by Sienna Skye
“What else is new?” Julia laughed, but she still looked uneasy.
I turned my attention back to Madison. She smiled at me, but her eyes told a different story. She should have been wondering why he was there when he didn’t have any real reason to be. But, I could tell that wasn’t what was going through her mind.
I greeted her and escorted her inside. She started to head to the workout area, but I stopped her.
“No. Come with me first.”
I didn’t even give her a chance to question or disagree. I started walking to my office.
She followed me in. Once she was seated, I closed the door.
“Let’s just air this out now.” I sat down in the chair and looked at her.
“I don’t know why he was here.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about. At least not at the moment.”
The seconds ticked away. She looked at her feet, at her hands in her lap, at some pictures on my wall. She became very interested in the water bottle sitting on my desk. She glanced over at my minifridge.
“Would you like some water?”
She looked at me when I broke the silence. She nodded and I grabbed her some water and smiled at her when I handed it to her. I didn’t want to come off as intimidating to her. She had had more than her fair share of that.
Instead of heading back to sit at my desk, I plopped down in the chair next to hers.
“Talk to me, Madison.”
She huffed out a breath. “I’m afraid when I say it, I’m going to sound ridiculous.”
“It’s just me, here. You’ll feel better when you get it out.”
“It made me jealous when I saw you being protective over Julia.”
“I’m protective of the people I care about.”
“I guess that’s more to the point of what bothers me.” She looked down at her hands and shook her head. Then she looked back up at me again. “It’s that you have this history with her. This connection. I don’t share a history like that with you. Or that same connection.”
“It’s because we have known each other since we were kids. You and I are creating our own history. Right now. Every moment we are together. History has to start somewhere, you know?”
“I never thought about it in quite that way. I guess we are.”
“And our connection may not be like the one I have with Julia, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have one of our own that’s unique to us.”
She considered that for a second and nodded her head.
“Let me tell you something about when I first met Julia and about connection. I was at Morgan’s house and he and I were messing around with a basketball. Julia came outside. She was younger than us. Hadn’t quite grown into herself yet. Anyway, she was laying into Morgan about something he did. He was always doing things to get a rise out of her. So, she was yelling at him about something and he said something like ‘Jules, quick, catch!’ and threw the ball over to her. Julia has never been all that coordinated, and the ball hit her and knocked her on her ass. She went down with a thump. When I looked at Morgan’s face and saw the reaction he had, it was at that moment I knew those two would end up together.”
“Right then? You hadn’t ever met her before?”
“Yup. Right then. Even though she was still this gawky kid and there was not an ounce of sexual tension between them, the connection was clear as day to me. It took them some time to figure it out and they had to jump a bunch of hurdles to make it work, but sometimes a connection is unbreakable.”
“Do you think our connection is unbreakable?” she asked.
“I want it to be.”
“I can’t help how I feel about you and her. I don’t even understand why I feel that way.” She looked down at her lap and then stared intently at her water bottle.
“Have I ever given you reason to doubt my honesty? My sincerity?”
“No, you haven’t.” She didn’t look up when she answered me.
“When I make love to you does it feel like I am thinking of anyone else but you?”
“No. Not at all.” This time her eyes flitted off to the opposite side of the room.
I stayed quiet while I let her digest that. She was staring off at some imaginary spot on the wall. I put my finger under her chin and turned her face in my direction.
“We need to discuss something else. Why was Ralph here? He has no reason to be. And why was he talking to Julia? I wasn’t the only one who found something off about the whole thing. Obviously Trey did too.”
“You think that’s why he came outside?”
“I’m sure of it. I saw the look on his face. Trey is always on alert. It’s something we have in common from years of being in special forces. But, he was amped up a notch.”
She opened her mouth as if to speak, but then closed it. Confusion spread across her face.
“Look, Ralph knows you well. He might have read how you reacted to Julia in the past, and he spoke to her to get you worked up. Maybe he wanted to get you jealous. Or maybe he knew I would come out and intervene just like I did, and he wanted you to see it. I guess he could have figured out your training schedule from the times he met you here with the kids, but that doesn’t answer how he knew Julia would be here. Unless that wasn’t his plan and he saw her and used it to his advantage.”
“I let the fact that you were defending Julia upset me. And that was his plan all along.”
“He’s nothing if not predictable,” I agreed.
“There’s something else bothering you.”
“Yeah. Can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s something about the way he was acting with Julia. I’m sure he was trying to get to you, but he was getting off on blocking Julia’s way. I’m pretty sure that’s what got Trey out the door. I’ll talk to him later and get his take on it.”
“You’re too close to the situation?”
I smiled at her perceptiveness. “Something like that. Let’s change the subject to something more pleasant.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Morgan told me there’s a group of friends going axe throwing. Well, actually, it started out that way and then Hunter and Morgan ended up making it open for all the gym employees. Would you like to go?”
“Yeah. Sounds like fun. I’ve heard some people at work talking about what a good time they had when they went. Who’s going?”
“Morgan and Julia. Hunter and Sarah. Kyle. Callie. Trey just told me before that he’s going too. Oh, and Morgan said they hired a couple of the girls from Pebbles to watch their kids, so you are more than welcome to bring Ryan and Alexis to their place and not have to worry about a sitter.
“That was nice of him to offer. The kids will be happy about that. I guess we better go work my arms if I am going to be hurling axes.”
“In the words of Trey, let’s go kick your butt.”
Chapter Twelve
Jace
I picked Madison and the kids up to bring them to Morgan and Julia’s house. Alexis was so excited to be able to play with Sophia and Ryan was overly psyched to play around with all of Morgan’s tech stuff. The guy was an overgrown kid and he had an entertainment room set up with all the latest bells and whistles. Ryan’s eyes practically glazed over when he talked about it. They never even thought twice that we were all in the car together.
Morgan answered the door when we got there. There was a hum of activity in the background.
“Hi guys. Come on in. Ryan and Alexis, you guys know Miss Ashley and Miss Samantha, right?”
They did know them from Pebbles, and they were all sorts of excited to see them out of their usual environment. The kids ran off to do their thing and Julia was giving instructions to the girls.
“I’m not sure yet if we will all be going out for dinner or if we are coming back here. You guys said you were okay to stay later if we stayed out, right?” Julia asked.
“We are free all night if you need us,” Ashley said.
Samantha nodded in agreement ne
xt to her.
“Okay, good. I am leaving you money to order dinner in case we eat out. The security system will be on. Do you remember how it works?”
They both nodded and reassured Julia who seemed a little out of sorts.
“Jules, we’ve left the kids with a sitter before. With Ashley and Samantha even.”
There was definitely something off with Julia. I knew Morgan noticed it too by the way his brow was wrinkled. I really wanted to pull her aside and find out what was troubling her, but I wasn’t quite sure how Madison would react to that.
Julia smiled at the girls. “Don’t mind me. Probably just the frenzy of getting these guys ready earlier.”
She walked over to Morgan and gave him a hug. His face relaxed and he kissed the top of her head. Nobody knew her better than Morgan did. Maybe getting the kids together was really all it was. It couldn’t be easy wrestling two rambunctious toddler boys. They had three kids. They were pretty much always outnumbered.
With the kids all settled, we said our goodbyes. Before we headed out to our cars, Morgan asked me to help him carry some stuff to his car. While we were loading everything in he asked if we wanted to ride with them. I had already decided that I wanted us to go in my car because there was something I wanted to talk about with Madison.
“What did you help Morgan bring to the car?” Madison asked me when were alone.
“Food and alcohol. We’re tailgating.”
“Tailgating before axe throwing?” she asked.
“With this crew, it’s food and alcohol with damn near everything,” I laughed.
“So, we’re going to get tipsy before throwing axes?” She laughed back.
“Maybe just a little.”
She laughed at the thought of it. “I can’t wait to see this.”
“I’m pretty sure it will be an afternoon we won’t easily forget.” I paused for a moment. We weren’t too far away from the axe place. If I was going to bring it up, it was time to do it. “I’ve been thinking about something.”
“What’s that?”
“The kids seem pretty comfortable around me, but it’s not like they have spent any extended time with me.”
She didn’t say anything, but when I looked over at her I saw a look on her face telling me to continue.
“I was thinking…I thought maybe…If you think it’s a good idea…” Shit, I wasn’t usually uncertain about my decisions. “What do you think about doing an outing with the kids? Something they would enjoy. And tell them that we’re dating.”
I could see her mulling it over in her mind. I added something that might help her make her decision.
“We’d be able to spend more time together too. You could hang out at my place with the kids and I could come to your place. Of course, we’d go and do things, too.”
“Jace, it’s one thing for the kids to think we’re just friends and for them to spend limited time with you, but it’s another for them to know you’re a part of my life.”
“I realize that. I guess the question is why are you hesitant for them to know that?”
“Because, I don’t want to bring someone around them in that capacity unless it’s something that’s for the long term. They’d get too attached and then lose them. You. That would be unfair to them.”
“I wouldn’t even suggest it if I wasn’t in it for the long term. Unless you don’t feel the same?”
“No, I do. It’s not that. I need to think about this, Jace.”
“Fair enough. You’re their mom. You have to do what you feel is right for them.”
Morgan pulled into the parking lot and I followed. Kyle was already parked, his trunk open, and he was handing a little cup to Callie.
“They let you tailgate in the parking lot?” Madison asked me.
“In this back parking lot, yeah. It’s far enough away from the building not to bother any of the other customers.”
Sarah overheard us. “Not to mention that my husband reserved the building. They closed the gym today and he wanted to make sure there was enough room for any of the Stepping Stone employees who wanted to come.”
“That’s really nice of them. Did they do that for TechStone too?” Madison asked Sarah.
“They do other things for the TechStone employees. There are too many to bring them to something like this.”
“Don’t believe her. We’re just special.” I teased.
Madison was taking in the activity in the parking lot.
“I feel bad. We didn’t bring anything.” Madison looked at me as if I should have known better.
“Don’t feel bad. Hunter and Morgan are the only ones bringing anything.” I grabbed her hand and we started walking toward the activity.
“Kyle is handing out Jell-O shots or something over there,” she said.
“When you get to know Kyle better, you will realize that is no surprise.”
“Did I hear my name being mentioned?” Kyle handed a shot off to each of us and raised the one he kept for himself. “Cheers!”
Everyone was enjoying their food and drink and the company. More people from the gym arrived and everyone was having a great time.
I watched as Kyle walked over and handed a shot to Julia.
“I just want to know who thought it was a good idea to let Julia throw an axe, let alone while she’s been drinking?” Kyle shook his head with mock disdain.
“You’re the one plying her with alcohol.” Morgan playfully scowled at Kyle. When Morgan saw the look of confusion on Madison’s face, he offered up an explanation. “You see, my wife, is…”
“An accident waiting to happen.” Hunter finished Morgan’s statement before he pulled Julia into a hug. “When we were kids, we were constantly patching Idg up.”
“Except now she will be armed along with dangerous,” I teased.
Julia shook her head and laughed. She raised her shot and sucked it out of the cup.
“Did he just call her ‘Idg’?” Madison asked.
“Short for Idgit. It’s a nickname he gave her years ago,” I explained.
Hunter suggested we clean everything up and head inside. Madison laughed as Morgan picked Julia up and tossed her over his shoulder and Sarah hopped up on Hunter’s back for a piggy back ride.
“They’re like a bunch of overgrown kids,” Madison laughed.
“You have no idea.”
Once inside, we were given very specific rules and instructions. The guy who was giving us instructions handed Hunter an axe and watched as he threw it. He gave some more suggestions and then handed an axe to Callie.
Poor Callie looked like a deer in headlights. She nervously moved the axe around in her hand. I saw her take a couple of deep breaths as if trying to work up the nerve to throw it.
“Here Callie, let me show you.” Trey walked over and stood behind Callie as he helped her to position her body and instructed her to use two arms.
“I thought she was nervous before, but that was nothing compared to this,” Madison whispered.
I just nodded my head. The girl had it bad for Trey. She tried her best to keep it under control, but she was never entirely successful. For someone with phenomenal instincts, Trey seemed oblivious to it. Or he knew and wasn’t letting on. If that was the case, I had to give the man credit, he was good.
Callie hit the target…or somewhat close and jumped up and down while she squealed with glee.
Kyle was up next. True to form, he made a show out of approaching the axe, picking it up, and hurling it. He didn’t get as close as Callie did and that caused a series of teasing comments.
He mimed being stabbed in the gut.
“In all fairness, I was at a disadvantage. Callie had assistance from Navy Seal man.”
“Would you like me to help you, too?” Trey teased him.
“I’ll pass. I have no desire to have you all up behind me.” Kyle screwed up his face like he sucked on a lemon. “Morgan, it’s your turn.”
Morgan took his turn, then Sarah went. T
hen a couple of the other people from the gym took their turn.
“Are you ready?” I asked Madison.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Madison threw the axe and did really well. Then I took my turn.
Everyone was having fun. There was a lot of teasing and laughter. Then Kyle announced it was Julia’s turn. The woman was taking a lot of ribbing from Morgan, Hunter, and Kyle. Even Trey put his two cents in. The room was filled with laughter.
Julia took her spot, felt the weight of the axe in her hand, and then looked up at the target. She pulled her arms back over her head and then let the axe fly. The room turned silent when she hit the bullseye.
“Holy shit!” Kyle said. Loudly.
But it was Hunter and Morgan who stole the show. They both turned around to look back at everyone, their mouths dropped open comically. The brothers didn’t resemble each other all that much physically, but with the faces they were making, there was no denying they had the same DNA.
The room erupted into more laughter. It was contagious. I turned and looked at Madison and she was laughing so hard, she had tears running down her face. She looked happy and so incredibly beautiful.
I walked up to her and picked her up in my arms.
“God, I love you.”
It wasn’t the way I expected to tell her, but watching her laugh like that, I couldn’t help myself.
“Really?”
“Really.” I nodded my head emphatically.
“That’s an amazing coincidence, because I love you too!”
She leaned in for a quick kiss, but I wouldn’t let her pull away. I kissed her harder and she opened her lips and let my tongue slip into her mouth. Behind me, I could hear hoots and howls. I broke the kiss and put her back down on her feet. She blushed when she realized all the noise was for us.
“Don’t be embarrassed. They’re happy for us. This is not exactly a prudish crowd.”
“No, I guess not.”
Then she shocked the hell out of me. She grabbed a handful of my shirt and pulled me down for another kiss. The peanut gallery was even louder this time.
