Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Adalyn was impeccably dressed in another dark suit, her hair pulled back, looking elegant as ever. Still, something didn’t feel quite right. Jaxon took in the set of her shoulders, the tight lines of her expression. Despite her well-put-together appearance, she seemed... frazzled.
His mind immediately jumped to the worst. He noticed that the window had been fixed, so he assumed someone had been out first thing that morning. Had something more dire happened in the meantime, or was she still concerned over yesterday’s incident?
He pondered her demeanor as he wandered to the back of the salon, easily finding the door to her office.
He set the brown bag of food on the desk, then glanced at his watch.
Just after noon. Settling into the chair by Adalyn’s desk, he propped one ankle on the opposite knee.
Last night, he’d thought a lot about exactly how to proceed.
Adalyn obviously didn’t trust him, though he couldn’t say he blamed her.
Two years ago, they’d done things all wrong.
Leaning back, he laced his fingers together and rested them on his stomach. He could hear the faint voices coming from the salon, punctuated by the occasional laugh. He hoped Adalyn would hurry up so they could get on with it.
A soft scuffling noise drew his attention to the connecting door, and he waited to hear the sound again. A second later, the door handle jiggled. Perplexed, he stood from the chair and headed straight to the door. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he gave it the slightest twist and found it locked.
He really shouldn’t open the door since it was Adalyn’s space.
But someone was obviously trying to get in, and if they were trying to do so without her knowledge, he was going to find out who it was.
Leaning closer, he pressed his ear to the door but heard nothing from the other side.
The person on the other side was being extremely quiet, and his instincts flared.
One hand on the knob, he used the other hand to flick the lock.
In one smooth motion, he unlocked the door and threw it open.
Surprise rooted him to the ground when he saw nothing—until he dropped his gaze.
A tiny toddler cowered behind the door frame.
He glanced inside the attached room full of dresses but saw no one.
Maybe she had escaped one of the brides from the salon.
He was sure someone would be looking for her soon.
Dropping to his haunches, he lowered his tone and spoke soothingly to her. “Hey, little one. How did you get back here?”
She peeked one eye around the doorframe, and he gently coaxed her out. “Come here. I won’t hurt you.” After a moment, she took a tiny step toward him. He held out his hands and waited. “I’ll bet someone’s missing you.”
Tentatively, she took another step closer, inspecting him with a wariness only a baby could manage, before apparently deciding he was safe enough. Her tiny hands stretched upward, and he carefully lifted her into his arms. “You lost, little one? I think we should go find your mama.”
The baby reached out with jerky, uneven motions, grabbing for his face, and her mouth tipped up in a huge smile.
He knew nothing about kids, except for the fact that he eventually planned to have some of his own.
A handful of teeth dotted her mouth as she grinned at him, and he couldn’t help but smile back.
How old were kids when they got their first teeth?
He figured she was maybe a year old or so, since she could walk.
“Who do you belong to, huh?” The baby tugged at his ear, and he grimaced as her tiny nails dug into his skin.
As gently as possible, he extracted them and clasped her hand in his own.
He felt a little silly carrying on a one-sided conversation with this tiny little girl who probably didn’t understand a thing he said, but he loved the smile it put on her face.
From out in the salon area, he could hear the rapid approach of footsteps and voices, one of which he recognized as Adalyn’s. The other he assumed belonged to the baby’s mother. He smiled down at the little girl in his arms. “Not gonna answer me? That’s okay, I think I hear your mama now.”
His eyes swept over her delicate, tiny features.
Pale blonde hair, straight as a pin, capped her head, and icy gray eyes bore into his own baby blues.
His gaze narrowed just as the office door swung open and he came face-to-face with a breathless Adalyn.
Fear and another emotion crossed her face when she saw the baby in his arms. He glanced between her and the infant, cataloging their features.
Adalyn’s assistant popped around her seconds later and immediately began to apologize. “I’m sorry. I looked away for two seconds, I swear…”
“It’s fine.” Adalyn didn’t even bother to glance at the younger woman, just kept her gaze fixed on him.
The assistant wrung her hands together for a moment, then started toward him. “Here, let me take her.”
Some irrational anxiety had him tightening his hold on the little girl, who squirmed within his grasp. He reluctantly passed her to the young woman. “I’d like to speak with Adalyn for a moment. Alone.”
Adalyn’s eyes flared at that word, and her muscles went rigid with tension.
The assistant hesitated, then finally bobbed her head and turned to leave the room, the baby on her hip cooing and babbling incoherently.
Adalyn reached out a hand and stroked down the baby’s spine before turning her attention back to him.
For a long moment, he just stared at her. There was an explanation for this. There had to be. Fury and anticipation warred within him, the emotions threatening to bubble to the surface. His body flushed hot, then ice cold, rendering him numb. “Whose little girl is that?”
“Mine.” She looked tired, defeated. And scared. There was no mistaking the fear in her eyes.
Deep down, he knew the answer to the question he was about to ask. But he wanted to know—he needed to hear it come from her mouth. “And her father?”
He held his breath, suddenly terrified to hear the answer. He wanted her to say it out loud, yet at the same time he didn’t want to acknowledge the possibility.
She bit her lip and glanced at the ground before meeting his gaze again, moisture clouding her eyes. Her voice was whisper soft. “She’s yours.”
For a moment, everything went completely still around him, and he felt his mind go blank with shock. He misheard her—he had to have. Yet, he’d held the proof that what she said was true. He inhaled deeply and speared Adalyn with a sharp look. “You need to explain what’s going on. Right now.”
Her teeth sank into her lower lip as her face twisted into an expression of remorse. “I didn’t want you to find out like this.”
“You didn’t…” He gave his head a little shake, still trying to digest everything. He had a kid. “Seriously, Adalyn? Why didn’t you tell me?”
She flinched at his words. “I tried!”
“You tried?” His eyes narrowed to cold, angry slits. “Explain to me how you ‘try’ to tell someone they have a kid?”
“Please, I—” She reached one hand toward him, but he evaded her grasp.
“Tell me, Adalyn, because I’d love to know. How could you keep this from me?”
“I don’t know!”
He refused to be moved by the tears welling in her eyes. “I can’t believe this.”
His throat tightened as cold settled in his bones. He fought to keep his voice even as he spoke. “You condemned me years ago, chalked me up as bad husband material. And now you’ve hidden my daughter from me?”
“I didn’t mean—”
“You did, Adalyn. You had every chance to tell me, but you never said a word. How could you?”
Tears slipped down her cheeks, and despite his anger with her, his chest tightened at the sight. “Please, Jaxon, I swear I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t take her away.”
He stared at her, rooted to the floor as her words sank in. “Jesus, Adalyn. Do you really think I’d do something like that? You really think I’m so horrible that I’d take a little girl away from her mother?”
He shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t be here right now. I need to leave. But we are not finished, know that right now. You don’t get to make the decisions anymore.”
He stomped through the salon, and the women scattered as he made his way toward the front door.
His entire body felt hot with anger, fit to burst. How could she do this to him?
He replayed the moment in his head over and over again, seeing those blonde locks and big gray eyes for the first time.
He couldn’t believe he didn’t figure it out sooner.
She was an exact replica of both of them—mostly him—and it was like a spear to the heart.
How had he not known he had a little girl?
How could Adalyn not tell him? It was the ultimate betrayal, and he was tempted for a moment to turn around and confront her again, but he forced himself to walk out the front door before he did something stupid.
Out on the sidewalk, he seethed. What she’d done was completely unacceptable. She’d had a million opportunities to tell him about the baby, yet she’d been too much of a coward. In that moment, he hated her. He wanted to lash out and hurt her, and he felt the need to physically restrain himself.
Pulling the poker chip from his back pocket, he flipped it through his fingers. Pedestrians veered in a wide arc around him as he glared straight ahead. He probably looked like a crazed person, a scowl on his face as he pushed onward, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
A thousand thoughts bombarded his mind, echoing in his ears and drowning out the sounds around him.
He’d missed out on everything. Adalyn’s pregnancy, his daughter’s birth, her first steps…
Jesus. He scrubbed a hand over his face.
In his fury, he hadn’t even thought to ask the little girl’s name.
Guilt prompted him to turn around and go back, but residual anger pushed him to keep walking and blow off some steam.