Page 32 of Unveiled

Adalyn dipped her head in the barest of nods. “Yesterday was a fluke. Wendy’s husband had a health issue, so Jaclyn stayed here instead.”

He tipped his chin in understanding but remained silent otherwise. They stood there for a long moment in the silent standoff, and she shifted nervously on her feet. “Did you… did you want to talk?” she asked hesitantly.

“I want to see my daughter.” His commanding tone brooked no argument, and it sent a little shiver of unease down her spine.

“I can’t—” she started, but he cut her off.

“She’s my daughter!” He punctuated the statement by jabbing one index finger against the counter. “I won’t let you keep her from me anymore.”

Adalyn raised her hands in supplication, already taking a step backward to put more distance between them. “That’s not… I didn’t mean...” She drew in a shuddering breath. “It’s not my intent to keep her from you. I promise,” she rushed on when he gazed suspiciously down at her. “Amy will be here in just a few minutes, then I can take you to see her.”

He studied her for a long minute, then, as if gauging her sincerity, he nodded. “Fine.”

She waited for him to leave, but he remained steadfast by the counter. His presence was unnerving, and she tried to block it out as she went back to work. Nearly at her breaking point, she almost cried with relief when Amy and Jenn walked through the door barely ten minutes later. She flicked a glance at Jaxon. “Let me grab my things and then we can go.”

She hurried over to Amy as she started toward the staff lounge. Amy glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of Jaxon. Her brows lifted, and Adalyn shook her head. “I’ll explain in a second.”

Inside the staff lounge, she grabbed her things from her locker, then pulled Amy aside. “I hate to do this, but I need the morning off.”

Amy patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, dear. We’ll take care of everything for today. Just take your time.”

Adalyn shot Amy and Jenn a grateful look. “Thank you, guys. I owe you.”

Making her way back to the front of the store, she stopped in front of Jaxon. “Do you want to ride together, or do you want to follow me?” The thought of being confined in close quarters was enough to unnerve her, and she prayed that he would turn down her offer to drive. She shouldn’t have worried about it, because he spoke over her.

“I know where you live.” He said it so impassively, so matter-of-factly, that she didn’t doubt it, and a tiny spark of anger shot through her.

“Fantastic.” She couldn’t conceal the sarcasm in her tone, and the corner of his mouth twitched up into a small smile. She was momentarily arrested by that tiny smirk, the first sign of humor she had seen from him. When they first met, he had given his smiles freely. She felt terrible for taking that away from him.

She felt Jaxon’s eyes on her the entire time as he followed her outside to her car. He stood beside the driver door, watching her like a hawk, as if waiting for her to run. Finally, she could take it no more. “What?” she snapped.

Jaxon gave a little shake of his head. “Nothing. Just making sure you get to your car okay.”

“Oh.” Well, she hadn’t expected that. Caught off guard, she didn’t know what to say. “Thank you.”

He gave one more abrupt nod before striding off and climbing into the cab of a large silver truck. She started the car and rubbed her sweaty palms on her skirt, trying to relieve the tension strumming through her body. Her heart raced the whole way home, and by the time they got there, she was ready to climb a wall.

Worry and nervousness sluiced through her, and she watched with trepidation as Jaxon’s truck pulled into the driveway and parked right behind her. She avoided him as she climbed from the car and made her way to the front door. With trembling hands, she fumbled the keys as she tried to unlock the door. They slipped from her hand and landed with a clatter at her feet.

Flustered, she bent to retrieve them, but a large hand beat her to it. Wordlessly, Jaxon scooped up her key ring and held it out to her. Pushing her hair back from her face, she stood and finally managed to slip the key inside the lock. It let out a soft click as it disengaged, and a shaky breath left her lungs.

Whatever happened next would change everything. She fought the sudden tears clouding her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she swung the door inward and stepped inside, then held it for Jaxon. His penetrating gaze swept over the interior as he stepped inside, and she was sure that he had her house memorized by the time she closed the door behind him. He gave the impression of a man who missed nothing.

“Home, sweet home,” she said softly.

He flicked those blue eyes to her and gave a slight nod. No words, no reaction, just an unsettling stoicism that seemed so at odds with the man she had once known. She stepped out of her heels and left them on the mat beside the door. “You’re welcome to take your shoes off, too,” she said, though she immediately regretted the words.

It felt awkward inviting him into her home, like he was insinuating himself within its very walls just by being there. This was her space, and she felt as if he was infringing on it. She didn’t want him to take his shoes off. She didn’t want him to make himself at home.

The very idea of having him here made her nervous and uncomfortable. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, but there was something else below the surface, something she couldn’t identify sparking between them. Having him here was too… intimate. His nearness reminded her of the night they spent together nearly two years ago, but so much had happened since then.

She snapped back to reality when he shook his head. She should’ve been thankful he didn’t make any indication that he would be staying for an extended period of time, but she couldn’t help the tug of disappointment in her heart. He said he wanted to meet Jaclyn. Was this just a one-time thing? If he didn’t plan to stay, then why was he here? Anger and irritation replaced her nervousness. Her daughter deserved better than someone who would flit in and out of her life.

Her tone was brusque as she spoke. “Come on.”

He lifted one eyebrow but followed her past the stairs, toward the back of the house. The narrow hallway emptied into a small but comfortable kitchen, and off to the right, it connected to their living room. Wendy sat on the floor, surrounded by toys, while Jaclyn continued to empty her toybox. Laughter floated toward them, and Adalyn couldn’t help but smile at the sound of that sweet little voice. There was absolutely nothing more precious than the baby’s deep belly laugh.

Wendy, finally noticing Adalyn’s presence, turned to her. “Adalyn, honey, I didn’t expect you so soon.” Her head tipped in confusion, then her eyes widened as they skipped over Adalyn’s shoulder and took in Jaxon standing behind her. The older woman pushed to her feet, and Jaxon followed Adalyn as she approached her.