Dare to Play

by Carly Phillips

  Jaxon nodded. “I agree. Let her enjoy this.”

  “If you’re sure,” Macy said, biting down on her lower lip.

  “We are,” the three of them said at the same time.

  Jaxon blew out a deep breath and relaxed.

  He had his family on board. Next up? Macy had to convince her sister to move into his house and allow them to become a family.

  A temporary one but a family nonetheless.

  * * *

  The next day, Macy tried to go about her time as usual. She hadn’t slept well, which didn’t surprise her, given all the changes coming up, but she still woke early and walked on the treadmill she’d put in the corner of the den so she could exercise even on broiling-hot Florida days.

  She cleaned the house while waiting for Hannah to come home but was interrupted a gazillion times by phone calls from Bri. What kind of flowers did she want at the wedding? Music? Was she available tomorrow to go to a wedding dress shop because she had to buy off-the-rack if she was going to have a gown ready for Saturday? And on and on.

  By the time Hannah was due home, Macy was an anxious mess, in part because of the upcoming nuptials, and the more immediate reason was dealing with her sister. Macy had no illusions her talk with Hannah would go as well as their discussion with the Prescotts. After the shock wore off about their engagement, she’d been welcomed to the family and the planning had begun.

  Now, however, she had to face her sister when Hannah came home from being with her mother and break the news that they were moving. After Macy finished making her bed, she heard a car door slam outside. Peeking through the window, she watched as her sister pulled her suitcase from the small trunk, waved to Lilah, and headed up the front walk.

  Courage, Macy thought to herself. What was the worst that could happen? A teenage tornado temper tantrum, that’s all.

  She met Hannah in the entryway as she entered the house. Her sister wore leggings and an oversized tee shirt, and her hair was pulled into a messy bun. Along with the suitcase were shopping bags Macy hadn’t seen her take from the car. Wonderful, she thought. More attempts by Lilah to buy her daughter’s affection.

  “How was your night with your mother?” Macy asked, deliberately cheerful.

  “Fun! Nobu is so amazing. I had sushi and this awesome dessert.” Hannah dropped her bags next to her suitcase, and Macy decided not to bring up the subject of her shopping.

  “Can we talk?” Macy asked.

  “Yeah. Can you help me bring my stuff to my room?” Hannah picked up the shopping bags, leaving Macy with the heavier luggage.

  “Sure thing. Let’s go.” She followed Hannah across the house and stood the luggage by the closet before sitting on the bed. “Join me. This is important.” She patted the comforter on the queen-size mattress.

  Warily, Hannah’s heavily made-up eyes narrowed as she walked over and eased onto the bed. “Is this about you marrying that baseball player? Mom said you just want his money.”

  Macy nearly choked on her own saliva. Talk about the proverbial pot calling the kettle black. “Yes, it’s about Jaxon. I know this is sudden, but when you get to know him, you’re really going to like him. And he has a big family and they can’t wait to meet you.”

  Hannah picked up a ratty old teddy bear she’d had since she was little and set it on her lap, a sweetly amazing contradiction to the hard outer shell she liked to project. “I don’t need more family.”

  “We’ll take it slow, okay? But here’s the thing.” Macy drew a deep breath for courage. “We’re going to move in with Jaxon.”

  “What? No! I’m not leaving my house.”

  “Hannah, it makes sense. Jaxon’s house has more room.” She thought about his selling points and, hating herself for stooping to Lilah’s level, decided to go for it. “He has a pool and you can invite your friends over to hang out and a movie theater in the basement.” She skipped mentioning the basketball hoop, knowing that wasn’t appealing to this particular teenage girl.

  Hannah’s eyes lit up, but a few seconds later, a defiant expression crossed her face. “Mom said you’d try and buy me off.”

  Macy frowned. “There’s no buying you off, Hannah. I have custody. You have to come with me. Which means,” she said, drawing a deep breath, “technically you have to switch school districts, but I’m going to work on keeping you where you are now.” She said it as fast as she could, before Hannah could have a full-blown fit.

  Hannah’s light brown eyes shot angry sparks. “I’m not leaving my friends and you can’t make me.”

  Actually Macy could force her to do just that, but she decided not to say so. She had faith she could convince Hannah’s current school district to let her remain there, which would allow her to avoid this entire conversation. “Let’s not worry about it until we have to. I’ll look into it first thing on Monday.” She pushed herself to her feet just as Hannah spoke.

  “Mom said she wants me to come live with her and it’s going to be up to a judge to decide.” Hannah flung that barb, hitting Macy in the heart.

  What kind of mother told her child she was the center of a custody battle?

  Drawing a calming breath, Macy turned to face her sister. “I love you, Hannah. And I want what’s best for you. I believe that’s living with me. I’m sorry you have to go through this, but everything will work out.”

  “I want to live with my mom.”

  Macy gritted her teeth, knowing that sentiment would make her battle that much harder. She opted to ignore the comment and instead changed the subject. “How’s pizza for dinner?”

  “Whatever.”

  Yep, life was great. “Unpack and I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.” She stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her, leaning back against the frame.

  How had her life gotten so out of control? An angry teenager who wanted to live with a woman with an agenda Macy hadn’t yet figured out, marriage to a man she barely knew on the horizon, and all her energy going into keeping Hannah away from her mother. Macy’s dad had been gone for almost a year, but she’d been so busy taking care of Hannah and home, she barely had time for herself. And it didn’t look like that would be changing any time soon.

  Her cell phone, which she’d tucked into her back pocket, began to ring. She pulled it out, saw Jaxon’s name, and her stomach did an immediate flip, a jolt of awareness going through her.

  Memories of their joined bodies flickered through her as she answered. “Hello?” She stepped away from the door so she had more privacy.

  “Hey. How’d it go with your sister?” he asked, and she found herself touched that he’d bother to ask.

  She glanced at the closed door and sighed. “About as well as you’d expect.”

  “Shit. I’m sorry. But I do have good news. I spoke to my cousin Alex Dare and his wife, Madison. They had a family situation a few years ago, and they recommended a lawyer named Jonathan Ridgeway. I have his name and number and you can call first thing Monday. I’ll text you his information, and we can go to the appointment together.”

  He stunned her, not just with how quickly he’d gotten the information but by the fact that he was acting the part of the husband she needed. True, they’d agreed to help each other, but she never thought he’d step up so much.

  “Thank you! I’m really grateful, and to be honest, I’m going to need the support. Lilah told Hannah she’s fighting me for custody. I was hoping to keep it quiet somehow. I don’t think Hannah needs any more disruption in her life. Between losing Dad, her mother’s sudden appearance–”

  “And our marriage,” he said in a husky voice.

  “Right.” She shivered at the reminder.

  With his voice in her ear, she couldn’t help but think about the fact that she’d soon be in his bed again. Her nipples hardened at the thought, desire and yearning pulsing through her veins. She couldn’t deny she wanted him, but she feared how complicated this situation could quickly become if she let her feelings grow along with her d
esire. She knew he didn’t believe in forever, and she couldn’t help but wonder why.

  She forced herself back to the subject at hand, talking to Jaxon about Hannah. “Oh, and Hannah informed me she wants to live with her mother, so there’s that.”

  Her heart hurt at the thought of her sister choosing her selfish parent over Macy. No matter how much she understood that a child needed to know her mother loved her, Macy just didn’t believe that was the case here.

  “That really sucks. We’ll make her home life good and fun. You can count on that.”

  She grinned at his attempt to make her feel better. “If I thought Lilah really had Hannah’s best interest at heart and was the better choice, of course I’d step aside and just play the role of her big sister.”

  “I met Lilah and my gut agrees with yours. She’s up to something.”

  “It’s good knowing you have my back.” She paused and asked, “Want to come by for pizza? You can spend time with Hannah. Just expect her to sulk and be a brat.”

  “Love to. As a matter of fact, how about I pick it up on the way over?” He answered quickly without taking time to think.

  Obviously she wasn’t keeping him from other things in his life. On some level, he must want to spend time with her. But she couldn’t let herself think that way. Him coming over was to perpetuate the charade of the marriage and help make it work. That was all.

  * * *

  Jaxon’s life had changed overnight. Just having made the decision to marry Macy and knowing he now had responsibilities ahead of him had altered his outlook. He was thinking ahead and about things more important than him.

  Early this morning, he’d walked around his house and wondered how Macy would feel about the huge mansion he’d bought just because he had the money to spend. There’d been a time when he imagined buying a house like this and living in it with Katie, having kids and a family, something he didn’t think about often anymore. But since he was getting married, the ghost of her betrayal came back to remind him that she hadn’t thought he was worth the hassle of living his lifestyle. He needed to remember Macy would feel the same way.

  He had a home gym in the basement, a movie theater as he’d told her, a massive pool outside, a kitchen a woman who liked to cook would love, and her sister would have her own room. Hell, she’d have her pick of bedrooms.

  As for the master, he had two walk-in closets, so Macy would have space of her own, and since they had built-ins, including drawers, he didn’t need to make extra space for her. His stomach lurched a bit at the thought of a woman moving in, but knowing it was Macy eased the sting. Until he reminded himself not to get invested any more than he had to.

  Bri had called him a bunch of times asking him wedding-reception-related questions, and he’d told her to talk to Macy. This might be a marriage of convenience, but there was no reason she couldn’t have the kind of wedding she wanted as long as they could pull it off in a week.

  He stopped at his favorite pizza place, picked up a plain and a pepperoni and a few bottles of soda, and headed over to her place as promised. She must have been looking out for him, because she met him at the door and helped him with the boxes.

  “Thanks for coming,” Macy said with a welcoming smile. “I should warn you Hannah is still in a mood. She might just send you running.”

  He grasped Macy’s hand because she actually sounded worried. “I’m not going anywhere. But I am starving, so let’s go inside and eat.”

  The stress lines around her mouth eased. He followed her into the kitchen, preparing to have his hands full trying to charm a teenager.

  As Macy readied the kitchen, he enjoyed the view of her long, tanned legs in a pair of denim shorts and a tee shirt tight enough to accentuate her full breasts. She might not dress up like the women who hung around the stadium and bars, hoping for an easy fuck, but she was a hell of a lot sexier. And he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her bare flesh and taste every inch of her skin again. He wasn’t used to the anticipation, the wait. The buildup of wanting.

  As a Major League player, he could have his pick of women, which was what made this one unique. Yes, she’d slept with him, but in a very real way, he still had to work for it. And he was very much up for the challenge.

  Chapter Seven

  Macy, Hannah, and Jaxon sat in the kitchen, a small room with a table that seated four, light wood cabinets, and matching stone tile. Two pizza boxes were open on the counter, and Macy had had Hannah help her set the table and put ice in their glasses before they’d all gathered to eat. The house reminded Jaxon of the one he’d grown up in with his siblings, but the boys had shared rooms. Bri, of course, had her own domain.

  While Macy ate a piece of plain and Jaxon took his second slice of pepperoni, Hannah sat with an empty plate, and Macy seemed content to ignore her and not stir up a fight in front of him.

  “Are you sure I can’t get you something to eat?” Jaxon asked the teen, whose pout hadn’t changed throughout his attempts at conversation.

  “I don’t like pepperoni,” Hannah said, crossing her arms across her chest.

  “Then take a slice of plain.” Macy’s jaw clenched as she held on to her anger. “Tell us about your house,” she said to Jaxon, changing the subject.

  He got the hint. This was his chance to sell Hannah on the move. “It’s way too big for one person, so it’s going to be great having you both there. And Hannah, you can have your pick of rooms,” he said to the girl who’d been ignoring him all night. “You can redecorate any way you want. Make the room yours.”

  For the first time all evening, the teenager’s eyes showed a glimmer of interest. “I guess that’s cool. Until Mom wins custody.”

  Hurt flashed across Macy’s face, and Jaxon couldn’t stand by and let Hannah get away with her smart mouth. She had no idea how fortunate she was to have someone who cared and wanted the responsibility of taking care of her. His own life was strange, a father who’d willingly gone through sperm donation by another man to have kids but gone on to treat them with anger and resentment.

  “Do you know how lucky you are to have a sister who’s been there for you after your mother disappeared?” he asked.

  Hannah shook her head, the pink strand whipping across her face. “Mom had to find herself, but she’s back now and she wants me.”

  Ignoring that statement, he cleared his throat and continued to talk to Hannah, not wanting to see the pain in Macy’s eyes. “I get what it’s like to have a disinterested parent. My dad wasn’t my real father, something I didn’t discover until last year. And he treated me badly because I didn’t want to play football. Baseball wasn’t good enough for him, you know? So he treated me like shit,” he said honestly. “But I always had my brothers and my sister just like you’ve always had Macy.”

  Hannah’s eyes opened wide at his revelation. “What about your mom?” she asked. “Where was she?”

  “Hannah–” Macy shook her head, obviously not wanting to put him on the spot.

  Of course, she didn’t know all that much about his past. Yet. He had a feeling they’d be sharing more things as time went on.

  “It’s fine. I love my mother. She was and is a great parent, but she never really stepped in and stopped my father’s verbal abuse about how I wasn’t a man if I didn’t play football.” He shook his head at the ugly memories. “I guess she did the best she could.” Short of her leaving Jesse, Jaxon believed that. “All I’m saying is cut your sister some slack and see how much she loves you.”

  Typical teenager, Hannah didn’t say anything in response.

  Shocking him, Macy reached across the table and put her hand over his, the gesture hitting him in the heart.

  “I’m not hungry.” Hannah pushed back her chair, the legs squeaking against the floor.

  “Ask if you can be excused, please,” Macy reminded her.

  With a roll of her eyes, the teen parroted, “Can I be excused?”

  Macy nodded. “Put your clean plate back in th
e cabinet and the silverware away.”

  With an annoyed groan, Hannah did as she was told, Macy watching her the entire time.

  Only when they were alone did she turn to Jaxon. “Now’s the time to change your mind.” She looked grim, as if she fully expected him to walk away just because her little sister had been a brat.

  “I can handle her.” Realizing he still held Macy’s hand, he squeezed tight. “We’re a team now.” He truly felt like they could do this and make this crazy short-term marriage work.

  For both of them.

  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and released it. “You stood up for me,” she said in obvious awe, making him realize how alone she’d been until now.

  Despite his father’s treatment of him in the past, as he told Hannah, he’d always had his siblings. His mom. His uncle. A large family he could always turn to. Macy hadn’t had that, and as a result, she was tangling with an angry teenage girl alone.

  Well, no more. “Hannah needs to understand the value of what she has in you. She doesn’t now but she will. Right now, she has her mother’s voice in her ear, presents filling the hole that her absence created. Just keep being there. That’s the one thing you can give Hannah over time that her mother can’t.”

  “Or won’t.” Macy toyed with the fork she hadn’t used but had set the table with anyway. “It sounded like you understand what it feels like to be an angry teen.”

  “That’s because I do.” Instead of the shutters coming down behind his eyes, he allowed her to see the hurt left by his father’s words. Letting anyone in was new for him, something he hadn’t done since Katie.

  “I’m so sorry,” she murmured. “No child deserves to be treated as less than anything or anyone.”

  He rolled his shoulders, telling himself he’d long since accepted his past. “It made me who I am today. And I can’t say I’m thrilled with everything I’ve done, but I know going forward I’m going to get it right. Starting with helping you.” His words took even him by surprise.