Mute

Extending an invitation

        “Oh hell.” He groaned, stretched and yawned as he sat up. The bed side alarm clock said it was ten in the morning, well so much for getting things done today before it got hot. He found his clothes and seriously considered just staying in bed, but Sam would be required for that.

        He finally found his cell phone in his back pocket after crawling back into his jeans. He wedged it between his ear and his shoulder as it dialed an old familiar number. It picked up and the line was silent, he listened for a second and pushed a button. A second later the other end pushed a button as well, he smiled.

        A minute later he heard shuffling and then his mother said, “Jace?”

        “Momma. How is Nonna?” He asked.

        “She is happy to hear from you, so am I, it has been a while.” He could hear the smile on his mother’s face. He stood from putting his boots on, he gripped his phone tight before he lowered the boom.

        “Well I miss the two of you, and I have some news and have a request for you.”

        “What kind of news do you have son?” His mother asked hesitantly.

        “Are you and Nonna sitting down?”

        He heard a chair slide and his mother replied, “go ahead.”

        He cleared his throat, “well. I retired from the Bureau.”

        “No way!” His mother exclaimed, he held the phone away at her squeal of happiness. He heard her talking as she signed to his Nonna. “Nonna is so happy!”

        “That’s not all mom. I am now a rancher, in Texas. And somehow, I got the job of County Sheriff here.”

        “Hang on a second. Like, cattle and horses rancher?” His mother asked.

        “Yeah,” he grinned at the memories he and Sam had made in the horses stall in the barn. “We have two horses, and quite a few cows.”

        “We?” His mother asked.

        “That brings me to the last part of my news, mom. I got married, and you are going to be a grandmother.” He heard the phone on the other end clatter to the floor. “Mom. Mom!”

        “Jace, you better not be playing a joke on your mother!” She scolded.

        “Mom, I swear it to be truth. Her name is Samantha, and well. Mom she is kind of like Nonna.”

        “What do you mean?”

        “She is just starting to come out of almost thirty years of selective mutisum. Until a couple of months ago, she couldn’t make a sound. She signs and she gets to talking just as fast as Nonna and I have to make her slow down. She still gets frustrated with talking with her mouth, but she’s getting better.”

        “Just a second, let me tell Nonna.” He waited patiently, there was a lot to relay. He heard a slap and his mom exclaim in pain. “She’s mad at you for not calling right away.”

        “Well, about that. I was in the hospital a while, actually got married two weeks after we got back to the ranch. That is a long story that can be told when you two come to visit.”

        “You want us to come visit you and your wife?”

        “Yeah, of course I do. I told her I wanted to introduce you two to her. She hasn’t had a mother since she was a few years old, and she is worried about her handicap and being a mother too. I thought you and Nonna could come and impart some of your vast knowledge to her. Besides, her father would like to see someone other than us two love birds.” He said as he ambled down the stairs. He found Sam pulling things from the fridge for lunch, “hang on mom. I will put it on speaker for Sam to hear you.”

        “Hello, is this Sam?”

        “Go on sweetheart,” He encouraged.

        “H.hello.” Sam kept glancing between him and the phone. “Your Jace’s mom?”

        “Yes I am, you sound lovely my dear.” He smiled at Sam, she was staring at the phone in disbelief. “Sam, would it be all right with you if Jace’s Nonna and I came to visit for a while? I would love to get to know you and we can answer any questions you may have about being pregnant.”

        She glanced up at Jace, he nodded and smiled when a huge smile erupted on his wife’s face. “Yes. Please come.”

        “Great! Jace, send me the address and everything and I will let you know when our flight will be. I love you son, and Sam. Don’t worry about anything, this will be just great!”

        His mother hung up the phone, he pulled Sam into his arms and kissed her lips with a wide smile, “Didn’t I tell you Kitten? I told you she would love you.”

        ‘Is Nonna coming too?’ Her hands asked, he nodded, ‘I have so many things I want to ask her.’

        “I know, I told them that much. Mom couldn’t believe that I had quit the Bureau.”

        “Me either.” She said with a wink and a sly smile.

        “Why did you want me to take the Sheriff’s job anyway?” He pinned her back against the fridge, caging her in with his arms. “We got side tracked earlier.”

        ‘You need the danger, first the military. Then the Bureau, you can’t get that excitement on a ranch.’

        “I have all the excitement I will ever need with you in my bed Mrs. Colter.” He growled just before he stormed her lips, his fingers hooked in her belt loops his hips jutting into her lower belly.

        “Jace.” She begged against his lips, he hummed against her throat as he kissed and sucked just under her ear. “I don’t want you to hate me.”

        He pulled back at that, staring down at her in shock, “why would I hate you Kitten?”

        ‘I made you take that job, I was afraid you will come to regret it.’

        “No, kitten no. You were right, I have had an itch I couldn’t scratch. And now that there is a tiny baby growing in your belly.” He palmed her lower belly, his fingers spread wide. “I need to make this place, our part of the world safe for the baby to live here with us.”

        “You promise?” she begged him, clinging to his shirt.

        “I swear on my life, you were not wrong my love.” He kissed her softly at first, then made the things in the fridge clink with the force he used to pin her to it again. He heard footsteps coming onto the back porch, and backed away a step or two just before her father walked in.

        “There you are, Jace come on. We need to get something done before lunch.” He walked over and kissed her forehead, “don’t work too hard Honey Bear.” She nodded, Jace kissed her lips quickly and jogged off after her dad out the door.