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Eleven
“Ishould let you two rest.”
Jayson meant to hand back Addison and Brannon’s daughter right away, but he delayed. Quinn Marie Knox was nestled in his arms and cooing up at him. A series of gurgles and grunts came from the precious bundle, her big eyes taking in as much of the world around her as they could. Tiny fingers clutched and released the air and he was fairly certain he’d lost his heart to her.
Finally, he was able to release baby Quinn in her mother’s arms. “Sorry it took me so long to stop by.”
Addison had gone into labor the night he and Gia had eaten Thai food and argued. The same night he’d kissed her and had hoped to end up in her bed, or hell, at least on the couch.
But, no.
In spite of the desire surging within and between them, Gia had retreated. Once again he’d found himself surrounding her with the protection and love he thought she needed, only to watch her retreat.
He stepped in, she stepped back. The dance continued. He wondered if he’d ever learn.
Addison adjusted her baby girl against her chest, who was nuzzling to be breastfed. “That’s okay, Coop. I know you’re busy.”
“Say bye to Uncle Jayson.” She waved her daughter’s closed fist.
He smiled and waved back. Uncle Jayson. He liked that.
Family had always been important to him. Losing his marriage with Gia had been the ultimate failure. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if he lost his work and his in-laws, too. The Knoxes stitched everyone into their family quilt—and once you were there, you didn’t want to leave.
Jayson exited the sitting room and wandered through the kitchen. Bran was at the back door, pulling on a pair of boxing gloves. Once they were on, he punched them together. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” Jayson hadn’t been through training Bran had, but he knew how to scrap. Without gloves. He’d gone a round or two with his own father and had lost. Badly. At age twelve he’d stepped between his abusive father and his mother, and had taken hits for her. He’d never been prouder of a black eye in his life.
Since then he’d developed a penchant for protecting those he loved, made easier when his mother remarried a good man and in turn gave Jayson a brother. He smiled as he considered Bran’s and Addi’s daughter. That little girl would never have to wonder if she was loved or safe a day in her life.
“She’s great, your daughter,” he told Bran.
“Those Knox genes.” Bran grinned. “Although she inherited all the beauty from my wife.”
Not all of it. Jayson found himself thinking of Gia. Again.
After stepping into the ring and receiving some basic instruction, Jayson was throwing punches comfortably at his ex-brother-in-law. Bran’s backyard was lush with green grass and flowers and trees. It was a strange setup for trying to kick the other man’s ass.
Not that there was any animosity lingering between them. Throwing punches at the middle Knox sibling was more about technique than working through a problem.
Jayson was frustrated with the way things hadn’t gone with Gia, but there was no need for him to exercise that frustration physically. He preferred to funnel that irritation into his work—namely solving the problem with the tablet before Royce and Taylor arrived home from their honeymoon.
Jayson finally landed a hit on Bran’s ribs and earned a satisfying grunt from his opponent. Bran caught his breath against the ropes, nodding that he was done.
“You’re a fast learner,” he praised as he and Jayson stepped from the ring.
A pair of loungers was set up in the grass, a cooler of ice-cold beer bottles between them.
“And I thought your daughter was beautiful. That cooler is a sight.” Jayson accepted a beer and sat down, spinning off the cap and taking a long, refreshing slug.
Bran let out a beer commercial–worthy “Ahhhh.”
After Bran reminded Jayson to keep his face protected in the ring, he paused, stared into his beer bottle and asked, “You and Gia avoiding each other?”
Here we go.
“Why?”
“You two arrive separately to meetings. I thought at first you were trying to make it look like you weren’t dating by avoiding each other, but since Quinn was born, it seems like things went south.”
