The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers)

“Hey, you.” Jake scoots down on the grass beside me, wearing shorts that are not usually his thing and a loose T-shirt with some obscure band logo I have never heard of. He is obviously in casual mode and home for the day while Emma is taking a nap as her pregnancy progresses and wipes her out more. Jake is an attentive mate in life, he still takes care of her as though she is fragile glass, and I find it endearing that he takes time off work as often as he can to be a daddy and husband first. He used to be such a workaholic.

“Hey.” I smile back at him, hating the similarities today that I can see to his brother in that all too good-looking face. Every now and then I get a major pang from something like this, a look, or a mannerism from Jake, and Arrick flashes across my mind. I have to push it down deep and focus hard on something else.

“You’ve been awfully quiet the last few days; no urges to go get shit faced and sleep in the bushes?” Jake nudges me playfully and I mock scowl his way.

“Remind me why I even like you?” I raise an eyebrow his way and duck when he makes a play for a headlock. I push him away and point at the very sharp needle I am wielding, motioning that I will poke him in the eye if he keeps this up. He just grins and settles down again.

“Because I rescued you, and you are eternally in my debt. Besides, you love me because I keep Emma happy, and as you love her the ‘mostest’, you love me too.” Jake pushes my shoulder again, watching his son trying to feed himself sand with a shudder. “Lucah ... No sand in the mouth, baby. Daddy knows it tastes like yuck, and it’s nasty.” He motions for his son to lower the shovel and the little angelic face does as he is told, lifting a pacifier from beside him and sticking that in his mouth instead. Jake smiles proudly. Obviously smug with the parental control he has exerted over his child.

“You know he buried that thing minutes ago, right?” I point out, as Jake frowns and grimaces.

“Don’t tell Emma I let our son eat sand again, she will string me up. It’s worse than the Play-Doh thing.” He turns his head to check on his eldest child and shoots to his feet when he realizes she is streaking naked across the garden, her little pile of pink sparkly clothes and shoes neatly piled under the monkey bars where she’d been seconds before. I burst out laughing as I watch Jake tackle her into mid-air and haul her back to retrieve her clothes.

as Jake frowns, holding up pink underwear in an attempt to figure out

down while he shoves her panties back on her legs

looks mortified and shakes his

NO! ... Put

that hints most is in his mouth already. Jake sits back and sighs as his son tries to spit

always into everything. I feel like she must have two sets of eyes and hands.” Jake moves to scoop up his son, setting Mia free, and reaching

amazing mom though; she just seems to be effortlessly good at it.”

that comes over Jake whenever Emma is the focus. He still, even after five years married, dotes on her like a love-sick fool and can never keep his hands off her when they are together. I can’t help the fleeting moment of wonder that runs through my head, if Arrick is like that with Natasha behind closed doors. I know publicly he seems cool with her, and they don’t do a whole lot of touchy-feely public displays of affection, but I know he’s a sweetheart underneath that outward persona. Always so gentle with me, always held my hand wherever he took me, always

seems to instinctively follow her. Jake comes back

bring my attention back from picking at the stitch I just mucked

I’ve been trying to fix my sleeping pattern back to something normal.” I avoid his penetrative gaze. That all-knowing eye

avoiding my