Until Jax Read online

  “I told you I got you, baby,” I say gently, wanting more than anything to take her hand in mine, but every time I touch her, she freezes up like she’s waiting for me to strike out at her, and I would be lying if I said that didn’t piss me the fuck off. It does; it feels like a slap in the face every time it happens.

  “I know,” she whispers, and the tears I hear in her voice cause a sharp pain in my chest.

  Fuck.

  “This is the turnoff.” Her feet go to the floorboard and her hands to the dash as she sits up taller, moving her face closer to the windshield. We drive up a long dirt driveway with forest and the occasional broken down car on each side. When we make it to the top of the hill, a singlewide trailer comes into view, with junk cars and garbage piled up out front.

  As soon as I come to a stop, she opens her door and hops out before I can tell her to keep her little ass in the cab. I don’t even know how I’m going to deal with the range of emotions that have settled over me since seeing her for the first time.

  “Fucking Boom,” I mutter, getting out behind her and doubling my steps until I’m able to reach her side, where I wrap my hand around her waist and pull her closer to me. She’s so fucking tiny that the top of her dark head sits right at my chest. So fragile, from her too soft skin to her petite size. And she’s mine.

  “Took you long enough,” a very large woman says, opening the front door to the trailer. Her thin blonde hair is pulled away from her face with a headband, and her large, round body is incased in what looks like a baggy dress with long sleeves. I know right away this must be Ellie’s aunt Marlene, her mom’s sister.

  “Where’s Hope?” Ellie asks from my side as I wrap my hand tighter around her to keep her in place.

  Taking a puff off her cigarette Marlene tosses the butt into the yard while stepping back into the trailer as we come up the creaky wooden steps that lead inside.

  “Where’s Hope?” Ellie asks as we step into the small living room. Feeling a shiver slide through her and I give her side a squeeze reminding her that she’s not alone.

  “Hope’s asleep in the back bedroom.” Her aunt points down a long hall then looks at me. “Who’s him?” she asks, but Ellie pushes past her and rushes down the hall, ignoring her question.

  “Who you?”

  Jesus. It takes everything in me to keep my mouth shut. Crossing my arms over my chest, I wait for Ellie, ignoring the woman, afraid of what I’ll say if I speak.

  “You a cop?”

  Fuck me.

  “I’m not a cop,” I growl, wanting to tell her she shouldn’t look relieved by that.

  “That niece of mine has always acted like she’s better than all of us. Figures she’d meet a guy who thought the same.”

  My fists clench and drop to my sides. I don’t know much about Ellie, but there isn’t a doubt in my mind that she is better than this dump and her fucked up family.

  “Jax.”

  My gaze goes toward the open mouth of the hall and collides with Ellie, who is holding a little girl in her arms; her face is pressed to Ellie’s chest, her long, dark hair hanging over Ellie’s arm, and her legs wrapped around her side.

  “What is it, baby?” I question, closing the distance between us.

  “Can you hold her while I get her stuff?” she asks in a hushed tone.

  “Sure,” I mutter, and she slips the sleeping little girl into my arms. Her small, warm body presses close to my chest and I lift her higher, adjusting her against me.

  “Hurry, baby,” I tell Ellie as her eyes stay fixed on me. “Babe,” I say, and she blinks then turns around, heading back down the hall, and my eyes drop to the tiny girl. I know she’s three from the info Ellie gave me. Her skin is the same cream color as her mother’s. Her cheeks are slightly rosy from sleep, her lips are in a small pout, and her long, dark lashes fan out across her cheeks. She’s beautiful, and she hasn’t even opened her eyes.

  “Her dad never even seen her grow up,” Marlene says, putting another cigarette in her mouth.

  Looking down at the little girl in my arms, I imagine her being mine and never seeing her. The thought alone causes my heart to bleed and my arms to tighten around her. “Don’t light that,” I growl when she lifts a lighter to the cigarette hanging out of her mouth.

  “It’s my house.”

  “I don’t give a fuck. You can wait until we’re gone.”

  Her face screws up, but she pulls the cigarette out and closes her hand around it.

  “Ready,” Ellie says, carrying a large bag over one shoulder then a smaller diaper bag in her other hand. Taking the large bag from her and being careful not to wake Hope, I carry her outside to the truck. Once I have her buckled in the car seat I had my mom pickup when we were still in the hospital, I lift Ellie up into the cab and pull her seatbelt around her.

  “Jax.”

  “Yeah, babe?” My hands stop and my gaze meets her beautiful brown eyes that are surrounded by long dark lashes.

  “I can buckle myself in,” she whispers, and my eyes drop to her mouth. She has a gap between her front teeth that I have become obsessed with since meeting her. Really, I’m obsessed with her mouth. Her lips are plump, the bottom; slightly fuller than the top, the pink so dark that I want to lean in for a taste, just to see if they’re as soft and sweet as they look.

  “You owe me for watching Hope,” her aunt says from behind us, breaking the moment and causing a growl to vibrate my chest.

  “Stay put.” I growl, clicking her seatbelt into place, stepping back and slamming the door. Once I’m a few steps away, I set the locks and the alarm so I’ll know if Ellie tries to get out then storm up the few stairs into the trailer. Pulling the door closed behind me, the small room turns almost black, the only light coming from a small window in the living room, and a smaller one above the sink in the dirty kitchen.

  “What are you doing?” Marlene asks, and I can hear the nervousness in her voice as she backs away from me.

  “I’m going to give you a chance to be honest with me. I’m going to ask you where Ellie’s mother is, and I want you to tell me the truth. If you don’t tell me where she is now and I find out later on that you knew her whereabouts and kept that from me, I’m going to make you pay for that mistake.”

  “You ain’t the law. You can’t talk to me like this,” she says, putting her hands on her wide hips and looking toward the door.

  “You’re right. I’m not a cop, and that information should lead you into doing the smart thing,” I snarl.

  “She’s my sister.”

  “I don’t give a fuck if she’s the fucking Pope. Tell me where she is.”

  “I don’t know,” she says quietly after a long moment.

  “You sure you want that to be your final answer?” I ask her, turning toward the door.

  “It’s the truth.”

  “Remember I warned you,” I say, opening the door and stepping down the rickety stairs to the grass.

  “What about my money?”

  “Get it from your sister,” I tell her, clicking the alarm for my truck and swinging up inside. I’m so pissed that I can actually feel my heart pounding in my neck. I want to take a can of gasoline and light her damn trailer on fire.

  “What did she say?” Ellie asks quietly from my side as I pull out onto the main road. Pulling my eyes from the asphalt, I look over at her quickly, seeing a sadness in her gaze that makes my fist tighten on the steering wheel.

  “Nothing, baby.”

  “Jax.”

  “Ellie,” I say in the same tone, feeling my lips twitch.

  “I don’t know what you could possibly think is funny right now,” she huffs, and I see her cross her arms over her chest out of the corner of my eye, the action making me smile. Fuck but she’s cute.

  “So annoying,” she mumbles under her breath, making me chuckle.

  “Mama,” I hear, and I look over my shoulder at Hope, whose eyes are open and locked on her mom in the front seat.

  “
Angel baby.” Ellie pulls off her seatbelt, gets up on her knees, and leans over the backseat. Pulling off the side of the road, I put the truck in park, walk around, to help Ellie out, but before I get there, she’s out and has the back door open, trying to get Hope from her car seat.

  The moment she has Hope unbuckled and in her arms, sobs begin to wrack Ellie’s small frame. Without thinking, I wrap my arms around both of them as a feeling of rightness settles in my gut.

  “It’s okay, Mama.” Hope pats her mom’s back, making Ellie cry harder.

  “I know, Angel,” Ellie says, pulling her face away from Hope’s neck and kissing her forehead. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too. Gwama said you were workin’,” she says, putting her hand on her mom’s cheek and looking into her face.

  “I was, Angel, and guess what.”

  “What?” Hope asks, and my heart does another tug when both their faces light up with smiles so bright they steal the air right out of my lungs.

  “Mommy has a new job.”

  “Yay!” She laughs, and Ellie places her hand on the back of Hope’s head and dips her backwards, whispering in her ear.

  “I love you, Angel baby.”

  “Lub you, Mama,” she says then her eyes come to me and she tilts her head to the side.

  “Hope, this is Jax,” Ellie says, and I watch her cheeks get pink as she realizes her body is pressed against the length of mine. “Jax, this is Hope.” She steps away, turning so Hope is facing me.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Hope.”

  “You too, Ax.” She smiles, showing off a gap between her front teeth that makes her even more beautiful.

  “All right, Angel, get back in your car seat,” Ellie tells her, and she climbs up into the seat then locks herself in place, like she’s done it a million times before. Not trusting her, I check to make sure it’s secure then tap the end of her nose, making her smile before I shut the door.

  Once I’m back behind the wheel, I head towards Ellie’s place so we can pick up her stuff. Do I feel shitty I told my mom to find a way to get Ellie to Nashville, even if she had to use her fear against her? A little, but at the end of the day, she will be under my roof, so fuck it. All’s fair in love and war, right?

  “Turn here,” Ellie says, bringing me out of my thoughts. Frowning, I turn and enter a large trailer park. I know places like these; rent’s cheap, making it easy for everyone and anyone to live here. Following Ellie’s directions, we pull up in front of a small singlewide trailer. Just from the outside, I can tell she is one of the few people in the park who takes pride in her place, judging by the flowers on her small front porch, which have died in her absence, and the colorful floral flag hanging off to the side of the front door, welcoming anyone who might come for a visit.

  Shutting down the truck, I hop out and round the hood, taking in my surroundings. Two trailers down, there are a group of guys sitting outside in lawn chairs, drinking beer. A little farther down from them, I watch a man pass a small bag of something off to a kid who’s probably no older than seventeen.

  “From now on, wait ’til I open your door,” I tell Ellie, taking a sleeping Hope from her arms.

  “Why?” She frowns, shutting the door.

  “Because my mom would kick my ass if I didn’t.”

  “Oh.” She presses her lips together like she’s trying not to smile, making me want to lean in and kiss her.

  “Ready?” I ask knowing I cant do what I want, not yet anyways.

  “Ready.” She sighs, going to the porch, lifting the edge of the mat, and pulling out a key.

  “Are you kidding me?” I growl, looking at the key in her hand.

  “What?” she asks, opening the door and stepping inside.

  “Ellie, baby, you do not leave a key to your house in such an obvious place. That’s basically an invite to anyone who comes over to walk inside and steal all your shit.”

  “Nothing has ever happened before.” She shrugs.

  “Thank fuck but there’s a first time for everything,” I tell her, trying to gentle my voice, which is hard to do considering how pissed I am, knowing a single mother is living in a place like this with a key under her motherfucking doormat.

  “I won’t do it again,” she says, reading my face.

  Nodding, I lay Hope down on the small couch by the door then look around.

  The place is small but clean and homey. A small flat screen TV sits in front of the couch on a stand with tons of picture frames scattered across the surface, most containing shots of Ellie and Hope, but in a few, are pictures of a man holding a baby. There’s one with the same man, but this time his arm is wrapped around a woman as she looks down at the small bundle in her arms while he smiles at the camera. I wonder absently if that was Ellie’s ex, but still can’t drag enough courage to the surface to ask.

  Pulling my eyes away from the photos, I take in the rest of the space. A stylish chair sits in the corner, adding color to the room, and it matches the drapes on the windows. In the kitchen is a small dining table, with two chairs that are old but still fit with the decor.

  “I don’t know what I should bring,” Ellie mumbles, walking into the kitchen and looking around.

  “Whatever we don’t take now, we can come back for,” I tell her softly, moving to her side. “My place has everything you’ll need for now.”

  “Are you really sure about us staying with you?” she asks, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “I know your dad said he could get us an apartment in town.”

  “I’m sure.” I feel my chest vibrate in annoyance. I don’t want her or Hope out of my sight. And God, I love my dad, but I was ready to pummel him when he suggested that. “Like my mom said, I’m hardly home. I work a lot, and my place already has security set up. It’s the safest place for you both.”

  Her eyes go to the couch, and I know without Hope there wouldn’t be a chance in hell Ellie would be moving in with me.

  “I really do appreciate it.”

  “Baby,” I murmur, watching her eyes slide half closed, “I’m glad I can help.”

  Licking her lips, her eyes go soft then move to the couch again.

  “Hope will want her bed.”

  “Show me where it is and I’ll put it in the truck now, while you get your clothes and stuff packed up.”

  Nodding, she heads down a short hallway and stops at a room that is smaller than my closet at home. There isn’t much in the space, just a small, child size bed and a white dresser, along with stuffed animals scattered over a pink rug. “I’ll get this; you go start packing,” I rumble, rubbing her arms. Looking over her shoulder at me, her lips part when she realizes how close I am.

  “I…I’m g-gonna start packing,” she stammers then slips under my arm and heads down the hall. Following her with my eyes until she’s out of sight, I smile. She may not want to admit it, but I know she feels the same pull I do.

  Heading into Hope’s room, I pull her pink bedding and mattress off her bed then pick up the frame and move it out to the living room, checking to make sure she’s still sleeping before taking it to the truck.

  Once we get started, it doesn’t take long to get everything packed up and in the back of my truck. We will have to come back in a week to clean the rest out but we got everything they will need for now.

  “Baby, we’re here,” I whisper, running my finger down Ellie’s cheek, not really wanting to wake her up. She had fallen asleep with her head on my thigh ten minutes after we left the restaurant we stopped at after getting gas. I don’t even think she realized what she was doing when she laid down. I know she has to be exhausted after everything that happened.

  Blinking up at me, she wipes the corner of her mouth then sits up quickly, looking around.

  “This is your house?”

  Looking out the front windshield, I wonder why she looks so scared. It’s not the nicest house on the street, but when it came on the market a year ago for a hundred grand under market value, I had to b
uy it, and have been slowly fixing it up since then. “Yeah.”

  “It’s really nice.” She swallows then looks at the other houses on the block, which look similar to mine.

  “It’s your home now too,” I say softly, wanting to get rid of that look on her face, the one saying she feels like she doesn’t belong here.

  “Until I have enough money to get somewhere else,” she murmurs, rubbing her eyes.

  Ignoring that comment, I grit my teeth and get out of the truck before I can tell her there is no way in hell she’s ever moving out.

  “Get a grip before you scare her the fuck off,” I growl under my breath, opening her door and helping her out. I then open Hope’s door and grin when her face lights up.

  “You wiv in a castle!” She smiles, unhooking her belt, catching me off guard when she throws herself at me.

  Looking back toward my house, I guess it kind of does look like a castle. The old grey brick Victorian with two round rooms on each side of the house gives the look of towers, the white scalloping along the edges, and in the middle is a window that resembles a lookout point.

  “I guess I do,” I tell her, setting her on the ground.

  “Sooo cooool,” she breathes, peering up at me with her big brown eyes, making my chest ache.

  Pulling my hat off, I turn toward Ellie. “Why don’t I take you guys inside and you can look around, while I bring everything in?”

  “Are you sure?” she asks, picking up Hope then looking in the back of the truck at all of her stuff, most of which is in black garbage bags.

  “I’m sure. Plus, you really should be in bed resting after everything that has happened,” I say quietly, taking her hand and leading her up the front steps, letting her go long enough to open the door and walk over to the keypad to shut off the alarm. “The code is zero-four-zero-three. I want the alarm on anytime I’m not in the house with you.” Watching her nod, I take her hand again and lead her through the house, showing her the living room, kitchen, and downstairs bathroom before moving her to the stairs. “You can have your pick of rooms.”