Page 54 of Unveiled

The confusion must’ve been evident on Adalyn's face, because Jaxon laid a hand on the back of her neck and squeezed gently. He directed his words to Luke and Hannah. “Why don’t you guys head inside, and we’ll meet you there in a second?”

Hannah shot Adalyn another soothing smile before heading up the stairs. Adalyn watched as the man Jaxon had called Luke placed a hand on Hannah’s lower back and held the door of the salon open so she could enter. Why were these two here? The question weighed heavily on Adalyn's mind, and after a long morning, she wasn’t inclined to beat around the bush. “What’s going on?”

CHAPTER

THIRTY

Jaxon watched as the weariness in Adalyn's eyes turned to outright suspicion. His hand still rested on the back of her neck, and he slid his thumb along the cord of her throat. “You’ve had a rough morning. I thought I would call in some reinforcements.”

Her head tipped to one side. “What does that mean exactly?”

He lifted one shoulder. “They’re good people, and I would trust Luke with my life. He works for Vantage also, and Hannah is a psychologist downtown.”

Adalyn gave a jerky nod, still looking unsure. She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight from foot to foot. With a gentle tug, Jaxon pulled her closer until she was flush against him. Her hands moved so that one rested on his chest, the other on Jaclyn’s back.

For a long moment, he stared down at the two of them. He had a daughter. A wife. A family. It made him more determined than ever to fix whatever had happened that morning and take the worry and tension from Adalyn’s shoulders.

“You’ve been up for hours,” he explained gently. “You have to be exhausted.” Adalyn made a little face, but she didn’t disagree with him. He took that as a good sign as he continued. “Luke is going to help me set up some security cameras, and I thought Hannah could watch Jaclyn for a while. Maybe take her to the park and play for a bit, so you can go home and get some sleep.”

Her eyes widened. “Cameras?”

He dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “So this won’t happen again. And if it does⁠—”

She was already shaking her head. “Jaxon, I can’t afford that.”

“Hey.” He bent his knees until he was eye level with her. “Don’t worry about it. Vantage had some extras in their stock, and Knox was more than happy to help.”

He knew her security system was pretty basic, intended to go off only if someone breached the premises. But the cameras would come in handy to help identify the perpetrator if it ever happened again, which he hoped it didn’t. Still, better safe than sorry.

She bit her lip and her gaze moved toward the salon. “I don’t know. I mean, Jaclyn doesn’t know Hannah, and⁠—”

“Addy.” He captured her gaze again. “Everything will be fine. I promise.”

Her head tipped up, those pretty gray eyes staring into his. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” He dipped his head and brushed his lips across hers. “I can see how exhausted you are. Let us take care of the baby for a few hours, then I’ll bring her home for naptime once we’re done here.”

Adalyn practically melted against him, burying her head against his chest. “Thank you.”

He’d been in the salon before, but he wasn’t sure where everything was located. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Can you show me where your hookups are before you head out?”

“Sure. I have to get my purse anyway.”

With Jaclyn still cuddled high on his chest, he slipped an arm around Adalyn’s shoulders and together they headed inside. She spoke as they walked. “The electrical box is in my office.” She paused to pick a couple stray dresses off the floor and draped them over her forearm. “What all do you need access to?”

He gestured at the drop-tile ceiling. “Actually, that should be good. We can run the wiring right over the tiles. My plan was to put a camera at each entrance outside and one at the front of the store near the register. Any problem with that?”

“No, that sounds great.”

Adalyn stepped into the alterations room to deposit the gowns on a worktable. “I’m not looking forward to fixing all those,” she noted with dismay.

He rubbed a hand over her back. “Sorry, babe. I know it’s been a shi—” He caught himself before he swore in front of Jaclyn. “Crappy morning.”

“Yeah.” She exhaled heavily. “It has. But I really appreciate your help,” she added softly.

Sliding his hand up her back, he cupped the back of her neck and pulled her close. “Anything for you.” He dropped a kiss on her lips. “Now let’s get to that fuse box so you can get home.”

She held out her arms for the baby, and he handed Jaclyn over, knowing that Adalyn needed the physical reassurance right now. She made her way through the attached door to her office and pointed to a white door recessed along the back wall. “Right over there.”