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“Piper is quite the tomboy.” April went on as if they were old friends reuniting for a chitchat. “All she talks about during school is planes and how her daddy lets her help with repairs. She’s got a passion for flying, that’s for sure.” April laughed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t keep you.”
“Oh, it’s no bother.”
Surprisingly, she meant that. Small-town ramblings were how anyone found out anything going on. Jade’s run was proof enough.
The fact that Jackson had a daughter may have tilted the stakes just a bit, but Olivia couldn’t let it deter her from seeking what she wanted . . . what she needed for closure.
“I need to get going,” April said, pulling Olivia from her thoughts. “It was good to see you again.”
Offering a nod and a smile, Olivia waited until April got in her car and started to pull out of the grassy lot. With bag in hand, Olivia headed toward the closed hangar door.
Besides the inevitable partnership chat, Olivia wanted to know what he planned to do about her suit. Her new suit.
As soon as she pushed the door open, she wasn’t sure what she expected to find. The same lonely plane she’d seen earlier, the same sexy man who grated on her last nerve and stood in the way of her closure. Definitely those, but she hadn’t anticipated that same sexy man dancing around the same damn plane.
Dancing around with his daughter. The little girl squealed as he twirled from one end of the hangar to the other, her blond pigtails bouncing with each step. Jackson’s arms extended out, and his little girl lay across the top in plank position as a human airplane. As Jackson ran back to the other end, she let out another high-pitched noise somewhere between a laugh and a scream.
Olivia remained in the doorway, hand clutched on the doorknob as she took in the sight. Memories she’d wanted to suppress had slammed her right in the heart and there was no stopping the flood of emotions. She blinked against the tears, instantly taken back to her childhood when she and her father would do that very thing . . . in front of that exact plane.
For the first time since being so hell-bent on removing this place from her life, there was an unwelcome tug on her heart. What did she do with that emotion? She hadn’t counted on feeling anything other than elation as she skipped back out of Haven with the property solely in her name.
Once upon a time she’d wanted a family, children. She’d given up on those dreams—or so she thought—to have a lucrative career. Yet watching memories being made right before her eyes was more than her biological clock could handle.
Damn it. She thought for sure that thing stopped ticking. She didn’t want these emotions and the doubts. There was a plan in place and she was going to see it through.
The bag slipped from her hand, banging against the concrete. Jackson froze, turned with his daughter in his arms, and met her gaze across the hangar.
Olivia pulled in a breath, blinked against the unwanted tears filling her eyes. This was not what she came for. A stroll down the lane of memories could not be part of this business deal.
The sooner she could get him on her side, the sooner she could say good riddance forever.
Chapter Three
Jax knew instantly that they weren’t alone anymore, but he wasn’t going to stop playing with his daughter simply because the princess had returned. Piper’s squeals had him spinning and running faster. She had an adventurous spirit just like her father. His spunky daughter may have been the exact image of her mother, but thankfully she didn’t have the personality.
“Daddy,” Piper giggled. “You have a visitor.”
Yeah, he knew, but he didn’t like this visitor. He slowed down and slowly put Piper on her feet. One of her ponytails was lopsided, but he was pretty proud he’d mastered this little-girl style. Those tiny rubber bands he had to use in her hair were damn hard to maneuver with hands his size.
Piper raced across the hangar toward Olivia. Jax opted to stand back to see what she wanted. No doubt she thought they’d pick up where they left off in conversation earlier.
He had to bite back a smile when he realized she’d changed. Now she wore a pair of white cropped pants and a fitted red tank. She still had on a pair of damn heels. Did she always have to silently scream money?
“My name is Piper,” his daughter greeted because she’d never met a stranger. “I’m four. You’re really pretty. Did you need Daddy to fly you somewhere?”
Olivia met his gaze from across the open space. When she quirked her brow, he merely smiled.
“No.” Olivia looked back down to Piper and squatted down to get on her level. “I’m actually here to give him this sack.”
“Like a present?” Piper exclaimed.
“Exactly like a present,” she stated, holding her hand out. “I’m Olivia and you are pretty, too. My age isn’t important.”
“Does that mean you’re old?” Piper asked. “Because you don’t look old. Can I guess your age?”
Oh, this was always a fun game. Jax waited to see what number she’d come up with. He never knew what she’d say . . . the joys of parenthood. Sometimes she guessed him to be fifteen and others she pegged him as eighty-eight.
“Well . . .” Olivia stood back up and shot a worried glance to him.
