Page 49 of Dare to Play (Dare Nation 3)
“That’s what dry cleaners are for. Come on. Let’s get to sleep. Things will look better in the morning.”
As he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and headed for the bedroom, she hoped he was right.
* * *
Jaxon woke up first. He knew how long it had taken Macy to fall asleep, and she’d tossed and turned for hours. He wasn’t sure which part of last night upset her more. The party and Hannah’s betrayal, calling her mother and not Macy when things got out of hand, or that Jaxon might take the brunt of the information that had gone viral. Probably all of it.
He wasn’t thrilled, and the end result definitely was contrary to the reason they’d gotten married in the first place—lying low, staying under the radar, chilling out by having a family. But Jaxon did think his coach, having teenagers himself, understood. The owner? Coach would smooth things over or Jaxon trusted Austin to call and talk to him today. Jaxon definitely didn’t blame Macy. He’d had plenty of parties behind his parents’ backs when he was a kid.
He glanced at her asleep beside him and felt a sense of peace. The feeling was as foreign to him as the calmness he experienced having both Macy and Hannah in his home, prior to last night’s antics. The three of them eating a rushed breakfast before school, the hum of music from the room that was now Macy’s office, someone to come home to after working out, it was all better than he’d anticipated.
He studied her profile and admitted to himself that he was falling in love with her. Everything about their relationship had been rushed, but because of Macy’s honest personality and how deeply she drew him in, the feelings were genuine.
Panic set in as he realized he didn’t know if he was alone in his emotions, and he knew how difficult it was to trust another woman with his heart. Even Macy. He pulled her into his arms and she didn’t wake up. He used the time to stay calm and remember Macy’s comments about how youth might have colored both his emotions and Katie’s reactions. He was an adult now, he and Macy were married, and he had time to build a foundation with her before admitting his growing feelings.
The thought relaxed him and he must have fallen back to sleep, because the next thing he knew, Macy was standing by the bed, shaking him awake.
“What’s wrong?” He pushed himself to a sitting position.
“Hannah’s not in her room. She’s not in the house and she’s not taking my calls.” She ran a hand through her hair, messing it up as she continued to work herself into a frenzy.
He narrowed his gaze. “I set the alarm before we went to bed.” And he’d given both Macy and Hannah the code in case they came home without him or needed to leave. “We would have heard the beeps if she unset it.”
“Well, she did unset it and neither one of us woke up!”
He rubbed his hand over his face, still exhausted. Last night had probably made them crash hard. “It’s pretty easy to guess where she went. Did you call Lilah?”
Macy shook her head. “I was too busy panicking. Damn that credit card I gave her for emergencies. She probably took an Uber.” She turned over the phone in her hand and pulled up Lilah’s name, then hit send.
“Lilah, is Hannah with you?” Macy asked.
Jaxon watched her pace, her tanned legs peeking out from the edge of the long tee shirt she wore.
“Well, can I speak to her?” As she listened, Macy’s eyes opened wide. “I don’t care what she’s busy doing, put her on the phone.” She paused, then said, “Never mind. Just tell her I’m coming to get her and she’d better be downstairs in the lobby and waiting.”
He wondered what Lilah’s reply would be, and then Macy spoke again. “You might be her mother, but I have custody and she walked out of here without permission. So have her ready when I get there unless you want me coming with the police.”
Silence and then, “Fine. No later than two.” She stabbed at her phone with her finger, ending the call. “Ugh. That woman is going to make me crazy, and as for my sister, Lilah said Hannah’s upset and she’ll bring her back this afternoon. I let it go.”
He patted the bed and she sat down. He slid over and began to massage her shoulders, working on the knots he found there.
Leaning forward, he whispered, “Relax. At least you know Hannah is safe.” He kissed the skin behind her ear and watched as she shivered, goose bumps prickling on her skin. “And now we have time alone, so why don’t we make the most of it?”
