“Coffee please.”
“Sure thing, sweetie. And what can I getcha to eat?”
Her stomach was a ball of haywire nerves that were shouting “no” but she’d already dreamed of how flaky the top crust would taste and how ooey gooey the bottom crust would feel smooshing through her teeth. “Mmm, chicken pot pie please.”
“Good choice. You okay?” the waitress asked.
Lily shook her head side to side at first but then feared the questions a small town diner confession on her part would bring. “I’m fine. Just a long day at work.”
“You work at the dress shop with your sister, Trista, right?”
See, she thought to herself and then nodded yes.
“I’ll bring you out something special, hun.” The waitress walked back to the counter.
Lily watched the sidewalk outside through the diner’s window. Why was she still nervous? If only she’d had the guts to plead a little harder for Jaxon to come back with her, not just for her sister’s sake, but for hers. Then she wouldn’t be sitting here paranoid and alone. She slid a wayward set of salt and pepper shakers back to the center of her table and then fidgeted with color-coding the artificial sweeteners. If her pot pie didn’t get here soon, mentally, there’d be nothing left of Jaxon James. Because thoughts of him devouring her were the only thing keeping Lily from losing it right now.
Chapter Thirteen
Jaxon looked at the return address from Trissy’s Christmas card. This was the place. He parked his car and then shoved at Benny who had shown up at the airport so dead tired, Jaxon didn’t trust him not to fall asleep on the ride home. Needless to say, it was a fucking miracle they’d made it back to this dinky little town. Benny sat motionless in the passenger seat while Jaxon cracked each knuckle and then went through doing it again. The first Christmas with his family in over twenty-five years. Maryellie’s first ever.
“Hey man, we’re here. Come on, mate.” That last shove at Benny had probably been unnecessary but he was on edge. In any case, it hadn’t done any good. Benny let out a choppy snore.
Jaxon eyeballed the place. The basics hadn’t changed. Still out in the middle of nowhere. Trissy’s house and yard were dark except for the yellow porch light shining. It was cold. He felt his skin chill under the thin black shirt he’d put on that morning in sunny California. Leaving Benny to apparently sleep in the car for now, he made his way up the porch steps.
“Hello,” he called without getting an answer back.
He double checked the address again and then walked inside since the door was open. A familiar fluff of gray fur sat curled on the coffee table. “Hey Figjam, old buddy.” The cat hissed at him, not caring that he’d been the one to rescue his adorable kitty ass from the parking lot all those years ago.
Jaxon made his way through the interior of the house and nearly tripped over his own feet when he found Trissy doubled over, head plastered to the dining room table. She looked dead asleep. No wonder she and Benny had always worked so well together. They both mistakenly thought nighttime was meant for sleeping. He smiled—happy for one second, but full of regret in the next.
It would have been wrong to everyone else in the world, but for Jaxon, wanting a hug from his best friend was the undeniable feeling bouncing around in him at that moment.
He was glad for it because it shoved the thoughts of running into his father on the back burner. Maryellie had been so excited to meet her grandpa for the first time when Jaxon put her on the plane. It broke his heart. He forced that particular thought from his head and made his way quietly to stand behind Trissy’s seat. He leaned over and smelled her messy cherry almond scented hair, as usual, forced into some kind of bun at the nape of her neck. She made a small movement and he hovered over her without touching. When she relaxed back onto her folded arms, he knelt down on one knee, gently laid an arm across her shoulders, still rigid even in sleep, and whispered into her ear. “It’s so good to see you, Trissy.”
At that, her head shot up, leaving his lip numb where the hard bone of her skull clipped his mouth.
“Jaxon?” she asked.
“Lily?” he choked out.
“Ouch,” they said in unison.
Mmm, she sounded so good though.
* * * *
An immediate sense of belonging in the arm that had been draped across her back soothed Lily’s startled heartbeat. The warmth he’d given off in those few seconds should be counted in the droplets of sweat beading up and dampening her bra. But the second he choked on her name, she snapped out of that balmy lullaby and back to reality. Jaxon had thought she was Tris.
She rubbed at her breastbone, nearly flipping out at how many mini-coronaries she’d had the last twenty-four hours. But as she watched him rub at his lip, it reminded her she had a pretty hard head, so she took a turn at trying to sooth him at the same time he reached to her. Their hands crashed in midair.
“Hi, Jaxon.”
“Hi, Lily. Looks like you’re just as surprised to see me as I am to see you.”
“You have no idea. It was that kind of day.” What time was it? Past midnight?
“So is your foot okay?”
“My foot?”
“Yeah, you hurt it during our last phone call. And then things got all weird. I guess that’s partly the reason I’m here.”
“Because you were worried about my foot?” Oh dear God, please let him stop talking so he doesn’t ruin this moment and say no.
“Well, not exactly. I couldn’t stop missing my Maryellie and then when you mentioned Trissy not doing so well.”
Her face fell. He must have seen it with his intense, teal blue eyes.
“But mostly I just had to come see how your foot was feeling now.” A grin the size of Texas nearly erupted across his face but she was fascinated by his tongue curling and playing with his upper molars.
“You’re a horrible liar but the foot is feeling better than my head.”
They burst out laughing together for a nano-second before covering their mouths to quiet back down.
“I know it’s late, but can you take me to see Maryellie?”
“Of course. But she’s probably sleeping. I read her a book a few hours ago. She was pretty pooped.” It would be her pleasure to escort him. She had no reason to covet the attentions this man saved for his daughter. The joy sprouting tiny little lines at the corners of his smile and eyes washed away whatever silliness she’d wanted for herself.
Gosh, she felt so bad for head butting him. His bottom lip was swollen as he rubbed at it and stood, waiting for her to lead. In this fatherly light, he was kind of beautiful. She was kind of, in awe. Lordy put a piggy in her blanket, she was staring.
They walked down the hallway and stopped at the baby-to-be’s nursery. Lily ushered Jaxon inside. He walked over to his daughter, pulled up her covers and gave her hand a soft kiss before tucking it under the blanket. Lily watched Jaxon’s eyes become shiny while he smiled and walked back toward her. They returned side by side to the kitchen table.
“Is your head okay? I got you pretty good,” she asked him.
Why did she feel like kissing that lower lip of his?
“Lily?”
“Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
She was now, strangely.
She nodded at him.
“And that, what did you call it? Crappy fantastic day you were having the last time we talked? Everything okay there?”
Oh my gosh, how did he know about that?
“Stefan,” he answered her thought. “He likes you. Thinks you’re a cutie.” But Jaxon frowned at that.
“He had no idea who I was on the phone.” But really the sting of that was long gone. For some reason, being unremarkable to Stefan Calderon didn’t matter so much right now.
Jaxon smirked and shook his head. “He’s, well, Stefan. He’s the boy who pulls the piggy tails of the girls he likes. So hey, you didn’t answer me.”
Suddenly her throat felt dry. If
she could answer him, she’d say that Stephanie’s words about her being cold-hearted had really hurt and the thought of being followed to Bugscuffle was unsettling to say the least. But she buckled her lips and held it in.
“You’re not gonna tell me, are you?” he asked, leaning back in his chair. His biceps bulged when they met up against the wooden slats supporting him and she longed to jump into them.
“It’s been a long night. And I’m surprised you’re here. Tris’s never gonna believe it.”
“I needed to come. Stefan’s the one who helped me realize it. And you.”
A sleepy little girl ambled into the dining room just then, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Jaxon’s attention to her was immediate and tender which flooded Lily’s heart. He stood and scooped her up into his arms. “Hey sweetums, did Daddy wake you up?” His voice was so soft and attentive with her.
“Yes. I’m so happy you came here, Daddy.” Maryella yawned and hugged Jaxon’s neck.
“Me too, sweetums. Let’s get you back to sleepies, okay? We’ll have breakfast in the morning.”
“Okay. Auntie Lily makes me French toast.”
“Oh yeah, and is it yummy?”
Maryella nodded her head, falling asleep on the third nod.
“I’ll be right back,” he told Lily before disappearing down the hall.
Lily’s worries that her past had seeped into town via that damn letter gushed out in a hearty breath. He might not have come here because of her, but against all odds, Jaxon was here. And somehow that comforted her. Lily stood near the hallway hugging herself. Man, this view from behind—the one of him, a real man carrying his daughter—was out of this world.
* * * *
Was she watching him? Oh hells no, this was not a goody. The week away from her apparently hadn’t worked to cool him off. She was the last person in the world he was allowed to be attracted to. Trissy would castrate him for his thoughts alone. And he didn’t blame her. He’d be better off running down this sleepy little town’s streets, butt-naked, chanting to the devil, rather than lay one more covetous eye on Lily. God, Stefan had been right, her name was even sexy.
Forbidden Lily came closer to his baby girl’s door with something small in her hands. “I forgot, um, I picked this up to put in the room with her. Here, I’ll give it to you.”
“Thanks. Oh, a night light. That’s very sweet of you. Why don’t you hold onto it and we can find a place for it in the morning. I don’t want to wake her up again.”
“That’s a good idea. We’ve been keeping her pretty busy; she needs her, how do you say it? Sleepies?” Her giggle was adorable. He wanted to clamp his lips over hers and feel it tumble into his mouth and down his throat.
“Yeah. All righty.” He hated turning all short on her. But it was for her own good. He was already imagining Lily wearing nothing but his hands.
“Okay.”
She blinked, slowly. He backed away from her, thankful for the few steps he was able to take.
“Well, there are more blankets in your chest. I mean, th-the chest.” She pointed to a heavy wooden box on the side of a baby crib next to the air mattress. “Will you sleep in here with Maryella?”
“No, I’ll take the couch.”
It was done. Something she’d said or did, maybe knowing she’d been here for his daughter when he hadn’t been, tweaked at his heart.
Or maybe just how wrong it was for him to want her had done it.
Something damn scary and real popped wide open inside him. He wanted Lily. It wasn’t in his nature not to go after that. He scratched at both sides of his head where his hair was shortest and then pulled the longer top pieces through his fingers. “Night, Lily.”
* * * *
Shoot, she realized she didn’t want that to be it for the night so she followed him back down the hall to the living room.
Jaxon turned to see her following him. “Oh, I just need a drink of water,” she said sounding fabulously pathetic.
Where was Benny? Lily noticed he wasn’t sprawled out on the couch near the one Jaxon had decided to sleep on.
“I was just gonna say Benny’d already claimed the longer section of couch, but he’s gone. Weird.”
“Oh shit. He’s probably frozen.” Jaxon took off out the front door. Lily scooped up a few extra blankets from the chest Lucky had made for her as a “welcome to our family” gift and waited at the front doorway.
Minutes later, Jaxon came back in with his tall, lanky and asleep webmaster in tow. Benny had been out in the car? She guessed he’d been the good sport he always seemed to be and had gone and fetched Jaxon.
“I hope you guys will be okay on the couches for tonight and we’ll figure something better out in the morning.”
“That’s fine,” said Jaxon.
“Hi.” The sleepy word fell from Benny’s mouth.
She couldn’t help it; she had to give him a hug. Her arms reached almost all the way around him and then some. He nodded and collapsed onto the longest sofa. Man, he was sleep deprived or something. What had Jaxon put this kid through?
“Good night, Jaxon. It’s really nice that you came.” She extended her hand to him.
He only nodded in acknowledgment. “Thank you, Lily.”
Was he focusing on that spot below her ear he’d tormented and tricked with his mouth? She shivered at the memory, feeling his tongue sweetening her up like a fool.
She stalled like a prisoner of his gaze, a few seconds too long, trying to read his thoughts.
Just as she was about to head back to her room, that disturbed Aussie voice stopped her. “You don’t have anywhere to sleep, do you?” He didn’t let her answer. “Come here.”
For some reason she didn’t know, she obeyed him like a little puppy, even though she had a room and a bed. His bare arms, things you just didn’t see in Tennessee in the winter, sprinkled with a mix of black and colorful tattoos, invited and promised so much. Maybe he would want to hold her.
“Here, you take the couch. I’ll take that window bench.”
“You’ll freeze,” she said. He would, too, if he slept that close to the picturesque pane instead of on the couch.
“I’ll be fine,” he said so closely she felt his breath tickle her nose.
“No, really, you’re our guest, I can’t have you…”
“Lily, you gave up your room for my Maryellie. Please, take the couch. I’ll be fine.” And then he took her into his arms and rubbed his fingers around in the loose hairs at the back of her neck.
“Okay,” she mumbled. But no, she had to be honest. Crud. “Jaxon, I have my own room.” She hated having to admit that and leave him.
“Oh. Well I guess you better get to it then.”
Tris would kick her butt if she knew how badly Lily wished Jaxon would have asked her to cuddle together on the couch. This was going to be an interesting visit. But there wouldn’t be much time for confusion. Before she pulled back from him, she spied the pile of work she’d brought home from the dress shop sitting on top of the wooden chest. This was their busiest time of the year. There’d be plenty to keep her occupied and not dreaming about being a wanted woman.
* * * *
Entirely too early the next morning, Jaxon woke up stiff. Hell, if the sun wasn’t fully up yet, he shouldn’t be either.
He rubbed his neck but it didn’t help. Stress filtered through every pore and tissue of his body. He actually felt goose bumps running up and down his arms. He could never live here.
“Jaxon?”
He’d know that voice anywhere. Trissy. Fuck, wasn’t she supposed to be tucked away in bed? Like until her bitty baby came out?
“Hey you, how are you?” He tried to whisper so as not to wake up Benny who was nose and toes entirely too long for even the large couch. “So where’s your long-haired hubby?” He gave her a wink, hoping she was happy to see him as he’d been told. A strange protective notion goaded him into wondering how Lily had slept.
“Wait with the questions
. Let me get a good look at you.”
She took a few more steps but for a second, he wasn’t sure if that was as close as she’d come. He should have known better. A moment later he had his hug. And then a poke in the belly to go with it for his remark. “My gorgeous long haired hubby left a couple hours ago to the main house.” She looked magnificent and shiny sharing that with him but then her face changed and she brought her hands to her belly for a rub. “Your…father, and uncle needed help with the truck. So they called Lucky.”
Her beaming smile returned, telling him his cousin was good at those things. The last time Jaxon had popped the hood on one of his cars, the thing hadn’t started again until a tow trip to the Porsche dealership.
“Give me another hug, I’ve missed you so much,” she said.
He carefully circled his arms around her belly. It was beautiful. “Are you guys having twins?” he teased.
Man, it was just then he realized the last pregnant woman he’d hugged had been Vangie. Those nine months watching her belly fill with his baby girl had been the happiest of their relationship. Had he failed Vangie too? Had she been a better person before he’d gotten his hands on her? Not according to Trissy. Well, he hadn’t helped matters, that much was clear.
“I don’t think so. Don’t scare me,” she said smiling crookedly.
“Sorry. You look…so beautiful.” So much better than the last times he’d seen her. The time spent here had brought her back to life since the night he’d nearly gotten her killed.
“Thanks, hey let’s sneak into the kitchen. I’ll make us coffee. Did I tell you how happy I am you decided to come?”
She missed him. It felt too good. But it did nothing to calm his bellyache about being here for the first time. He was a forty-four-year-old man but he felt like that seventeen-year-old kid who had left home with a starved soul all those years ago. Overwhelmed would be an understatement as he tried to figure out each role he needed to play for the people who would soon be waking up. And how the fuc…fudge did he mask his attraction for Lily? Just thinking about her toes tickling the hairs of his shins stroked his arousal.
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