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“You have no idea how much I love to hear you say that, but you also need to take time for yourself. We have family here to help.”
“Yeah,” she said thoughtfully. “I guess we do.”
We spent the rest of the afternoon together, Mariah showing me the programs she liked most, and when Sofia returned with Abi, we took her out on a walk. While we enjoyed the time together, there was still a sense of anticipation hanging over us. We were in limbo, waiting to hear from Jaxon before we could make our next move, just like we’d been all week.
It wasn’t until just before dinner that we finally got the call.
Sofia was practicing her crawling and making her way around the bedroom. She was catching on faster than expected, and Mariah and I were having to further baby-proof the room at every turn.
As soon as my phone rang, Mariah looked up with wide eyes. “Is it him?”
I pulled it from my pocket and nodded. Mariah scooped Sofia up and placed her in the playpen, watching me expectantly.
I met her gaze, then answered the call. “What have you got?”
“Hello to you, too,” Jaxon said. “Is this always how you speak to people, or should I consider myself lucky?”
“Put him on speaker,” Mariah said impatiently when a tiny growl rumbled in my chest.
I stared at her and tried to keep my composure, but there was just something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. I’d asked him once before why he was helping us, the night he’d told us Mariah’s whereabouts, and he’d said Mariah made him smile. That wasn’t enough for me to place my trust in the guy. In fact, it was the exact opposite.
“You heard the lady,” Jaxon said in my ear, and I bit back a smartass retort before putting the call on speaker as she’d asked.
“Jax? Are you okay?” Concern flashed in her eyes. “Has he hurt you again?”
“I’m fine, love,” he said. “But I’m touched that you care.”
I gripped the phone tighter. “Are you still willing to help us?” I said.
“That’s why I called. Sorry it took a while. Tomas has been paranoid ever since he found out about Mariah’s escape. He’s been watching me like a hawk, but fortunately, he doesn’t know about this phone. It’s a burner. I’ll likely be switching to a new one soon to keep him off the trail.”
“You were supposed to be in contact with proof that you’re on our side,” I said. “Yet that proof never came. How do I know we can trust you?”
Mariah rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you tell him your idea and go from there?”
I grimaced, wishing she could see how dangerous it was to give someone so close to Tomas our trust. But we’d had this conversation one too many times already, and I did need Jax's help on this. I didn't have much of a choice.
“I want to speak to Rosalind,” I said. “Alone, without Tomas’s knowledge. If you can arrange that, maybe I’ll trust you.”
“We think Rosalind might just be acting on orders from Tomas,” Mariah cut in, giving me an irritated look. “We want the opportunity to talk to her face-to-face, to see if she can be reasonable about this custody case.”
Jaxon laughed. “While I appreciate that you think my sister has a heart, you’re wasting your time. She’s spoiled and selfish. Anything she does is only to benefit herself. And as for being reasonable…” He scoffed. “You’ve met Rosalind, right?”
Mariah sighed, frowning as she bit her fingernail. “Yes, but we were still hoping to talk to her about the case. Our first hearing’s coming up.”
Jaxon sighed. “What a mess. She doesn’t even want a kid. Honestly, I can’t count the number of times she said she’s afraid of ending up with custody.”
“She said that?” I demanded. That played perfectly into my hand. “Maybe we can use that to our advantage. If she’s worried she’ll actually win, maybe we can convince her to drop the case.”
Mariah nodded.
“That might be a good angle to take,” he said. “No guarantees, though. She’s unpredictable and will only act if it serves her own purposes… but it’s worth a shot.”
“I agree,” Mariah said. “Can you arrange it?”
“I’ve told you before, love… for you, anything.” My knuckles turned white as I gripped the phone. “In this case, though, the perfect opportunity is already in front of us. Rosalind is leaving tomorrow for a little getaway. If you want to talk to her alone, your best bet will be to catch her while she’s away.”
“That’s perfect,” Mariah said, grinning up at me.
