Mickey nodded toward the tree. “We’ve still got a mountain under there, and I believe Ashley got something for her Uncle Jax.”
Jax caught the pretty blush riding Ivory’s cheeks. “It’s just something small,” she said, shrugged. “We would have sent it to you, but I didn’t know where you were.”
“I didn’t have an address anyway.” The ache in Jax’s chest grew wider.
How long had it been since he’d received a gift? Ten years to be exact. He clutched the small gift-wrapped box in his palm, the writing swooped and looped. Ivory.
Jax ducked out of the room when tears clouded his vision.
* * * *
Ivory jumped to her feet. “Mickey, watch Ashley.”
She followed Jax, hearing the screen door slam. She clipped her jacket on the way out the door, shoving her arms through the sleeves. He’d gone down into the yard, white snowflakes gathering on his shirt, floating around him. She blinked away a few as she made her way over to him.
A foot of snow blanketed the ground, and she didn’t have the right kind of boots on.
“Jax?”
His arms were crossed over his chest, and Ivory hesitated to touch him. He kept his eyes on the sky as she stepped closer. “Are you okay?”
A chill swept through her, the wind frigid without her gloves and scarf.
“I’m fine. Go back inside, Ivory. It’s too cold out here.”
Ivory planted her hands on her hips. “Don’t tell me that,” she said. “You’re the one standing out here without a jacket.”
“I’ll only be a minute.”
“Jax, it’s just a small gift,” she whispered. “Don’t get angry.”
He whirled around, and Ivory stepped back, not sure if she believed her eyes. In the light from the porch, wetness gathered at the corner of his eyes. “I’m not angry.”
No. He wasn’t. Ivory stepped toward him. If he didn’t tower over her, she would wrap him in her arms. Her heart bled for him. The small gift had moved him. It was only a keychain with his name engraved on it. Jax wrapped his arms around her, nearly cracking her ribs.
“Stay with me tonight, Ivory.”
She couldn’t ignore the tone in his voice, the cry she heard there. When she shifted, trying to put space between them, she accidentally elbowed him, and his audible gasp for air confirmed what she’d suspected earlier. He got hurt!
“Jax, I can’t leave Ashley,” she said, her eyes on his stubborn chin. “Why don’t you stay here tonight? I think just about everyone in there is going to crash somewhere.”
He shook his head and broke away from her. The vulnerability she’d witnessed was gone, and the man she became accustomed to dealing with was back. The firm set of his jaw, the hard eyes. The unbreakable shield. She backed off. “Come back inside, open your gift. I imagine there’s another under there somewhere from me,” she said. She quickly added, “As a thank you.”
Jax nodded. “I won’t stay late.”
Ivory bit her lip. She knew Mickey would be staying, at the least. She had no idea whether or not Nathan would try to. She’d staved off his advances the last month, but she knew she needed to make a decision either way.
With Jax back in town, Ivory had a feeling it wouldn’t be that hard.
Still, when he’d asked her to stay, God, help her, she wanted to go.
Inside, Jax opened his present, and when he held up the key ring, Ivory smiled. “I noticed when you were here last your keys were all alone. I thought they needed to be spiced up.”
When he smiled, Ivory melted on the spot, forgetting her pact with herself and her unborn child not to fall under his spell again. Someone handed her a package, and Ivory gently tore into the paper, careful not to rip the teddy bears playing in the snow. She pushed the paper away, revealing a plain white box of medium size. When she took off the lid, Ivory pulled out a long silk robe with flowing bell sleeves. “Oh, my God, Jenny, what were you thinking?”
Jenny giggled. “I saw you admiring it at Victoria’s Secret.”
The soft, red satin was va-va-voom red, and the lacy extra large size would fit her in the months to come.. Tears sprang to her eyes. Ivory cried at the drop of a hat, but her hormones and the beautiful piece made her bawl.
Nana spoke up. “Maybe we can give Mickey his,” she said.
Mickey shredded the pretty paper, and chuckled when he read the scrawled note across the piece of paper attached to his new binder. The leather case cost Ivory fifty dollars, but Mickey’s effort into Mary’s life and her nana’s happiness made him worth every penny. “Thanks, kid. I kept saying to myself I needed a new one.”
Ivory smiled, and another gift flew in her direction. She caught it mid-air, the small box obvious. She glanced up, and Nathan raised his hand. “From me.”
By the time she finished opening the package, Nathan seemed on edge, his face stricken as though he just passed gas in a room full of women. Ivory opened the velvet black box. The earrings winked at her, the diamonds catching the light of the fire. “Oh, Nathan. These are too expensive.” She meant to look at Nathan, but Jax’s heavy stare stopped her. She pressed her lips together.
“Thank you.”
Jax stood up and grabbed another present out. “I want you to open this one, Ivory,” he said.
Ivory set the earrings on her growing pile of presents, and accepted Jax’s offer. She reached beneath the tree, located the rare book of poetry she’d picked up in Boston. On one of her visits to Jax’s house, she realized he read quite a bit, and poetry seemed to be his theme. She handed it to him, and their eyes caught. She swallowed. Something passed between them. An understanding of sorts. It was not over. Not by far.
Not able to keep such an intense connection with her nana looking on, Ivory focused on her gift. Jax sat back down. “Open it,” he ordered.
Jenny took the box from her when Ivory took her time, ripped the paper open. “It’s meant to be ripped open, Ivory,” she said with a wink. “That’s the fun in getting presents. Ripping open the paper.”
Ivory laughed at Jenny’s enthusiasm for ripping paper, and took the now bare box back. Inside, she found a blue empire-waist dress, small studs and rhinestones along the bodice. It shimmered slightly, and Ivory glanced at the tag. Holy shit! It was made by Versace. “Jax!”
A smirk lifted his lips. “It’s for our date, now that I’ve got a built in babysitter.” He slid a glance to Mickey.
Ivory’s cheeks heated, and she wondered if Nathan would kill Jax with a glare. “Thank you, Jax. I’ll uh, definitely wear it sometime.”
It would have to be soon, if she wanted to fit into it. “How did you know my size?”
Jax’s smirk was half-hidden as he opened her gift. “I know your body, Ivory.”
Before Ivory could get to her feet to do something, Nathan rushed Jax. The room erupted in a flurry of movement, the two men going for the throat.
“Dear God, they’re going to kill each other,” Nana said, amusement lacing her voice.
Ivory tried to step between the two dueling men, but Jenny pulled her back, whispering fiercely, “The baby.”
There was only one thing left to do.
Chapter Twelve
Pulling the mop bucket out from beneath the sink, Ivory cringed at the sounds of grunts and curse words being thrown back and forth between the two men. When it was full of water, she hefted the bucket out. When dogs got into a fight, the quickest way to break them up included dousing them with water. Well, that is just what she planned to do.
The scene before her made Ivory’s eyes go wide. To Jax’s credit, he seemed to be defending himself rather than punching back. He blocked Nathan’s advances, his face a mask of serenity as his attacker’s face twisted in anger. Nathan’s lips curled back in a snarl.
She gave her voice one last go. “Hey!”
Her attempt at verbal intervention bounced off the racket already made between the men, Ashley’s cries, and the crashing furniture. She lifted the bucket as high
as it would go in her arms, and tossed the ice cold water on Nathan’s back. Water splashed down Jax’s face.
Nathan whirled around. “What the hell did you do that for?”
Jax pulled a hand down his face, wiping away water droplets. The bucket wasn’t that big, and Nathan’s broad back and thick sweater soaked up the majority. Ivory dropped her weapon, and shoved her index finger in Nathan’s face.
“You, cool off. Don’t make me separate you two.”
Nathan rolled his shoulders, turning to Jax. “Sorry, man. But that’s my woman you were talking about.”
Ivory threw her hands up. “This is supposed to be Christmas, and you two are ruining it.”
Mickey and Nana chuckled, and Ivory glared at them. “This is the most exciting Christmas we’ve had in a long time, dear,” Nana pointed out. “These young, strapping men are both vying for your attentions, and I believe they were just having a pissing contest.”
At her nana’s assumption, the entire group went silent for seconds before a round of laughter moved through them. Ivory shook her head, staring at the overturned ottoman and coffee table. Nathan dripped water, and Jax wiped his forehead with the lower, dry portion of his shirt. She caught sight of the fresh scar tissue still twisted and plump along his flat stomach. The muscles rippled beneath the paper-thin skin.
Ivory ducked out of the room, dashing into the bathroom. She’d get Nathan a towel, but the sight of Jax’s wound required she give herself a minute. Butterflies picked up in her stomach, and she pressed a hand to her tummy to calm the nerves in her stomach. “Ivory?”
Her name filtered down the hallway, and Ivory poked her head out. “I’m grabbing towels,” she shouted back.
Jenny appeared and held her hand out. “Are you okay?”
Ivory shook her head, her hair swinging from side to side. “I don’t know.”
Jenny gathered her close for a hug, and Ivory took brief comfort in her friend’s unerring support. She had a good family. Ivory smiled, pushing her hair behind her ears. “That was fun. I’ve never thrown a bucket of water on a brawl before.”
Jenny looped her arm with Ivory’s. “Well, there is a first time for everything.”
Nathan took the towel from her the moment she saw him, and darted past her. Nana and Mickey righted the furniture, and Jax was nowhere in sight. Ivory’s heart sank. “Did Jax leave?”
Nana looked around, her eyebrows pasted to her hairline. “I didn’t even see him go. For such a big guy, he sure can move silently.”
Or her nana’s eyesight wasn’t as good as it used to be. Ivory opened the front door, scanned the darkness. She saw his truck and then the headlights turned on. Her shoulders slumped, and Ivory closed off the winter night. He’d left, and she didn’t have the chance to ask him about the scar, of how he’d gotten it. Not that he’d tell her anyway.
Nathan tapped her on her shoulder, and Ivory jumped. “I’m sorry, Ivory. Jealousy got the best of me.” He rubbed the towel over his head, a smile on his sensual lips. “I guess I deserved ice cold water.”
She folded her arms beneath her chest and motioned for him to follow her. She bypassed the living room, absently checking on Ashley, making sure her child was taken care of. Jenny bounced the little girl on her lap. In the kitchen, Ivory pointed at a chair, and Nathan dutifully sat down.
“Look, now that Jax is back,” she started. She wrung her hands. “It makes things between us even less clear.”
Nathan’s carefully composed face gave nothing away. Ivory frowned when he continued to stare at her.
“Nathan?”
He seemed to shake off his stupor. “Well, I guess that makes sense.” His voice went chilly, and Ivory ran her hands up and down her arms. “I don’t understand what it is with you and Jax. He’s going to leave. Again. How many times do I have to tell you this?”
Ivory’s temper flared. Her vision tinged with red. She counted to ten, aware anger would not help the situation. Nathan couldn’t understand her addiction to Jax anymore than she did. “It’s not like that, Nathan. You know I needed time anyway. Now, Jax is back, and he and I have unfinished business.”
“I’ll say.”
She ignored the snipe and instead, smoothed her hands back through her hair, interlocking her fingers behind her head. The unfinished business would arrive in seven months, and even if she were able to hide it from Nathan dodging his attempts to take their relationship further, in another two, she couldn’t. She needed to settle things with Jax.
“Just let me deal with Jax, Nathan, and then we can go back to whatever it is we are, right now.”
Nathan stood, his blue eyes searching her face, his face pulled into a frown. “All right, Ivory. I’ll give you the time you need, but don’t think I’ll keep picking up the pieces when he leaves again. And he will. Count on it.”
He left without a backward glance.
The reality Jax would undoubtedly go back to his mission, eventually, left her bereft. She felt frozen, her limbs cold, fingers icy. The only man who could warm her had walked out the door, and she didn’t know when he would be back. If he would be back.
* * * *
Christmas morning dawned with a rare bout of morning sickness she experienced every once in a while. Ivory hung her head over the toilet, cursing Jax and his swimmers.
Jax.
Her thoughts caught on him. He returned home. In Manchester. She could go over, take Ashley with her. Or, she could go herself and risk begging for mercy, though she couldn’t imagine her libido in overdrive at the moment, but oh, how he could make her want.
She flushed the toilet and the entire contents of her breakfast, brushed her teeth with vigor, and jumped into the shower. How did you tell a man who spent the majority of his life doing God knew what, he was going to be a father? Ivory stared at her reflection, noting the black circles beneath her eyes and the slight redness to her nose. That would fade. It came with the throw up.
She carefully chose her outfit, one designed to enhance her growing cleavage. Okay, if she admitted to herself she wanted to get fucked, then she would choose a sexy black set of panties, but since she wouldn’t acknowledge her need, she went with her sensible black Haines. Besides, her bra was still pretty, even though she’d only enhanced to a B.
She swiped the wand of makeup over her eyelashes, applied blush to her cheeks. When she finished, Ivory assessed her appearance. Not overdone, yet still sexy with the low cut long sleeved silk shirt and cream bell bottoms. Since she found out about her baby, something feminine crept up inside her and demanded she wear lighter colors. Something other than black, and she’d been forced by hormones into her gauzy summer clothes, though the wind in Boston cut straight through the loose clothes. Thank God for heavy jackets and scarves.
Ivory danced into the kitchen, her good mood on her face. “Merry Christmas, Nana.”
Her nana leaned in to her, placing her cheek inches from her lips. “I see a smile on my girl’s face for the first time in two months. Dare I ask what brought it about?”
Ivory accepted the cup of hot tea from Nana. “Can you watch Ashley for a few hours this morning?”
Nana bopped, her small frame wiggling to the music floating through the air. “I can do that, Cha-Cha. She is asleep right now. Wore herself out this morning with all those presents.”
Ivory grabbed her keys and wrapped her long red scarf around her neck. “Then I should be back in two hours, three tops. I want to go see Jax.”
“Ha, you want what dangles between Jax’s legs.”
Ivory’s cheeks burned. “Nana! You and Mickey have got to stop reading my mind.”
Nana gave her a wink. “I don’t mind, and just ‘cause I’m old, don’t mean I don’t know the look in a woman’s eyes when she sees the man she loves, and only one thing comes to mind from a long absence. And that’s sex, raunchy, dirty, sex.”
She shoved her hands to her coat pockets. “I’m going to be a mother, Nana. Moms don’t have raunchy, dirty, se
x. And for that matter, neither do nanas.” Ivory pushed her hair out of her face. “Do they?”
Mickey’s laughter broke the silence as he made his presence known. “Your nana is a wild cat.”
Ivory made a break for the door before Mickey and Nana started getting down and dirty on the kitchen floor. She imagined coming home to find an ambulance in the driveway, sirens on. Headlines would read seventy-year-old woman and man break hips having sex.
A shudder racked her body.
She jammed the key into the ignition of her Jeep, rubbing her hands together for warmth. The streets were quiet, and Ivory had the road to herself for the most part. The usual thirty minute drive to Manchester only took twenty. She pulled into Jax’s driveway and shut the car off. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel. Should she tell him about the baby before or after she jumped his bones?
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