Текст книги "Until Jax "

Автор книги: Aurora Rose Reynolds

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

Chapter 9

Jax

“You guys gonna be okay?”

“Yeah, Ellie’s freaked, but I think since she knows this had nothing to do with the guy who kidnapped her, she’s gonna sleep a little easier,” I tell my Uncle Nico, looking toward the stairs, where Ellie disappeared with Hope a few minutes ago.

I hate that she was scared at the restaurant, that I couldn’t reassure her things would be okay, but my only thought was to get her and Hope out of there and home. I’m not too worried that Mellissa will do anything while I’m around, but I’m still not going to risk anything happening to either of my girls. “When will Mellissa get served with the restraining order?” I ask, going to the fridge, grabbing two beers.

“I know one of the judges in town, and I’ll make sure it happens tomorrow morning,” he says as I grab the bottle opener and pop the top on both before handing him one, leaning against the counter behind me, and taking a long pull. “I don’t think she will do anything to hurt Hope or Ellie,” he adds, and I feel my jaw clench.

“I don’t think so either, but I’m not taking any chances. The chick thinks she has some kind of hold on me. Even after I’ve made myself clear on more than one occasion that there is nothing between us, nor will there ever be. Her insisting differently only tells me she’s whacked, and in this day and age, you can’t turn your back on crazy.”

“I agree. It’s better to be careful,” Nico agrees.

“I don’t know how my dad did it,” I mutter, taking another pull from my beer, watching as my uncle’s face changes slightly. I know he understands what I’m talking about. He helped my dad get back Ashlyn after my biological mom kidnapped her when she was little.

I still remember being scared when she took Ashlyn right from our backyard when we were playing hide-and-seek. Even as scared as I was, I still found my way into the back of the pickup truck, where I hid under a tarp. When the truck stopped at an old house in the country, I ran across a field to an old farmer’s house and told him what happened, and he called my dad. Thankfully, the guy my biological mom was going to sell Ashlyn to was actually an undercover agent, but if he hadn’t been, things could have turned out completely different.

“The idea of Hope and Ellie being in any kind of danger sends me into a panic I’m not used to feeling.”

“Love does that to you, makes you feel unsure and unsettled. To this day, I worry about your Aunt Sophie and your cousins. I don’t think there is a minute or second that goes by when I’m not wondering if there is something I can do to make sure they’re safe and taken care of. You just gotta know that shit’s gonna happen; things that are out of your control are going to occur, and the only thing you can do is be thankful you’re all together when the dust settles,” he says, just as the scent of Ellie hits me, letting me know she’s close. As soon as she walks around the corner into the kitchen, her gaze locks with mine and I feel my face go soft.

“Is she asleep?” I ask her as she comes toward me.

“Yeah, she didn’t even want to take a bath, so I know she’s beat,” she mumbles, walking to my side and taking the beer from my grasp, putting it to her mouth and taking a pull before looking at my uncle and saying, “Thank you for coming over.”

Uncle Nico’s lips twitch. “No problem,” he says, setting his beer on the counter. “I’m gonna head out. I’ll call tomorrow after Mellissa has been served with the restraining order. If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Will do,” I say, wrapping my arm around Ellie’s waist and following him to the front door.

“We need to have dinner soon, your aunt Sophie has been on the girls’ asses about settling down since you met Ellie. I’m hoping if she can get some Hope time, she’ll chill out. I’m not ready to be a grandpa yet.” He grins as Ellie giggles then leans in and presses a kiss to her forehead, muttering, “Everything will be okay,” to her before giving me a chin lift as he opens the door then shuts it behind him.

“I can’t see him as a grandpa either,” Ellie says, smiling at me. “He’s kinda a badass.”

“He is a badass,” I tell her, taking her hand and leading her into the living room, where I settle her on my lap.

“Are you okay?” I ask, taking the beer from her hand and setting it on the side table next to the couch.

“Yeah, but you still didn’t tell me what the note said,” she complains quietly, lifting her head to look at me.

“You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Don’t do that; don’t make me feel like I have no control over my life or the things that effect me and Hope,” she says, and my mouth opens to speak, but she covers it with her hand. “I know you want to protect us. I get that, but I need to know what’s going on. You can’t just expect me to follow you blindly, not when Hope and I are involved.” Taking her hand off my mouth, I adjust her on my lap so she’s straddling my waist and take her face gently in my hands.

“I don’t like that I’m the reason this is happening. I hate that, because of my bad decision, she thinks she can fuck with me and, in turn, fuck with you. I don’t want any of this to touch you or Hope. I don’t want you to have to worry.”

“I’m already worried. You rushed me and Hope out of a restaurant like the mob was after us,” she says, making me fight a smile.

Pulling her toward me, I place a soft kiss against her mouth then lean back, studying her face. “The note didn’t say much.”

“Jax,” she growls, pushing against my chest and trying to get off my lap.

Flipping her to her back, I pull her hands above her head and hold her down. “It said, When she’s gone, you’ll come back to me,” I snarl, feeling the anger from reading the words the first time build back up in my system.

“Oh, my God,” she says as the color drains out of her face.

“That’s why I didn’t want you to know what it said. That look on your face right now is the reason I wanted to keep that shit from touching you.”

“I knew she was crazy, but I didn’t know how crazy she was,” she breathes in distress as her body stills under mine.

“She won’t touch you or Hope. Nothing will happen to either of you.”

“She’s crazy,” she repeats.

“I’m going to call her dad in the morning. I know he doesn’t want this kind of attention, especially after what happened the other night at the restaurant. Hopefully he will be able to talk some sense into her.”

“I can’t believe her,” she whispers, looking over my shoulder before meeting my eyes once more. “What kind of woman does that? I mean, I know Kim told me about her twin trying to drug Sage, but this isn’t like that. She’s not trying to rob you,” she says, and I rear back, ’cause I have no idea what the fuck she’s talking about. “She wants you and thinks if I’m gone, you will go back to her. She’s seriously insane, and I mean insane…like she needs medication and a psychiatrist, maybe even a straight jacket.”

“What happened with Sage?” I ask, ignoring her rambling.

“Uhh…” She freezes then pulls her bottom lip into her mouth.

“What happened to Sage?” I ask again.

“I don’t think it’s my place to tell you,” she whispers, trying to sit up.

“Tell me,” I demand, holding her wrist firmly against the couch.

“You’re such a jerk.”

“Ellie.”

“Fine, but I think if Sage wanted you to know this, he would have told you himself.”

She’s probably right, but I don’t give a fuck. “Tell me,” I repeat.

Huffing then narrowing her eyes, she says, “Kim has an evil twin sister. Kim liked Sage, and they…” She pauses, turning red. “They hooked up, but then the next night she and Sage…you know…Sage went out, and Kim’s sister tried to drug him. So Sage now thinks Kim is crazy, but she’s not; her evil twin is.”

“What the fuck?” I say, releasing her and sitting back on the couch, trying to wrap my head around this.

“I know it’s totally messed up, and I feel bad, ’cause I think Kim really liked him before he called her a b-word and told her she was crazy,” she says, sitting up then moving over me, grabbing the beer from the table, pressing it into my hand, and then lifting it to my mouth. “I’m going to talk to Sage about it, but I haven’t been able to be alone with him,” she says, and my eyes meet hers and narrow. “Don’t even start that caveman business. He’s your cousin. I mean, he’s good-looking, but—”

“Stop,” I growl, setting the beer back down.

“What? I’m just saying he’s a good-looking guy.” She shrugs, but I see the smile she’s trying to hide.

“You think it’s funny to make me crazy?” I ask her, and she shrugs again. “You’re lucky I love you,” I say without thinking, and her breathing stops completely then she moves off the couch before I can catch her.

“I…I’m going to go…go shower then go to bed,” she stammers, leaving the living room in a rush, and I hear her feet pounding up the stairs.

Running my hand over my head, I mutter, “Fuck,” under my breath then pick up the beer and finish it off before getting up, shutting down the house, and setting the alarm. Heading upstairs, I hear the hall shower running in the hall, so I turn out the light and wait in the dark for the water to turn off and the door to open.

As soon as she steps into the hall, I cover her mouth with my hand and whisper, “Don’t wake Hope,” into her ear before dragging her down the hall to my room.

Closing the door behind me halfway, I push her onto the bed then crawl on top of her with my legs between hers. The only thing separating us is the small towel she’s wearing and my jeans.

“Jax,” she says, and I hear the fear and worry in her tone. Reaching over, I turn on the lamp next to the bed so I can see her face.

“I don’t care if it’s too soon to tell you. I don’t care if you think we need more time. I’m not going to pretend I don’t love you.”

“Jax,” she repeats, but this time there’s a softness in her tone that wasn’t there before.

“I love you, Ellie. I loved you before I even knew who you were. I have no idea how this works. I have no idea how it’s possible to find someone who was made just for me, but you were. You were made for me. You’re everything I never knew I wanted. You and Hope complete me, and it doesn’t matter if I tell you now or a year from now, because my feelings will still be the same. You were meant to be mine,” I say, watching as tears slip from the corners of her eyes, into the hair at her temples.

“It’s too soon,” she whispers.

“It’s not.”

“We don’t even know each other.”

“I know enough to know how I feel.”

“It’s too soon,” she repeats softly, searching my face as her fingers intertwine with mine.

“It’s not,” I say again, leaning in to kiss her then pulling back enough to reveal, “Time’s only going to make what I feel now stronger, what you feel stronger.” I kiss her, rolling to my back and adjusting her to rest on top of me.

“I love you too,” she says so quietly I barely hear her over the loud pounding of my own heart. “I didn’t think it was possible to feel this way.”

“You have me, Ellie. You and Hope both have me, always,” I tell her, running my hand over her wet hair while listening to her softly cry. “I promise we’ll be happy.”

“I’m already happy,” she whimpers, and I feel her body shudder against mine. Holding her a little closer, I listen as her tears stop and her breathing evens out then roll her to the side, adjusting her until she’s under the covers, and I get out of bed.

Going down the hall, I open Hope’s door and walk across her almost dark room then crouch down next to her, laying my hand on her chest, feeling the rise and fall under my palm before kissing her forehead and going back down to my room. Slipping off my jeans and shirt and climbing into bed behind Ellie, I fall asleep.

“You have to be quiet, Angel,” I hear Ellie say then feel wiggling and a warm small hand land on my face.

“He’s snoring weally loud,” I hear Hope whisper loudly then hear her giggle. “He sounds wike a monster.”

“I thought that you were still tired,” I hear Ellie whisper as I open one eye then the other and dip my chin down, seeing both Hope and Ellie’s eyes on me. Hope is on the opposite side of Ellie with her arm across her mom’s neck and her hand resting against my cheek.

“Morning,” I rumble, and Hope giggles, but Ellie’s eyes go soft.

“Morning. I was going to get up to let you sleep,” Ellie says.

“It’s okay,” I tell her, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her forehead then raising my hand to run it over Hope’s hair.

“Can we have Skittle pancakes?” Hope asks, and I feel myself smile when her mom’s face pales at just the idea of Skittle pancakes.

“I don’t think so, sweetheart,” I tell her.

“Oh,” she pouts.

“How about we have eggs and toast?” Ellie suggests, rolling to her back.

“But I want pancakes.”

“We can’t have pancakes everyday, Sweetheart,” I tell her gently, putting my elbow in the bed and resting my head in my hand.

“Why not?”

“If we have them everyday, they won’t be special,” Ellie tells her, pulling her to lay against her chest, and I notice she now has on the shirt I wore yesterday, which is a good thing, since Hope came into the room.

“Oh,” Hope says then looks at me. “Is that why we can’t have birthday cake everyday?”

“Exactly,” Ellie confirms with a smile.

“Can I have a sister?”

“Lord,” Ellie whispers, and I chuckle then say, “Maybe one day.”

“Can I have a dog?” she asks after a few seconds.

“How about a time out?” Ellie asks her.

“I don’t want a time out.” She frowns.

“Go brush your teeth, sweetheart, then we’ll go and make breakfast,” I say.

“Okay,” she pouts, kissing her mom then me and standing up on the bed, jumping twice before landing on her bottom on the edge and sliding off the side, onto the floor, and running out of the room.

“She’s persistent,” Ellie murmurs, and I roll onto her, caging her in underneath me.

“I say we just give her what she wants,” I mutter into the skin of her neck, hearing her sharp intake of breath.

“It’s way to soon for a baby,” she whimpers as I slip my knees between hers and run my hand up her thigh, cupping her ass and pulling her core closer to my erection.

“Maybe,” I say, nuzzling against her ear then biting it, loving the moan that comes after.

“Jax,” she whispers, running her hands up my back while lifting her knee and wrapping her foot around the back of my thigh, bringing me even closer. Grinding against her, I cup her breast then lean forward so I can lick over her lips.

“I’m done!” Hope yells from somewhere down the hall, making me groan in frustration. Rolling to my back, I hear Ellie laugh and I lift my head to glare at her as she gets out of bed and walks to the door.

“I’ll see you downstairs.” She smiles then looks down at my lap and laughs.

“See you downstairs,” I agree, wrapping my hand around myself, trying to relieve the pressure before rolling out of bed and heading to the shower. I turn the water to cold and get in, killing my hard-on after a few painful minutes before turning the water to hot and washing up quickly.

When I get downstairs, Ellie is dressed and her hair is up on top of her head in a bun that fits the outfit she’s wearing. The black, form-fitting, long sleeve t-shirt dress goes down past her knees, where it’s met with black tights and black knee-high boots with a low heel.

“Where are we going?” I ask her, seeing she’s dressed for the day.

Turning to look at me over her shoulder, she replies, “Work. We talked about this yesterday. You said you’d watch Hope.”

“That was before last night,” I remind her quietly.

“I’m still going to work,” she responds then looks at Hope, who is sitting on the counter, watching us. “She won’t bother me there.” She goes to the fridge and gets out a carton of eggs.

“Ellie,” I say harshly, watching her eyes turn hard.

“Jax,” she retorts in the same harsh tone, walking over to the counter and telling Hope she can crack the eggs to scramble them.

Pulling in a deep breath, I let it out slowly, trying to calm myself. “Fine, I’ll have one of the guys there all day.”

“That’s ridiculous,” she grumbles as I help Hope break the eggs into a bowl then hand her a fork before kissing her nose when she smiles.

“Accept it or stay home,” I tell her, trying to keep the frustration out of my tone in front of Hope.

“Fine,” she huffs, slicing off a piece of butter into the pan on the stove.

“Fine,” I agree, reaching around her to get a coffee cup then dip my face close to her ear. “Are you still sore?” I ask, feeling her shiver against me.

“No,” she breathes after a few beats.

“Relish that feeling, baby, ’cause tomorrow, you wont feel the same,” I say, placing a kiss on her neck before pulling the skin there into my mouth, biting down until she gasps.

“Please don’t have Sage come to the salon,” Ellie says after we’ve eaten breakfast and are finishing up putting away the dishes that we just washed. “I don’t want to make it awkward for Kim.”

“I’ll send Tallon,” I tell her, but I know I’m going to have to talk to my cousin. Really, I’m surprised he hasn’t brought up what went down with him and Kim before. It’s not like him to keep something like that to himself.

“I still think it’s ridiculous to send anyone.”

“And I would rather be safe then sorry,” I tell her, drying off my hands then leaning back against the counter and pulling her to stand between my legs. “I need to know you’re safe,” I say, and she studies my face for a long time before letting out a breath.

“Okay, but only for today.”

“I’m not negotiating with you, Ellie, not when it comes to you or Hope’s safety.”

“Having a boyfriend who’s a badass is annoying,” she mumbles under her breath, making me smile.

“You’ll get used to it eventually,” I promise her, running my hands up the curve of her waist.

“If you’re done bossing me around, can I go finish getting ready for work and make sure Hope hasn’t painted herself or another wall?” she asks, referring to the last time we left Hope alone and she started painting the wall in her room with glitter nail polish.

Feeling my brows pull downward, I look her over and ask, “I thought you were ready.”

“I still need to do my makeup, and I want to get Hope dressed before I go. No offense, but the last time you watched her and she wore her green Christmas tights and her frozen dress, I was a little embarrassed.”

“She wanted to dress herself.” I shrug, grabbing her ass and pulling her closer. “And you don’t need makeup, you already look beautiful.”

“You’re such a guy.” She smiles, leaning up and kissing my jaw.

“I want a real kiss before you go,” I say, hauling her tighter against me and dipping my face towards hers.

“Boss—”

Cutting her off, I cover her mouth with mine and swipe my tongue across the seam of her lips, groaning when her lips part and her tongue slides across mine, leaving behind the taste of her and coffee. Pulling away slowly with one last kiss, I smile when her eyes flutter open and her hands reluctantly release my tee.

“Tonight,” I tell her, watching her eyes heat and feeling her body melt into mine.

*

“Can you paint my nails, Ax?” Hope asks, coming into the kitchen, where I’m standing and going through surveillance for one of the local businesses that’s been having a slew of break-ins over the last two months.

“I…” Looking at the polish in her hand, I know this will be disastrous, even worse than her doing it herself, which is bad, considering she had polish covering her and her clothes the last time she did them. “How about we go get your nails done?” I say instead.

“Weally?” she breathes happily.

“Sure, sweetheart, then after, we can go see July at the vet.”

“Yay!” she screams, dancing around in circles, making me laugh.

“Go get your coat and shoes,” I tell her, and she runs out of the kitchen. Shutting down my laptop, I grab my hat from the counter and pick up my keys, putting them in my pocket.

“I can’t find my coat.” Going to the front hall and opening the door for the coat closet, I pull out her jacket that is hanging on one of the lower hooks.

“Did you even look?” I ask, handing her the coat, knowing she never looks for anything; she always just says she can’t find whatever it is she’s looking for so that someone will get it for her.

“I looked everywhere but there,” she says seriously, making me fight back a smile.

“Do you know where your shoes are?” I ask.

“Yep,” she says, running to the living room and coming back a few seconds later with a pair of sparkly, red, kids’ plastic heels on that remind me of The Wizard of Oz.

“I don’t know if you should wear those,” I tell her, watching as she attempts to walk in the shoes, which are too big and are only made for playing dress-up.

“But they wook pretty,” she states, looking down at herself and tapping the toes of the shoes together.

Knowing Ellie won’t be happy if she wears the heels, I go to the front door and pick up her tall, rainbow-striped rubber boots and ask, “How about these instead?”

“But I wike dese ones,” she insists as her bottom lip wobbles and tears fill her eyes.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart. You can wear them, but we’ll take these just in case.”

“Okay,” she says with a smile as the tears dry up instantly, letting me know I just got played.

Walking into the nail salon thirty minutes later, carrying Hope, because she can’t walk in her shoes, I wonder if this was a huge mistake. There is nothing but women inside, and by the way they are all looking at me, you would think I just walked into a speed-dating meet-up.

“How can I help you?” an older woman asks, looking at me then Hope, who has suddenly gone shy.

“She would like to get her nails painted,” I tell her.

“Oh,” the lady says, smiling at Hope. “Do you know what color you want?”

“Pink,” Hope says, laying her head against my shoulder.

“How about I show you some of the pinks we have, and then you can pick your favorite?” the lady asks with a gentle smile.

“Okay,” Hope replies as I set her on the ground so she can follow the lady in her sparkly heels to a large display of polish. Feeling heat on my back, I turn around, noticing a few of the women in the salon have their eyes on me, and most of them have an approval there that is making me uncomfortable. Turning and going to Hope, I watch as she doesn’t only pick pink, but purple and sparkles as well, before handing the colors off to the woman, who then leads her over to one of the chairs.

“Would you like a massage while she gets her nails done?” a younger girl asks, coming up to me.

“No thanks,” I say, trying to be polite while taking a seat in the chair next to Hope.

“Are you sure?” she asks, and I feel my jaw grind as her eyes wander over me.

“I’m sure,” I mutter, turning away from her watching the woman doing Hopes nails glare over my shoulder before turning her attention back to Hope.

“It’s nice of your dad to bring you here to get your nails done,” the woman doing Hope’s nails says, and my body goes tight. If Hope someday decides to call me Dad, I will be all for it, but I don’t ever want her to feel like she has to, or make her feel awkward about it.

“He’s always nice to me. He even wet me wear my sparkewe shoes today,” Hope tells her, tapping her feet together, causing the shoes to fall off and hit the ground.

“I bet you have him wrapped around your little finger, don’t you?” the lady asks, smiling at Hope then me.

“No.” Hope giggles.

“You do, honey,” she says to Hope then smiles at me and winks before painting her nails, only to have to fix them three times before they dry. Once we leave the salon and arrive at the veterinarian clinic where July works, it’s just after two and the lot is half empty.

“Can you carry me?” Hope asks when I set her on her feet in the gravel parking lot.

“How about we change your shoes?”

“I want to show Juwy my sparkle shoes that match my powish,” she tells me, holding up her now glitter-covered fingers for me to see.

“Okay, hop on,” I tell her, bending down for her to hop on my back so I can carry her across the lot. Once we reach the entrance, I let Hope down then open the door, which chimes when we enter.

“Hey, is everything okay?” July asks, coming out of one of the back rooms, tucking in her shirt, followed by Wes.

Smirking at her, she rolls her eyes as I say, “Your dad said you had some puppies dropped off here yesterday, and I wanted to show Hope.”

“Puppies?” Hope smiles, tilting her head back to look at me, then looking at July, she asks, “Can I pet them?”

“Of course you can, honey, and I love your shoes,” July tells her, running her hand over the top of her hair.

“How’s it going, man?” I ask Wes, giving him a handshake while July talks to Hope about her nails.

“Was gonna to call you as soon as I left here,” he says quietly, looking at Hope and July.

“Everything good?”

“We need to talk,” he states, pulling his eyes from the girls.

“Ellie gets off work at five. You got time to meet up after that?”

“I’ll be with the guys at the shop,” he says, leaning back against the counter behind him.

“Should I bring my uncle?” I ask, knowing if this has anything to do with the girls, then my Uncle needs to know since it’s his case.

“Bring him along.”

“We’ll be there,” I mutter, feeling myself grow tight.

“You getting a dog for Hope?” he asks, changing the subject looking over at Hope and July.

“She’s been asking for a sister,” I tell him, shaking my head.

“Jesus.” He smiles.

“I know.” I smile back, mumbling, “She might be a genius, ’cause every time she asks for a sister, she asks for a dog right after.”

“Smart kid.” He chuckles.

“I’m fucked,” I tell him honestly, turning when I hear Hope laugh.

“Get her the dog then give her a sister,” he says, patting my shoulder.

“Plan on it,” I say, and his eyes crinkle as he shakes his head. “I’ll see you later.”

“Later,” I agree, watching as he goes to July, telling her something that makes her blush before kissing her then putting out his fist for Hope to bump with hers before leaving.

“What do you say we go see some puppies?” July asks, and Hope jumps up and down in her heels, causing the click clack to bounce off the walls before taking her hand and following her down the hall towards the back of the clinic. Going out a set of double doors she leads us into a small room with a bench along one wall.

“Sit on the floor and I’ll be right back,” July says, and Hope sits on the floor while I take a seat on the bench, resting my elbows on my knees, watching as she smiles at me excitedly. A moment later, July comes back into the room with two puppies, one in each hand. One is dark brown, and the other is cream-colored, both wiggling in her grasp.

“They’re so cute!” Hope cries as July sets the puppies on the ground, and they immediately go to Hope and begin climbing all over her. “What are their names?” Hope picks one then the other up, holding them close to her face so they can lick her.

“I haven’t named them yet. Do you want to help me?” July asks, and Hope lets go of the one in her hand then picks up the other.

“This one is Chocolate Chip,” she says, holding the brown one in a hug that has me worried for the small puppy.

“And this one?” I ask, picking up the cream-colored pup that isn’t as hyper as the other.

“Pancake.” She smiles then giggles as Chocolate Chip crawls up her chest, forcing her to her back so he can lick her face.

“Do you know what kind of dogs they are?” I ask July, who takes a seat next to me on the bench as Pancake burrows his way into the crook of my arm.

“We think a lab mix, but there isn’t really any way to tell for sure without a DNA test,” she says, smiling at Hope, who is barking at Chocolate, making him bark back. “Chocolate’s a boy, and Pancake’s a girl. They are both sweet.” She gives me a knowing look.

“Ellie is going to kill me,” I say, watching her grin.

“She won’t be able to kill you when she sees how cute they are,” she singsongs, running her hand over Pancake’s body.

“Two puppies,” I mutter to myself then look at Hope, who’s laying on her back, watching as Chocolate walks backward, dragging her red sparkly shoe around.

I’m so fucked.

“Where do I sign?” I sigh, and July’s face lights up.

Hearing the front door alarm beep, I look at Hope and place my finger to my mouth, telling her to be quiet as I make my way to the hall toward Ellie.

“Hey, baby. How was work?” I ask her as she shuts the door behind her and takes off her jacket.

“Good, not too busy, and nothing happened,” she says, looking at me with triumph.

“I know. I talked to Tallon, and I also spoke with Mellissa’s father, who told me that he was going to send Mellissa to stay with her aunt for a while,” I tell her, watching as a look of relief passes through her eyes.

“Oh,” she says, and then her eyes move over my shoulder when Hope yells, “No! Don’t eat that, Pancake!”

“What’s going on?” She frowns, when I move to stand in front of her.

“Before you get upset, just know this is better than the alternative,” I tell her then block her again when she tries to move past me.

“Jax,” she growls, but before I can say anything else, the sound of little paws hitting the hardwood floor followed by the sound of tiny feet echoes through the room. “You didn’t,” Ellie says, and Chocolate Chip runs to her feet and jumps up on his back legs, pawing at Ellie’s black boots.

“Don’t be mad,” I say, leaning down and picking up Chip. “How can you be mad at this face?” I hold the puppy close to my cheek.

“I can’t leave you alone with her, can I?” she asks, fighting a smile as Hope steps from behind me, holding Pancake. “Two? You got two puppies?” she asks, seeing Pancake.

“Surprise!” Hope sings, and Ellie’s eyes go to her then move back to me as she shakes her head. “Aren’t they cute, Mama?”

“Very cute, Angel,” Ellie replies as I feel something warm soak the front of my tee. Looking down, I groan while Ellie and Hope both laugh. Setting the puppy down on the floor, I rip my now soaked shirt over my head then smirk when Ellie’s gaze drops to my abs.

“I gotta go shower, and head out to meet my uncle and Wes,” I say, watching her face change. “Everything’s okay,” I assure her, reading her face, reaching out and running my fingers over hers. “When I get home, we’ll talk.”

Nodding, she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth before saying, “Okay, when you get home.”

“I’ll be back down in a second,” I rush out, jogging up the stairs and hopping into the shower quickly. When I make it back downstairs, I find both Hope and Ellie in the living room, sitting on the floor, playing with Chocolate Chip and Pancake, both of them with smiles on their faces.