Page 10 of Daddies’ Little Cubs (Ivory Mountain Daddies #3)
CHAPTER NINE
JACKSON
J ackson had been a bundle of nerves since he got the text from Eli this morning saying that they would be having lunch with Emmett.
He knew that it was better to go ahead and get their intentions out on the table before they progressed the relationship with the girls, but that didn’t make this process any easier.
He was excited to continue to get to know Destiny and Jessa even though he knew that they had to wait until the end of the semester to pursue anything with them. It was a necessary evil, unfortunately.
Jackson’s heart began to race as they pulled up to the bistro that Emmett had picked out for lunch. Emmett knew the owners well and always had a table waiting for him in a private section at the back of the restaurant.
That worked out well in the men's favor since what they needed to discuss is a sensitive topic and not one that many outsiders would understand.
“Hey, whatever happens in there just know that I love you and we will overcome any obstacles that get in our way. The twins are meant to be our Littles and I don’t have any doubt otherwise.” Eli said, looking in his direction.
“I agree, handsome. They are ours, we just only have to convince them that they are meant to be with us. After we convince their brother-in-law that we have no ill intent.”
“Why do I feel like it’s going to be easier to convince the twins that we want them than it will be to convince Emmett?”
“Because we both know that Emmett is overprotective of the Littles in his life. Just because the twins re-entered it recently doesn’t change the fact that he’s going to want to guard them like he has known them their whole life.”
Eli nodded at his statement. Leaning over, Jackson pressed a quick kiss against his lips before opening up the door and stepping out. It was time to man up and do this.
Walking hand in hand, the guys made their way towards where they spotted Emmett sitting in the back of the restaurant.
“Hey guys! It’s great to see y'all.” Emmett said as he pulled them each into a hug.
“It’s good to see you too, man. It’s been way too long.”
Jackson nodded his head in agreement to Eli’s statement. It really had been awhile since they all hung out together. Hopefully, that would change though once the twins became theirs officially.
“Let’s go ahead and get to the point of this lunch so that we can talk it out before we start to eat.”
Jackson looked at Eli for guidance. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be the one who brought up what they were wanting. Eli was the Dom in their relationship, so it should be his place to talk about it right?
He heard Eli clear his throat and look in his direction. With a small nod, Eli started to lay out exactly why they were here.
“I mentioned in our texts that this involved Rae’s twin sisters.”
“You did. I’m not sure what could possibly be going on that we would need to have a sit down conversation about them.”
“Well as you know, we both work at IMU. Of course we have met them both while on campus.”
“Okay? Has something happened to them? Did they get into trouble?”
“No! Nothing of the sort. This is way harder to explain than I thought it would be.”
Determined to save his husband, Jackson decided to speak up and just lay it out.
“It’s not new news that we are looking for a Little to complete our little family. Well we found her, them to be exact. We want Destiny and Jessa.”
The table fell quiet as Emmett digested the words. Jackson slid his hand onto Eli’s knee seeking comfort from the anxiety blooming within him.
“Let me get this straight, you both want to date the twins? Like separately? One of you dates one and the other dates the other?”
“No, we will both date each of them. We want to share them.” Eli stated.
It seemed that they shocked Emmett speechless. Jackson knew that what they were wanting was unconventional, but they never did anything traditional anyways.
“Have you told them this?” Emmett asked several minutes later.
“Not yet. There are some things that are in the way of us pursuing them.
One being this conversation with you. We know what we are asking is a lot, but we came to you as a friend about our intentions.
No matter what you say or choose, it isn't going to change the fact that we are claiming the twins as ours.”
“What else is in the way?”
Jackson spoke this time answering his question. “Jessa is currently a student in Eli’s Intro to Economics class. There would be an ethical issue at play even though there aren't any college rules that state that professors and students can’t date.”
Eli hummed his agreement before adding on, “They also don’t know we are married. We both met one of the twins separately. Jackson met Destiny and then later that week I met Jessa in class. We didn’t know that they were twins until that day.”
“Do you plan on telling them that you are married to each other?”
“Not just yet. We want to be able to get to know the girls one-on-one before we introduce them to the idea of us together. Seems like the best option since we can’t start anything with them until the end of the semester.”
“What do you want exactly from me?” Emmett asked the guys after a short pause.
“We aren’t asking anything of you. We just wanted to come to you directly and tell you our intentions with the twins, before you found out another way.
We are aware that this isn’t going to be easy and we know that there is a long battle ahead of us that as a group we will have to overcome, but we are serious about this.
We want to be with the twins and we will do whatever it takes to have them as our Littles.
” Jackson said, laying out his heart on the table.
“I appreciate you coming to me first. I, of course, will keep this from the twins for now, but make no mistake, if you hurt them in any way, I will come for you. I have people in all kinds of places that you don’t even want to know about.”
Eli and Jackson looked at each other grinning. This conversation went a lot easier than they had hoped for. Nodding at Emmett’s words, all the men switched the conversation to that of a lighter topic and settled in for what ended up being a very nice lunch together.
It’s been a week since they met up with Emmett and Jackson has enjoyed getting to know Destiny and Jessa a little more every time they come to the library.
He has figured out that Destiny’s favorite color is light purple while Jessa told him that hers was dark purple.
Both girls love Twix bars and can’t stand Almond Joy candy bars.
Apparently neither of them liked coconut.
He found out that Destiny was deathly allergic to bananas. When she was a baby her parents fed her banana baby food and she almost went into anaphylactic shock. Both girls carry an epi pen for her because they never knew if something would happen and they wanted to be safe.
Jackson was proud of them for making sure to take the necessary precautions. On the days that he didn’t see the twins, which wasn’t often since Desi tried to come to the library every day, Eli would fill him in on all the things he was able to learn from them.
With each passing week, he found himself falling more and more in love with the twins. It was crazy to think that he loved them this soon, but he did. They are exactly what Eli and him needed to complete them.
The girls still had no clue that they were married to each other, but the end of the semester was only a few more weeks away. The time was coming soon to tell them and Jackson is ready to make that happen.
As if he conjured her himself, Jackson looked up just as his Little girl was walking into the building. Feeling like he was in high school again, his heart began to race as she walked towards him. She was breathtaking today and he planned on telling her exactly that.
“Good morning, Desi! You look stunning today, as usual.”
He watched a grin spread across her face as she looked down at her outfit. She was dressed today in a light yellow jumper dress with white hightop shoes. Her hair was curled and pulled back into a bow with daisies on it. She looked adorable.
“Good morning, Jackson!”
“What’s your plans for today, Little one?”
“Since we are getting closer to finals I want to start studying and focusing on my studies material so I don’t feel so overwhelmed later.”
“That makes sense and I’m proud of you for managing your time well.”
Destiny grinned at his statement. He enjoyed seeing her light up under his praise and held onto that knowledge for future reference.
As she turned away to walk away from him, Jackson quickly reached out to grab her hand pulling her in close. At her puzzled look, he leaned down and pressed a kiss on her cheek.
The cherry red blush that burst across her cheeks made his heart happy. “Wouldn’t want you to go to your spot without doing that first.”
She turned and walked away heading to what they have both come to see as her spot now and Jackson went back to what he was doing on the computer. The college had received a new delivery of books and he was working on logging them in the system and preparing the books to go on the shelves.
It was a long and tedious process, but he enjoyed doing it because it gave him something to focus on for several days. Plus it also meant that he got to be around Destiny a little more during the day.
Several hours later, Jackson grabbed a small bottle of water that he had started keeping in the mini fridge in the back room and a mini Twix for both of them before making his way to where Destiny sat hunched over her books.
“Little darling, it's time to take a break. You’ve been at this for several hours now. I don’t think you have moved a muscle since you sat down.”
“Hi Jackson! I agree I could use a small little break.” She stated as she picked up the candy he placed in front of her.
“Fancy a different kind of break today? I could use some fresh air.”
“Can you leave like that? I thought with you being the head librarian you have to stay here all day in case problems arise.”
“Normally, I try to stay here for that reason, but there are several other librarians here that can handle any problems that may come. If there is something out of their scope that they can’t handle, they each have my number and can call.”
Jackson watched Destiny take a moment to process what he said. He hoped that she would take him up on his invitation to walk around in the mini gardens. She had mentioned that she loved to walk through them when the days were pretty because they reminded her of home.
“So, what do you say? Shall we take a walk outside and get some fresh air?”
“Yes sir, I would like that a lot.”
Biting back a groan, he gathered their trash and helped her stand. Leading her towards the exit, he stopped and let the student aide, Samantha, know he would be stepping out for a moment and to ask one of the other librarians if she had any questions or concerns.
Taking a deep breath as they walked outside, he immediately felt calmer. This was exactly the kind of break he needed. Looking down at Destiny, Jackson noticed that she also had less tension.
Turning towards where the gardens are, they walked at a slow pace just enjoying the comfort of each other's company. Jackson cleared his throat before asking, “My sweet girl, may I hold your hand while we walk through the gardens? If you don’t feel comfortable enough for that, I will understand, but it would thrill me to have you close in that way.”
What felt like an eternity later, but was actually only a few short moments Jackson felt a small movement at his side as Desi slid her hand inside of his, interlocking their fingers together.
“I know that we are still getting to know each other, but the connection I feel for you is surreal. I want you Destiny, if you will have me, that is.”
She didn’t say anything back, but that was fine with him. He understood that she would need time to process what he said.
Before he could stop the words from tumbling out his mouth, Jackson tacked onto his declaration, “And Jessa, too. I want you both. In the short time we have known each other, I feel a connection with each of you that is like none other.”
Destiny stumbled over her feet as he finished his statement. Catching her with an arm round her waist, he pulled her in close. With a finger under her chin, he tilted her head up and pressed another kiss on her forehead.
“Are you ready to go back inside now? It shouldn’t be much longer before your class this afternoon.”
“Yes sir, I’m ready.”
Hand in hand they walked back towards the library, only letting go right before they walked inside. While he was ready to proclaim it to the world that Destiny was his, Jackson knew that right now wasn’t the time, but it would be soon.