Page 27 of Unveiled

It wouldn’t be the first time Jaclyn had come to the salon with her. The women all loved to play with her in their spare time, but it was exhausting trying to keep a one-year-old occupied while running her business. Today, though, Adalyn couldn’t summon the energy to let it bother her. All that mattered was that George would be okay.

As soon as she got to the salon, she got Jaclyn settled in the back. They had a changing room right off the alterations room that was carpeted and surrounded by mirrors. The alterations room also connected to Adalyn's office, so Jaclyn could easily be relocated if they had any incoming clients. The ladies took turns watching her and playing with her over the next few hours.

Around noon, Adalyn pulled her phone out for the hundredth time, checking for any update on George. She couldn’t turn off her worry. The bell rang as a customer strolled through the front door, and she barely managed to swallow a moan when she saw who it was. Oh, God. She’d completely forgotten about Jaxon coming for lunch today. His gaze narrowed on her like she was the only person in the room.

He stepped close, much closer than she was comfortable with. “Is everything okay?”

After everything else that had happened that morning, Adalyn wasn’t ready to deal with him just yet. She still hadn’t heard anything from Wendy, and Jaclyn would be waking up from her nap soon. She’d been keeping an eye on her using the video baby monitoring system that connected with her phone, but Jaclyn had been snoozing away in her pack and play for the past hour.

Oh, God. Just the thought of Jaxon and Jaclyn—the daughter he knew nothing about—in the same building was almost enough to make her hyperventilate.

She bit her lip. “This really isn’t… It’s been a bad day. Can we reschedule?”

“Have you eaten yet?”

Food had been the last thing on Adalyn's mind that day. “No, but⁠—”

“Come on.” His voice was soft and convincing, tempting her to just let go and give in to this ridiculous feeling flaring between them. “You need to eat something.”

Adalyn worried her lip, debating. She needed to get him out of there, but… she also needed to talk to him. She at least had to make plans to see him later. She prayed that, if she was at least accommodating, their next conversation wouldn’t go so badly. She would just have to allude to Jaclyn’s presence, tell him that there was something he needed to know. And wasn’t that the understatement of the year?

“Just… just give me a second.”

She hustled to the dressing room where Jenn was just finishing up an alteration consult, and she pulled her aside. “Can you do me a huge favor and take Jaclyn to the park for a little bit? I hate to ask.”

“It’s no problem at all. We’ll head right over.”

“I really appreciate it.” This would buy her half an hour at least. Anxiety gnawed at her stomach. She hated deceiving him, but this was the only way. She took her time walking back to the front of the store, giving Jenn plenty of time to get Jaclyn and escape out the back door.

Jaxon still stood at the counter, and guilt sliced through Adalyn as he turned a smile on her. God, she was such a terrible person. Her heart was beating so hard, she was sure he could hear it from where he stood several yards away. The stress of the day was going to kill her.

Steeling her spine, she pasted on a smile and gestured with one hand. “We can go to my office.”

He nodded an affirmation, and she turned, acutely aware of his gaze firmly fixed on her back.

“Adalyn?”

She turned at the sound of Amy’s voice. “Yes?”

“I have Ms. McCoy on hold. Apparently there was a mix-up with one of her bridesmaid dresses.”

Adalyn slapped a hand over her forehead. “Yes, I completely forgot.” She turned to Jaxon. “Can you find your way back by yourself? I’ll be there in just a moment.”

“No problem at all.”

She smiled gratefully. “It’s the plain white door on the back wall. Can’t miss it.”

“I’ll find it.”

She threw a glance over her shoulder and watched as Jaxon made his way to the back of the store. By now, Jenn should have Jaclyn outside, and Jaxon would never know the difference. Worst case, he would just see a woman carrying a baby outside. No big deal. Crisis averted.

Her heart raced in her chest, and she pressed a hand over it as if she could physically will her pulse to slow. She was furious with herself for letting him affect her so deeply. She couldn’t deny that she was still attracted to him—too much, in fact. She hadn’t really taken the time to study him during their last two encounters, but she did now. He walked with a confident swagger, a man who had no qualms about who he was. He seemed larger than life, completely out of place in her feminine boutique.

He was bold, rugged manliness, from his broad shoulders down to the thick, muscular thighs encased in his dark jeans. The bag of takeout food swung at his side, and her heart fluttered a little bit at the sight. She thought he’d been joking when he alluded to a lunch date, but to see that he’d actually brought food touched her. It was a genuinely sweet gesture, and she deeply appreciated it. It also made her feel even more guilty about what she was about to do.

She bit her lip. Honestly, she didn’t have a good plan for this. Even after agonizing over the past four days, she still hadn’t devised the best way to tell him he had a daughter. She wanted to have a private moment with him, but part of her also longed for the safety of a public setting. She knew without a doubt, though, that she couldn’t do it there.

That conversation was not going to go well, and she didn’t need a battle raging in her place of business. And there was no doubt in her mind that that was exactly what would happen. Jaxon was a military man; he undoubtedly believed in honor and integrity above all things. She’d done him a horrible injustice by withholding information from him.