It was the cameras that made it click.
A consequence of being in Jax Decker’s life. Even if I was a temporary figure.
“Mom? Who are these people?” Anna leaned forward in her seat to peek at the crowd.
“I don’t really know, baby. Reporters, I think. It’s okay. We’ll just go to Grandpa’s.”
But the crowd had infiltrated John’s front yard too. There was enough room to turn my car into his driveway, though. As soon as I did, it began.
The reporters descended on me like scavengers, their questions loud and clear.
“Can you confirm that you daughter is Jax Decker’s biological daughter?”
“Since you had a paternity test to confirm that Mr. Decker is your daughter’s father, are you now going to sue for child support?”
“Are you and Mr. Decker getting married?”
I turned to face Anna, whose eyes were wide as saucers. She’d heard every single word. She may not have been interested in knowing who her father was, or may not have shown interest in finding out about him, but now she knew.
I wanted to scream at the reporters, “How dare you!” Instead, I glared furiously at them.
“I’m calling the cops.” I tapped 911 as I spotted John hurrying across his yard toward our car.
“Behave yourselves!” he bellowed to the reporters, then coughed at the exertion it took to be heard over the chaos.
They turned their mics toward John and repeated their crazy-ass questions. John pulled open my door, and I stepped out.
“Miss Garner, were you and Mr. Decker really married in a secret ceremony eleven years ago?”
“Is Mr. Decker requesting a paternity test? Reports say you already got one, but he remains unsure if your child is his biological daughter.”
I wanted to smack the stupidity out of their heads. Their harassment upset me, but their questions were so dumb and so incredibly far-fetched that I pitied them.
I remembered something Jax had told me two weeks ago: “These reporters made shit up and start believing it themselves. It’s how they sell their stories. Don’t believe a word they say.” He was not exaggerating.
The bullshit continued.
“Is Mr. Decker filing for joint custody?”
“How do you feel about your child moving to Seattle with Mr. Decker?”
I rushed around the car and pulled Anna out. Shielding her with my body, I clutched her face to my chest as helpless tears burned my eyes and blurred my vision. I rushed her through the door John held open for us. I released Anna when John locked the front door behind him.
Jax. Screwing up my life. As always.
“Are you all right, dear?”
“I’m all right.”
“Anna?”
She looked up at her grandfather and nodded. “Who are those people?”
“They’re reporters. They don’t know what they’re talking about.”
I sat on the couch and pulled Anna next to me. She was no longer in the mood to bury her face in my chest.
She stood up, facing me, looking like a grown-up. My ten-year-old suddenly had a wise understanding in her golden eyes.
“Why did they say that Jax is my dad?”
John stiffened at the door. “Would you like a glass of lemonade? I can make it.”
That’s what Jax didn’t like about his father. John liked to sweep things under the rug and live in a make-believe world where everything was hunky-dory. Treating children like they weren’t smart enough to know better. Hell-bent on fooling them into a false sense of security.
John meant well. He just didn’t know any better.
“John, can you please give me a few minutes alone with Anna?”
He was glad to get out of there. The man did not know how to communicate effectively, especially not with children. He’d failed Jax. That’s why Jax was so confused and lost and still fighting to find his footing in the world.
I didn’t want that for Anna. “Come here,” I said to her.
Anna jerked her hand out of mine. “No, just tell me. Is Jax my dad?”
I didn’t want to lie to her. There was no point. “I’d never lie to you, sweetheart. Yes. He’s your father. Jax is your father.”
“Does he know?” She was growing a little panicked.
I smoothed my hand down her arm. “He found out when you told him your middle name. He was surprised. He didn’t expect it.”
She connected the dots quickly, and I reached for her again to comfort her. This time, she sat next to me. “I can’t believe I know my father. He was here. And he didn’t tell me.”
“He didn’t tell you because I asked him not to. I didn’t want you to know.”
“Why?”
“Because Jax was only here for a short while. If you knew he was your father, you’d miss him or be hurt that he didn’t stay.”
She sighed, trying to make sense of this big news. “It would’ve been nice to know.”
“Baby, you weren’t interested in knowing about who your father was. You’d never asked me.”
“I didn’t ask you because I didn’t need a dad. But if he was here and we were hanging out, it would’ve been nice to know he’s my dad. He didn’t want me, did he? I know sometimes dads don’t want their kids when they’re born.”
My mouth fell open and a sob broke free from my lips. “No! No! He didn’t even know about you. So there was never a question of not wanting you.”
“Why didn’t you tell him about me when I was a baby?”
I stroked her dark brown hair off her face. I couldn’t tell her how Jax had broken my heart. It would be unfair to taint her view of Jax based on what he did to me. He had done nothing bad to Anna. So I told her something else, a truth I had fought long and hard to accept myself.
“Jax is a free spirit. He wanted a different life from the one I wanted. I didn’t want to trap him in this box. He’d never be happy in Ashland, and I knew it. But I had to stay here. My mother was sick, and I couldn’t leave her. Besides, I didn’t want to leave Ashland.”
I reluctantly admitted to myself that I’d grown comfortable here. Ashland didn’t surprise me anymore. There were no curveballs. It stayed the same every single day, so I could execute my endless to-do lists and avoid any drama.
“But he knows about me now, and he still left. So that means he doesn’t want me. Like Christina’s dad left her, and now he has a new baby with his girlfriend, who works at the gym.”
“Jax didn’t leave you to have another baby. And he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
“Then why did he leave?”
“He just had to. Every person you meet in your life has their own battles, and their own aims and goals for their life. Jax has ambitions plans. He isn’t the kind of person who would want to stay bogged down to a place with family, and we don’t want him to change. That’s a lot of pressure to put on someone. It wouldn’t be fair to him if we expected him to change to make us happy.”
I took a deep breath as Anna stared at me, trying to make sense of what I’d said. “You and I are a complete family, and he knew it. He didn’t impose even though he wished to be a part of our family.”
“He did?”
“He really liked you. He said you became good friends.”
“We did.”
“But he has his own life to live, and we need to remember that. He didn’t leave you. Not like Christina’s dad—especially not like Christina’s dad. Jax loves you, but he works in Seattle, and his home is there. He likes his life there, and we like ours here.”
Anna toed the battered rug. My smile froze as I remembered Jax doing exactly that to the rug in my living room.
A painful knot formed in my throat. I missed him. But I was happy without him.
Yes, yes, I am.
I am happy.
Okay. I will be happy. Soon.
Will I?
“Jax is a good man, Anna. And now you know he’s your father. Just remember that he would never ask us to chan
ge to suit him. We can’t do that to him either. We let him be who he wants to be. That’s what we do when we love people.”
28
Jax
I pulled my shades off as I exited the jet.
Every time I left this place, I told myself I was never coming back.
Then I came back.
Fucking Ashland. It had its claws in me deep.
My driver, Johnson, followed me with my luggage. I smiled to myself.
The last time I came to Ashland, I’d wanted to be anywhere but here. At that time, six feet under the ground sounded better than this place.
Now, Ashland was far from the shithole I said it was. I felt like I belonged. I had a family here. It was my town. And I wasn’t leaving this place until I knew my family was safe.
Five short hours ago, I was pulling on my jersey, all set to go into the game. But I’d spotted the TV in the corner of the locker room. I didn’t hear anything over the noise, but I sure as hell read the text. And I could see Liv.
Liv and Anna, trapped in the center of an ambush outside their house. My dad rushing across the yard to help Liv and Anna into his house.
I’d thrown the match. Mark yelled at me, Coach glared at me, and my teammates were agog.
I’d bailed on my Redhawks family, but I finally had my priorities straight. My real family came first. I was going to put an end to this madness before I ever stepped foot on the field again.
I couldn’t play a game, knowing my family was being harassed because of their connection to me.
I’d called my driver, Johnson, to bring the car around, and snapped one question at him as I slid into the back of the car.
“Did you see the news? Why are there a bunch of reporters in Ashland?”
He looked at me like he was scared to speak.
I lowered my voice. “Johnson, what do they have on Liv?”
“They’re speculating that Miss Garner’s daughter is your biological child.”
“Goddammit!” I pulled out my phone to call my pilot. “Steve, get the jet ready to take off within the hour. We’re going to Ashland.”
To my driver, I snapped, “Take me to the airport. Right now.”
I wasn’t going to wait around. Liv needed me. Anna needed me. Next to them was the only place I wanted to be.
Johnson was accompanying me on the trip. He’d sat silently through the flight after arranging a rental car for us in Ashland.
By the time we landed, it was dusk. As we made our way out of the airport, Johnson put my bag in the trunk of the rented SUV and sped out of the parking lot before I had a chance to give him an address.
“I need to get to—”
“I know where you’re headed, Mr. Decker. I have your father’s address and Miss Garner’s.”
I would’ve smiled at his competency, but I was ball of worry.
Liv wouldn’t be happy to see me.
She had no clue I was back. I was sure she’d throw a fit when she saw me.
She didn’t want me. I finally believed her.
All I had to do was fix this mess. Throw a press conference or two. Get those vultures off Liv’s property and out of her life. For good.
My phone buzzed again. It was Mark. He’s called incessantly since I’d thrown my game and left. I hated him with such intensity that I couldn’t bear to hear his voice.
Nonetheless, I picked up. I didn’t give him a chance to talk. “Mark, you’re the one who broke the news about Anna to the press. There’s a thing called trust, and in your hunt to get me more money—and in turn make your agent-self rich—you’ve lost my trust for good. You’re fired.” I hung up before he had to a chance to respond.
My phone was blissfully silent. He didn’t call again.
Minutes later, my phone screen flashed with a notification for a new message.
Diane’s message. Simple and to the point. It made me smile.
“I heard. Do what you have to do. Love.”
Everyone knew about Anna now.
I swallowed against the lump of guilt in my throat as I spotted Liv’s house. Even in the dark, it was impossible to miss the bunch of paparazzi hounding the property.
“Johnson, don’t stop here. Pull into the driveway with the garden next to it.”
I stepped out of the car, unnoticed, and walked around Mrs. Clarence’s house to the back. I was sure she wouldn’t mind. Except for Mrs. Clarence’s backyard, all the others in the street were a wild outback of bushes and wild plants, strangled by weeds.
Using the pitch-black darkness as cover, I made my way to the back door of Liv’s house. I peered through the new glass window I’d put in for Liv.
I saw them. My family.
Anna was curled up on the couch. Liv sat next to her. As I opened the back door, I overheard my dad.
“We can call the police in the morning and get them away from the house. But they’re also parked outside your bakery, Liv. I’ll speak to the officers and let you know what they say.”
Dad spotted me first because he was facing me.
My girls had their back to me, but not for long.
Following John’s shocked stare, Liv turned around. She bolted off the couch as if it had electrocuted her. “What are you doing here?”
Her eyes snapped toward Anna worriedly. That could only mean one thing.
I stopped, my hands shoved into the pockets of my trousers. This black suit was the only clothing I had on my jet, and it had to suffice.
Anna’s eyes narrowed on my face. I decided to break the ice quickly.
“Hey, Anna. How’s school?”
She clutched the back of the couch and looked me up and down as if she was seeing me for the first time.
“Do I look okay?”
She smiled, stealing a glance at Liv. God, I wanted to hug Liv. I wanted to kiss her until she fought me to stop. But I didn’t want to beg anymore. It wasn’t going to happen.
I was here to fix her life, nothing more. So I peeled my gaze off the woman I loved and would forever pine for, and focused on Anna. She was watching me through narrowed eyes.
“So?”
I grinned. “So, what?”
“So I hear you’re my dad.”
My heart flipped at the word “dad.” In that moment, I felt a deeper connection to her. She knew. It was a two-way bind now. The sense of bonding and oneness. I shrugged as casually as I could. “That’s what I heard. Cool, right?”
She rested both arms on the back of the couch. “Why’d you come?”
I pulled off my suit jacket and undid the cuffs on my sleeves then folded them up to my elbows. “Because I heard about those guys out there annoying you. I’m going to let them know who’s boss around this town. So they’ll leave.”
“You’re the boss around this town?”
I shook my head and glanced at Liv. “I wish I was. But your mom’s the boss. She always has been. She doesn’t want those guys there. She’ll get what she wants.”
Liv avoided meeting my eye and hooked her hair behind her ears over and over. She was nervous.
My eyes roved greedily over her jawline, her cheekbones, and her big, round eyes, which had dark shadows underneath them now. She looked stressed-out.
This is what I did to her. She wasn’t kidding when she said she was happy without me. She really was. Her life was so much better without me around to fuck shit up.
“Liv, I’m sorry about them finding out. It was an honest mistake.”
She nodded.
I could tell she was holding back. Because of Anna and my dad. She wasn’t going to let me have it with an audience.
I glanced at Dad. Maybe it was time to let go of all the old complaints and anger. They didn’t matter anymore.
I had begun to see what really mattered.
Family.
I had very little of it. And I had to fight to keep it together.
I did not want to spend my life alone in a big-ass mansion. I needed people, my people, people who loved me in
their own way.
I fought a smile as I remembered the messages Dad sent me when I left for college.
“Are you eating well?”
“Do you need money for anything?”
The same messages, every day, without fail. I hadn’t responded, but Dad continued to ask me for two years without fail.
After that, I’d changed my number.
God, I was an asshole. Yet he still made me feel like I belonged.
“How’re you doing, Dad? How was your Nepal trip? Sorry I forgot to ask when I was here earlier.”
He looked like he was about to have a heart attack, but nodded quickly. “It was nice. Too hot there. Crowded.”
I nodded, looking around. Liv stood with her arms crossed over her chest, as if waiting for something. Anna had the same steely curiosity on her face. I felt like a monkey in a zoo.
I motioned to Dad. “Maybe we should go home. It’s late. Anna has school in the morning.”
I tried not to look at Liv again and winked at Anna as I left. Something stopped me at the door, and I turned. Anna was still watching me.
“If your mom’s okay with it, do you want to sit down and talk after school tomorrow?”
A slow smile spread across her face, and her eyes lit up. “It’s a date.”
A smile lingered on my lips as I followed Dad through the backyard. It felt nice for Anna to know. I had a bit of hope, something to look forward to.
As I followed Dad into his house, I realized there was something else I needed to get out of the way.
“Do you want to talk, Dad?”
He whirled around, his eyes bright as he nodded.
I fell onto the old couch next to him. “Let’s get the main thing out of the way.”
“Which is?”
“Which is the fact that you should know I’ve been in therapy.”
He grimaced. “Therapy, as in?”
“Therapy. Like talking to a trained professional who helps me fix everything wrong in my head.”
Dad laughed, and it was so unexpected that it was kind of funny. “It’s hard for me to admit it, but I realize that I probably let things stay bad for way too long. I could’ve made the effort.”
Baby's Daddy: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 18
