Page 25 of The Sacrifice
“Maybe.” Jackson shrugs but doesn’t turn around to address him. “Would you mind taking Hadley into another room? I don’t want her to feel any negativity. She’s dealt with enough destructive energy in her first three months.”
I nod while swooning like a twelve-year-old girl over a pop icon showing up unannounced at the school. “Sure. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen.”
“Thank you.” He smiles, and the dimples on his cheeks pop. “I checked on the shipment tracking before I came in. The furniture should be here within the next thirty minutes.”
“Great. I can’t wait to get the car seat.”
“Shit.” Jackson frowns. “I didn’t think about that. I’ve kept you stuck here with Hadley for days. I could have grabbed one.”
“Don’t.” I touch his forearm, and the sizzling heat of his skin singes my fingertips. His eyes widen as if he’s experiencing the same flare of awareness. “It’s fine.”
“Jackson!” The irritation in Tate’s voice has ratcheted up to a nuclear level. “I don’t have time for you to flirt with Mia. You’ve got to come clean before I call mom and unleash her on you.”
“Right.” Jackson spins to face Tate, causing my arm to drop to my side.
I wrinkle my nose.Thank you for the pussy block.I march into the kitchen.
No. It was a well-needed reprieve before I did something stupid like fall deeper for this ready-made-family.
Chapter Fifteen
Jackson
I square my shoulders and prepare for the waterboarding. Not that I would keep Hadley a secret forever, but I’d hoped to have the DNA test results back before I broached the subject. Although, each day that I’m with her, the fewer doubts I have that she’s mine.
But what if she’s not? Sweat pops on my forehead. If someone had asked me a week ago if I was ready to have children, my emphatic answer would’ve been no, but now, my entire universe has been thrown into a tailspin. I want a family, and I want more kids.
“Well?” His biceps flex under the cuffs of his polo shirt.
“I’m waiting for the DNA results to come back. I was going to tell mom and dad, and by default you after it was confirmed.” I shrug. “Or not say anything if I’m not her father.”
“Where’s the mother? It’s not Mia’s child.” Condescension rings in his voice.
I roll my head in a circle to ease the tension between my shoulder blades. “Why couldn’t it be Mia?”
“Because she’s too smart to fuck around with someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” The desire to smack the smug look of his face is only stopped by my need to give Hadley a peaceful home.
“Yes, someone like you. She was dating a stockbroker back in New York. A man who was going places. You play football and apparently knocked up some random girl. That will not be high on her list of baby daddy or dating material. Why is she here anyway? I thought she was getting married.”
“Her fiancé took off to a remote island with a Hooters’ girl.”
“So, she got a dud on that one. There’ll be another man who comes along who’ll have his shit together, and they’ll get married and have a family.” His eyes snap. “You know. In the correct sequence.”
“You’re a condescending dick.” I love my family, but they’ve never believed in me like Mia. Remember that. He might be an asshole, but he’s not wrong. Mia would never consider me a boyfriend-worthy guy. We don’t belong together.
“I might be a dick, but I’m right.”
I rake a hand through my hair. “Hadley’s biological mother is Roxanne Torres from Callahan’s Bar.”
“The waitress?”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful.” He rolls his eyes. “Mom is going to love her. You know how to pick them, don’t you?”
“Listen.” Anger surges through me, and I snap. “You have the right to your opinion of me, and that’s fine. I can’t change that. Yes, I got a woman pregnant and didn’t know about it until three days ago. Yes, she was a horrible choice of a sex partner. Yes, the situation is a mess. But I’m taking care of it. I’m having her DNA tested, and if she’s mine, I’ll take care of her because Roxanne is out of the picture. She’s not a good person.” I’ll save the specifics for another day. I’m already exhausted from telling the guys about her.