JAX
Current Day
Jocelyn throws her head back in laughter at whatever Lacey said. Their voices carry over the hum of the restaurant, and it’s a fucking glorious sight.
“If you don’t stop staring, I’m going to have to call the stalker police.” With words only meant for my ears, Zach leans back in his seat, his mouth cocked in a half smile.
“Shut up. I haven’t been staring.” For too long. And to prove Zach’s point, my eyes flick back to her. Her sun-kissed skin practically glows against the white sleeveless dress. No doubt the Florida sunshine agrees with her, but that’s not what makes her beautiful. It’s that genuine smile. The one that trapped me the very first day I met her.
Jocelyn rubs the back of her neck and meets my gaze. The mischievous gleam in her eyes awakens every desire as my body comes to attention. Damn, it’s so good to have the old Jocelyn back.
“You’re a worthless cause.” Zach shakes his head and laughs. “What do you think about our team’s chances this year? Think we have a shot at a repeat?”
“Repeats are tough, but I like our odds. We have the same core people, and with the addition of Drake, and that extra starter they picked up during the winter meetings, I think we’ll go pretty far.”
“I’m itching to start, but I hate leaving my family. It’s going to be a long six weeks.”
I take in the scene playing in front of me. Signs of Disney adorn the kids’ heads. Tristan, who’s busy working the various puzzles on the menu, sports his Mickey Mouse Ear Hat. Trenna and Zoe wear their Minnie Mouse Ears Headbands. The girls are content, coloring on the backside of the paper menu, while the two youngest eat the pudding Jocelyn smuggled in. Or should I say, wear it? I had no idea how messy kids were until Melanie entered my life. This past month especially, I’ve gotten close to these kids. Even Trenna has come around. Who knew colorful Sharpies would be her breaking point? I cringe at the thought of her showing me her makeup skills. Turns out, you aren’t supposed to give permanent markers to kids. My bad. Her poor dolly fell victim to my lack of knowledge. But I learned. And I learned real fast that I’m going to miss them.
“I know exactly what you mean.” My mouth dries, so I take a drink of tea.
These six weeks will be the longest six weeks of my life. I’m ready to get on the field. I’m ready to smash the ball out of the park. But I’m not ready to put my relationship with Jocelyn on hold.
“It gets easier,” Zach says.
I shut my eyes momentarily before popping them back open. “I’m not worried.”
“Pfft. I totally believe that.” His words are barely audible since he’s laughing so hard.
“Daddy, I drew you a picture.” Zoe hands Zach what could only be described as a rainbow puking on paper.
“Oh, sweetheart, that’s…lovely.”
“I drew you one too.” Trenna’s eyes shine as she hands me her picture.
“Trenna, this is”—I clear my throat to not get choked up—“really good. Thanks.” Out of the two girls, if any were going to possess artistic skills, I’d say it was my girl.
“Oh, let me see.” Jocelyn gets out of her chair and hovers over my shoulder.
In the picture, five stick people are at the beach. The three smaller figures have black round humps on their head, which I assume are mouse ears. The two larger figures hold hands, but the taller one has a red blotch on his head. Jesus, is that blood? It looks like the top of my head has been pulverized.
“That’s you!” She points to the red massacre.
Damn, this little girl wants to kill me. I thought we were getting closer.
As I start to worry about a five-year-old’s homicidal tendencies, Jocelyn asks, “What’s the red circles?”
“His Phillies cap!”
I never knew a little girl could bring me to my knees. This right here makes the whole trip worth it. Jocelyn turns to me with tears in her eyes, and I’m glad to be the one to give them this.
“Did you draw anything, Tristan?”
He tilts his head toward Jocelyn and scrunches his nose. “No. Coloring is for girls.”
Jocelyn rears back in surprise. “For girls? But you like to color.”
“No, I don’t. Daddy says coloring is for sissies. And since sissy is a girl, they’re for girls.”
I’m thankful for his lack of knowing slang, but damn that Carl. I catch Lacey shooting Zach a disgusted look. I think her tolerance for Carl is about as low as mine.
“Well, crayons aren’t gender specific. I know many artists who are males.” Jocelyn stands straighter and crosses her arms. “Daddy’s wrong.”
I have no say so in the matter, but I really hate it when the kids go to their father’s house. Sure, we get alone time, which I appreciate, but it’s hard telling what he feeds their minds. What he tells them about me. The kids’ and my relationship may have grown, but nothing has improved between Carl and me. That guy has hated me ever since Sociology 101, and other than dating Jocelyn, I have no clue as to why.
“I love to color, Tristan. What do you think I do while I’m away from home?” Zach winks at Zoe, and she shakes her head, her blonde curls bobbing from side to side.
“Oh, Daddy.” Zoe flips toward her mom. “Tell Daddy to stop embawason me.”
That earns a few laughs, but the tightness remains in Jocelyn’s expression.
“Excuse me. I’m going to the ladies’ room.”
“Need company?” Lacey asks.
“No, I’ll be okay.”
I frown but let her go. A tall blonde with long curly hair steps behind her, and I lose sight of her as both of them disappear toward the bathrooms.
This vacation has been great, but Jocelyn and I haven’t had any alone time like I hoped. She did warn me, but I figured once the kids were asleep we’d have some time. I couldn’t be more wrong. Trenna absolutely refuses to stay in their bedroom. That cut out any snuggling time. They leave tomorrow, and I’m dying for a proper goodbye. I don’t see that happening.
“I think you surprised her with the parasailing today.” Lacey interrupts my thoughts. “She talked nonstop about it.”
“Thanks for watching the kids.” It may have taken me ten years to tick another line item off, but I got it done.
“Of course.”
I debate asking her to watch them tonight for a couple of hours, but that’d be shitty of me. Besides, I do want to spend time with the kids. Jocelyn won’t be the only person I’ll miss.
When the woman who has taken over every thought of my brain rejoins the table, her expression is still tight. She smiles at the kids but averts her eyes when it comes to me. What is that about? Lacey raises an eyebrow, but Jocelyn waves her off. Did she call her ex in the bathroom and get into an argument?
“Do you think this will be AJ’s last year with the team?” Zach asks.
With Jocelyn answering Lacey’s questions, I drop my concern for the moment and focus on Zach. “As much as I hate to admit it, I think it will be. Which sucks. He’s a great teammate and roommate for that matter. Although I could do less with the wild chicks he brings home. I never know who’ll greet me in the kitchen when I wake up. The last one refused to leave. She hung around the entire day. I thought he was going to lose his shit.”
Zach chuckles right as a swish of red catches my eyes. The blonde who followed behind Jocelyn walks by, and my gaze automatically sweeps to her face. She winks, and a sudden coldness hits at the core. I know her. Sort of. She’s the girl from the Arti’s Bar who claims to know me. What the hell is she doing here in Florida? I automatically look at Jocelyn, who meets my gaze dead on. Sure, now she pays attention. And if her glassy stare is anything to go by, she’s none too happy.
Chapter Twenty-One
JOCELYN
Current Day
My hands shake by my sides on the way to the bathroom. I increase my pace and try desperately to wipe the scowl off my face. The entire restaurant doesn’t need to know how pissed I am, but if I don�
��t reach the solitude of the restroom, everyone south of the Tennessee border will hear me scream. That man is unbelievable. Lord only knows what he feeds the kids’ minds when they visit. And him telling Tristan that coloring is for girls? What the hell? That kid loves to color. I can’t believe he put a label on that.
I push through the bathroom door and do a quick visual sweep under the stalls. I can’t have witnesses to my hissy fit. A mixture between a growl and scream escapes as I stalk to the far sink and brace myself against the counter. It’s going to take more than a few calming breaths to slow my racing heart. A beat later, the whoosh of the door breaks any chance at solitude. Really, is five minutes too much to ask?
Standing straighter, I pretend to wash my hands. In a true fuck-my-life-fashion, the tall blonde bypasses the five sinks between me and the door and stands right beside me. I force a smile at the lean woman who makes my five-foot-six frame seem short.
“You’re here with Jaxon?”
There are certain warning devices naturally built in women. The whole eyes-in-the-back-of-your-head thing is a very real phenomenon. So, I take notice when every internal warning device gets triggered by this woman’s question, and I naturally take guard.
“I don’t think that’s any of your concern.”
“It is when you’re fucking my boyfriend.” She steps closer, and every muscle tenses as my back hits the wall.
“Jax doesn’t do relationships.” That declaration would be true, except if he had a social media account, under the status category, he would list “in a relationship.” But that’s current, not his past. He hasn’t ever had a committed relationship outside high school. I’m pretty sure.
“Is that what he said?” She shakes her head as if I’m the biggest idiot for believing such foolishness. “Our relationship is more of the on-again, off-again variety.”
My gaze strays to the door and then back to her. “What’s your name?”
“Katrina.”
“Well, Katrina, considering I’ve never heard of you, I’d say you’ve been off for a while.” I brush past her and move toward the door. It makes no difference if he has had relationships in the past—they’re in the past—but he’s always denied any.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be hearing it soon. And, Jocelyn, I’ll take good care of him while you’re in Brooklyn.”
My feet falter when she says my name, but I don’t respond. The door slams behind me, and I lean my hand against the wall, pausing while my stomach flips. She knows my name and where I live? Fuck. I forgot about the girls, the cleat chasers, who are relentless in their quest. Could she be lying, or did she really have a past with him? If anything, these past couple of months prove how dedicated he is to this relationship. The kids and I being on this trip is evidence enough, and he hasn’t once given me any doubt. But I’m not sure I can handle being cornered in a bathroom while at a restaurant with my children.
By the time I arrive back at the table, the food has been served. I slide into my chair and smile at the kids, but I can’t face Jax. He’ll see right through me.
“What’s wrong?” Lacey leans next to me, her voice discreet. Apparently, I can’t fool her either.
“I got cornered in the bathroom by a cleat chaser.”
“And, so, it begins. Number one guide to dating a baseball player, you have to develop thick skin.”
“You’re right. I just wasn’t prepared.”
“Some of them can be ruthless. You trust him, right? He hasn’t given you any reason to doubt him.”
My gaze flicks to Jax, who’s in the middle of a discussion with Zach. His chiseled jaw, peppered with enough stubble to give him the sexy, rugged look, dips down, those broad shoulders shaking with amusement. He’s handsome as hell, so I know what the draw is for these women.
I open my mouth to answer, but the answer gets trapped in my throat when the bathroom stalker walks by our table. Jax’s gaze naturally strays to the passerby. Any trace of laughter dies when they see each other. Even though his face remains hard set, I see the slight recognition he’s trying to hide, and a piece of me wants to die. His eyes sweep to mine, and our gazes hold for a few moments, his thoughts unreadable.
“No, he hasn’t.” Until now.
“Then don’t worry about them.” She pats my arm, oblivious to the apparent ex-lover that just breezed past our table. “The woman’s ballsy, I’ll give her that.”
“Yeah.” My reply may be weak, but when Jax and I are alone, he has some explaining to do.
Trying to reason with a five-year-old is impossible. “Trenna, everything’s going to be okay. It’s just a painting.”
“But I want to sleep in your bedroom. I don’t like it.” Her eyes are wide as they stare back at me.
“Would it help if I covered it?”
“No. I still know he’s under there.” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “He stares at me.”
I press my lips together to hold back a laugh. Of all the hotels we could’ve chosen, we pick the one with a creepy pirate painting. Tristan thinks he’s awesome, but the battle-scarred pirate scares Trenna to death. It’s pointless to even try making her sleep in here. She barely comes in here to grab her clothes. I’m not sure why I thought tonight would be different. Wishful thinking, maybe.
My suggestion of switching rooms got nixed by Jax. He hated to see the kids piled together in one bed, so sleeping with a kid between us it is.
“Okay, kiddo. Let’s go.”
“Pirate?” Jax asks, sipping on a drink as we pass by.
I nod. “Sorry.” I know he was hoping for bigger plans for tonight. How he hasn’t run away by this point, I’ll never know.
Once I get her settled, I join Jax on the couch. I’m exhausted right along with the kids, but there’s no way I’m ready for the night to end. It’s going to be a long six weeks without seeing him.
“What’s bothering you?” He hands me a glass of wine as I nestle beside him.
“I’m not looking forward to the time apart.” That’s not a total lie. I will miss seeing him.
“Me either, but I think there’s more than that going on inside your head.” He drapes his arm around me and pulls me closer.
I take a sip and debate telling him the truth. Inside his arm is better than the impending argument. I don’t want to leave on a bad note, but I can’t leave without asking about that woman.
“Thanks for taking me parasailing today. That was fun.” Chickening out, I steer the conversation to a safer topic.
“It’s the one thing I regretted not being able to do on your list. It was the most challenging one.”
“My sacred lists.” I laugh, thinking about how silly my dreams were. “You’re the only one who ever made me do adventurous things. The only one who cared.”
“It’s because I like making you happy.” His face is serious. “From the moment your head plowed into my chin, I wanted more.”
“My clumsiness made you fall for me?”
“Hell, yeah. You’re awkward but strong. A walking contradiction. When you dropped your planner, I couldn’t help myself. Your lists intrigued me. I had to know more about you.”
“You do realize you invaded my privacy, right?”
“God, I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you.”
Awkward silence falls, the unspoken issues filling the thick air.
“Tell me what’s bothering you. Because I think there’s more going on than us being apart.”
He’s not going to let this drop, which is probably a good thing. I shouldn’t leave with any doubt because it will only fester. I release a slow, steady stream of air. “Back at the restaurant, that girl, the one in the red dress, do you know her?”
His mouth draws downward. “Did she say something to you?”
“When I went to the bathroom.”
“When I dicked around with these girls, I never thought about the repercussions.” He tosses his head back and runs a hand through his hair.
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br /> My heart squeezes. The thought of him being with her makes me sick. Grief, how many different women have there been? I lower my voice. “So, she’s right. You did fu—make love to her?”
His head pops back up. “Let me make one thing clear; I never made love to anyone after we split. And honestly, I don’t remember her. She cornered me in a bar in Philly, acting as if we knew each other. For the life of me, I have no idea who she is. I’m sure I never slept with her. What did she say to you?”
“She said you have an on-again, off-again relationship, and once I leave, she’ll be here taking care of you.”
“What the fuck? I don’t even know her other than her approaching me at Arti’s.” He slams his drink down. Drops spill onto the table. “Believe me, you have nothing to worry about.”
I want to believe him. And for the most part, I do. But she was so sure of herself and so damn beautiful. I can’t help but wonder if I’m out of my league. I’m divorced with three kids. I have so much baggage. His hand covers mine, stilling it against my knee. I hadn’t realized I was rubbing my skin raw.
“Look, I know you have every reason in the world to be suspicious. You haven’t had a great track record with guys, but I will never cheat on you.”
“I know.”
“Do you, because this will never work out between us if you don’t. We’ll be spending a lot of time apart, and you have to trust me for it to work.”
“You’ve never given me any doubt, Jax. It’s just a little overwhelming when these model-like women—”
“Stop. You don’t think you compare?”
“Realistically? No.”
“You have no idea how sexy you even are. Like right now. You’re fucking driving me crazy in this dress all white and innocent.” He runs his hand up my leg, across to my inner thigh. “All I want to do is rip it off you and shove my cock in, balls deep.”
I gulp, my desire flickering to life. Maybe we should discuss this more, but I don’t want to spend our last remaining minutes talking about another woman. I’d rather take care of this need in between my legs. I glance at our bed and then the kids’ room. “Bathroom?”
Swing For The Fences (Bad Boys Redemption Book 2) Page 16