Taking Aim

"Dad?" he replied. "I'm kind of thinking about staying out here. At least temporarily."

"Well, you do have to see the judge so that makes sense."

"No. I'm talking about temporarily in a longer-term sense. And depending on how things go, maybe even permanently."

"Oh. Okay," his father replied, taken aback by the news.

His mother overheard them talking and was pretty sure she knew what her son meant as to the 'things' on which his decision would depend. And while she had serious misgivings about him getting involved with a woman so much older than him, she knew she'd done everything she could to raise him right. Now it was up to her to trust his judgment no matter how difficult that might be. After all, he was now raising her only grandchild.

After one final round of hugs, Will and Janice got in their rental car and headed for Sea-Tac airport as Brandon and Isabella waved goodbye.

"Okay, so what shall we do now?" he asked.

"Can we play a game?" Isabella asked excitedly.

It was the first time Brandon had seen here anything but sad since losing her parents, and he couldn't help but smile as told her, "Sure. You pick."

"Can we play two games?" she asked as she grabbed one of his fingers.

"Probably," he told her.

"Can we play three?"

Brandon laughed loudly, bent down and grabbed her under arms, then picked her up.

"You are quite the negotiator, aren't you?" he said as he kind of tickled her tummy with one hand.

Isabella giggled then asked, "What's a go-shater?"

Brandon laughed again and said, "I'll explain later. What game are we playing first?"

After playing more than he'd played in many years, Brandon started keeping an eye out for Jaycee's car as it got closer to six o'clock. When he saw it pull in, he walked out to the side door and waited.

Jaycee got out of her car and saw him looking her way so he opened the side door of the house and spoke to her.

"I have someone I'd like you to come say 'hello' to whenever you're settled," he told her.

"Oh, my gosh!" she said as she nearly ran around the front of her car. "Is she home? Right now?"

Brandon smiled and told her, "Uh-huh. She's in her room playing. You wanna go..."

"Are you kidding!" Jaycee said as she nearly bowled him over going around him.

She stopped then said, "I'm so sorry. I'm just beside myself with excitement, and I completely lost my mind."

"I'm glad you're excited," he told her as he reached for her hands.

Jaycee smiled at him then said, "I'm so happy for both of you."

They looked at one another for a moment before Brandon softly kissed her.

"I was hoping you'd do that," she said sweetly when it ended.

"Come on. Let's go say hello to my favorite little girl in the world."

Before he let her move he smiled and said, "I have to say, though, it's quite possible you've become my favorite...big girl...in the world."

Jaycee laughed happily then pretended to be very serious and said, "Did you just call me 'big'?"

Brandon laughed, too, then kissed her again.

He took her hand then led her toward the other end of the house where they could hear the sound of a little girl's voice. As Brandon went to step inside Jaycee held him back, and as he listened he knew why.

They peeked around the corner and saw her holding up two dolls. It was obvious one of them was Isabella. The other was evidently her mother.

"Yes, I know you can't come home. But that's okay because you're a anjull now. The nice lady at the home where I stayed after you went to heaven told me Jeez-ahs needed you more than I did, so it's okay if you stay there. And please tell Daddy Uncle Brandon is taking care of me and we're having lots of fun, okay?"

She moved the 'mommy' doll and spoke for it.

"Okay. I'll let him know."

"I love you, Mommy," the Isabella doll said.

"I love you!" her 'mommy' replied.

Brandon saw Jaycee drying her eyes and pull back from watching.

"Wow," she whispered.

"Yeah, that was tough," Brandon said as he fought off tears of his own.

Jaycee took a deep breath then said, "Okay. I'm ready."

Brandon stepped in and said, "Isabella?"

She turned around and said, "Do you wanna play with my dolls? You can be this one if you want."

She offered him the 'mommy' doll, and after swallowing hard said, "Actually, I have someone who wants to say 'hi'. Is that okay?"

"Who is it?" Isabella said as she stood up and started looking.

Brandon motioned for Jaycee to come in, and the moment Isabella saw her, she ran to her.

"Miss Jaycee!" she called out as she ran into her arms. "How are you?"

Jaycee bent down and hugged the little girl from her height and squeezed her hard.

"I'm doing very well now that I got to see you!" she said.

"Come on. You can play dolls with me!" Isabella replied without saying anything about how nice it was to see her.

Jaycee laughed as she blinked away more tears and said, "I would love to play dolls with you!"

Brandon knelt down beside them as Isabella offered Jaycee the same doll she'd tried to give to her uncle and watched them interact. He marveled at the resilience of a child as his niece played with her neighbor as though they were best friends and nothing had ever happened. And he, too, blinked back tears when he saw Jaycee genuinely laughing and smiling as she played with the sweet little girl she'd once said she could 'just eat up'.

"What would my two favorite girls like for dinner?" he asked during a very short lull.

"Pizza!" Isabella called out.

Jaycee looked at him and said, "Anything is fine. I'll stay here if that's okay."

Brandon gently ran a hand up and down her back and said, "That would be more than fine."

He ordered on line and 45 minutes later, a large pepperoni pizza arrived.

"Dinner!" he called out after handing the driver a tip.

He was getting down plates when he looked over and saw 'his girls' come into the kitchen hand in hand.

"Did you have fun playing with Miss Jaycee?" Brandon asked.

"Uh-huh. And she's gonna play with me after we have pizza," Isabella announced.

"She might have to go home," Brandon warned her as he looked at Jaycee.

"I think I could stay a little while longer," she said sweetly.

"Yay!!" Isabella said loudly as her Uncle Brandon put a slice of pizza on the plate.

"Here. Let me cut that for you, okay, sweetheart?" Jaycee asked.

"Okay. My mommy always cuts my pizza so I don't make a mess," she informed the older woman.

"That's very smart to do that," Jaycee said. "And you won't burn your mouth if it's too hot."

Jaycee cut the slice into several smaller pieces then helped Isabella get seated. She and Brandon each brought a slice over then he grabbed glasses and poured them all some cold water.

"Did in!" he said.

Isabella speared a big bite with her fork then stuck it in her mouth and said, "I love pizza!"

Jaycee was smiling so big Brandon thought her mouth might break as she kept her eyes on the four-year old the entire time they ate with a quick glance now and then at the little girl's handsome uncle.

A few minutes later Isabella was happily chomping away when all of a sudden she asked without looking at Jaycee, "Are you guys in love?"

Brandon watched Jaycee's reaction and tried not to laugh when her eyes opened wide and she nearly choked on the bite she was trying to swallow.

Isabella popped the last piece in her mouth then asked again as she chomped away.

"So...are you?"

Jaycee managed to down the bite then smiled at Brandon, waiting for him to answer. He smiled back at Jaycee then replied.

"I don't know, sweetie."

He looked at Jaycee again then said to her as much as to Isabella, "Maybe."

Jaycee's reaction told him all he needed to know as her smile brightened even more.

"Is that okay?" her uncle asked as much for Jaycee's benefit as his niece's.

"Of course!" she said before asking for another slice.

The adults knew she'd probably already forgotten what she'd asked or why, but the unspoken 'vibe' between them was most definitely not lost on either of the adults.

Isabella begged her new friend to stay until her bedtime, but it didn't take any pleading to convince Jaycee to do so. Once the little girl was tucked into her own bed, she fell asleep within minutes as Jaycee sat beside her just watching her and making sure everything was okay.

She got up and found Brandon in the den and asked what he was doing.

"Is she asleep already?" he asked. He'd just laid her down ten minutes ago and was going to go back in and check on her.

"Out like a light," Jaycee told him.

"I'm pulling together the financial stuff the judge wants to see."

"Oh, okay. Well, I should probably get home," she replied.

Brandon stood up and came around the desk and put his arms around the beautiful, older woman standing there and said, "I loved watching you play with her."

Jaycee slid her arms around his neck and told him she'd enjoyed it just as much.

"She really likes you," Brandon said as though that wasn't obvious.

"I really like her, too," Jaycee replied.

She rested her head on his shoulder as Brandon pulled her close.

"You know, that's exactly what I've dreamed of my whole life," she said quietly.

"What's that?" Brandon asked not sure what she meant.

"Having a little girl of my own. Someone to love and be loved by."

She pulled back then looked at Brandon and said, "Along with a husband who loves and respects me."

"I have tremendous respect for you," Brandon told her as they stared into one another's eyes.

Jaycee smiled then laid her head back on his shoulder.

"And I...I might just be..."

Jaycee raised her head again and this time, she wasn't smiling. Her eyes looking into his, but sensing what he might say, she was looking past them and maybe...'into his soul'.

"Falling in love with you," he said, finishing his thought.

She watched the way he looked at her and also took in the way he said the words. Instinctively, she could tell he meant what he'd just said. Even so she still didn't speak. She just kept looking into his eyes, and that made Brandon wonder if she might be ready to say something like 'are you crazy' but those words never came.

Instead she said, "When you said what you did during dinner, my heart melted, Brandon."

"That's a good thing, right?" he asked with a smile.

"I...I've never felt loved before. Ever. I thought I did when I first got married but even now, looking back, I can tell it was more infatuation on his part than love."

"Really? How so?" he asked.

"This will sound terrible, but please know I don't mean it the way it sounds, okay?"

Brandon nodded and waited.

"I was...reasonably attractive back then, and I think I was like some kind of...status symbol for him. I thought he loved me like I loved him, but it's all so clear now. It...it wasn't love at all."

Her voice trailed off at the end telling Brandon she was feeling her past emotions while talking through this.

"You're still very attractive. In fact, you're beautiful," he told her.

"Do you even know how old I am?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head again then said, "And I don't care. At all."

"Even if I'm...41?" she asked as her eyes searched his soul again.

"Not even," he assured her.

Without taking her eyes off of his she said, "I believe you. I have no idea why you believe that, but I can tell you mean it."

He put his hand on her cheek and said, "Yes. I mean it. And I mean it when I tell you I'm falling in love with you."

"I believe that, too," she said in a whisper. "I'm just so afraid of being hurt again."

Brandon put his other hand on the other side of face and said, "I will never hurt you, Jaycee. Never."

"Then may I tell you something?" she asked as she put her hands on his face.

"Of course. You can tell me anything."

"I've been in love with you for some time now."

She watched his eyes then asked, "Does that scare you or make you think I'm some kind of crazy..."

"Amazing, wonderful, beautiful woman?" he said before she could finish.

"I do love you," she told him. "It doesn't matter how long I've known you. I just know that I love you."

The longing in her eyes was almost palpable, and the sincerity was just as real.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," he said, calling her that for the first time.

Jaycee's eyes filled with tears as she lowered her hands then wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so happy," she told him as she held him close.

He could feel her body shake and knew she was crying. But because of all she'd been through he knew why she needed to.

"It's okay. I'm here, honey," he told her as the woman he loved let go of years of hurt and pain; years she'd wasted on someone who couldn't return her love.

He stroked her hair then said, "And I'll always be here for you."

"Promise?" she asked as she tried to regain control.

"Yes. I promise."

He held her until she was ready to be let go of, then gently did so when she let him know she was ready.

Her eyes were puffy and red and her face was stained with mascara.

"See how beautiful I am?" she said as she tried to smile.

"Uh-huh. I do. And you are," he told her just as sincerely as he'd said he loved her.

"I wish I didn't have to leave," she said as she used a finger to try and wipe the area below one eye clean.

"You don't have to leave," Brandon told her.

"Yes. Yes, I do," she replied. "I want to be with you more than you can imagine, but, well, this is Isabella's first night home, and it's only been a very short time since her mother was here with her father so..."

"I understand," Brandon told her. "And now...I love you even more."

"So you're not upset?" she asked gingerly from years of having to tread lightly every time she spoke.

Brandon smiled at her, put his hands on her shoulders then said, "Not in the least. I'm just...in awe that you have so much honor and integrity. I'm truly...impressed."

Jaycee managed a smile of her own then said, "Don't think leaving tonight is easy for me, okay?"

Brandon returned her smile then pulled her close and said, "I'd take these feelings I'm experiencing right now over winning any tournament ever."

Jaycee squeezed him tight then said, "I've never won anything before, but I wouldn't trade this for anything on earth."

As Brandon held her she said quietly, "But I do feel like I just won the lottery."

Trying to lighten the mood, Brandon said, "Well, I am a pretty amazing catch."

Jaycee pulled back, smiled then playfully hit him.

"And modest!" she said unable to stop smiling.

Brandon took her hand and walked her to the door.

As he looked at her she said, "Is it okay that I feel...guilty...for feeling so happy considering what happened to make this possible?"

He thought about it for a moment then said, "I think that's what any normal, caring person would feel. But as long as we're not happy because something terrible happened to bring us together, I don't think we should dwell on the 'how' part too much."

"I knew you'd say exactly the right thing to make me feel better," she told him.

He thought about trying to say something lighthearted again, but this time, it was too serious a subject.

"I hope to make you feel better many more times, Jaycee," he told her as he put his arms around her again.

"That goes for me to you, as well...my love," she said, her tear-stained eyes bright with happiness in spite of the streaks and stains.

"I love you," Brandon told her as he held her.

"I love you, too," she said before kissing him goodnight.

He watched her walk across both driveways then waved back when she got to her door and blew him a kiss.

As he turned around to go check on Isabella, he realized how quickly things were happening, and yet nothing felt hurried or rushed. It all just felt...right.

For the first time since he was in Sydney, Brandon really slept. He slept so soundly the first thing he heard was a small voice telling him she was hungry.

"Hey there!" he said as he opened one eye to look at small person standing next to his bed.

"Can I have Fruit Loops?" she asked.

"Can I have ten more minutes?" he asked back.

"Can I come up?" she countered.

"Deal," Brandon said as he helped her climb into bed. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Uh-huh," she told him as she lay beside him.

He closed his eyes and as if on cue, Isabella asked, "Uncle Brandon? Are you my new daddy?"

He turned over immediately and looked at her.

"Well, your daddy will always be your daddy, honey."

"I know, but since he lives in heaven now, who will be my daddy at my house?" she asked with childlike innocence.

"Good question," he uncle replied.

"So can it be you?"

"We'll see, okay?" he told her.

"Okay," she said, satisfied for the moment. "But I'm still hungry."

Brandon smiled then pulled the covers back.

"Okay. Let's go get some Fruit Loops."

He checked the time in the kitchen and realized it was already nine o'clock. He'd slept nearly ten hours for the first time in weeks.

He poured Isabella some cereal, added a little milk, then put on some coffee.

As it brewed he looked next door and smiled when he noticed her car was still in the driveway. He couldn't remember Jaycee having a day off since he came back to Seattle, but if she was home he wanted to see her. But he knew he couldn't leave while Isabella was eating. But he could text her.

In less than a minute Jaycee appeared at the side door and knocked.

"Who is it?" Isabella asked as she slurped her cereal.

"That would be Jaycee," he told her.

"She wants to play with me," Isabella informed him.

"Probably so," he told her as he went to get the door.

She was smiling at him, and Brandon noticed she looked amazing.

"Wow. You look...wow!" he told her.

"Oh, thank you," she told him as she stepped inside.

"And you don't need to knock anymore," Brandon said before kissing her hello.

"I see," she said with a very happy smile.

"I don't think I've seen you with your hair like that," he told her as he admired her long, silky, shiny, blonde hair that looked smooth and amazing.

"I even wore makeup," she said in case he missed it.

"I noticed. And you look great in that outfit."

"And you look...naked," she told him.

Only then did he realize he was walking around in his underwear minus the tee-shirt with a four-year old girl in the house.

"Oh, crap!" he said. "Let me grab my robe. If I can find it."

"Or just pull on some sweatpants and a tee shirt!" she told him with a laugh as he scurried away.

"Miss Jaycee! Come have Fruit Loops with me," she heard Isabella say once she heard Jaycee's voice.

"Good morning, sweetie pie!" she said as she kissed the top of her head. "Maybe I'll just have some coffee. Is that okay?"

"Well, Fruit Loops taste better, but you can have coffee if you want to."

She poured a cup for herself and another one for Brandon which she handed to him as he came back in, his body now covered.

"Much better," Jaycee said as she handed him a cup. She moved closer then said very quietly, "Well, that's not quite true. I liked the way you looked before better."

He set his cup down then put his arms around and asked if she still loved him.

"I guess. Maybe a little, anyway," she said trying not to laugh. "And you?"

"Maybe," he told her. "A little."

"So you are in love," Isabella said, surprising them both.

Jaycee turned around and when Isabella looked at her she said, "You know what? We are in love."

"I know," the little girl said as though it was common knowledge before spilling more milk as she ate another spoonful of the magically delicious cereal.

"Out of the mouth of babes, right?" Brandon said as he put his arms around Jaycee from behind.

"Did I mention how nice this is?" she asked.