Page 9

I laughed under my breath.
It was no wonder she loved running into the bedroom and jumping on the bed.
She always stole her Daddy’s attention.
“You’re not a monkey.” Jaxson reminded her. “No jumping on the bed.”
Izzie thrashed and giggled before Jaxson let up. “Okay,” she said with a loud sigh. She sounded just like her father.
I slid out of bed. My nightgown covered the fact my panties were buried somewhere beneath the bedsheets. I’d have to find it later.
“Any plans for this afternoon?” Jaxson asked, glancing at me as I headed toward the bathroom to brush my teeth.
“Harper invited me to take her shopping for maternity clothes and baby stuff. I think Hazel will be joining us too.”
It was Sunday, which meant no work, and I was looking forward to unwinding with a girls’ day.
Already it was much needed with the added stress of knowing that my sister was planning on visiting.
I hadn’t seen Delphine in months. She finally booked a flight and decided to come crash with Jaxson and me for a week at our place.
She’d insisted on coming to meet the man I was living with and wanted to make sure he wasn’t anything like Ben.
“Also, Delphine is coming into town tonight. I’ll have to pick her up at the airport around dinner.”
“So, you want me to cook?” he said, teasing me.
Jaxson plopped himself at the edge of the bed while I brushed my teeth.
“Last night at the cookout, Hazel showed me her phone.”
“Yeah?” I wasn’t sure where he was going with his comment.
Izzie sat on his lap and traced her fingers over the tattoos that marked his skin. She seemed bored, but was keeping herself entertained for the moment.
I began brushing my teeth and stepped out of the bathroom to listen to Jaxson.
“Skylar’s engaged.”
I nearly spit the toothpaste out of my mouth. I coughed and hurried back to the sink to spit.
“Are you sure?” I asked. Skylar hadn’t so much as brought a boyfriend home since she moved in with her older brother.
“She posted it all over her social media account. I can’t believe she didn’t tell us!” Jaxson lifted Izzie into his arms and stood.
He headed toward the bathroom. Jaxson’s footsteps were heavy against the floorboards as he paced the length of the room.
I finished brushing my teeth before stepping back into the room, leaning on the doorframe. “
Obviously, it was a spur of the moment decision. Maybe she was worried about how you’d react?” I said.
Skylar and Jaxson hadn’t been particularly close, at least from what I could surmise. There didn’t appear to be any bad blood between them, but they also weren’t best friends either. It was as if they had nothing in common except their parents.
“What’s engaged?” Izzie asked. She wiggled in Jaxson’s arms, wanting to be put down.
He planted her feet on the ground, and Izzie tore out of the room.
With a heavy sigh, he followed after his daughter, probably to discover what trouble she found her way into next.