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“What?”she'd said.“Men name their kids after themselves all the time, and they don't do any of the hard shit.”
And, well, shit. How can anyone argue with that?
Alexander Oscar Jackson.
Named after the two best people in the family, Lux joked.
Named after her two favorite people, she added, but I have a feeling one half of that joke is very, very genuine.
“Really?” Jackson chuckles quietly, tearing his eyes off the new love of his life long enough to look at the old one, brown eyes sparkling humorously at me. “I'm surprised she didn't go the full mile and call him Lux.”
My chest shakes with a laugh, disturbing the baby nestled against me. He cries out in a little whine and not a second passes before Jackson shushes him gently, carefully transferring Alex from my arms to his.
Sitting back in Lux’s ridiculously comfortable new rocking chair, I watch the two of them and, not for the first time, I fear Ben was right.
Something about a man and a baby really does make your reproductive organs weep.
Like I said, the man is smitten. Bottle feeds, diaper changes, baths, he does all of it with a smile. Every waking moment of Alex's day, he's got his uncle doting on him. I never thought I'd be jealous of a baby but, yeah, I'm a little jealous.
Jackson catches me staring and whatever expression I’m sporting earns me an amused look. “What?”
“You look good with a baby.”The understatement of the century.
His deep, husky laugh fades into a winced groan when Alex tugs on a strand of his hair. Carefully detangling his grabby hands, his head drops to kiss Alex's cheek before he returns his attention to me. “Line's gonna watch him tonight for a few hours.”
“Oh?”
Jackson hums, the noise vibrating through Alex's cheeks and making him kick his chubby little legs wildly. “I wanna take you somewhere.”
I perk up. “Really?”
“Why do you sound surprised?”
“Just can't believe you can tear yourself away from him.”
Cradling the baby in one hand, he cups my cheek with the other, smoothing his thumb over my skin. “Feeling neglected?”
I scoff. “No.”
Jackson chuckles quietly. Urging me to stand, he takes my seat before pulling me down on his lap, carefully resituating Alex so he's cuddled between us. “In case I haven't said it, thank you for helping so much the last few weeks.”
Shrugging, I catch one of Alex's kicking feet in my hand. “I don't mind.”
“I know you don't.” Fingers curl beneath my chin and tilt my head towards Jackson. “But thank you anyway.”
Unable to help myself, I steal the lightest of kisses. “You're welcome.”
* * *
“Where are we going?” When my question is met by nothing but annoying silence, I groan. “Come on, not even a hint?”
More silence, only the twitch of his lips letting me know he heard me. With a huff, I slump in my seat and squint at our surroundings.
Trees. That's my only clue. We drive past trees, and trees, and more trees. Vaguely familiar trees but trees all the same.
“Are you taking me to meet the new ranch hand?”
The excitement in my tone earns me some serious side-eye. It’s not my fault; I’ve only been blessed with the man from a distance but Lux’s very detailed descriptions would spark anyone’s curiosity.
