Page 115 of A Dangerous Proposal

Thankfully, Jax slept through the night, which meant not only had Madison been able to rest, but also Alex hadn’t needed to figure out what to do with a screaming toddler without waking up its mother.

Early morning light was filtering in through the curtains when Alex heard soft rustling from the baby monitor. The quietnoises were followed by a few nonsense murmurs, then Jax’s voice rose in an insistent, sleepy babble.

Alex pushed himself up, turned off the monitor, and hurried down the hall. The last thing he wanted was for Madison to wake up after only a few hours of sleep.

Jax was sitting up in his bed, rubbing his eyes, and holding his stuffed dinosaur by the neck. As soon as Alex appeared in the doorway, the boy made a noise somewhere between greeting and demand.

“Yeah, yeah,” Alex muttered, with a smile scooping him up. “My wish is your command, tyrant. You let mommy have a break last night, so I think you deserve a treat.”

Jax’s eyes lit up at the word. “Let’s go see what we can find in the kitchen.”

The toddler hummed something that sounded vaguely like agreement, before laying his head against Alex’s shoulder. Warmth curled through Alex’s chest, but this time, he didn’t fight against it.

What was the point anymore? He was already completely attached to this child and his mother.

Alex shifted him to one arm while pulling open the fridge. “What do you want? Eggs? Toast?” Jax smacked his lips but otherwise remained quiet. “Not helpful,” Alex muttered.

He grabbed several small containers of cut fruit and set Jax in his highchair. “How about we start here?”

Jax hummed a happy little noise as Alex handed him a piece of melon and placed a variety of fruit on the tray. He chewed enthusiastically, bouncing his legs as Alex leaned against the counter, watching him.

“You’ve got a pretty good setup here, you know that? Mommy carries you around.” He gestured at the food on the tray. “Snacks are ready for you whenever you want them, and I’m at your beck and call.” Alex mused.

Jax’s only response was a delighted giggle as he held his sticky fingers out to Alex. “Right. I forgot you also have a personal valet.”

He might have felt silly about the one-sided conversation he was having with the toddler, but Madison did it every day, so he figured it was okay.

Grabbing a napkin, he wiped the boy’s hands, ignoring Jax’s attempts to squirm away, before finally setting him on his feet.

“All right, let me grab a sippy cup for you, and you can watch some cartoons while I work.”

A sippy cup? Who the hell am I?

Holding his cup with two hands, Jax toddle-ran in front of Alex, leading the way to the living room. It was astonishing to Alex just how much the boy had changed in a few short months.

Jax plopped onto the floor, settled his back against the sofa, and pointed at the painting above the fireplace.

“Blue!”

“I’m going as fast as I can.” Alex pressed the button on the remote control to reveal the hidden television behind the painting and then flicked through the screens until he reached Jax’s favorite.

“Blue!” he exclaimed again.

“You’re going to end up sounding like an Aussie before this is all over,” Alex grumbled but started the popular Australian children’s show.

Jax, entirely unbothered by Alex’s judgment, stared at the screen, completely enraptured, while Alex sank onto the couch with his coffee. He glanced at his phone, answering a few messages, all while keeping an eye on the toddler.

After a while, Jax pulled himself up and clambered on the sofa, only to shuffle closer to Alex, dragging his stuffed dinosaur with him. He burrowed into Alex’s side, his eyes back on the animated dogs.

Alex smirked down at him. “I’m more comfortable than the floor, huh?”

Jax didn’t answer, too absorbed in his favorite character. Alex shook his head but switched his phone to his left hand so that he could rest the other on Jax, holding him close.

It was almost an hour later when Alex heard the soft footsteps coming down the hall. He glanced up as Madison walked into the room. Her damp hair was pulled up in a messy knot, and she’d changed into a pair of her sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt.

She hesitated at the threshold, her gaze darting between Jax and Alex. There was something cautious in her expression, as if she wasn’t sure what she was about to walk into.

“He’s fine,” Alex assured her before she could ask. “He didn’t seem to have a fever, so I didn’t give him any medicine. Seems good, just not as energetic as he normally is. How are you feeling?” he asked as she stepped closer.

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