Page 67 of A Little Crush (The Little Things #6)

JAXON

“ Y ou sure about this?” Rory asks. “I mean, I know my parents are one thing, but…” She peeks up at the house I once shared with Iris before giving it to her in the divorce.

I follow Rory’s gaze, taking in the red brick, trimmed lawn, and black door.

If I close my eyes, I can still feel the hot sun beating me down on me as I painted it a few years ago.

So many memories, yet I don’t miss it at all. Strange.

Turning off the ignition, I grunt, “Might as well get it over with. I think Iris will take it better if she finds out from us.”

She hesitates and picks at her T-shirt. “That’s probably true.”

“Why don’t you stay in the car, and I’ll take Poppy inside? She might handle it better if it’s only me.”

Not that she’ll handle it well in general , I silently add, but the more I can shield Rory from Iris’s wrath, the better. And maybe, in a week or two, she’ll have calmed down and things won’t be so shitty. Maybe.

“Whatever you think,” Rory offers. “I’m here to support you, so… ”

I bend over the center console and kiss her softly. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

Climbing out, I grab Poppy’s car seat from the back and hook it on my arm, then make my way up the steps and knock on Iris’s door. With a creak, it opens seconds later.

“Hey.” Iris leans against the doorjamb in a lacy white tank top, her nipples saying hello through the thin material, and a pair of my old boxers. Where the hell did she get those?

“Hey, Iris.” I ignore her inappropriate outfit choice and hold her gaze, determined to get through this as painlessly as possible.

“You look nice,” she compliments.

“Thanks.”

Moving aside, she opens the door a little wider. “Why don’t you come in? I can make you some coffee.”

“Can’t.” I clear my throat and scratch my jaw. “Listen, we need to talk.”

“Which is why I suggested you come inside,” she teases.

“You know I don’t bite. Usually.” Her laugh grinds on me as she turns around and strides toward the kitchen, her hips swaying seductively with every step.

Seriously. How the hell did I not see through her bullshit before we married? I need to get this over with.

With a quick look over my shoulder, I find Rory staring at me from the passenger seat. Sorry , I mouth to her before stepping inside and closing the door behind me.

“Iris?” I call. “We need to talk.”

“Bring Poppy in here and set her on the table.” Her voice echoes from the kitchen at the back of the house, and I bite back my annoyance, following Iris’s instructions as she pours two cups of coffee.

She offers one to me. “Here, just the way you like it.”

“Thanks.” I set the coffee down without bothering to take a drink. “Listen, I?— ”

“Do you remember when we had sex on this table?” Her hand runs along the solid oak before she takes a seat in one of the chairs. “I miss that. The way you knew how to make me scream?—”

“Not here to reminisce about our past, Iris.”

“Of course not,” she agrees. “You’re totally right. I’m just so glad you’re here, and we have a chance to actually talk. I know I was distracted with Chris, and you’ve been busy at work, which you’re totally killing it, by the way, and?—”

“Iris—”

“Do you ever think about us, Jax?”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I mutter, “We’ve already had this conversation.”

“I know, but you never seem to answer.”

“No, I don’t think about us,” I reply bluntly. “And if you want me to be honest, I stopped thinking about us long before I ever found out about you and Chris.”

Her expression falls, and my guilt rises with it. Okay, maybe that was too far. I don’t want to be a dick. She’s the mother of my child. But can’t she see how exhausting she is? How uncomfortable I am?

“How can you say that?” she whispers.

“I’m sorry.”

Her breath is shuddered at best as she stands from the table. “So am I, Jaxon. I’m so sorry.”

I look down at my feet. “I know.”

“Why don’t you sit down? I’m so tired of fighting. I want to just…talk, you know? I want to talk and reconnect, and…I don’t know.”

“I’m not here to make small talk, Iris.”

She moves closer, touching my chest and making my skin crawl. “Then what are you here for?”

I grab her wrist and lower it, careful not to hurt her while also standing my ground. “To tell you I lied to you. ”

Her breath hitches. “What?”

“I said I lied to you. When you dropped off Poppy last week, you asked if I was sleeping with Rory, and?—”

“How could you?”

I shake my head. “I don’t owe you anything, Iris. We’re not together, and we haven’t been together for a long?—”

“You’re right,” she rushes out. “And that’s my fault, okay? It’s my fault we got divorced in the first place. I was just lonely, and it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I forgive you as long as it doesn’t?—”

“Not asking for your forgiveness.” I let her wrist go and take a step back. “I’m informing you that I’m dating Rory, and that I see a real future with her. That’s it. I wanted to apologize for lying to you, clear the air, and let you know so you don’t hear it from someone else.”

Staring up at me, her eyes bouncing around my face as if searching for answers, she whispers, “You’re serious.”

“Yes.”

Her nose wrinkles. “But she’s the nanny.”

“Yes.”

“And a child.”

I shake my head again, feeling the beginning of a migraine at the base of my skull. “She’s not a child?—”

“You sure about that?” she challenges. “Because she looks like a child and probably acts like one, too.”

“Iris.” I grit my teeth, trying my fucking hardest not to stoop to her level, no matter how difficult she’s making it.

And yes, she’s making it really fucking difficult.

“My warning last week is as true today as it was then. You are not allowed to attack Rory, call her names, or speak to her without the respect she deserves. Do you understand?”

“That you’re a fucking asshole?” She folds her arms, pressing her tits together while doing an emotional one- eighty like she used to when we were married. “Yes, I’m aware.”

Guess this means you don’t wanna get back together, right?

I almost say, but I bite my tongue, knowing the asshole comment won’t get me anywhere.

If anything, she’ll wind up using it for ammunition in a future fight.

Besides, there’s nothing left to say. I’ve done my job, said my peace, and now it’s time to walk away.

Twisting the car seat toward me, I drag my fingers along Poppy’s and murmur, “Love you, Pops. I’ll see you next week.” I glance up at Iris. “See you next week, Iris.”

She stomps her foot like a petulant child. “I’m not done having this conversation?—”

“Have a good day.”

“Jaxon—”

Ignoring her, I turn on my heel, get the hell out of dodge, and climb into the driver’s side of my truck.

My body feels like it’s hooked up to a live wire.

It surges with adrenaline and frustration as I syphon the last of my energy, forcing myself to calm the hell down.

I should be familiar with this feeling by now.

This anger and annoyance. I lived with it for years.

Instead, all it brings is flashbacks and bitter memories I’d rather keep buried.

“Everything okay?” Rory whispers. “Are you okay?”

I can feel her stare on the side of my face as easily as I can taste her discomfort and concern.

The combination shines the brightest of lights on how different she is compared to the woman I was married to for years.

The fact that she cares. That she doesn’t make assumptions or jump to conclusions instead of waiting for me to speak my mind, allowing me to gather my thoughts and inspect my own emotions before announcing them to the world.

It’s so refreshing I feel like I can finally breathe again.

Facing her, I say, “I fucking love you. ”

Her mouth twitches, her amusement cutting through her confusion. “What?”

“I said, I fucking love you.” I reach toward her and grab her face, pulling her into me and kissing the shit out of her.

“With you, it’s so…” I shake my head, analyzing her.

“Easy, Rory. It’s so easy with you.” My brows pull, and I try to find a way to make her understand.

“Thank you. For making my life easier. For supporting me and loving me and not shoving my nose in shit or making me feel like I’ve lost my mind.

You have no idea how much it means to me. ”

“Life is hard enough without me adding to it,” she whispers. “And I love you, too. You know, just in case you’re wondering.”