neck. "So," he says, resting his head on her shoulder, "this is where you grew up."
She nods. "Right in this area, too. West Hollywood. I always pictured myself moving back here after college but, now that I have the boys, I don't know how anyone could feel good about raising a family here. I mean, god, look what it did to me."
"Hey," Beck chides her with just a word. He turns her so that she's facing him. "You turned out perfect. Look at you: back in LA after six years, with a fiancé and two sons." Jade leans in for a kiss and places both of her hands on his cheeks. "I love you. This week is not going to be as bad as you think."
She kisses him again. "I love you, too."
The second Beck pulls their rental car up to the West home in the Hollywood Hills, the reality of what Jade had been telling him for the past week sinks in: she comes from a lot of money.
And even that's an understatement.
The house is more appropriately called a mansion, as it takes up so much room on the lot that Beck can't even say for sure where it begins and ends. "This is where you grew up?" He asks his fiancé, his tone incredulous.
She raises her eyebrows. "Told you."
"Mama, whose house is this?"
"It's my dad's house. You're going to meet him in just a few minutes. And, remember my step-mom, Margot, that I told you about?"
"Yeah."
"She lives here, too. She can't wait to meet you and Ezra." Jade leaves the snarky sarcasm out of her voice, because she doesn't want Finn to have any fears or worries whatsoever.
They get out of the car and Jade carries Ezra up the stairs and to the front door with Beck and Finn. Collin and Margot both answer it within seconds, and Jade's step-mother already has that Botox smile on her face. "Hi!" Margot shrieks, and Finn flinches. "Jade, you look beautiful! Beck, it's good to see you!"
"Thank you, Mrs. West," he replies kindly.
"Oh, please, call me Margot! I'm barely thirty," she explains as they walk inside, and Jade rolls her eyes.
Collin looks between his daughter and her fiancé. "I take it these are the boys?"
Jade fights a "no shit," and instead rests her hand on her six-year-old's back. "This is Finn," she informs them, and then looks down at the toddler in her arms. "And this is Ezra."
"Hi, Finn," Margot says, and her voice is obnoxiously high. "It's so nice to meet you!"
"Hi," he says shyly.
Collin eyes the first grader. "Good to have you here, young man. I hope you like steak; Maria is making an excellent dinner for us."
Finn is torn between answering that he does indeed like steak and asking who Maria is, so he just nods his head. He holds Beck's hand as they walk into the dining room, and he looks around and marvels at everything in the enormous house. When they arrive to the table decorated beautifully by the maid, Maria, they see Veronica.
"Jade," the blonde says, and her sister can tell she's already had a few glasses of wine. "I'm so glad you're here! I feel like I never see you now that I'm back in LA."
"Mhmm. It's a real shame."
Veronica doesn't pick up on her sister's sarcasm. "Oh, and you brought Beck! Daddy told me he had kids. They're cute!"
Beck shakes her hand politely and thanks the gods that she doesn't mention their awkward date from over a year ago. "Von," Jade says, "this is Finn and Ezra. Finn, this is my sister Veronica."
"Hi." He smiles at the woman, and Jade hugs the first grader close to her body to make him feel safer.
As they all begin to sit down, Collin takes his seat at the head of the table. Margot sits to one side of him, with Veronica next to her, and Beck sits on the other side. Jade—with Ezra in her lap—takes her seat next to Beck, and Finn gets the end of the table.
Beck moves his foot just slightly to his right to nudge Jade's and remind her that everything will be okay. Meanwhile, Maria is pouring each adult at the table a glass of red wine. "So," Collin says, "I hear the weather in Colorado this time of year is just brutal."
"It's not terrible," Beck assures him. "It is definitely cold, but there are perks; it's absolutely beautiful everywhere you look."
Collin nods. "How is your company doing?"
"Very well, thank you. I've recently been finishing the designs for a large ski resort in Aspen."
"Oh," Margot cries, "I've always wanted Collin to take me to Aspen!"
"I went there with a few girlfriends last month," Veronica adds. "It's fabulous."
Beck smiles at the women, and while he and Collin continue talking business, Jade notices that Finn is having a hard time drinking out of the large, heavy glass that holds his water. She's just about to ask Maria to bring him a plastic cup when Finn knocks the glass over and soaks his side of the table.
He panics, because he knows it's okay to spill at home but he isn't at his home, but Jade calms him quickly. She hands Ezra to Beck, and smiles softly at Finn. "It's okay, baby. It's fine," she promises him. "Are you wet at all?"
"Just a little bit on my pants and shoes," he answers, as Maria begins to replace the plate and silverware with dry ones. "Will it stain?"
"No, buddy, it won't. Don't worry. Everything is okay."
"Sorry," he says quietly, half-to himself and half-to Collin and Margot.
"You don't have to be sorry," Jade tells him before either of the other adults can speak. She leans over to kiss his forehead. "No big deal."
"Mama, you hold me," Ezra says, and reaches over towards Jade. Beck smiles and sets their two-year-old back in her arms. Ezra looks up at her and rubs his eyes. "I go nigh nigh, Mama."
"Yeah, I figured you'd be tired." She drops a kiss to his head. "Lay down on Mama's chest, okay? You can go night night," she whispers to him. Ezra does as she says, and he falls asleep within minutes.
"Wow, Jade." Veronica finishes her fourth glass of wine. "Who knew you had maternal instincts?" Jade ignores her older sister, but Veronica continues talking. "Seriously! I'm impressed. I could never have dealt with that. Kids aren't my thing."
"What a surprise that is."
"You could just say thank you."
Jade sighs. "Thank you, Von," she says, in hopes that her sister will shut the hell up before the wine really starts talking.
Meanwhile, Collin has begun informing Beck about the plans for a major business merge. "It's going to be absolutely huge!" Margot shrieks. "They've been talking about it for weeks; apparently it'll be making them millions."
"It will be quite the ordeal," Collin boasts. "Beck, you're a business man; you know how important something like a merger can be."
"Of course," he agrees. "I hope all goes well."
Throughout the rest of dinner, Collin and Margot speak mostly to the adults. When they attempt conversation with Finn, he either has a difficult time understanding what Collin is asking or he's overwhelmed by Margot's enthusiasm. It annoys Jade to no end, but Beck is more understanding of the fact that people without young children don't always know how to talk to them. And besides, from what Jade has told him, Collin always spoke to his daughter as if she was a thirty-year-old even when she was Finn's age.
As they're leaving, while Beck is carrying the sleepy boys to the rental car, Collin stops Jade on her way out the door. "Jade," he says, catching her arm. "A word?"
She turns around and folds her arms over her chest. "Hmm?"
"Have lunch with me tomorrow. We'll go to your favorite cafe, just the two of us."
"Dad, I don't think—"
"I've got something I want to discuss with you. Just accept the invitation; it won't kill you to be away from them for a couple of hours."
Jade rolls her eyes. "Fine. What time?"
"Is noon alright?"
"Sure. I'll see you there."
"Wonderful."
As Collin closes the door behind her and she makes her way down the steps of the house, Jade can't help but wonder what has gotten into her father. Why is he suddenly making such an effort? Is it out of genuine desire to spend time with him or is he working an agenda?
That night, Beck tells her how great he thinks it is that she's spending time with her dad. They're curled up in bed together and she's laying on his chest. "Trust me, Jade. All fathers want to see their kids happy. And, while some aren't as good at showing it, they really want to hang out with their kids and see how they're doing. Your dad is no different."
"He's never made an effort with me. I just don't know why he's picking now to do it."
"Jade?"
"Hmm?"
"When's the best time to build an apple tree?"
She lifts her head up to look at him like he's lost his mind. "What?"
"The answer is ten years ago. If you'd have built an apple tree ten years ago, you'd have a tree full of delicious apples by now. But, since you didn't do that, when's the next best time to build an apple tree?" She raises her eyebrows to show him she doesn't plan on playing into whatever weird metaphor he's trying to explain. "Now is the next best time. Right now."
"Did you just compare my relationship with my dad to a tree?"
"Did it make sense?"
Jade laughs and rests her head on his chest again. "I think so."
They fall asleep soon after, and the next day, Beck makes plans to take the boys to a nearby park while Jade meets Collin for lunch. She's just walked into her favorite restaurant when she spots her father, and promptly takes her seat across from him. They've barely been talking for five minutes when he tells her he wants to discuss the merger with her.
She resists the urge to tell him she couldn't give less of a shit about his business, and goes along anyways. "What about it?"
"I'm going to need your help with something. I don't think you'll mind it too much."
Jade furrows her eyebrows. "Me?"
"Yes, you." He pauses. "The company that we're merging with is Daniels and Associates." Jade's face immediately pales. "Richard and I think it would be best if we bonded in a more...personal way—to make the merge more official."
"What are you talking about?"
"Ryder is ready to ask for your hand in marriage," Collin answers. "He is here in Los Angeles, and he's eager to woo you away from the simply average life you're leading in that tiny town in Colorado."
Jade is furious now, and she feels like her head might explode into a million pieces. She's rising from her seat to get up and leave when she bumps into her only ex-boyfriend.
"Hi, Jade." He smiles sweetly at her and her eyes widen.
She turns back to look between Ryder and Collin. "If the two of you think that I'm going to leave Beck for anyone—let alone Ryder—you're even more fucked up than I thought you were."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Jade," Collin says. "You might want to think about what you're giving up. Ryder will be able to give you everything you want and more. He'll provide for anything you need, and he'll inherit the business so that the two of you—and your children together—will always have financial security. Can Beck give you any of that?"
"You don't have to answer that," Ryder tells her. "Jade, I'm still in love with you. I always have been and I always will be. You're not married to him yet; you still have a chance for us to be together. Just think about it?"
Jade is glaring at him—her first love, her first everything. She can't believe she was stupid enough to forget that Collin West always has an agenda. She feels numb, and that's when Ryder leans in to kiss her.
Title is a song by Frank Sinatra.
Thoughts?