Page 39 of Unveiled

Jaclyn continued to play on the floor, intermittently watching whatever was currently on the Disney channel. “She’s always taken after you,” Adalyn admitted. “Do you want to see some pictures?”

“Of course.”

Adalyn couldn’t tell if he was being genuine or just trying to appease her, but he moved closer regardless. She opened up the photo app on her phone and began to scroll. “Just so you know,” she warned him, “I have a lot of pictures.”

She started at the beginning, on the day Jaclyn was born. Jaxon slipped the phone from her fingers and enlarged the image, a look of pure awe crossing his face. “She’s changed so much.”

A smile lifted Adalyn’s lips. “I know. It’s gone so fast.” Her gaze darted to Jaclyn, her eyes glued to the TV. What would happen if Jaxon and Adalyn ended up sharing custody? He deserved to spend time with his daughter, but she couldn’t imagine not seeing her every day. “She’s constantly growing and changing. But there’s no denying she got most of your looks with that hair.”

Adalyn didn’t mean for the words to come out so sad, but she felt Jaxon’s gaze on her. “I see a little bit of you in her, too.”

Adalyn rolled her eyes but managed a small smile. “Ha. Maybe a drop.”

Jaxon shook his head. “I mean, she’s pretty much my clone, but…” He laughed when Adalyn lightly backhanded his bicep, then sobered. “Seriously. She’s beautiful and vibrant, just like you.”

Adalyn felt her face heat as a blush spread up her neck and over her cheeks. Clearing her throat, she deflected his attention from her and back to the pictures on her phone. “Here’s her first bath.”

They sifted through hundreds of photos, dozens of frilly, cute little outfits and fluffy bows. Adalyn laughed as she pointed at a picture she’d taken around Christmas. “She was so good, letting me dress her up and change outfits a dozen times. I must have taken a hundred photos that day alone.”

Jaxon smiled. “I’ll bet.”

Leaning back, he slung one arm over the back of the couch. Curled up on the cushion next to him, Adalyn was almost within his embrace, and her breath caught in her chest. They weren’t touching, yet an electrical current connected them. She turned her head and found him looking right at her, those cobalt eyes cutting straight to her soul.

Suddenly, it was too much. Adalyn needed to put some space between them. “I—I should serve dinner.”

She popped up from the couch, her heart beating a million miles a minute. She was terrified of Jaxon coming back into their lives and disrupting their peaceful environment. What scared her more than anything, though, was her reaction anytime he got close—and the fact that she wanted more of it.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-TWO

Jaxon watched as Adalyn hopped to her feet and practically ran to the kitchen, putting a healthy distance between them.

Disappointment mingled with relief in his gut as he observed her move away. The air between them had been charged with lust, and his fingers still tingled with the need to reach out and touch her. He curled them into a fist and gazed around the sunny, welcoming living room, taking in the comfortable furniture and décor.

Although he had been there just yesterday, he hadn’t paid much attention to his surroundings. The house was homey and welcoming, trendy without being overdone. There was a faux stone fireplace situated against the far wall, and the couch was large and comfortable, the perfect size for cuddling up with a beautiful woman.

Like Adalyn.

Before the thought fully solidified in his mind, he heard the front door open then slam shut again. Someone had a key to Adalyn’s place?

He threw a glance at Adalyn, whose posture had changed dramatically. Was it because of him, or because of who was here? She hadn’t mentioned a roommate. A friend, maybe?

Adalyn’s shoulders seemed to jump with each staccato tap of heels echoing in the short hallway as the visitor made her way toward the kitchen.

Still partially obscured by the couch, Jaxon watched the woman enter the room. She let out a huff and directed her wrath at Adalyn. “I had to park on the street because of the behemoth truck blocking your driveway, and—oh, good Lord, what are you wearing?”

So, not a friend… Jaxon’s brows lifted at the woman’s horrified gaze as it skimmed over Adalyn, clad in the black sweats that hugged her bottom and skimmed her legs. Not that he’d looked.

Adalyn glanced down at herself with a shrug. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

“How do you always manage to find the most horrendous things possible?” The woman shook her head as Adalyn opened her mouth to respond. “Anyway. You know I can’t stand this place. I thought you said your lease was up?”

Jaxon’s eyes narrowed as he studied her. Somewhere around middle-aged, he couldn’t tell exactly how old she was. She was pretty enough in an overdone, high-maintenance kind of way, but that didn’t explain how she knew Adalyn or why she was here throwing insults around like it was her job.

Was she a business associate? God, he hoped not. He wasn’t going to lie. Adalyn wasn’t exactly his favorite person at the moment, but he pitied her if she had to deal with this piece of work every day.

His eyes jumped to Adalyn, who just shrugged sedately. “You know it suits us just fine. It’s safe, and rent is reasonable.”