Page 63 of A Little Crush (The Little Things #6)

JAXON

“ K nock, knock,” a sweet, feminine voice calls.

I look up from the computer in my office, finding Rory in the doorway with my baby on her hip and her dog at her feet.

It’s been a few days since our encounter with Iris, and I’m still blown away she isn’t pissed at me for keeping Iris in the dark about us.

She was right, though. Iris shouldn’t have any say in the timeline of my relationship with Rory.

It doesn’t mean I’m not in awe of the way she handled it.

Even when Poppy woke up and cockblocked us, Rory shrugged it off without any issues, but I did make it up to her after Poppy went to bed.

Fuck, if I close my eyes, I can still taste her pussy on my tongue.

My cock jerks at the memory, and when our eyes lock from across my office, Rory smiles. “Hey.”

“Hey.” I push to my feet and stride toward her. “What are you doing here?”

“We were at the park and figured we’d pop in to say hi.” Rory looks down at my daughter in her arms. “Isn’t that right, baby girl?”

Hades bumps his nose against my thigh, and I bend down, giving him a quick scratch before glancing around the empty locker room.

Satisfied we’re alone, I tug Rory into me, creating a Poppy sandwich.

Rory’s laugh tinkles through the air as she smiles up at me, making my pulse skip a beat in the process.

Damn. How did I get so lucky? Unable to help myself, I kiss her softly, watching the way her eyes soften.

Then, I drop a kiss on Poppy’s forehead.

My lips lift when her scent fills my nostrils. “She smells like sunshine.”

“Gotta soak up what’s left of the warm weather,” Rory returns. “Where’s the team?”

“Already on the ice.”

She nods. “Makes sense.”

“You staying for the game?” I ask as Hades pads around my office, sniffing anything and everything and probably searching for a few crumbs from one of my late-night dinners spent behind the desk.

“Depends on how tired this little girl is.” Rory looks down at Poppy. “What do you think, girlfriend? You gonna stay happy and watch your daddy’s game? Hmm?”

With a grin, Poppy coos and reaches for Rory’s face, making my heart fucking melt in the process. I still can’t get over it. The way they are together. How much they love each other. How much easier my life is knowing they love each other.

Oblivious, Rory peeks up at me and nibbles on Poppy’s fingers. “I think your odds are good. She’s still pretty smiley, even though she’s exhausted?—”

“I love you.”

She pulls back slightly, like I’ve knocked her off guard. “I love you, too.” Her eyes bounce around my face. “You okay?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” I repeat. “Just…happy.”

Confusion swirls in her pretty blue eyes, telling me more than she knows.

And to be honest, I’m confused, too. By the depth of my feelings for her.

But when I see her with Poppy, the way she openly adores my daughter and treats her like she’s her own, it’s something I can’t even describe.

Something I want to bottle up and keep forever.

Something addictive and scary as fuck because the idea of losing it, losing this kind of connection and acceptance…

I’m not sure what I would do. I also don’t want to scare her off by telling her all of this.

Especially when I need to be on the ice in ten minutes.

Hell, I should be out there right now, but I can’t make myself walk away.

“I’m really glad you stopped by,” I rasp, hoping it’ll settle her nerves and erase the crinkle between her brows. It does.

“Me, too,” she murmurs with a smile that’s so fucking sweet I swear I can taste it.

“Do you want to hang out in here while I go over a few more plays?” I offer.

She takes in the empty office, then shakes her head. “No, no, we don’t want to intrude. We just wanted to stop by and say hi. We’ll see you after the game, though. Either here or at home. Depends on this girl.” She bounces Poppy on her hip. “Isn’t that right, Pops?”

I ignore my disappointment knowing Rory’s making the right choice. “Okay.” I kiss her again, feeling like a damn addict, and she exhales against my mouth, leaning into me.

“Careful,” she breathes out. “If you keep kissing me like this, I might not let you leave the office.”

“Is that a promise?” I nip at her bottom lip.

With a laugh, she wiggles out of my hold, retreats a few steps, and grabs Poppy’s wrist, waving it gently. “Say, ‘Bye, Daddy!’”

“Bye, baby girl.” I follow Rory’s movements into the open locker room, grateful it’s empty. Cupping the back of Poppy’s head, I brush my lips against her forehead before giving Rory another slow kiss on her mouth. “Bye, Beautiful.”

“Good luck, Jaxon.” She raises her head, letting me kiss her one more time like she can’t help herself, either, then steps back. With a short whistle, she adds, “Hades, let’s go.”

The sound of heavy footsteps echo from my office as Hades bounds out of the space toward Rory.

“Good boy.” Her attention flicks from Hades and back to me. “Bye, Jax.”

“Bye, Beautiful.”

Hiding her grin against Poppy’s forehead, she holds my gaze for one more tempting second, then turns away, leaving me.

It’s a hell of a game, and we manage to take the W.

Six to four. Poppy only makes it to the second period, or at least, that’s what Rory’s text says.

I don’t blame her for taking Poppy home so she could get some solid rest in her crib, but it doesn’t make me any less anxious to get home to my girls as quickly as possible.

Pulling out my phone, I send Rory a quick text.

Me

Just finished the last interviews. Want me to grab dinner?

Rory’s response is almost instant.

Rory

Sure! I’m good with whatever as long as it’s quick. I miss you :)

Knock, knock.

The quiet vibration of knuckles against my open door steals my attention, and I almost drop my phone before recovering at the last second. Arms crossed, Macklin leans against the doorjamb of my office, inspecting me.

Setting my phone face down on the desk, I close my laptop and motion to the chair across from me. “Hey, come on in.”

His movements are slow as he moves closer before perching on the edge of the seat.

“What’s up?” I ask.

His deep inhale makes his nostrils flare, but he stays quiet.

“You good?” I ask.

“Depends. You gonna tell me what’s going on?”

Blindsided, I lean back in my seat, my mind reeling.

Mack’s a laid-back guy. Always has been.

Never one to be impulsive or say shit he doesn’t mean.

He’s consistent. Dependable. And doesn’t rock the boat or make assumptions.

It’s why the underlying tone catches me off guard and leaves me on edge.

“Not sure what you’re referring to,” I finally say.

His eyes thin. “Sure, you don’t.”

Refusing to cower under his scrutiny, I tilt my head. “If you’ve got something to say, say it, Mack. Is this about the team? The way I’m running things?”

“I saw you,” he clarifies. His razor-sharp gaze somehow manages to sharpen even more as he folds his arms, daring me to deny it.

First Iris, now Mack? It’s like we’re playing with fire.

I could ask him for specifics. I could deny it altogether.

What he did or didn’t see. And if I didn’t care about Rory the way I do, maybe I would.

But it’s not like we haven’t been careless.

Our late night rendezvous. Our early walks to get coffee.

Our meet-ups in my office. Honestly, it’s a miracle Mack waited this long to approach me about it.

And even though my body buzzes with adrenaline, and my fight or flight instincts are threatening to kick in, there’s an ember of relief, too.

That maybe it’s finally out in the open.

Or at least, it can be, depending on how I play this.

A not-so-small part of me wishes Rory could be here.

To help make the decision. About whether or not she’s ready to publicly launch our relationship or if she’d rather keep it hidden and safe for a little while longer.

Or maybe I’m the one who wants to keep our relationship hidden and safe for a little while longer. Fuck, I don’t even know anymore.

“It was in your office,” Mack clarifies, as if I’m stupid enough to deny it. “I saw you with Rory. Tell me what’s going on.”

Giving in, I thread my fingers in front of me and mutter, “We’re waiting to make things public.”

“Why?”

It’s a good question. One I’ve asked myself more times than I can count since kissing Rory the first time.

“Her dad’s not gonna be happy if he finds out,” Mack adds.

If?

I cock my head, not bothering to hide my confusion.

“It’s not my job to say anything, but it is yours,” he explains. “I’ll tell you this much, though. If I found out Griffin was hiding his relationship with Finley for over a month, I’d be pissed.”

To be fair, I’m pretty sure he was keeping his relationship with Finley under wraps for at least a month before they came clean, but I bite my tongue to keep from throwing my brother under the bus.

The bastard owes me.

Keeping my fingers laced, I cup the back of my head, letting my attention graze the ceiling as defeat washes over me. “I know?— ”

“Do you?” he challenges. “Because Rory deserves more than being a dirty little secret.”

Dirty little secret? The thought alone is enough to make my blood boil. “You think I don’t know that?” I demand.

“Do you care about her?”

“Of course, I care about her,” I retort. “I love her, Mack.”

“Does she know that?”

“Yes.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

It’s another good question. I scrub my hand over my face. “We were…waiting.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know?” The lack of confidence leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, and I try swallowing past it. “To…to make sure, I guess.”

“To make sure it’s real?” he asks.

I nod. “Yeah.”

“Well, since you just told me you love her, I’m gonna guess it is, right?”

“Yeah,” I repeat. “But…”

“But what?”

The muscle beneath my eye pulses as I hold his gaze. “If I come clean to Henry, it means I come clean to everyone.”

“And?”

“And that includes Iris,” I say while hating how much control my ex has over me, even now.

Even after drawing the line in the sand with her the other night.

Because I can say whatever the hell I want, but it isn’t only me who will have to deal with the fallout.

Am I so wrong for wanting to shield Rory from it? From Iris’s wrath?

Understanding swallows his frustration, and Mack sighs, resting his forearms on his knees in the quiet office. “All right, that’s the first reasonable excuse I’ll accept for keeping things quiet. ”

My mouth lifts. “Glad I’ve earned your approval.”

“Not approving of your decision, only understanding the reason behind it,” he clarifies. “Rory still deserves more than what she’s getting.”

“I know, but you don’t understand?—”

“I understand better than most, Jax.” He glances over his shoulder, confirming we’re still alone as he drops his voice low. “Or have you forgotten you’re not the only one with an ex who has a penchant for friction and a lack of acceptance?”

Well, shit.

He’s right. If anyone gets it, it’s him. Rumor has it, his ex, Summer, threw a massive fit when she found out he was dating Kate.

If Iris gave me an ultimatum, what would I do?

Would I let my daughter go? Not a chance.

But would I let Rory go, either? The thought alone makes my fists clench, and a shudder of unease rolls down my spine.

Poppy’s my world. She’s my baby. My everything.

But Iris would never put me in that position.

Would she?

She couldn’t. Not legally, anyway. Not without forcing me to take a paternity test, which would put her monthly child support checks on the line, and she’s too greedy for that.

Add in Iris lying during mediation about when she started sleeping with Chris, and I’m pretty sure the odds of her requesting a paternity test are close to zero.

The real question is whether or not Rory’s ready to put up with Iris’s shit.

Because that much is inevitable. And I’m so exhausted from the fighting.

But let’s say she does play nice and doesn’t threaten to take my daughter from me.

Iris still won’t be happy. Pretty sure she’s incapable.

Doesn’t Rory deserve more than that? Dealing with a shitty ex all because I share a daughter with her?

Then again, isn’t it Rory’s decision in the first place ?

Shit. I don’t know anymore. Not really.

I want to protect her from it all. My past. My baggage.

Not because she isn’t strong enough to handle it, but because they’re my mistakes.

Mine. Then again, so is she. She’s mine.

If she’ll have me. The familiar mind-fuck swirls through my brain, digging into every tiny crevice until my thoughts are so consumed, it takes me a second to feel Macklin’s curious stare.

“Seems you have a lot to think about,” he notes.

“Not that it’s new,” I clarify with a sigh. “But you’re right. She does deserve better.”

“She does. So the question is, what are you gonna do about it?”