“I guess…” Mackenzie stuck close to her father’s side as he walked her to the hall to meet the nurse. “I’m sorry I ran off.”
Lorenzo rubbed her arm. “It’s already forgotten.” He glanced back at Ainsley, mouthing, “Thank you,” before continuing down the hall.
Lowering her head to her hands, Ainsley inhaled slowly, hurting so much for Lorenzo and his poor girls, wishing she could do more. She’d said Lorenzo needed a friend and maybe that was the most important thing she could offer.
To be one.
Chapter 19
Akira grinned as she watched Jaxon pull Ford from one aisle to the next, pointing out blankets and lamps and posters he wanted in his room, his eyes going wide when Ford simply placed each item in the cart without looking at the price. Jaxon didn’t know it, but Ford was usually just as careful as she or Cort when it came to spending money—he might have grown up rich, but he’d learned to manage a budget pretty quick. Having their dream house took a lot of sacrifices and he wouldn’t risk that for anything.
But for his son, he’d dipped into his savings. And accepted both Akira and Cort’s offers to pitch in. He wouldn’t let his pride get in the way of providing anything the boy needed. Or wanted. Or looked at more than once.
He wouldn’t be able to keep that up, but Akira was just happy to see him getting comfortable in his role as a father.
The only time Ford hesitate was when Jaxon started grabbing dozens of packs of socks.
“Hey, you don’t need that many, buddy.” Ford let out a hesitant laugh, cutting it short when Jaxon looked up at him, utterly crushed. “These are all plain socks. If you want some cool ones, that’s fine, but you’ll still have all the ones you have at Grandpa’s place.”
Jaxon shook his head. “I might not. What if you have to fight to keep me and he trashes it all? I can put other stuff back, but I really need socks. I get holes in them sometimes. I try not to, but it happens and I hate having to wear them with holes in them.”
“You won’t.” Ford swallowed hard. “Ah…you know what, you’re right. You’re growing and everything. We’ll get these. And how about a size up too?”
“Really?” Jaxon’s eyes lit up even more than they had when Ford had presented him with a drone that had a built-in camera and more gadgets than his first one. Cort had argued that if the boy loved the one he had, did he really need another so soon? Why not save it for Christmas?
Akira had sided with Ford, partially out of guilt, and partially because Ford had been so excited about it. He’d found it used, in great condition, for a reasonable price. And he thought Jaxon would enjoy taking pictures of his new home and all the places they would visit.
The socks were cheaper, but Akira wondered if Ford letting Jaxon be excessive with them was just feeding into a deeper problem that had to be addressed. Or maybe the socks would give Jaxon the security he so clearly needed? She had no idea. Being a doting aunt would be much easier than being an insta-mom to a ten-year-old. But doting aunts didn’t usually live with their nieces or nephews.
Living with Jaxon, which would come soon—she hoped—meant adapting to the role of guardian. She still had a lot to learn…maybe she should call her mother. Jaxon had been in the foster system for most of his life, and her mother always had a few foster kids. Akira had helped with them when she’d still been living at home, but not enough to really call it experience. She’d been training in figure skating most days and hadn’t realized until she’d grown up how difficult keeping up with her passion, and the needs of half a dozen foster kids, had been for her mother. Somehow, her mother had always made it look easy.
Akira still hadn’t gotten to the level of talking to the kid comfortably. Ford had warned her Jaxon swore a lot and could be cold and sarcastic until he warmed up to someone, but his son had been quiet and shy in her presence. When they’d gotten to the store she’d trailed back a bit to give father and son some space, shooting Ford a reassuring smile whenever he glanced over his shoulder at her. He’d tried to draw her into conversations a few times, but Jaxon’s closed off expression had her waving him on.
The last thing she wanted was for the poor kid to feel like he had competition for his father’s time. It was still so limited. Next weekend would be the first time Jaxon would stay overnight, which was why they were shopping now. Ford had somehow gotten the boy’s uncle to let him pick Jaxon up after school.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to know how.
Sighing, she walked over to the pajama section and picked up a pair of comfortable looking flannel sleeping pants with a matching T-shirt. The design was from the same show Jaxon had posters and blankets for, Teen Titan.
Hesitating for a moment, she took a deep breath, then turned, smiling. “Hey, Jaxon. Would you like something like this? We haven’t gotten you any pajamas yet.”
Jaxon chewed on his bottom lip, glanced at Ford, and stepped forward. “I’m cool sleeping in boxers. I have a lot of those.”
“True. But if you’re anything like your father, you’ll want to relax on weekends in something comfortable.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “He actually taught me how much fun it can be to wear pajamas all day. But we’ve still gotta work on Cort.”
Grinning, Jaxon eyed the pajamas. “That is my favorite show. Have you ever watched it?”
“Not yet, but next weekend I’d love to watch a few episodes with you.”
“Really?” Jaxon blinked at her. “But Dad said you’re busy a lot. I mean…” He shook his head, his expression hardening slightly. “You don’t have to hang out with me just to be nice.”
And this was where things would get tricky. She did work a lot. Between being the captain of the Ice Girls and establishing her new rink, she wasn’t home as often. But she wanted to get to know Ford’s son. To make sure he felt welcome. To let him know he’d be part of her life as well.
But she also needed to be honest.
She took a deep breath. “I’m not hanging out with you just to be nice, Jaxon. You’re part of my family now.” She looked down at the pajamas in her hands. “I’m at the rink a lot, but you could come hang out with me there sometimes. I’m taking this weekend off because spending time with you and Ford and Cort is important to me. This is a big change for all of us, but a good one.”
“Yeah?” Jaxon still sounded doubtful, but there was some hope in his eyes. “Well, I’ve been rewatching all the old episodes, but I can start over with you. I did when my aunt got into it. She’s not into cartoons, but she really likes Teen Titans now. Whenever I got to visit from the group home she’d chill with me for a bit and watch a few episodes.”
Akira inclined her head. She’d heard some ugly things about Jaxon’s uncle, but not much about his aunt. Maybe it was time to change that. “Are you close to your aunt?”
Jaxon shrugged. “I guess? I didn’t see her much when I was little, she was still in high school, but when Uncle Kyle got me living with them she hung out with me a lot. They got in a fight once and she told him she’d fucking be gone if it wasn’t for me. I kinda felt bad. Like…I didn’t want her stuck there, you know?”
“I do. But it sounds like she wanted to be there for you.” Akira cocked her head. “That’s good, right?”
The boy lifted his shoulders. “Maybe…but Uncle Kyle is such an asshole to her.”
All right, she got what Ford meant about the swearing. Now that Jaxon seemed comfortable with her, he wasn’t guarding his language at all.
But she didn’t have the heart to correct him.
Not yet.
“Now that you’ll be living with us, she’ll be able to visit and also do her own thing.” Akira turned back to the pajamas when Jaxon nodded. “All right, you need at least a few pairs of pjs. Do you like the Avengers?”
“They’re not bad…” He chewed on his bottom lip. “The Hulk is cool.”
After picking out some more pajamas they joined Ford and went to checkout. Jaxon was much more relaxed, talking about
his favorite shows, his new school, and asking her about her figure skating courses. He thought figure skating ‘was for girls’, but seemed interested when she told him some of the Cobras had taken lessons to improve their skills. He loved skating, but didn’t think he’d ever be good enough to play.
She already had some ideas on how to prove him wrong.
They went home, ordered pizza, then Jaxon hung out with Cort in the garage, watching him work on his motorcycle until it was time for him to head back to his grandfather’s. Luke showed up to go with Ford, looking more tense than she’d ever seen him.
He was pleasant enough, but after the boys left she headed back to the kitchen to clean up with her phone against her ear and called Jami.
“Hey, sweetie! How’d it go?”
Akira smiled as she folded up the pizza boxes to stuff them in the recycling. “Better than I expected. He’s a sweet kid. Guarded, but once he opened up he seemed relaxed and hopeful. I don’t blame him for having a hard time trusting people. He’s been through a lot.”
“Sounds a lot like his father.”
“He is.” Akira sighed. “Speaking of Ford, he hasn’t said much about Kyle since Luke started going with him to pick up his son. But Luke seems…off. Maybe the two aren’t connected, but…”
“I think they are.” Jami groaned and there was a muffled sound, as though she was adjusting herself into a more comfortable position. “He wouldn’t discuss what happened after he got home last time, and he was acting weird before he left today.”
“Damn it. So something’s going on, and neither of them are telling us anything.”
“Looks like.” Jami’s tone tightened. “But that’s about to change. I’m gonna have a chat with Sebastian. Maybe you should discuss this with Cort?”
“I would, but Ford doesn’t have him going because he’s afraid our man will snap.” She grabbed a cloth and began scrubbing the counters, her knuckles going white as she rubbed harder than necessary, wishing she could go to the Delgado patriarch’s house and do some damage herself. “We can’t do anything that will risk Ford getting custody of his son.”
“So what exactly can we do?”
“Should we talk to Silver?”
Jami let out a sharp laugh. “You think she’ll be all calm about this?”
Akira groaned, then shook her head. “Probably not.”
“What about Oriana?”
“Hasn’t she been bringing Westy for visits with his grandfather? She should have noticed something’s off.” Akira liked Oriana, but with her giving her father another chance…it seemed like she was wearing blinders. “Ford wouldn’t have given the old man the time of day if she hadn’t asked him to go with her in the first place.”
“Delgado would’ve found a way to drag Ford in and you know it.”
“True.” Akira tipped her head back and rubbed her clean hand over her face. “This is such a mess. I was afraid I wasn’t ready to help raise a kid.” She pictured Jaxon, in the middle of the store trying to teach Ford how to ‘dab’, busting out laughing when Ford asked what movie that was from. They deserved more moments like that. A lifetime of them. “Now I just want him here so he can be safe and happy.”
“He will. But you didn’t expect this to be easy, did you?”
Letting out a bitter laugh, Akira tossed the dishcloth in the sink. “Nothing ever is.” She leaned against the counter, thinking over her next move carefully. “You know what, I’m going to talk to Oriana. She stood by Ford when no one else would. Maybe she’ll have some ideas.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Jami’s voice took on a wicked edge. “She might be the level-headed one, but I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side. And she somehow manages to keep Silver and Ford in line. Mom’s a badass, but she won’t mess with her big sister. There’s a reason for that.”
Akira smiled at that, loving how Jami affectionately called Silver ‘Mom’, even though the woman wasn’t officially married to her father and was only a few years older than her. Jami needed a strong woman in her life to make up for the mother who’d abandoned her. Silver hadn’t hesitated to accept the role.
“You’re right, but I’m telling you now, if Oriana can’t handle this, I’m sic’ing both Cort and Silver on that bastard, Kyle.” Doing so was tempting already, and she wasn’t even sure what that…that asshole had done to Ford. If Luke was upset about it, it had to be bad. “Maybe I should skip them both and talk to Cort’s father.”
“Whoa there, girl. You’re getting homicidal now.” Jami clucked her tongue, as though contemplating a very permanent solution was just a little naughty. “Let’s keep that as a last resort.”
“Fine.” Akira let out a heavy sigh, but she appreciated Jami both keeping things light and knowing her well enough to understand she was just venting some steam. She didn’t really want anyone dead. She wasn’t above making Kyle very afraid to continue whatever he was doing though. “I need some good news now. How are our little acrobats?”
Jami spat out a laugh, then groaned. “Still using my bladder as a trampoline. But they calm down when Sebastian plays music for them. You should see his expression when he feels them move.”
“I can just imagine.” She thought of the way Ford’s expression softened whenever he looked at Jaxon. The way his eyes lit up the rare times the boy laughed. Having a baby had been an abstract idea for the future, but having Jaxon in their lives showed her a side of Ford that had tempted her to reconsider putting it off so often.
Seeing him hold his niece and nephew had always brought some longing. The looks he exchanged with Cort, as though being parents was something they wanted to share, had made her wonder if she was being selfish, no matter how many times they told her she wasn’t.
Having Jaxon, long past bottles and diapers and childproofing everything meant she could still have her career, while adjusting her schedule enough so Ford wouldn’t be overwhelmed. Jaxon might not be a baby, but he was a child who needed a lot of love and attention to make up for years of neglect and instability.
Together, she knew they could give him that.
After they dealt with one last obstacle.
And finally brought him home.
She chatted with Jami a little longer, grinning when she heard Jami drifting off and Sebastian picked up the phone after a brief silence to say he was bringing her up to bed.
“Take care of her.” Akira had no doubt he would. Jami’s men treated her like she was made of the most fragile crystal, which irritated her friend, but Akira wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Of course.” Sebastian’s tone was solemn. He paused. “It was not my intention to eavesdrop, but I overheard Jami mention speaking to Oriana. Please do. This must end.”
“It will.” Akira inhaled slowly, lowering her voice as she heard Cort coming in from the garage. “One way or another.”
Chapter 20
A cool, fresh bite in the air, the slice of blades on ice, the low hum of the crowd…damn, it was good to be back. Dominik had spent some time on the ice over the summer—enough to retain his sanity as the weather reached scorching levels—but he’d had Bran with him every time. Which Dominik loved, the kid lit up like a goal light whenever Dominik put him in skates. Still, he’d missed the speed and power of the game.
The first few pre-season games he hadn’t been in the lineup, which made the time off seem never-ending. Dominik had aggravated an old shoulder injury over the summer and a couple extra weeks to make sure he was in top form could make a huge difference for the season. But he was getting damn restless, watching the new rookies find their footing with some of the younger Cobras, desperate to prove they’d earned their place on the roster. The Cobras had lost their first two games, which didn’t matter pre-season, but the last thing the team needed was the media speculating about their standings during a season that might be the final one in Dartmouth.
Any slacking off, any bad behavior, could lead to a trade. He planned to make the move to wherever the new ho
me of the Cobras would be with every single one of his men. If he had to kick some ass to make sure they impressed potential buyers…?
I might as well enjoy myself.
The puck dropped and he leaned forward on the bench as Carter snapped a pass back to Demyan. The ‘Trouble Triplets’ had come off their in-team suspension looking fresh. He wasn’t sure which punishment had straightened them out the most, not being able to play, or Demyan getting caned at the club by Callahan, but either way, he doubted they’d be pulling pranks again anytime soon.
Demyan actually seemed in better shape than he’d started off any of the seasons he’d been with the team. Breezing around the Cobra’s goal, he picked up his pace with two long strides, moving so fast the Jersey rookies were left scrambling into position.
Between the pipes Hunt, who was in goal, straightened and folded his arms over his chest, nodding with satisfaction as Demyan sniped a puck into the Jersey net. The young goalie looked damn proud.
Seemed like the rumors of him training with Demyan—or, more likely training Demyan—to improve his cardio were true.
Good man. Dominik grinned, pleased that the animosity between the players had passed. Maybe they’d be lucky this season and avoid drama. He’d been paying attention to talk in the locker room and no one seemed to have any beef. One rookie, Kai Nummi, a nineteen-year-old from Finland who’d been recruited last summer to play on the farm team, told groan-worthy puns and dad jokes when he was nervous—which happened the second he stepped in the forum—but the veterans indulged him with good humor. The other new player, Russell Priest, was quiet, serious, and studied everyone around him like he’d be grilled on each gesture at the end of the night.
After a couple of shifts watching Priest on the ice, Dominik was convinced he’d be the top scorer within a year or so. His intense observation led to him reading plays almost effortlessly. In the last two games he’d put the puck past the goalies as though he knew where they were going to move before they’d even figured it out themselves.
OverTime (The Dartmouth Cobras Book 9) Page 23
