Something Precious

by M. Clarke

  Jax looked at his phone and placed it down next to him. He took a sip of his wine and tenderly kissed my shoulder. The warmth of his lips alone sent hot sensations down to my sex. Oh God! I wanted Jax again.

  “He’s in good hands. I need to pick him up in an hour,” he finally said.

  I chewed and swallowed a piece of squash. Jax had exhausted me to the point I was starving, but it was hard to eat when our naked bodies were touching. “You didn’t answer my question. Who’s watching Jace?”

  Jax swallowed and nibbled on my neck. That only made me suspicious. But why? Jax was a great dad.

  “You didn’t leave him alone in our house, right?” I teased, stroking his leg.

  Jax looked away. “Chloe is watching him.”

  My lips parted to say something, but I shut them, wondering if I’d heard wrong.“Did you hire a sitter named Chloe?”I turned my body to face him.

  “Chloe is back in town,”he said casually.

  I blinked with confusion, baffled that he had allowed Chloe to watch his son when he’d paid her off to have full custody of him. I knew she would never stay away. What made me upset was his lack of communication.“When were you going to tell me?”

  “She called me yesterday. She begged me to see Jace. Jace has the right to see his mother. I wasn’t going to let it happen if he felt uncomfortable with it, but since he wanted to see her too, I thought I’d take that opportunity and use it to my advantage. I wanted to spend some time with you.”

  I appreciated the fact that he had gone out of his way and allowed even Chloe to watch his son, but a part of me was pissed off. I wasn’t sure if I had the right to be upset that he’d made a decision regarding Jace without me, as if my opinion didn’t matter. Knowing he had been planning a surprise getaway for the two of us was the only reason why I was able to stay calm. Jace was his son and not mine, but the thought hurt me. Jax hadn’t done it knowingly. I knew this for sure, but still...Maybe I was being too sensitive? I didn’t have the right to tell him what to do, even if every motherly instinct told me I did.

  Jax stroked my hair.“You’re not upset, are you? It was only for three hours. I was going to tell you after dinner.”

  I took a sip of my wine to keep my cool.“What if she wants to see him again? And she wants to have him over the weekend? Or she wants to share custody of him? You’re okay with that? Once you give in a little, she’s going to try to take more.”I wanted to say, what if she wants you back and tries everything in her power to get you? Why was I thinking these thoughts?

  “That’s not going to happen. You’re making this bigger than it is.”Jax took a last bite of his chicken and then tried to feed me my last bite, but I turned away.“Rachel, I’m marrying you.”

  I must have frowned or the word“jealously”must have been written on my forehead.“I’m not worried.”That came out a little sassy, not what I had meant. Shifting the blanket, I pulled it over my shoulder.

  Jax tugged the cover back down.“Why are you covering yourself? I love looking at you. Don’t be mad at me.”

  Knowing Chloe was in town caused my stomach to churn in the most unpleasant way. Maybe that was the reason why Jax had delayed telling me. Whatever the reason, I had to trust that he wasn’t trying to hide anything from me. After all, Chloe was Jace’s mother. Already being attached to Jace, I could understand his own mother wanting to spend time with him. But she was also manipulative and cunning, and knew how to play games very well to her advantage.

  I pushed my plate away and folded my legs up to my chest.“I’m not mad. I have no right to be mad. I’m just Jace’s secondmother.”

  Jax gripped my jaw with his hand and forced me to look at him.“You might think you’re his second mother, but you’ve been like a mother to Jace this past year. Being a mother by blood doesn’t mean shit if you don’t give a fuck. You, on the other hand, have been amazing. Jace loves you and so do I. Don’t you forget that.”

  I soaked in Jax’s words and nodded. His eyes told me he meant every word, and that seeped a blissful feeling to my heart. Jax planted a powerful kiss on my lips as if to confirm what he’d said.

  “I have strawberry mango cake for dessert.”His tone came off playful and taunting.

  “I know what we can do with that cake.”I waggled my brows to flirt back.

  Jax’s phone rang from the spot he had left it on the floor. When he ignored it, I couldn’t help but stare at the words that flashed before me—Chloe. Why would she call Jax?

  My heart stopped and I went into protective mode.“I think you should pick up the phone. It’s Chloe. It could be about Jace.”

  Jax rolled his eyes and answered, sounding annoyed,“Hello.”

  I could hear Jace crying in the background. It wasn’t loud, but it was enough to make me worry.

  “You what?”Jax’s loud angry tone shot up to the roof.“When? Goddamn it, Chloe. You’re supposed to watch him. I’ll be right there. Tell him I’m coming to pick him up.”

  “What happened?”I couldn’t control my thundering heart.

  Jax sprung up.“Jace ate Chloe’s cookie. It was complimentary from the hotel. Chloe didn’t know there was peanut butter in the ingredients. She gave him his epinephrine when he started wheezing, but he’s crying because he got scared. It’s not Chloe’s fault. She didn’t know, but she shouldn’t have—sorry, Rachel. It was supposed to be our special night. I can’t believe….

  Jax couldn’t finish his words. A concerned expression spread across his face as he raked his fingers through his hair. He didn’t want to blame it on Chloe, because deep down inside, he was blaming himself. I was almost certain he had struggled over whether to let Chloe back into Jace’s life. However, I couldn’t help feeling bad. If Jax hadn’t planned our special date, Jace would have been home with us. I had to push this thought away.

  I got up and stood in front of him. It was my turn to make him look at me.“It’s okay, Jax. There’s always next time. Jace is fine. That’s all that matters. Let’s go get him.”

  Jax’s lips curled enough to let me know he was trying to give me a smile, and his eyes told me he agreed and was thankful.

  Jackson

  I wanted to strangle Chloe. Every nerve, bone, and muscle in me raged with fury. Not only had she cut short my date with Rachel, she hadn’t been careful with our son. What was the purpose of me packing his snack?

  “I’m sorry, babe,” I said, placing my hand over Rachel’s while the other one gripped tightly on the steering wheel. I couldn’t remember how many times I’d apologized to her.

  “Don’t be sorry, Jax. I had an amazing night. We had to go home anyway.”

  I squeezed Rachel’s hand. “The only amazing thing about tonight is you.” Taking her hand to my lips, I gave her a long kiss on the back of it and placed it on my lap.

  “You don’t have to go up with me to get Jace. You can wait in the car for me if you don’t feel comfortable seeing her.”

  Rachel looked out the window and released a long sigh. Had I said something wrong?

  “I’ll come with you. I’m bound to run into her since she still works for the Knights. I might as well get it over with.”

  I prayed it would go smoothly. I prayed Chloe wouldn’t piss off Rachel. I prayed Chloe would leave town soon.

  Rachel

  I didn’t know why I couldn’t keep my heart at a steady beat. The anticipation of seeing Chloe and knowing she hated me, didn’t settle well in my stomach. I could still recall her blaming me when Jace was sent to the hospital after eating a peanut butter cookie while he had been under her care, and he almost didn’t make it. She was rude and evil to me in every way possible. If she could, she would have clawed out my eyes and set me on fire.

  A part of me felt sorry for her. Chloe had purposely tricked Jax into getting her pregnant just so she could keep claim on him, which was a pathetic, desperate move on her part. Sometimes beautiful people did ugly things.

  Chloe swung the door open when Jax knocked.
She barked,“It’s about time. I couldn’t get him to stop crying. He kept calling for you.”When Chloe saw me standing next to Jax, not only did she not speak to me, but she gave me the evilest stare. I didn’t even think the devil could have given me that look.

  “Daddy.”Jace ran into Jax’s arms. His crying stopped, but he gasped for air. The lingering tears still had a grasp on him.

  Jax picked him up and held him tightly.“It’s okay. Daddy is here. You’re okay.”

  “I don’t want to go to the hospital,”Jace cried.

  Jax stroked Jace’s hair and rubbed his back to give him comfort.“You’re okay. You don’t need to go.”

  “But Mom said she was going to take me if I didn’t stop crying,”he sniffed.

  When Jax handed Jace to me, Chloe’s eyes became daggers directed at me as if I had stolen from her.“Stay out here. I need to talk to Chloe.”

  Jax wasn’t ordering me, but it felt like he was. I wouldn’t have gone in if he’d offered anyway. I knew he was extremely upset, so I dismissed his tone and the hurt that made me feel like I was not needed.

  I nodded, rubbing Jace’s back just the way Jax had done. Jax didn’t close the door all the way, but it was enough to let me know he wanted a private conversation with Chloe.

  “Why did you tell him he had to go to the hospital? You shouldn’t scare him like that.”I heard Jax’s voice muffled through the crack of the door.

  “I didn’t know what else to say to shut him up.” Chloe sounded angry.

  I could imagine Jax’s facial muscles twitching and his jaw clenching.“I brought his snacks. Why didn’t you give him those?”

  “I went to the bathroom. Am I not allowed to use the bathroom without Jace following me everywhere? He has to learn. Why didn’t you teach him? Maybe she’s spoiling him too much.”

  “She? You mean Rachel? Rachel is amazing with him. You have no right to judge, especially when you’re not there.”

  My lips curled up.

  Jax continued, “Ever since Jace came out of the hospital, we’ve never had to use the epinephrine shot on him—not until you came along.”

  “Okay”—Chloe’s voice softened—“I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful next time. I didn’t do it on purpose. I wouldn’t harm my own child.”The sound of her pleading and pouting was making me sick to my stomach. Was she touching my Jax? I could imagine her hands on his chest, caressing to soothe him. Would he let her touch him like that? They had a history together—shit!—they had a child together. And why was she dressed to impress a man? She was dressed to seduce, that was for sure.

  A long sigh escaped from Jax.“I know. How long are you staying?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  Great! I rolled my eyes.

  “Can I see Jace again?” she asked sweetly, making me want to throw up.

  “I don’t know.” He sounded hesitant, unsure of himself.

  I backed away from the door when I heard footsteps. The door swung open. Jax gave me a soft smile, took Jace from me, and cradled him in his arms.“Let’s go home.”

  I looked over my shoulder as we walked down the hall. Chloe’s eyes were narrowed with a look of disgust. Before we got into the elevator, she shut the door behind her.

  Chapter 8

  Rachel

  Jax took the red eye to New York Tuesday night. On the days Jax was out of town, Jace got to sleep in our bed. It was more for me than him. Although we had an alarm for our house, I was a big chicken and didn’t feel as safe without Jax. The house seemed a lot quieter when Jax wasn’t around during the night, and a little bit scarier.

  It didn’t help that Jace kept making moaning sounds like he was in pain. I wondered what he was dreaming about—probably Chloe kidnapping him. That was so wrong! But I couldn’t help it as I snickered to myself. Looking at the clock, I saw that it was six thirty in the morning. I covered Jace with the blanket that he had kicked off and reached over to kiss him. He felt hot to my touch. Oh my God! Did he have a fever? No wonder he was moaning. How could I have missed that?

  Pulling him close to me, I tried to gauge his temperature with my hand, but he was too hot. Jace had been healthy and hadn’t been sick since he was released from the hospital. Having never treated a sick child before, I didn’t know what to do. Crap! He had to get sick when Jax was away. I jumped out of bed and texted Becky for her advice, even though I knew she was still sleeping. The logical side of me knew Jace would be fine, but I was panicking. Jumping on the computer, I searched the net—what to do when a child has a fever.

  I raced downstairs and looked through the medicine cabinet for a thermometer and Children’s Tylenol. After grabbing them, I dashed back as fast as I could. I didn’t know how long Jace had had a fever. I sucked at this.

  “Jace.” I shook him a little.

  He moaned and whimpered. “I want Daddy.” His voice was hardy audible.

  Reaching for the thermometer, I carefully placed it inside his ear. 103 degrees! I needed to get ready for work, and Jax wasn’t there. What should I do? Keeping calm, I texted Becky again: Jace has a fever of 103! I don’t know what to do!

  Crap! I forgot to give him medicine. After reading the instructions, I poured some into the clear medicine cup.“Jace. I need to give you medicine. Can you help me?”My tone was tender and soft, but my heart was pounding from having awful thoughts running through my head. What if he gets worse? Or I have to take him to the hospital? What if I’m doing this all wrong? I helped him sit up with one arm and held the clear medicine cup next to his lips. When he parted his lips, I let him sip it.

  “I don’t feel good. I want Daddy,”he moaned, looking smaller in my arms.

  I cradled him in my arms like a baby, slightly rocking him.“I’m here, Jace. You’re going to be okay. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”His pain became my pain. Pressing my cool cheek against his hot cheek, I tried to relieve his warmth. I held him like that until my phone buzzed.

  “I need to get the phone, Jace. I’m right here.”I laid him down, picked up the stuffed turtle and placed it next to him, and grabbed the phone on my dresser.“Becky.” Thank God! I felt so relieved.

  “Did you give him Tylenol?”she asked in her sleepy tone.

  “Yes. I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

  “No. Addy woke me up. Give him the same dosage every four hours. There’s a twenty-four-hour bug going around. Hopefully, that’s what it is. If not, we’ll go from there. Make sure to keep him hydrated. See if you can feed him a banana, crackers, or bread, but don’t force him. Don’t get too worried if he doesn’t want to eat. If he starts to throw up, call me.”

  “Throw up?”I grimaced. Becky was so calm, giving me instructions. I could picture her lying in bed, having Addy between them. She had told me that Addy liked to sneak into her bed in the middle of the night too.“I can’t go to work.”

  “I’ll tell Matthew. He’ll rearrange your schedule. Don’t worry about it.”

  “But I’ve never missed a day. I have so much to do.”Not that Jace wasn’t important, but suddenly I was freaking out.

  “Rachel.”Becky said my name like she was ready to give me a lecture.“Everything will be fine. Do what you can at home. So what if you miss a day? Everything will still be there. Matthew will take care of it.”

  I let out a deep breath I didn’t know I was holding.“Thanks. Tell Matthew I’m sorry.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry for. This is all new to you. I freaked out when Addy had a fever for the first time. I didn’t sleep all night. Matthew and I stayed up watching her breathe. Like I said before, the first time is the hardest.”

  I glanced at Jace, watching his chest rise and fall.“He’s sleeping.”

  “Good. Let him sleep. You should get some rest too.”

  “I don’t know if I can. Don’t I need to give him Tylenol after four hours?”

  “Set your alarm and lie next to him. I dare you not to fall asleep.”Becky chuckled.

  “Thanks, Sis.”

/>   “Anytime.”

  After Becky and I hung up, I set my alarm and lay next to Jace. He was going to be just fine, I told myself as I closed my heavy eyelids.

  My alarm went off. My eyes shot open, I turned it off, and sat up. When I touched Jace’s forehead, he still felt hot. His fever hadn’t broken. I raced downstairs to get a bottle of water and remembered we had some leftover chicken soup I’d made two nights ago. After heating it up, I grabbed a banana and went back to Jace.

  “Jace.” I tried to wake him.

  He groaned, and that was his answer.

  “I need to give you medicine again. Can you help me?”

  “I’m tired,” he slurred.

  “Please. You need to take this so you can get better,” I urged.

  I helped him with one arm and gave him his medicine. Then instead of letting him lie down, I made sure he had some sips of water. “Would you like something to eat? Are you hungry?”

  “I don’t feel good,” he moaned.

  “I know sweetheart. I’m going to let you sleep.”

  I laid him back down. Though the soup looked appetizing, I couldn’t eat it either. Too worried about Jace, I had lost my appetite. Until he was better, I was going to be a wreck. He hadn’t eaten, and though Becky told me not to force him to eat, it was driving me crazy. He was so little. He needed to eat. I gently sat next to Jace with my laptop open, set the alarm to four hours later, and tried to concentrate on my work.

  I must have looked over to Jace every five minutes to make sure he was breathing while I was trying to answer emails and look at photos. It was late afternoon and I was starving. I peeled the banana that I had placed on the bed and ate it. After my alarm beeped, letting me know four hours had passed again, I helped Jace take another dose of Tylenol. He went back to sleep and I went back to my work.

  About three hours had passed. I jerked when I felt a warm hand on my arm.

  “Jace, how are you feeling?” I touched his forehead. He was warm, but not as warm as before.