Until Jax
Page 50
“Let’s go to the swing,” he shouts to Hope, whose brows pull together before she says something to the boy and hands him back what he gave her then, slides down the slide, and runs to us.
“Can my new fwiend come wiff?” she asks when she reaches us.
“No,” Jax says immediately, and my hand gives his a squeeze. “Not right now, sweetheart,” he tells her more gently, taking her hand and leading her toward the swings, which just so happens to be on the opposite side of the park, far away from the boy.
“She’s asleep?” Jax says, and I turn, looking from him to Hope and smiling, because she had just been talking excitedly about the park moments ago, but is now asleep with one elbow on the table, holding up her head, while the other hand holds her piece of pizza.
“The park wore her out.” I giggle as her head dips suddenly, causing her eyes to spring open.
“Are you tired, Angel?” I ask, wrapping my arm around her so she can rest against me.
“No, my eyes are just wazy,” she mumbles, and I hear Jax laugh from across the booth.
“I’m gonna get a box for the pizza and we can eat at home.” Jax says, sliding from the booth and stopping at my side, dipping his head toward me, placing a kiss against my lips before straightening to his full height and going to the front of the pizza shop.
Adjusting Hope so her body is on the bench, I feel something prickle across my skin, and the fine hairs on my body stand on end. Looking around, I don’t notice anyone out of place, but something about the feeling is unsettling.
“You okay?” Jax asks, coming back to the table, carrying a box. Looking around again, I shake off the feeling.
“Yeah, just heebie-jeebies,” I tell him, and his eyes search my face before he looks around like he knows exactly what I’m talking about.
“Wait here,” he commands, dropping the box to the top of the table and moving through the small restaurant then out the door. My heart pounds as I wait for him to come back. I don’t know if someone is watching us, or if I have a reason to be worried, but when Jax comes back inside, I breathe a sigh of relief. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to him.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, seeing the look on his face and the way his body seems to be strung tight, like all of the muscles in his torso are larger than they were before he went outside.
“It’s fine,” he says, but his tone and demeanor are saying something completely different. “Let’s go,” he states, picking up Hope and adjusting her in his arms. “When we get outside, you need to stick close.”
“What was it, Jax?” I ask, trying to keep the wobble out of my voice, which is difficult, because I’m so scared.
“There was a note on my car.”
“About me?” I ask, looking at Hope. I would die if anything happened to her.
“As soon as I get you two home, I’ll call my uncle.”
“Jax,” I whisper, feeling my insides begin to fill with adrenalin, which is making me want to take Hope and run as far and as fast as I can.
“Nothing will happen to you or Hope. Now, I need you to listen to me and do what I say.”
“Okay,” I agree with a nod, picking up my bag from the booth and swinging it over my shoulder.
“Come on, baby,” he says, taking my hand and leading me out of the restaurant to his truck that is parked right out front. Getting into the back with Hope, I watch Jax run around the front of the truck to the driver’s side then look around, trying to see if anything is out of place, but I don’t notice anything.
When we pull up to the house, Jax takes us inside and gets us settled in the living room before leaving with his phone to his ear. Looking down at Hope, I pray Jax, unlike everyone else I know, is able to keep his word.
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.
“Can my new fwiend come wiff?” she asks when she reaches us.
“No,” Jax says immediately, and my hand gives his a squeeze. “Not right now, sweetheart,” he tells her more gently, taking her hand and leading her toward the swings, which just so happens to be on the opposite side of the park, far away from the boy.
“She’s asleep?” Jax says, and I turn, looking from him to Hope and smiling, because she had just been talking excitedly about the park moments ago, but is now asleep with one elbow on the table, holding up her head, while the other hand holds her piece of pizza.
“The park wore her out.” I giggle as her head dips suddenly, causing her eyes to spring open.
“Are you tired, Angel?” I ask, wrapping my arm around her so she can rest against me.
“No, my eyes are just wazy,” she mumbles, and I hear Jax laugh from across the booth.
“I’m gonna get a box for the pizza and we can eat at home.” Jax says, sliding from the booth and stopping at my side, dipping his head toward me, placing a kiss against my lips before straightening to his full height and going to the front of the pizza shop.
Adjusting Hope so her body is on the bench, I feel something prickle across my skin, and the fine hairs on my body stand on end. Looking around, I don’t notice anyone out of place, but something about the feeling is unsettling.
“You okay?” Jax asks, coming back to the table, carrying a box. Looking around again, I shake off the feeling.
“Yeah, just heebie-jeebies,” I tell him, and his eyes search my face before he looks around like he knows exactly what I’m talking about.
“Wait here,” he commands, dropping the box to the top of the table and moving through the small restaurant then out the door. My heart pounds as I wait for him to come back. I don’t know if someone is watching us, or if I have a reason to be worried, but when Jax comes back inside, I breathe a sigh of relief. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to him.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, seeing the look on his face and the way his body seems to be strung tight, like all of the muscles in his torso are larger than they were before he went outside.
“It’s fine,” he says, but his tone and demeanor are saying something completely different. “Let’s go,” he states, picking up Hope and adjusting her in his arms. “When we get outside, you need to stick close.”
“What was it, Jax?” I ask, trying to keep the wobble out of my voice, which is difficult, because I’m so scared.
“There was a note on my car.”
“About me?” I ask, looking at Hope. I would die if anything happened to her.
“As soon as I get you two home, I’ll call my uncle.”
“Jax,” I whisper, feeling my insides begin to fill with adrenalin, which is making me want to take Hope and run as far and as fast as I can.
“Nothing will happen to you or Hope. Now, I need you to listen to me and do what I say.”
“Okay,” I agree with a nod, picking up my bag from the booth and swinging it over my shoulder.
“Come on, baby,” he says, taking my hand and leading me out of the restaurant to his truck that is parked right out front. Getting into the back with Hope, I watch Jax run around the front of the truck to the driver’s side then look around, trying to see if anything is out of place, but I don’t notice anything.
When we pull up to the house, Jax takes us inside and gets us settled in the living room before leaving with his phone to his ear. Looking down at Hope, I pray Jax, unlike everyone else I know, is able to keep his word.
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.
