also accentuated by bursts of laughter and lots of clinking silverware and glassware. The place also smelled amazing. Spices of all kinds mingling in the air with the scent of beer and bourbon.
The kitchen was especially hot. There were two huge stoves and every burner was covered, along with three ovens going all at once. Cora stood at one of the stoves, stirring two pots simultaneously.
She looked over and immediately brightened. “Zeke!”
“Hey, Cora.” He crossed to her and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
Jill couldn’t deny that she enjoyed watching Zeke with the people he loved. It was obvious that displays of affection were quite common with this group.
“Hello, Jill. Welcome.” Cora greeted her with a cheerful, sincere smile as well.
“Hi, Cora. We’re hoping for a little help before we join the party.” Jill gestured to Zeke’s hand.
Cora stopped stirring and turned, wiping her hands on her apron. “What did you do?”
“Um…” He glanced at Jill. “I was welding. Touched the metal before it was cool.”
Jill snorted at his lie. But she didn’t tell on him.
Cora clucked her tongue. “You should know better.”
“If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that in my life I’d be…still not quite as rich as Jill but a hell of a lot closer,” Zeke quipped.
Cora bustled around him and past Jill, stepping into a tiny closet that opened off the kitchen. She flipped on a light, illuminating the room that was a pantry with shelves that extended well above Cora’s ability to reach them. Cora scanned the shelves that were full of bottles and jars. She located what she was looking for and pulled a three-step stool over, climbing up and taking down a mason jar.
Coming back into the kitchen, she handed the jar to Jill. “This should take some of the pain away and also help start the healing. But he should also keep it wrapped up as well.”
“Why are you giving it to her? I can take care of it.”
Cora shook her head. “This cream works best when someone who loves you puts it on.” She gave Zeke a smile.
Jill felt surprise zip through her. Love? Why would Cora say that?
Okay, Jill would go so far as to admit that she loved things about him. And they were things that extended beyond his big hands, his skillful tongue, his charming smile, and his huge cock. Which was saying something. She really loved those things.
She loved his unexpected sweetness. She loved when he tried to take care of her even when it failed. She maybe loved that even more.
That thought wouldn’t leave her alone. There was something about him making her grilled cheese and knowing that it probably wouldn’t work out, but being willing to try anyway on the off chance it did. That was possibly even sweeter than making her a five-course meal that was perfection.
Zeke chuckled. “Good thing we’re heading up front then, lots of people out there love me.”
Yeah, she also loved his confidence and his joking. Zeke didn’t take things too seriously and while she was having a baby with him and that seemed about as serious as it could get, and a guy who didn’t really do laundry and couldn’t cook and constantly hurt himself didn’t seem like the responsible adult she should be looking for, Jill thought Zeke was maybe exactly the type of guy she should be having a baby with.
She’d always thought she should go for a guy who was her opposite. Someone who would be extra careful and extra organized and could take care of all the things she would drop.
But having someone laid back, who simply put a pair of shoes in his truck for her rather than be annoyed that she’d forgotten a good pair, suddenly seemed like a much better idea. Kids forgot stuff, right? And they were picky eaters. Well, it wasn’t that she was picky, but her eating habits left something to be desired, she knew. But instead of trying to change her or reprimanding her, Zeke just rolled with it.
The more she thought about it, Zeke had a lot of really great traits that would carry over wonderfully into being a dad. He wouldn’t get upset about a kid coming home muddy from playing with his friends. He’d just dump the laundry in the washing machine with everything else. If the kid would only eat yogurt and peanut butter and jelly, Zeke would simply stock up on both. And if the kid made a major mistake—like