Page 23 of Timeless

“A snake, Tae. Mom told me over and over no. But I know you will get me one.” Jack bolted with the phone and I was after him.

“Jack, come back here!” Why was he so quick? He was darting around the couch and I was chasing him.

He stopped, frowning just as I grabbed him. “It’s not Tae, Mom. But he wants you.” He handed me the phone and ran back to Chelsea.

“You are in serious trouble for that, Jack,” I told him. “You aren’t getting pizza.”

Jack went into a meltdown, stomping his feet, throwing his head back, groaning about how unfair I was.

“I don’t care how unfair you think I am. You aren’t getting pizza!” God give me the strength not to buckle on this one. “You can have a sandwich and then bath and bed.”

Jack took that oh-so-well. He pulled the face and I knew the signs.

“Don’t even think about that pretend crying, Jack. You are going to bed early for that. And no pizza!”

“I’m moving out!” Jack stomped off.

“You can’t move out!” I yelled at his back. But I knew he would go upstairs and pack his suitcase with all his soft toys and favorite cars. And then once he was finished packing and threatening he would never see me again, he would calm down.

We would both be eating chocolate ice cream in a matter of an hour, making up from our fight. It was a pattern whenever we fought; we always made up within an hour.

But he was not getting pizza.

Okay, now for the aftermath. I glanced down at the phone, knowing Jax would have heard every word of that. Troy gave me a nod, like I couldn’t not speak to Jax now. And also giving me encouragement at the same time.

I put the phone to my ear. Silence.

“Okay, I’m back,” I said, somewhat steady. Which was close to unbelievable considering how I felt.

“You’re busy,” Jax stated.

“He keeps me on my toes.” I could hear Jack stomping up the stairs slowly, going back down and then stomping his way back up. I walked up the hallway. “Hold on a minute,” I said to Jax and I pulled the phone from my mouth.

“You wake your uncles and you won’t even get that sandwich, Jack.”

He narrowed his eyes at me, deciding if I was serious or not. I wasn’t serious but I put up a front like I was.

Jack rocked back and forth on the step. “I’m moving out! I never want to see you again!” And he took off, fleeing up the stairs.

I groaned. He was going to really work himself up.

“You’ve really got your hands full, Amber.” Jax almost sounded amused. In fact, he did sound amused.

“He is exactly like his father. He gets zero of it from me.” It was Jax’s fault Jack would never back down from me.

Jax laughed. “Nah, sweetheart, I think that was all you.”

I smiled dimly at that. Jax might have a point. I always said Jack got his stubbornness from me. “Well, he will be packing his suitcase and leaving for Tae again.”

“Well, I’ll let you go so you can stop that from happening.”

Did this mean he was going to leave me alone? Like he would end whatever mission he had to find me?

“One day, Amber, when you’re ready. I want to see you and him.” Jax sounded more mature. Like he was slowly accepting the fact I had done exactly what he wanted. Moved on. “Now you better stop him from going to Tae.”

“Maybe a holiday to the UK will do him so good,” I said stubbornly and sat down on the stairs.

“You don’t mean that, sweetheart.”

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