Tara was hopeful that she’d made headway with the brothers’ stubborn mindset when it came to Jackson, but their cooperation remained to be seen.
* * *
Jackson found himself being entertained by three lively women while Tara was inside the house with Clay, Mason, and Levi—the women’s vibrant personalities an antithesis to his brothers’ more serious demeanors. Then again, he supposed that’s why these ladies meshed so well with Clay, Mason, and Levi. It was a great example of opposites attract, strengths balancing weaknesses, and the philosophy behind all that yin-yang crap. With a dark, turbulent past like his brothers had gone through, these women no doubt provided a much-needed light and playful aspect to the relationships . . . just as Jackson realized Tara had done for him.
He leaned back against the deck railing, and as he took a bite of the most amazing cookie he’d ever tasted—a chocolate ganache French macaroon, according to Samantha—he listened to Katrina regale him with tales of Mason as an unruly teenager that made him laugh. His brother had been a defiant hellion and not much different from the man he detected even now. Jackson loved having insight to his brothers’ past and hoped one day they’d be the ones to share these kinds of amusing stories with him. But for now, at least, he had three allies, and he’d take whatever he could get.
The topic of discussion shifted as Sara asked Jackson about being an architect, and at the same time, the sliding glass door leading onto the deck opened. Tara stepped out with a satisfied smile on her face, looking more relaxed and optimistic than when they’d first arrived. Clay, Mason, and Levi followed her, the wariness they’d initially greeted Jackson with now almost gone.
He had no idea what had transpired inside the house, but clearly Tara had worked some kind of magic. To the point that Jackson actually felt comfortable breaking the ice, so to speak, and initiating a casual conversation with Clay, who’d grabbed a bottle of beer from a vat of ice and came to stand next to his wife.
“You’re a lucky man.” Jackson’s gaze met Clay’s as he filched another macaroon from the tray on a nearby table. “Your wife is a phenomenal baker.”
“Yeah, definitely one of the many qualities that won me over.” Clay slid his arm around Samantha’s waist to pull her close to his side. “But don’t let this sweet, innocent face fool you. She’s been known to bribe me for certain things with her desserts. Isn’t that right, cupcake?” he asked affectionately.
“Bribe you?” Samantha refuted his claim with an amusing eye roll. “You’re such a pushover, Saint Clay, whether you want to admit it or not.”
Clay grinned at his wife, completely smitten, his adoration written all over his face.
“Oh, just wait until the baby is here,” Katrina interjected enthusiastically. “I’m betting Daddy and the three uncles are going to be like giant marshmallows.”
So easily, Katrina had included Jackson in that scenario, and he waited for one of his brothers to denounce his part in the baby’s life, but much to his surprise, and profound relief, it never came.
Levi took a drink of the orange soda he’d retrieved from the cooler. “It’ll be the first Kincaid baby, so of course we’re going to spoil the hell out of the kid.”
Mason smirked. “Even better that we can send that spoiled-rotten kid home for Clay to deal with.”
Clay arched a dark brow at his brother. “You know, Mason, karma is a bitch. Just keep in mind what a hellion you were growing up and that what goes around, comes around, which means you’re probably going to have a boy who breaks every fucking rule there is, and I’ll be the one laughing my ass off.”
Katrina gasped, her green eyes filled with feigned horror. “Oh, my God, if that’s the case, I’m never getting pregnant.”
Mason slung his arm around Katrina’s neck and leaned toward her to whisper something private in her ear. Something lewd, judging by Katrina’s appalled expression.
“I can’t escape your super sperm so don’t even try?” she repeated incredulously, then laughed at her husband’s cocky statement, as did everyone else. “Are you serious right now?”
“One hundred percent serious.” Mason waggled his brows at his wife, his gaze turning salacious as he nodded meaningfully toward the house. “Want to go test the theory?”
“Not in my goddamn bathroom,” Clay barked out adamantly.
Again, everyone laughed, and Jackson knew he was missing a key component in the conversation. A joke of some sort that everyone was privy to except him.
Tara must have seen the confusion on his face, because she linked her arm through his. The intimate gesture wasn’t lost on him or anyone else standing there.
“Clay caught this now reformed man-whore in the ladies’ bathroom at Kincaid’s, with different women, on more than one occasion,” she told Jackson.
“Reformed being the operative word.” Mason nuzzled Katrina’s neck and skimmed a hand possessively over her ass. “Now, my Kitty-Kat is the only woman I want, and all I can handle.”
Katrina gave him a playful shove. “And don’t you forget it.”
Once the lighthearted teasing died down, Clay cleared his throat and glanced at Tara, a fond smile on his lips. “So, I’d like to be the first to formally say congratulations, Tara, on getting your business degree. You worked hard. You were dedicated. You juggled a late-night job, school during the day, and a whole lot of cramming for exams. It’s a huge accomplishment we wanted to celebrate with you, and I couldn’t be prouder that you finally did it.”
She ducked her head in embarrassment, a warm, pink flush suffusing her cheeks. “Thank you. I seriously couldn’t have done it without your support, Clay.”
He shrugged off her gratitude. “You would have done it regardless, because that’s who you are, Tara. A woman who is determined and committed to whatever she sets her mind to.”
Everyone else echoed their agreement, telling Jackson just how much everyone cared about Tara and how much they meant to her in return. Tara had told him she didn’t see her family very often, but shouldn’t they have been
at something as important as a party to celebrate their daughter’s college degree?