Page 111 of A Dangerous Proposal

“Five,” he muttered under his breath, and then hurried to say. “But I’ve sent Liev for more, so you’ll have enough for his next dose.”

“Speaking of doses, I need to give him a breathing treatment.”

“For that whistling sound?”

Her stomach sank. “He’s already wheezing?”That’s not good.“I was able to get an appointment with his pediatrician for tomorrow morning, but she said there’s a nasty flu going around.”

Leaving Jax with Alex, Madison retrieved the small machine and measured out his medicine before reaching for Jax again. Fortunately, Jax was happier to see her than he was angry at hischange of venue, and barely fussed when she attached the mask over his nose and mouth and sat with him in her lap while the nebulizer machine hummed next to her.

Alex stood hovering over them for a moment. “Can I get you a glass of wine or anything?” He stared intently at the device Jax wore.

“I’m good. I know the mask makes it look scary.” She gave him a smile. “Really, it’s just a quicker method of getting the medicine to his lungs. He’s used to it. And this time, they were able to flavor the medicine. Hopefully, it will keep him from going into a full-blown infection.”

Alex pursed his lips and continued to watch them for a minute before saying. “I have to go out of town for a few days.”

“Okay.”

She wasnotdisappointed.

“I leave early tomorrow. It will only be two nights, three at the most.”

Alex was still frowning deeply and she suddenly understood.

“I’m used to doing this on my own. It’s okay.”

Alex’s mouth thinned, but he didn’t say anything. Giving her one last glance, he turned and left the room.

By the time she was convinced Jax was out for good, Madison was exhausted. He’d eaten half a grilled cheese, and his fever hadn’t returned before it was time for his next nebulizer treatment. She was hoping he’d be able to get a few hours of rest before his temperature spiked again.

When Madison came back downstairs, the house was quiet, and she assumed Alex had gone to bed. She was still too keyed up despite her fatigue for sleep. Now that Jax was taken care of for the moment, she was back to worrying about Opal.

She wished she had someone she could talk to about her doubts. To help her figure out if she was losing her mind, or ifshe was right to suspect there was something more to her sister’s death.

Cami was miserable enough right now, and Madison didn’t want to add to her stress. And she worried that if she told Alex that Felix had threatened her, he would ignore his brother’s command not to touch him.

She huffed a humorless laugh when she realized the route her brain had taken. Madison didn’t doubt for one second that if she told Alex that Felix had grabbed her, Alex would hurt him. Her thinking had apparently become so warped she didn’t care about the prospect of violence, she only cared that Alex could get in trouble for it.

Lost in her thoughts, she jumped when she saw Alex sitting on the sofa, his fingers tapping lazily on the glass he held with one hand, while staring blankly at the wall.

She flopped back on the opposite side. “He’s asleep.”

Alex’s gaze refocused on her. “You already had that machine here. Does he need it a lot?”

“More than I’d like. His doctors think he’ll grow out of it eventually, but he catches so many colds it’s hard for his lungs to get a break in between so that they can get stronger.”

Deep furrows formed between his eyes. “Is it normal to be sick that much?”

“He’s in daycare, and his immune system has never been great.” Madison blew out a breath. “Little germ monkeys running around in a petri dish. I don’t think it’s a problem for most kids. Jax’s system is just a little more sensitive than most.”

“He would get better faster if he didn’t go to daycare?”

She shrugged. “His pediatrician recommended finding a smaller facility, but it wasn’t a realistic option for me.”

“He should have a nanny. Then he wouldn’t be exposed to extra germs, and he’d have all of one person’s attention.”

Madison leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “I’ll think about it when I win the lottery.”

The room was silent for several beats, and then she heard an exasperated, “Angel.”

---