Chapter 26

Azalea’s POV.

I thought Jakob would’ve given up. He had been drinking for so long already that I didn’t think he’d ever get sober just to spend time with me and my daughter. After the day at his mansion, I went home and went on with my life.

At first, it was all the same—working, classes, spending time with Lynn, and occasionally chatting with Lucas. Lucas made an effort to stay in contact, and I couldn’t have been happier. We spent a lot of time just randomly talking. He’d talk about his day at work, ask about Lynn, and send me photos of the new horse he spoke of. He did name him Blaze, and Lynn loved every little update about him. Blaze reminded me of Nyx and Shadow a little.

Within one week of leaving Jakob’s mansion, I noticed I started getting gifts every two to three days. I’m not sure what Jakob was trying to achieve, truthfully. The first day I received a gift, it was a pair of high-quality cowboy boots. Those were boots I would’ve loved when I was still working on the Belt. I had to admit, it felt nice to touch them, and there was a matching pair for Lynn.

However, I couldn’t accept it and sent it back to Jakob despite Lynn’s disappointment. I thought he’d get the message, but after the boots came cowboy hats, dresses, desserts, and much more. Each gift came with a bouquet, which I kept along with his handwritten notes where he’d update me on his sobriety.

I was shocked to learn he had been going to AA meetings. He also mentioned how he took his job seriously again, and it was all thanks to me. I honestly couldn’t believe it. He was serious about all of this.

It’s now nearing a month since we last met in person. I kept receiving gifts from him despite telling him I didn’t like this treatment. Lucas and I grew a close friendship again, and more importantly, Ada was back in town.

Right now, Lynn and I were spending time with Ada, who came over for breakfast. I was free today and wanted to treat them both. I expected the donuts to be delivered, but instead, it was yet another gift from Jakob.

I began to open the gift and found documents for private horse riding lessons in the area just for Lynn along with papers of him offering to buy her whatever pony or foal she had an interest in. Where the hell did this man think I’d put this pony or foal exactly?

It was a good thing Lynn couldn’t understand this cursive writing.

“Lynn, we cannot accept these things,” I said with a sigh as I packed everything up again to send back.

“But they’re gifts, Mommy,” Lynn whined like she always did whenever the gifts were sent back by me.

“Just because someone gives you something, doesn’t mean you have or need to accept it,” I taught her. I learned this the hard way years ago, but it was fine.

“But Mr. Jakob was being so kind,” Lynn whined and crossed her arms.

“We barely know him, darling,” I reminded her and cupped her face. I stared into those green eyes that were filled with determination.

“Let’s get to know him,” Lynn decided as if it were so simple. I understood she wanted to see those horses again, but she had to respect my wishes.

“Lynn, no,” I put my foot down.

“Why not?” she pouted, finding all of this unfair.

“Because he still has to prove himself,” I muttered. In a week, he’d be sober for a month already. “Now go play,” I ushered her away before she could throw a fit.

Lynn scoffed and ran off to go play as she was told.

“She’s stubborn, huh?” Ada smiled as she walked over to be beside me.

“I’m telling you,” I sighed and watched as Lynn played with her toys with a slight glare directed at her dolls because of what I just told her. “I don’t know what to do. I told him to stop this spoiling or he’ll be reported, and he toned it down a little,” I sighed and got everything in order to send back this package.

“You’re conflicted,” Ada read easily from me.

“I am, yeah,” I admitted and spoke in a lower tone in case Lynn was listening in. “He hasn’t shown up to the club at all, and from what I’ve gathered, he has actually sobered up and just wants to get to know me and Lynn,” I told Ada. She knew everything already.

“It’s a little odd, but perhaps this is your fate,” Ada mentioned, rubbing her chin. “I was a stranger once, and look at how close we had gotten.”

“Why do I keep meeting old people to be friends with?” I muttered.

“Excuse me?” Ada raised a brow at me.

“Uh… Nothing,” I was quick to say, fearing that grandmother's glare of hers.

“Thought so,” She smirked.

“I’ll contact him,” I decided. “It’s only dinner,” I continued and figured he’d deserve it if he was a month sober. “I guess I’m scared,” I admitted, eyes focused on Lynn.

“What for?” Ada frowned.

“My father was the greatest and kindest man in my life. My biggest regret is that Lynn never got to meet him,” I replied, sadness filling me up momentarily as I thought of my dad. “Lynn never had a dad or granddad,” I pointed out.

“This man could act like one,” Ada realized where I was going with this.

“Exactly. He could temporarily show her what it’s like to have a grandpa just as she has a grandmother with you, but what if it goes south?” I asked. What happens then? I can’t let her be rejected by yet another person. “I want to protect her so much, but it’s hard,” I sighed.

“That’s the thing, Honey,” Ada placed her hand on my shoulder and smiled gently. “You can’t protect them from everything, not without suffocating them,” she said ever so wisely.

“What do I do then?” I frowned.

“You raise them well. You give them all the love you can and teach them as much as you can so they can be prepared to handle situations themselves,” Ada advised, and given how well her kids turned out, it was worth listening to. “That’s parenthood, doing your best as much as possible and trusting that they’ll do well on their own because you will not be there forever,” she added lastly, and I nodded.

The three of us began to enjoy our breakfast and later met up with Clara and Nerissa at the park. It was a day well spent, and when I got home, I contacted Jakob. I told him that if he was officially a month sober, Lynn and I would go out to dinner with him.

Jakob had been over the moon and made all the arrangements for such. When the time came, I was a little worried, but seeing the happiness on Lynn's face made me forget about abandoning this idea. We got ready and went to meet with him.

Jakob allowed me to choose wherever I’d like and had also stated that his house was an option. Given he was a popular man, I decided privacy was needed and chose his house. Upon arrival, he let Roberts take Lynn to see all the horses and such. I sat down with Jakob in the cabana and we looked at Lynn as she skipped around.

“I’m sorry if I had been suffocating you with my attention and gifts,” Jakob started saying. “It’s just that… you remind me of my own daughter, and if she had been alive, I would’ve had grandkids by now too,” he confessed. I was then reminded of the painting. I was right. There was a tragic story behind it. “Seeing you and Lynn makes me mourn the death of my wife and daughter and my potential of becoming a grandfather,” he continued, and I felt my heart sink. He lost his family.

“Oh… May I ask what happened?” I asked nervously. Perhaps I should’ve done some research on this man before coming here.

“Robbery gone wrong,” Jakob shook his head as he drank his sweet tea. “My wife and daughter went shopping for Christmas, and they got held at gunpoint in one of the shops. The worst part was that the robbers didn’t even know they were Tattlingtons. They had no idea about their wealth. The gun just fired, and then they panicked, but it was too late. My daughter was shot twice, my wife once, and there were three others who were shot, and only one survived,” Jakob explained, and the entire story immediately saddened me. I couldn’t even imagine going through something like that.

“Oh Jakob, I am so, so sorry,” I said sincerely.

“It was one of the darkest moments in my life. It was Roberts who helped me through it all, along with therapy, but nothing ever truly removed the pain and mourning,” Jakob confessed. “I just wish I had one more minute with her, just one,” he pleaded with glossy eyes.

That’s why he told me every minute with my child was valuable. He knew what it felt like to lose one.

“She was kind as you are, you know,” Jakob said with a soft smile and continued, “My daughter was selfless and sweet and had a smile that brightened the entire room.”

“She sounds wonderful,” I smiled.

“She was,” he sighed. “Listen Azalea, I won’t lie to you. I invited you here because I have a proposition,” Jakob then said and sat up. He pulled out a piece of paper from a folder that had been on the table since we came.

“Jakob, this better not be yet another gift,” I warned.

“It’s not, I promise,” he stated.

I picked up the document to read and gasped. It was a position within his company.

“You know enough about agriculture and you have experience from working on a Belt since you were a young teen. You’ve picked up management classes and such,” Jakob said while I read his proposal. “I think you’d fit this role well in my company. Not many people have that first-hand experience, and I find that to be important when it comes to managing something. I’ve been looking for a project manager with experience like yours for some time now,” he explained.

“Jakob—” I wanted to say.

“It comes with great pay, healthcare, and dental for both you and your child, the first three months' accommodation will be paid, and you work online two to three times a week along with enough days off, which isn’t the same as vacation days that you’d have,” he continued to say, making this deal all the more appealing.

“This can’t be real,” I whispered. My current job was good enough pay, but the benefits were not the greatest. The flexibility of the job made me hold onto it, but this job Jakob offered me was something I could only ever dream of.

“It’s real, and I want you to think about it, Azalea,” Jakob stated.

Could I do it? Would I accept it even after I swore to never set foot on a farm ever again?