Page 57 of The Sacrifice
“I bet.”
Tate crosses his arms over his chest and eyes Jackson up and down. “Mom tells me that you accused me of being a snitch. Do we need to go outside?”
Jackson smirks. “Are you looking for a beatdown? If you are, let’s head to the backyard.”
Madison clutches Tate’s upper arm. “Honey, remember when you tweaked your back getting out of bed?”
“That’s not how I tweaked it.” He glares at her.
“Well….” She presses her lips together. “The specifics don’t matter, but the results are the same. Jackson would tear you up, and I’d have to hear about it.”
“Touché.” He laughs and unlaces his arms. “I’ll take back my threatening statement. At some point, the kid became a man.”
I inhale, taking in the scent of bacon, cheese, butter, and potatoes. My mouth waters in anticipation of the potato soup. It smells divine.
“Thank you,” Jackson says as the kids come over to me and study Hadley.
“She’s so pretty.” Madison brushes her hands over their heads as Tate and Jackson catch up on Sunday’s game.
“Yes, she is.” I give her a squeeze because I can’t get enough of her. “She’s the best baby. She’s happy and loves to eat and play. And she’s the best sleeper.”
Madison grins. “I bet that comes in handy.”
My face heats. “I’m not complaining.”
“Do tell.” She turns to the kids. “Guys, go run along. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes. You can go play in your rooms until it’s ready.”
“Yes, mommy,” they say in unison and run to the stairs, pushing and shoving each other to see who wins; they both land on the first step simultaneously.
“And I do mean tell me more while I finish cooking.” She grabs my hand and drags me into the kitchen. “I love Tammy, but girl talk is out.” She waggles her eyebrows. “You know what type of girl talk I’m referring to.”
“Do you mean the type where Tammy thinks you and Tate didn’t have sex until your wedding night?”
She laughs until she snorts. “Yes. Like that. And she probably thinks we’ve only had sex twice to produce our children.”
“I would assume so.”
“Have a seat.” She motions to the table. As I pull out the chair, she stirs a wooden spoon inside a pot on the stove. “So…. Tell me all about you and Jackson. Is it serious? Do you care about him, or are you one of those football bunny types? Or whatever they call them.” She stops stirring and pins me with a look. “Because I’m Team Jackson all the way. He’s a fantastic guy who deserves a woman who’s got his back. I’m sorry if that offends you, but being younger than Tate, he’s always been treated as the baby. And I don’t like it.”
“I don’t take offense at all. Sadly, I was one of those people who put him into a box for a long time. Although, I have a somewhat excuse. I haven’t seen him for five years. I would like to think I would have noticed him maturing during that time.” I kiss Hadley’s cheek. “And thank you for caring about him and having his back. I’m sure he appreciates it. Jackson is amazing. He loves Hadley unconditionally to the point that if she comes back as not his, I don’t think he’d tell a soul. He’s on the birth certificate as the father, so I think he’d keep raising her as his own.”
“That’s so sweet,” she sighs.
“He has a big heart.” I gnaw on my bottom lip as I bit back a giggle. “Among other things.”
“I bet he does.” She turns off the stove and rests her hip against the adjacent cabinet. “So this is serious?”
“Yes. It’s serious.” I nod as Hadley bats at my face and makes cooing sounds. “At least, it is for me. He treats me like a queen, and I love him and Hadley. I know it’s fast, and some people might think I’m latching onto him because he has a daughter or because he’s a football player, but it’s so much more. It’s the way he gets me. I always overthink things, coming up with all the worst-case scenarios. And he forces me to feel and not think. My past relationships were based on what sounded the best on paper, but that’s boring. He’s taught me to appreciate passion and living in the moment.”
“Hearing that makes me happy.” She sniffs and beckons me forward. “I need a hug.”
As we embrace, I say, “I think it’s been easier because we’ve known each other for years.” I step back, tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, and smile. “Granted, we bickered all the time, but now, it’s foreplay.”
“Did someone say foreplay?” Jackson waltzes into the kitchen retrieves Hadley from my arms, and pulls me to him. “I could use a little foreplay. It’s been….” He glances at his watch. “Like thirty minutes since I’ve kissed you.”
Like a magnet that draws me in, I wrap my arms around his neck and greedily meet his lips. It’s chaste compared to his normal greeting, but it makes my heart skip.
“I love you, baby.”