Page 24 of Hidden Heir, Italian Wife

Sofia stayed beside her, one arm wrapped around Bree’s leg as she stared up at Jackson. Bree smoothed hair that had been mussed by Sofia’s winter hat.

“This is Jackson. He’s—” She looked at him. Was he ready for this?

“I’mPapà.” Jax crouched and let one knee touch the floor, then braced his hand on his thigh. “That’s how we sayDaddyin Italy. Do you want to try it?”

Bree’s heart lurched.

Sofia was still hugging her leg and looked up at her.

Bree nodded, throat tight. “If you want to.”

“Papà?” Sofia looked at him shyly.

“Perfect.” A slow, proud smile spread across Jax’s face.

Sofia smiled back.

Bree’s heart writhed with emotions she couldn’t name. The connection was forming before her eyes. It was beautiful in the most painful way and painful in a beautiful way.

“There’s something important I need to tell you, Sofia,” Jax continued in a quiet, somber tone. “I didn’t know about you. I should have asked yourmamafor her phone number when we met, but I didn’t. That was my mistake. If I had, you would already know me. I’m very sorry it took so long for me to come see you, but I’m here now. You’ll always know how to find me from now on.”

Oh.Bree swallowed back the heart rising into her throat, then it was pulled clean out of her body by her daughter.

Sofia stepped across the space. Her small arms splayed out, trying to hug Jackson’s wide chest. Her little head rested on his shoulder for the length of a couple of heartbeats while she said, “That’s okay. We still love each other. You can do better next time.”

Shock blanked Jax’s expression.

Bree covered her laugh, but she was also tearing up. It was exactly how she and Sofia made up after a spat. Usually, it was Sofia kicking up and having to apologize, but Bree always reassured her that her love never faltered. It seemed her daughter had absorbed how to be gracious in accepting remorse.

As Jax’s arms twitched to wrap around her, Sofia darted back to clasp Bree’s leg again. She looked up at her with an anxious look that asked,Did I do it right?

“That was very well done,” Bree assured her with another stroke of her hair, blinking the dampness from her eyes.

“Can I have screen time?” Ah, the attention span of a preschooler.

“You can wash your hands and we’ll all have a snack. Then we’ll talk about screen time.”

“Deal!” Sofia ran into the bathroom.

There was a scraping sound as Sofia dragged her step stool to the sink, then she began to sing “Happy Birthday.”

Jackson uncoiled to stand, the movement seeming to take great effort. His expression was stunned, as though Sofia had been a linebacker who had leveled him into the ground and his ears were still ringing.

That’s what Bree thought, anyway, until his gaze flashed into hers, alight with purpose. Then she realized his gradual unfolding was actually the energy of a panther leaping in slow motion.

“You’re coming to Italy,” he told her.

“No, Jax.” She kept her voice down and shook her head, but had the sense thatshewas the one who was reacting too slowly. Invisible paws were closing around her, sharp talons extending to trap her in an inescapable cage.

“Yes,” he continued as though she hadn’t spoken. “And I think we should marry.”

CHAPTER SIX

Bree didn’t saya word to him as Sofia emerged from the bathroom and sat to eat a cheese sandwich with apple slices.

Jax stayed out of the way, sitting with Sofia to answer her questions. She had hundreds of them ranging from whether he liked dogs or cats to whether he knew Kylie with the brown hair?

Every second that he spent with her strengthened his resolve to become an integral part of her life. He had already been thinking of a future with both of them when he’d walked in here. His libido had been screaming that no matter what happened, he needed an affair with Bree and his sense of family values had demanded he bring his daughter into his home.

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