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It boggled her mind.
Why did he do that? She couldn’t comprehend having a bank account with that much money in it.
Jasper picked up burgers for them and a hotdog for Maddie from Mile High Diner in the small town nearby before they reached the cabin. When she protested, he said, “It’s easier this way. Maddie is beat from the long day, and so are you. The last thing you need to be doing is getting home and trying to cook.”
She grumbled. “Fine.” It was so novel. That for once she didn’t have to push through exhaustion. That dinner was just taken care of, and she didn’t have to fuss over it. How was this her life now?
Jasper pulled the SUV into the garage. “Why don’t you get her in? I’ll get the food. And then we can get everything else after dinner.”
“Sounds good.” Maddie was being fussy. She knew what a long day this had been for her with the travel, the stores, and her nap being cut short. Throughout the drive, while Maddie was being cranky, she kept glancing at Jasper, waiting for a snide comment or for him to get mad. He never did. If anything, he’d been helpful, talking to Maddie, doing what he could to make her laugh, finding music she would like and being the most standup guy she’d ever met.
How was this guy still single? She knew he believed he couldn’t fall in love. But why hadn’t an enterprising woman snatched him up.
Scooping Maddie up out of her car seat, she struggled, wanting to get down. After dinner, she’d let her run around in the living room like a maniac and get all her wiggles out before her bath. She wished they didn’t need to do the drive again Friday morning. But after that, Jasper indicated they would be here until they left for Scotland.
Which was good, because Freya was ready to burrow inside the cabin, away from people, namely Ian, until it was time to leave the country. Only when she had an ocean between her and Ian would she relax fully.
Dinner was a quiet affair. Even Maddie was subdued after the long day. “Maddie needs to run around a bit before her bath and bedtime. Then I can help get everything in from the car.”
“I’ve got it handled and will put everything in your room for you. You take care of her,” Jasper said, clearing the table.
When she opened her mouth to argue, Jasper shot her an unamused, frustrated glare. “Bloody hell, woman, I told you, I’ve got this. I realize you’re used to handling everything under the bleeding sun by yourself. But you’re not on your own any longer, and please stop fighting me at every turn.”
“Sorry. I don’t mean to seem ungrateful. It’s just—never mind.” She rose and grabbed Maddie before she revealed anything else. The last thing she would ever do was give him ammunition to use against her later. It was a trauma response from her time with Ian. She knew it. Knew it was something she would have to work on, and one day it wouldn’t trigger massive insecurities inside her. But that day wasn’t today. Tomorrow wasn’t looking good either.
What she needed was time. Time to decompress. Time to process everything that had happened. Time to navigate her new existence without waiting for the other shoe to drop.
But she was a coward, and she ran. Because Jasper engaged her emotions by acting like the type of guy she wished for growing up, the knight in shining armor who would swoop in and save her from her lackluster, humdrum existence. She had many fantasies of the man who would save her.
And Jasper was giving her all the feels because he acted just like her fantasy. He’d taken care of her and Maddie in a way no one ever had, not even Maddie’s father. It wasn’t just the money he spent on them either. She wouldn’t feel this shaken and unsteady if it was, but it was so much more than that. He truly wanted to ease her burden and make her life easier.
And other than their rocky beginning when he caught her trying to steal from him, he’d been the sole of propriety. Was he overbearing? Yes. Was he somewhat of a Neanderthal? Absolutely. Did she secretly want to bang him? More than any man she’d ever met. Would she ever act on that desire? The jury was still out. Was she already having a difficult time keeping her emotions from getting involved? Oh god, yes!
Freya was getting addicted to his sexy smirks, to the way he and Maddie seemed to bond like peanut butter and jelly, to the way he took care of them to where she didn’t know how she would give him up when the time came. And she really looked forward to those times when he looked at her like he wanted to take a bite, like she was this decadent dessert he yearned to savor.
And it was those that worried her the most, because how could she maintain a safe emotional distance when he acted like her dream man?
13
Later that evening, when the house was quiet, Jasper sat at the kitchen table with most of the lights in the house off and a bottle of Meath Irish Whiskey, sipping on a glass of the potent brew as he contemplated his future.
And mainly, what to do about his bride. They’d be man and wife in two days’ time.
Shite! The story she’d told him about her ex today had been worse than he imagined. Men like that wanker pissed him the fuck off. Jasper longed to bring down justice upon him. And that was only after putting the fear of god in that bloody bastard. But he’d love to clarify that Freya and Maddie were his now, and he protected what belonged to him.
He didn’t understand his fascination with Freya. She was the opposite of every woman he’d ever dated. She was fierce and resilient, while she had this whole earthy, domestic goddess vibe he found deeply arousing. So much so he could imagine himself coming home to her year after year. It made the Dom in him deeply satisfied because, unlike the other women he’d dated, she resisted his attempts to take care of her like a scared hissing kitten, and he wanted to make her purr.
Which made him totally mental.
Not to mention he was totally gone over on her little girl. Maddie was the sweetest little girl he’d ever met. She was adorable, with her bright red hair and blue eyes. If he didn’t know better, he’d say she was a Scot’s lassie. It touched him, the way she grinned with her little arms reaching for him. Man, it struck him straight through the heart. She was a treasure, and any man worthy enough of the title should be proud to be her father.
Freya had done a fabulous job raising her. And he was doubly impressed because she’d accomplished such a feat with limited resources.
Freya.
The woman was a fire in his blood. He wanted her fiercely and ached with his desire. She didn’t have an ounce of pretension. If she felt something, she wore it on her face, broadcasting it for the world to see. And he’d heard her heartbreak when she told him about her ex. She’d bemused him with her simple joy she tried to hide over the new clothes. For someone who’d tried to steal from him, she was the least greedy individual he’d ever known.
And try as he might, he hadn’t been able to forget the kisses they shared.
