Shameless (Made For Them #3)

14. Re

Jules

“ D addy!”

My arms open and I know I’m smiling the second I hear my daughter’s voice.

“Baby girl,” I murmur, inhaling the sweet scent of Jenna’s hair as I scoop her up into my arms.

“Daddy, it tickles,” she squeals and that’s all the encouragement I need to keep blowing raspberries on her pretty face.

“We’re gonna have so much fun today, baby.” I beam, forcing myself to set her back on her feet but keeping her tiny hand into mine. “There’s face painting and a snow cone station and a bouncy castle today.”

Jenna’s eyes light up and my heart squeezes in my chest, overflowing with love and joy. There is nothing, nothing I wouldn’t do for my little girl.

It’s crazy to think that I never truly understood love until the day I held Jenna in my arms for the first time.

My excitement today isn’t just about seeing Jenna for the first time in months, I’m also looking forward to introducing her to Lula. I have no doubt that the two loves of my life will hit it off.

But in my world nothing is ever perfect and straightforward and today is no different.

To convince Jasmine to let Jenna come to the Club’s Fourth of July celebration, I had to invite her too.

“Jules,” Jasmine scolds me. “You’ve creased Jenna’s dress, well done. It’s a bespoke Dolce and Gabbana, now it looks like a trash bag.”

I close my eyes, counting to ten before I say something I’m going to regret. As usual my ex-wife is being a bitch, but I have to tread carefully to keep the truce between us in good standing. While I know that Jasmine’s bottom line is the money she’s getting from me, I have no doubt she’d have no problem making a scene and storming out of the club if I say the wrong thing.

Not that I would mind if she went home, but I could bet my left nut that she’d take Jenna with her.

“Good morning to you too, Jaz,” I force a smile on my face. “You look radiant.”

She actually does.

The other day, when she came to confront me about my financial situation after Eddie’s death, I was so stressed that I didn’t notice how her pregnancy is now definitely showing.

The tiny, barely there baby bump of a few weeks ago has bloomed; comparing to when she was pregnant with Jenna, I would say she must be about four, maybe five months along.

Of course my compliment falls on deaf ears. “Are you calling me fat?” Jasmine says, her dark brown eyes narrowed into two furious slits.

“No, just the opposite. You look good.”

It’s true. Despite the fact that she hates being pregnant, pregnancy suits her, smoothing her angular edges and softening her rail thin figure.

“Thanks,” she finally accepts my praise, smoothing her skintight off-white dress over her hips. “I had to go shopping for pretty much everything, none of my clothes fit me right now. Can you imagine? I’m a size two. I’m practically a hippo.”

I stifle an eye roll at her words. That’s another thing we used to argue about when we were expecting Jenna. Jasmine was livid that she could no longer claim to be a double zero.

“The size you wear doesn’t matter,” I try to reason with her. “As long as you and your baby are healthy.”

Jasmine’s tense expression relaxes at my words. “Thanks, Ju-Ju. We were never good together, but I must admit, you were the best at taking care of me when I was pregnant with Jenna.”

“I’m going to have a baby sister,” our daughter chimes in. “Mommy says I can play with her all the time.”

“Jenna!” Jasmine snaps. “How many times do I have to tell you not to interrupt when the adults are talking?”

The excited sheen in Jenna’s eyes dulls down. “I’m sorry, mommy.”

I open my mouth to say something. One of the biggest sources of conflict in our marriage was the way Jasmine treated Jenna. While I agree that children need structure and rules, my ex-wife has always been way too harsh with our little girl.

“It’s ok,” Jasmine says. “Next time ask if we’re done talking. Now you can tell your daddy what we’re going to do when your sister is born.”

Relieved that Jasmine’s tone softened, I turn to my daughter. “What are you going to do with your baby sister?”

Jenna’s smile is huge. “We’re going to wear matching clothes. The three of us. Mommy, sis and I. And we’re going to play together all the time.”

I’m glad to hear that. During our marriage, I was the only one who spent any time playing with Jenna.

“That’s right. We’re going to take millions of pictures for Mommy’s social media and become famous influencers.”

I should have known that whatever Jasmine promised our daughter it would be somehow self-serving.

Jasmine’s next words confirm my hunch. “We’ve already taken some photos outside, but Mommy wants to take a few more later, so be careful not to crease or spill something on your pretty dress. Remember what I told you earlier? No running, no sweating and absolutely no food that could stain your dress. If you’re hungry, I brought some carrot sticks for you.”

My face falls at the same time as Jenna’s.

“That doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. What about the face painting and the snow cones? And I hope you put a bathing suit under that dress, because Jenna and I are going swimming and body surfing.”

Jasmine crosses her arms over her chest, clearly annoyed. “Absolutely not. She’s going to ruin her dress and be a mess and I want to take some good photos for my socials.”

I clench my fists, fighting the urge to cuss her out in front of our daughter.

Jasmine’s attitude reminds me of Tiffany’s when we were kids. She used to put Lula in these frilly monstrosities of dresses that itched, made her sweat and looked like Lula had been swallowed by a giant alien meringue.

Lula was forbidden to run or play and she always ended up crying because her mother would insist on keeping her in those uncomfortable clothes for most of the day.

Back then I was a kid too and I had no power to change Lula’s situation, but I’ll be damned if I let Jenna suffer all day.

“The photos you said you already took will have to suffice,” I bite out. “I think you’re forgetting that I invited you here to spend a fun day with my daughter. You can do your photo shoot another day, if you want to do it at the Club, I can make it happen. But today Jenna is going to enjoy all the activities we planned for our youngest members and I’ll be right by her side.”

My tone brooks no argument and I’m ready to fucking call our lawyers if Jasmine has a problem with my plans for the day.

“Fine,” she relents, her eyes flashing with fury. “I’m afraid I didn’t bring a bathing suit or a change of clothes, so I don’t think you can go swimming. And if you stain her designer dress, I swear to fucking God, you’re going to buy her a new one.”

I’m about to retort that I already paid for the one Jenna has on now, since last time I checked, Jasmine doesn’t have a job or an income that doesn’t come from alimony.

However Jenna cuts me off. “Mommy said fu?—”

“Fudge,” I offer, covering Jenna’s mouth with my hand and scowling at my ex. “Mommy said fudge, didn’t you, Jaz?”

“I sure did,” she snorts.

Bitch.

I’m not a prude and God knows I cuss way too much for my own good, but I try my best to avoid it in front of Jenna. At least until she’s at an age when she can understand that a certain kind of language isn’t appropriate at all times. That was another bone of contention between us when Jasmine and I were married.

“Sorry Ju-Ju,” Jasmine’s sugary sweet tone tells me that she isn’t sorry at all. “If you had told me about your plans in detail, I would have brought a change of clothes for Jenna.”

Yeah, I wasn’t born yesterday and her gloating speaks volumes about the fact that she put Jenna in that dress on purpose to throw a wrench into my plans for today.

But I’ve been dealing with Jasmine’s bullshit long enough to always have a plan B when I’m around her.

“That isn’t a problem,” I smile. “The club’s shop has a great collection of kids clothes and swimming accessories. What do you say we go and find you some shorts and a tank and a cute bathing suit?” I ask my daughter.

“Yes, yes!” Jenna jumps, clapping her little hands. “I want to do swimming with Daddy!”

“See?” I say, doing some gloating of my own. “I’ll have the shop attendant hang the dress for you, so it doesn’t get creased.”

Jasmine’s eyes are narrowed into two furious slits. “They better be designer clothes, Jules. If my daughter ends up on social media wearing department store or supermarket clothes, our entire image will be ruined.”

I bite my tongue that putting kids in designer clothes is ridiculous. Why spend thousands on items that will no longer fit in mere weeks?

But I know with my ex it’s better to choose my battles and she isn’t the only pretentious parent I know.

Like I said, Tiffany was exactly the same with Lula. And the fact that the club’s clothing store carries an extensive selection of designer clothes for babies and children, is proof that the club members would side with Jasmine.

“Come on Jenna,” I smile. “Let’s go to the store and show Mommy that there are tons of clothes and bathing suits with a four figure price tag we can choose from.”

Jenna’s eyes are full of hope. “Can I be a mermaid?”

“I’m sure we can find something with mermaids on it,” I chuckle.

Lula

My body is taut with tension as Stefan hands the key of his car to the Country Club’s valet.

I would have preferred to skip the Fourth of July celebration on the account of wanting to put as much distance as humanly possible between me and Evan.

“Don’t worry baby,” Crew reassures me. “Stefan and I will be by your side all day. That motherfucker won’t even be able to look at you without us knowing. Besides, Naps is in bodyguard mode.”

That definitely makes me feel better. “He already bit Evan once on the ferry. I think Naps has an excellent asshole detector.”

Woof .

A very spiffy looking Napoleon barks in agreement and I can’t resist the urge to pet him.

“You look so handsome in your Fourth of July bandanna,” I praise him.

I swear to God, this dog understands human language better than some people I know.

Woof, woof.

Napoleon practically preens at my praise, puffing his tiny chest out in his best impression of a “big dog.”

“You’re such a flirt, Naps,” Crew teases him. “I think you have a crush on Lula and I can’t blame you.”

“Neither can I,” Stefan chuckles. “Look at him, he’s all bright eyes and bushy tailed, basking in her attention. He’s practically flexing.”

I kiss a spot between Napoleon’s ears and get rewarded with a lick that makes me giggle.

The inside of the Country Club’s main building is decorated with red, white and royal blue in a display of national pride that looks vibrant and elegant at the same time.

“Would you like an Old Glory? It’s this holiday’s signature cocktail.” A waiter greets us, offering a tray of cocktails in the American flag’s colors.

“These look pretty,” I say, reaching for one of the flutes with layers of liquid in red, white and blue.

“The one in the coupe glasses for you, Lula. Those are mocktails.” The man sounds apologetic. “And for you, Stefan. The mayor, the sheriff and pretty much everyone important in town is here today, so we’ve been instructed to be particularly vigilant about serving minors.”

Stefan and I look at each other and I grab a mocktail with a resigned sigh. A drink would have definitely taken the edge off my jitters today.

“Cheers,” Crew grins, grabbing a cocktail and taking a sip.

“Way to rub it in that you’re twenty-one, dude.” Stefan scowls.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure by tonight, everyone will be intoxicated enough that we’ll be able to sneak you a couple of drinks. Maybe even a bottle of champagne to share.”

The heat in his blue eyes causes my pulse to quicken. I remember the last time the three of us shared champagne.

“Hey guys. Lula,” Jules’s voice forces me to get my mind out of the gutter, but it’s short lived because my stepbrother looks as hot as sin in a short sleeved button down that matches the dark blue of his eyes and a pair of shorts that draw attention to his long, muscular legs.

Jules isn’t alone though, he’s accompanied by his ex-wife Jasmine and a dark haired little girl in a tank top with a mermaid on it and cute pink shorts.

He’s holding the little girl’s hand and, before addressing her, he winks at me. “Jenna, I want you to meet Daddy’s best friend in the entire world. This is Lula. Luls, this is my main squeeze, Jenna.”

The little girl giggles. “It tickles when you squeeze me, Daddy.” Then she sets her bright blue eyes on me. “Hi, I’m Jenna. I like your name. Lula.”

She offers me her tiny hand to shake and I swear she’s absolutely adorable.

“I think Jenna is a very pretty name too,” I offer. “And I love the mermaid on your top.”

Jenna beams with pride, looking down at the mermaid on her tank. “Daddy just bought me this. If you’re good, he can buy you one too.”

I don’t get the chance to respond to Jenna’s offer because, in typical three year old fashion, Jules’s daughter’s attention is attracted by Napoleon in my arms.

“I like your puppy. What’s his name?”

“This is Napoleon.”

Jenna extends her hand in the attempt to pet Napoleon, but gets yanked back by her mother. “Don’t touch that mutt. I bet it has fucking fleas.”

As if on cue, Napoleon snarls at Jasmine.

“Oh my goodness,” Jasmine jumps back, her eyes as wide as saucers. “That mutt should be put down.”

“That’s what I said too. He already nipped me once.”

A shudder of terror mixed with disgust works its way through me as Evan’s voice reaches me from behind.

Crew is swift in wrapping a protective arm around me, before Evan comes into view. “Napoleon is absolutely fine. He just strongly dislikes creeps and foul language. Which explains why he nipped you,” he says to Evan. “And why he just gave Jasmine a warning growl.”

Jasmine doesn’t back down easily. “I don’t give two shits what your mutt likes and dislikes. If he’s aggressive, he shouldn’t be allowed in the club. Jules, will you kick him out or do I have to ask Arianna?”

Jules’s response isn’t what his ex expected. “Napoleon might be an acquired taste, but he’s fine and he would never bite Jenna. You on the other hand, might want to watch your mouth. Especially around our daughter.”

Jasmine’s eyes narrow into two furious slits. “Are you seriously taking that dog’s side over the mother of your child? Stuff like this is why we didn’t work out, Jules.”

Jules’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “No, the reason why we didn’t work out is that you gave our neighbor much more than a cup of sugar.”

“Fuck you, Jules!” Jasmine snaps. “If you hadn’t been a distracted, absent husband, I wouldn’t have had to look for my needs to be met elsewhere.”

Evan chuckles, his eyes roving over Jasmine in a sleazy once over. “I knew there was a reason why I didn’t like you. You’re a moron if you let a knockout like this get away.”

Jasmine’s eyes gleam with interest. “Finally someone who isn’t blind. I’m Jasmine. You are?”

Horror grips my insides as I watch Evan take the hand Jasmine is offering him and bringing her knuckles to his lips.

“I’m Evan Johnston,” he introduces himself, not letting go of Jasmine’s hand. “Lula’s stepbrother.”

Technically he’s right, but I can’t bite my tongue. “You’re Tiffany’s husband’s son. You and I aren’t even friends. Jasmine,” I warn Jules’s ex, despite the fact that she doesn’t deserve my concern. “I would stay away from Evan. He isn’t as nice as he wants you to believe.”

In the past I would have been scared to antagonize him, but I can’t bear the thought of anyone else going through the same thing I did with Evan.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jasmine says, keeping her eyes on Evan. “And no one asked for your opinion anyway, Lola .”

“It’s Lula!” Stefan speaks for the first time. “Why did you come here if you can’t be civil to Jules or to our family?”

Jasmine’s smile doesn’t reach her eyes as she answers Stefan’s question. “He invited me. And to be honest, I expected a better welcome. Maybe I should take Jenna and go.”

Jenna’s eyes fill with tears at her mother’s words. “No Mommy, please. I want to stay with Daddy and Lula.”

Jules picks up his crying daughter, soothing her by rubbing her back. “Don’t worry, munchkin. You and I have an agreement, Jaz,” he then says to his ex. “If you don’t feel welcome, you can go. But Jenna is staying.”

Evan takes a step toward Jasmine. “No, don’t go. This place could definitely do with some good looking women. At least let me buy you a drink. This isn’t as good as my father’s club in Manhattan, but they make excellent martinis.”

Happy with being flattered, Jasmine’s scowl turns into a bright smile. “I would love that. I’m glad chivalry isn’t dead after all. You could learn a thing or two from Evan, Ju-Ju.”

Jules ignores Jasmine’s blatant provocation, but he utters the comment on the tip of my tongue. “Our bar has won awards for the excellent cocktails and especially our martinis, but you might want to take Jasmine to the smoothie bar instead. If you haven’t noticed, she’s expecting.”

Jasmine dismisses Jules’s concern swatting her hand like you would do with an annoying bug. “Your notions about what’s allowed during pregnancy are outdated. I have this new, European gyno that says that after the first trimester it’s fine to have one drink.”

Jules shakes his head. “I’ve heard about that trend when you were pregnant with Jenna. While its validity is controversial, every article I read about it mentioned a small glass of wine or beer, not liquor.”

Jasmine’s lips flatten in an annoyed line. “Butt out, Jules! This isn’t your baby anyway and are you surprised I need a drink after the way you and your family treat me? Look after your daughter, I’ll be at the bar with Evan.”

We watch in disbelief as Jasmine links her arm with Evan’s and they walk deeper into the club, toward the main bar.

A question is burning on the tip of my tongue, but I hold back when Arianna spots her granddaughter and comes to hug a very excited Jenna.

“Jenna, would you like to go get ice cream with your grams?” Arianna beams.

Jules’s daughter begins to jump up and down but seems to catch herself and pauses to look at her dad. “Daddy, can I go?”

“Of course you can. Just stay with Grams, ok?” he bends down to kiss the top of his daughter’s head. “Mom, don’t let Jenna out of your sight, please. I’ll explain later. I’m gonna come by in a bit to get her anyway.”

We watch Arianna walk away with Jenna.

“She’s missed her too,” Jules says softly. “I just wish Jasmine understood that Jenna needs her whole family around her and not use our daughter like a pawn to further her agenda. If there was any need, she just proved that being a mom to Jenna is at the bottom of her priorities.”

I utter the question I was about to ask before Arianna interrupted us. “Are you sure Jasmine should be drinking?” I ask Jules.

“No, but what can I do? I mean, I could instruct the staff not to serve her any alcohol,” he sighs. “But she’d use it as ammo to pick another fight and she might carry out her threat to leave with Jenna. At the end of the day, she’s right that I have no say on what she does with her body since we aren’t together and the baby she’s carrying isn’t mine. I would have preferred to have a civil relationship with my ex, but since it’s obvious we can’t, my energy is better spent looking out for my daughter.”

Crew intervenes. “Look dude, I’m not trying to stick my nose in your business but if she’s drinking now, what’s to say that she’s not doing it all the time? Is Jenna safe with her?”

In the past Jules would have taken Crew’s concern the wrong way, but to my surprise he nods. “I thought about it too and it wouldn’t be the first time Jasmine’s irresponsible behavior puts Jenna in danger. It keeps me up at night. But unless I want a lengthy custody battle during which she’d probably keep me from seeing my daughter again, I’m better off biting my tongue. I hope that by throwing enough money at her, I can convince her to let Jenna move in with me. Hopefully once she has the new baby, she’s going to find it too much and she’ll take my offer.”

“Where are you going to find the kind of money that would make Jasmine let you take Jenna? No offense Jules, but your ex is using your daughter as a meal ticket.” Stefan says. “Did your lawyer figure out a way to give you early access to your trust fund?”

Jules shakes his head. “No. But hopefully the police will conclude their investigation on Eddie’s murder and his funds will be released. My share would be enough to convince Jasmine.”

“Talking about the investigation, is there any news from Pullin after we gave him a copy of Eddie’s letter?” Crew asks.

“No. But the sheriff is here today, I’m sure he’ll find a moment to talk to us if there is any news. Guys, there’s something I need to ask you. I don’t care if Jasmine has a drink or ten with Evan, but I don’t want that creep near Jenna. Especially if one of us isn’t around.”

I don’t blame him at all. “We can watch them today, but what if Evan asked Jasmine out while he’s in town? I saw the way he was looking at her and he’s definitely into her.”

Jules’s frown deepens. “Fuck, that’s true. I wish there was a way to take Jenna away from Jaz sooner rather than later. I don’t care what she does, as long as she doesn’t put my daughter in danger.”

Stefan chimes in. “Maybe there is a way. She’s at the bar drinking martinis, right? What if we collected evidence of her drinking while pregnant? Especially if she has more than one, we could see if Gordon can get a judge to grant you temporary custody or call CPS or whatever. Jasmine can say what she wants, but you’re right that drinking liquor is extremely irresponsible for an expecting mother.”

Jules clasps his little brother’s shoulder. “That isn’t the worst idea, Stef. But Jasmine wasn’t born yesterday. She could say it was just club soda or something like that.”

Stefan insists. “If she does, we could get an affidavit from as many of our staff who are willing to attest that she was actually drinking.”

“That could work,” Jules muses. “As long as we make sure Jasmine doesn’t know we’re watching her.”

“Leave it with me,” Stefan says. “You make sure Jenna has a fun day.”