And maybe what surprised me the most was its clarity.
Jess had voiced her doubts, and who could blame her? Even I found it hard to believe that my views on having children were evolving.
But I was nothing if not annoyingly persistent, and it was only a matter of time before I married her.
***
When I pulled into a parking spot in front of my apartment, Jess sat up, rubbing her face as she looked around. “Are we home?”
“Yeah, babe.”
I popped the trunk, and we both got out of the car and stretched. I walked to the front door and unlocked it, so she could get Joseph in the house and put him to bed. When I hurried back out to the car, I found her at the trunk, struggling with her suitcase.
“Let me get that.” She moved over as I hoisted it out of the trunk and set it on the ground. “Take Joseph in the house. I’ll unload the car.”
When she took him out of the car seat, Baby J woke up, angry that his sleep was interrupted. Jess carried him in the house, and I followed her with the luggage.
After taking her suitcase into the bedroom, I joined her in the living room where she was changing his diaper. When she finished, she bounced him on her shoulder and paced the floor, but he refused to calm down.
“Here, give him to me.”
Reluctantly, she handed him over. He’d grown during the time he’d been here, and he seemed a little less scary to handle now. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was bigger and less fragile or if I was actually getting use to handling a baby.
I walked him through the apartment, telling him all the positions of a football team. He had no idea what I was talking about, but it didn’t seem to matter as long as I was talking. His hair was standing on end, and he rubbed his eyes. Eventually, he leaned his head on my shoulder, and I carried him to the bedroom. I lay down, balancing him on my chest as I continued my lesson.
Every once in a while, he’d answer me with gibberish, but I just agreed with him and kept on talking. Jess tiptoed in the room and examined his face.
“You can stop now,” she whispered. “He’s asleep.”
“I don’t know, I kinda like talking football with him. He agrees with all my picks, and whenever I tell him who I think will win the Heisman, he doesn’t argue with me like Cade and Evan.”
“I think he actually likes you,” she said softly, a look of amazement on her face.
My forehead creased. “You say that like it’s hard to believe.”
She laughed. “Think about it. Remember the first time you held him?”
I grinned as I gently patted him on the back. “Okay, I’ll give you that one.”
She yawned, and I held my arm out beside me. “Crawl in here.”
“I should unpack everything and wash clothes.”
“It can wait.” I patted the mattress beside me. “Come on.”
She kicked off her shoes and did that magical trick women did when they pulled their bra out of their sleeve. Then, she climbed into bed, curled into my side, and rested her head on my arm.
“Thank you for taking us to Gulf Shores,” she said softly, laying her hand on top of mine. “I had a lot of fun…well, except for the almost drowning part.”
I kissed the top of her head. “You’re welcome.”
“You make really good sandcastles.”
“One of my many useless talents.”
She rubbed her hand over mine, her fingers sliding between my own. “That’s not a useless talent, Pax. That’s the kind of stuff dads do.”
The words hung in the air, and neither of us said anything else. I wondered if she thought I might have some redeemable characteristics as a father, but I didn’t ask the question, afraid I wouldn’t like her answer.
Instead, I held her and her baby in my arms, and we all slept the morning away.
***
Judging by the filtered sunlight that filled the room when the doorbell awakened me, it was much later in the day. I lifted my head to see that Jess and Joseph were both still asleep. As I rose up, Jess stirred.
“Take Joseph,” I said, my voice rough from sleep. “Someone’s at the door.”
I laid him beside her, and she curled her arm around him protectively.
Using my fingers as a comb, I headed toward the door and opened it wide.
“Rachel.”
“You’re back.”
She didn’t sound surprised, and I wondered if she had been by the gym. She wasn’t normally in Creekview during the week, but since I didn’t want her to linger any longer than necessary, I didn’t ask her any questions. “Yeah, I got home early this morning.”
“Can I come in?”
I took a step back, giving her room to enter. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
“Really?” She smoothed a strand of hair away from her face.
“Didn’t you get my messages? Why the hell are you telling my mother that Jessica’s a stripper?”
She waltzed in and turned toward me sharply, obviously wanting my undivided attention. “You don’t know her, Pax. I followed her to The Squirrel’s Tail. I know for a fact she works there.”
“You followed her?” I asked in disbelief.
“Yes, and that’s not all. I have more news for you—a little information I uncovered. I thought you might want to know the kind of person you have living under your roof.”
That got my attention. I crossed my arms over my chest while I waited for her to continue. How long had she been stalking Jess?
“Did you know Jessica Beacham is a thief?”
I was careful not to let my facial expressions give me away. “What makes you say that?”
“She was arrested for theft in Kentucky.”
“How do you know?” The more Rachel talked, the more I thought a restraining order was necessary.
Rachel ran her fingers through thick blonde hair. “It’s public record. She was arrested right before she showed up here. I bet she didn’t mention that, though.”
I uncrossed my arms and tucked my thumbs in my front pockets. “As a matter of fact….”
The bedroom door opened, and Jess walked into the room. Jess’s eyes widened when she saw Rachel. “Joseph is playing in his crib. I’m going to grab a quick shower.”
I nodded, and she went into the restroom and closed the door behind her.
Rachel pointed toward the bathroom door. “I’m telling you, Paxton, she’s a thief. Have you noticed anything missing since she’s moved in?”
“No. I know her, Rachel. She would never steal from me.”
“Sometimes you don’t know people as well as you think you do. Lord knows that’s happened to me more than once.”
I grasped her shoulders. “Look, I really appreciate you taking the time to warn me, but it’s okay.”
Joseph started crying, and I turned to Rachel. “Excuse me a minute. I need to check on him.”
She promptly quietened and nodded.
I found Joseph sitting in his crib, tears squeezing out of the corners of his eyes as he reached through the slats. His face was red, and he slung the rattle in his hand across the room.
“Hey, it’s okay, big guy.” I picked him up, and he buried his face in my chest, screaming his displeasure. “Shh.” I patted him on the back, trying my damnedest to calm him. When he had finally settled down, I carried him into the living room.
“He’s not very happy right now,” I told Rachel. “Are you, Baby J?”
The bathroom door opened, and I watched Jess walk back to the bedroom. Her mouth was drawn into a frown as her eyes toggled between Rachel and me. Shit. If I were going to convince Jess to marry me, I first needed to convince Rachel that our relationship was over, and that was apparently more difficult than I originally thought.
“Give me just a minute,” I told Rachel. “I’ll be right back.”
She watched me cross the room and disappear into the bedroom.
Once I was safely away from Rachel’s prying eyes, I closed the doo
r behind me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Jess said tersely, her robe wrapped tightly around her body.
I sighed. “Look, I didn’t know she was coming over. Apparently, she’s here to warn me that you’re a thief.”
Jessica’s mouth dropped open, and I handed Joseph back to her.
“Yeah. She’s been checking up on you, not to mention following you to work.”
Her eyes widened.
“I’ll get rid of her for now, but you should consider a restraining order. And make sure you follow up with your attorney on having your arrest expunged from your record.”
She nodded, and I framed her face with my hands, forcing her to look at me. “Just remember that you’re the one I want, Jess. I know you’re not convinced that I can be a good dad, and hell, some days I have doubts, too. But I’m working on it.”
“I know,” Jess said. “It’s almost time for me to leave. I need to get ready.”
I left the room and closed the door behind me.
Immediately seeking Rachel, I watched her as she dangled a pocket watch.
“I told you,” she said, swaying the watch back and forth as if she were trying to hypnotize me.
“You told me what?” I asked, wondering what in the hell she was talking about.
“Take a look at this.” Rachel held her hand out to me, offering me the watch. “I found it in her pocketbook.” She pointed to Jessica’s purse on the couch, which was wide open. Miscellaneous contents had been scooped out and were now scattered across the cushion.
“You’ve been in her purse?” I asked, angry that she would invade Jessica’s personal belongings.
Rachel cocked her head. “I had a good reason, so before you judge me, look at the watch.” She dangled it again.
I snatched the watch from her hand, ready to throw her out the front door. I’d tried to be understanding, but she continually proved that Cade was right. She was freaking crazy.
Opening my palm, I recognized the watch right away. It was a family heirloom, one I’d been entrusted with, one I thought I had misplaced, but now I wasn’t so sure.
The bedroom door opened, and Jessica entered the room with Joseph on her hip. My eyes immediately sought hers. I needed to hear a reasonable explanation that would explain why my watch was found in her purse. Or had Rachel planted it?
“You know anything about this?” I asked Jess, holding it up for her to see. “Rachel claims she found it in your purse. Is that true, or is she just stirring up shit?” Rachel had been at my place plenty of times during the last few months. She could have stolen it herself.
Rachel huffed at me, clearly annoyed, and Jess swallowed and hesitated just long enough that I knew the answer.
“First, you were following me, and now you’re going through my purse?” Jessica asked Rachel, a touch of hysteria and disbelief in her voice.
“I knew I’d find proof,” Rachel told her. “Someone needed to tell Paxton that you aren’t the kind of person he thinks you are.”
“And how do you know what kind of person he thinks I am?”
Rachel smirked. “Oh, I’ve heard him say plenty about you, honey. Didn’t you bust into a family dinner and accuse Cade of being your baby’s father?” She flipped a strand of blonde hair over her shoulder. “He already knew you were a liar, and now he knows you’re a thief, too.”
Jessica’s eyes focused on me, her wounded gaze making me feel like a prick. When I’d said those things, Jessica was still my number one enemy. I had loved her deeply, and she’d pierced my heart with a thousand needles dipped in hurt and jealousy, poisons that had forced me to react with defense mechanisms.
But even with that in the past, it still didn’t explain how my watch ended up in her purse.
I ran my fingers over the engraving on the cover of my great-great-grandfather’s watch, and I read the words out loud.
To Oliver Mayfield,
A token of my undying affection on our wedding day.
Eliza
November 14, 1901
I couldn’t believe I was holding it in my hand. “I lost this watch months ago. Where did you find it? Was it in a drawer in my bedroom? I seriously thought I had searched every inch of them.” And why had she put it in her purse?
Lifting my eyes back to Jess, I waited somewhat impatiently for her to explain.
She shifted her feet. “I didn’t steal it.”
“Then why was it in your purse?” Rachel asked, her hands on her hips.
I closed my eyes and exhaled, trying to find patience to deal with the blonde who was grilling Jess.
“Rachel, let me handle this.”
She exhaled dramatically. “Fine.”
I turned my full attention back to Jessica, who was still clinging to Joseph like he was a lifeline.
“I didn’t steal it,” she repeated.
“I believe you.” And I did, but I still wondered how it came to be in her purse.
She walked over to the couch and sat Joseph on the floor. While he crawled to pick up one of his favorite toys, she started gathering her belongings and tossing them in her purse. “Why in the hell was she in my pocketbook?” Jess asked, barely controlled anger in her voice.
“She was determined to prove you were a thief.”
Jess said nothing as she stuffed tubes of lipstick, loose change, and a teething ring back in her purse.
“Where did you find it, Jess?”
“Where’s the last place you had it?” she asked, keeping her attention focused on her purse.
“Around here, I think.” I tried to think back to the last time I’d seen it. “I wore it to a party, and I came home drunk. The next day I couldn’t remember where I’d put it. Then again, I couldn’t remember much of anything from the night before.” Mason had bartended the masquerade ball, and he had fixed us some pretty stout drinks. Evan and I were both wasted by the time Mason clocked out and drove us home. “Don’t tell me I did something stupid, like put it in a box of Band-Aids or something.” Considering I hadn’t come across it in all this time, I’d done a damn good job of hiding it from myself.
“You dropped it.” She did look at me then.
“I did?” I glanced around the apartment, wondering how the hell I’d dropped it when I couldn’t even remember having it.
“At the charity ball.”
“At the charity ball?” I was thoroughly confused. “Then how the hell did you get it?”
“I was there.”
I looked at her hard, searching her features for evidence that she was joking. Had she been there? Hell, most of that night was a complete blank.
I could remember sitting at the bar with Evan, while Mason fixed us a few shots. I could remember men in their black suits and ties and women in their glittery dresses with matching masks. Fewer men wore masks than women. In fact, neither Evan nor I had bothered with one at all.
The last clear memory I had was after we’d been sitting at the bar a while. A gorgeous brunette with soft curls hanging to her shoulders had smiled at me. She wore a red and black sequin-covered mask with tall soft plumes of black jutting in the air. Damn, she was sexy. I remembered her slipping me a note to meet her in her hotel room, and I remembered liquid courage catapulting me into beast mode as I slipped off my bar stool a few minutes later to find her.
And that was the last thing I could remember until I woke up in my bed the next morning with no clue how I’d gotten there.
The next day, Evan assured me I had walked in on my own accord, despite the fact I couldn’t remember it.
It wasn’t the first time I had blacked out. But after I realized the condom in my wallet was gone and I had no recollection of having sex, I promised myself it would be my last.
A promise that might have been broken in Ireland had Cade not cut me off at the bar.
“You were there?” I didn’t remember seeing her. Had I talked to her while my memory was impaired? Shit, I seriously hoped I hadn’t been a total jackass to her. J
ess was aware I had a history of memory loss when I drank too much too fast. I could only hope that she would forgive me if I’d done something untoward.
“I blacked out at the charity ball,” I confessed. “I hadn’t eaten dinner, and Evan and I were drinking…and the next thing I knew, it was the next morning and I had no clue of what happened the last half of the night. So I’m afraid I don’t remember seeing you there.”
“I was wearing a mask, so you didn’t recognize me.” The conversation seemed to be making her uneasy. She squirmed, and then blurted, “That was the night Joseph was conceived.”
Flashes of the beautiful masked brunette whipped through my mind, and I couldn’t remember anything after I’d left to meet up with her. The thoughts racing through my mind were scaring the living shit out of me. Jess had my watch, and the last time I’d actually seen it was that night at the party. That was the night Joseph was conceived.
The watch was the last of my concerns.
“Holy shit.” Emotions overwhelmed me, and I didn’t know whether to be pissed or pleased. “It was you. You were the girl in the mask who invited me to her hotel room.”
Rachel gasped and glared at Jessica.
Several emotions were evident on Jess’s face as she looked at Rachel, then me. For the briefest moment, I thought she was surprised, but then she seemed to be waiting on me to accept the truth. “Are you telling me that I’m Joseph’s father?”
There was a knock at the door. Still stunned, I walked over and opened it.
My mother stood there, her lips pursed. “So Cade tells me that you actually took her to Gulf Shores.”
I held my palms up, thinking if she was pissed about that, then things were fixing to get interesting. “And?”
“Jessica’s no good for you, Paxton. What are your plans? Why is she still here?”
“Cheryl,” Rachel said, getting my mother’s attention, “did you know that this scheming little thief had Paxton’s baby?”
Considering I’d just found out myself, the only way my mother could have possibly known was if Jessica had told her, and I knew that hadn’t happened.
My mother’s mouth dropped open as she looked at me. “Oh, please, no. First, it belonged to Cade, and now it’s yours?”
Betrayed (Whiskey Nights #4) Page 25
