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“The mermaid princess?” She nods. “Well, thank you. You know, I have an aunt named Ariel, and her hair is the exact same color. And when she sings, she sounds just like the sea princess.”
“Wow!” they respond in tandem.
After we take a few pictures together, their Nana announces, “Time to go, girls. We have to get you both to bed.” Grasping each of their hands before smiling down at me, she says, “Thank you for coming to speak to them. They were absolutely taken with you during the performance. You dance beautifully.”
Blushing as I stand, I wish I could talk to these three all night. “It was my pleasure. Please come back. We have wonderful summer programs for kids, and I believe there was a whisper of a winter event happening this year, too.”
Waving goodbye, they’re barely out of my sight before a meaty hand grabs my arm, aggravating the already bruised area. “Excuse you,” I snap at the man I now know as Sergei. “You really need to stop touching me.”
He doesn’t say anything as he and his companion drag me into the back of the theatre, where they throw a hood over my head. “What are you doing? Stop it! Help!” I call out, but I don’t know whether there’s anyone here to help me or if they can even hear me. I know that eventually, Libby will notice I’m missing, and she’ll raise hell, but for now, I’m on my own.
Jax
Sitting on the front steps of the main house, I know now, that the ballet Mom was taking the girls to was Scotlyn’s performance. I’m anxious to hear what they think of her dancing. Especially because I couldn’t go myself.
I only arrived home an hour ago, after the longest five days of my life. Mila is now settled with the Marshall's service before finding her way to her final destination. Retrieving her belongings went as expected. We switched hotels twice because her ex thought he was sly. I was better.
All in all, Mila is back out of my life, and after that first night, she never tried to get personal again. Never once asked about the girls or if I had re-married. For which I was grateful. I can talk all damn day about my girls, but not with her. Resentment would have bubbled up, and I wouldn’t have been able to keep my mouth shut for long.
It’s over now, and we can both move on. I’ll be starting that with Scotlyn just as soon as I get these girls into bed. I promised to let them sleep at the main house because it’s a weekend, and they enjoy getting up early with their Nana to make a big family breakfast. Which gives me time to call Scotlyn tonight and talk with her as long as I want without worrying that I will wake up one or both of my children.
Catching headlights come up the drive, I get to my feet and grin when I hear my family singing through the open windows of Mom's car. She did the same thing with me when I was a boy. It’show I knew she was meant to be my mom. Deidre never denied me a damn thing and made certain I knew how much she and Dad loved me every single day.
“Ladies, sounding lovely as always.” Mom snorts at my lie because they were off-key, and she knows it.
“The girls were amazing, Jaxson, like always.” Of that, I have no doubt. They love their Nana and wouldn’t do a thing to cause her stress or pain.
Helping them out of the car, I notice the baby’s breath in their hair. “What’s this?” I ask as I follow them along into the house.
“The ballerina gave it to us.” Bethy twirls and sighs.
“She was so pretty, Daddy. She had Ariel’s hair.”The Little Mermaidis their favorite movie to watch.
I grin because, by that statement, it means they've met Scotlyn. “Was she as kind as Ariel?” I ask as I help them take off their coats and hang them up.
“Nicer,” Bethy says. “She called us primas. Do you know what that is, Daddy?” I shake my head. “Prima is the top ballerina. She’s the best, and the goddess called us that.” Okay, now I’m confused and look up to mom for help. She laughs and shakes her head.
“Alright, primas. Up to bed, teeth brushed, and jammies,” Mom instructs, and they hop to it.
“Goodnight, Daddy,” they both call as they rush up the stairs.
“You don’t fool me, Jaxson Slade,” Mom says as she walks towards the kitchen, pulling out a jug of water. “Your eyes softened as soon as they mentioned the red hair. That’s her, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, that’s my Scotlyn,” I murmur, amazed that she met my girls and was so kind as to give them what can only be described as a magical night.
“She’s going to be a perfect mother to those girls.” My mother hands me a glass of water.
“How do I tell her about them and not scare her off?” When I started talking to Scotlyn, I had no idea how things would go with us. No clue that after meeting her, I would see our entire life together. But now, I’m like a little boy waiting for approval.
I love my girls to death and would do anything for them, but I have no idea how to tell the woman I’d like to spend my life with that they exist.
“It’ll come naturally, Jaxson. When the time is right for you both, you’ll know just what to say. The best part is that she already knows them. She just doesn’t know they’re yours. And I’ll tell you, she ignored scores of people to meet the girls first. Her entire face lit up when she saw them standing with me, waiting, hoping they would get to meet her.” Sounds like Mom is just as in awe of her as the girls are. “So many people the world idolizes let them down once they’ve met, but she treated your babies like queens. Remember that.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Kissing her cheek, I watch her walk upstairs as Dad's headlights shine through the window. Stepping outside, I wish him goodnight and head up to my loft.
The only thing I want to do is talk to Scotlyn and have a hot shower. Hitting the FaceTime button, I hope she isn’t too busy to talk to me now. We’ve been hit-and-miss with each other all week. She was frustrated that the director was making them practice twice as much as expected, and we had to skip our date.
As the call goes unanswered, I decide to shower and try again once I’m out. I send her a text first, so she knows what I’m doing if I don’t answer should she call me back.
