Page 37 of Timeless

“You were really that hungry?”

She came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. “I lost my appetite when I saw you. But it’s back now.” She looked the most relaxed I’d seen her all night.

I followed, hearing the boys in the kitchen.

“Well, what do you know, my tea is here,” Amber said, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

The boys looked guilty immediately. They could at least hide the fact I had kicked them out of the house.

“We knew you wouldn’t want to be interrupted,” Tyler started to explain.

My food better be hot and not ice cold.” Amber pushed him out of the way.

“Didn’t think you would be able to eat after seeing him.” Cole stepped in her way. “Do you want us to kick him out now?” Cole gave me a look over her head, like he would gladly kick me out of the house.

“Nope, Jax is staying. Now move.”

I looked at the back of her head. Had I just misheard her?

“What do you mean he’s staying?” Troy asked. “Jack is back tomorrow.”

“I know he is.” Amber got a bowl out and moved around her brothers, who looked as shocked as me. “Jack will be in a foul mood after not sleeping all night. So, I think it’s perfect.” Amber dished her food into a bowl.

“How will it be perfect?” Adam said.

Amber looked up, locking eyes with me. “Because Jax will get to see firsthand the temper he has given his son. And his son’s attitude at the lack of sleep.” Her grin got wider. “And he gets to handle it with me.”

Amber and I facing our son shouldn’t scare me. But it did. It terrified me.

Chapter Eight

Amber

I reached for my cup of coffee, my eyes on my work I had brought home this weekend. I’d planned on doing it while Jack was with Dad, not knowing that I was going to have to deal with Jax instead. And Dad had left out the fact they were flying to the capital to watch a football game. So. they don’t fly back until tomorrow.

I wanted to kill Dad for taking Jack out of the state without my permission.

I frowned. Why were this month’s expenses more than budgeted? This was going to give me a headache. Actually, it was already giving me a headache.

Let them branch out, they said, it won’t blow out of the budget, they said. All the company’s spending was my problem. It was my problem to set the budgets and make sure they were stuck to.

I flipped over the page. Okay, I needed to bring human resources and their advertising for vacant positions back into line. How many times had I told him to advertise internally?

A headache. That was what I was getting. I’d woken up at five to do this, been at it for three hours, and I ended up with a headache. Well, my Saturday was just going to be joyful.

“You look busy.”

My eyes bounced off the figures and onto Jax. How long had he been watching me?

“Sleep okay?” I asked, not letting the nerves I felt into my voice. God, being near him was… well, there weren’t words for this type of feeling. It was more like a fucking pull toward him. Even after all these years, his pull on me was the same.

I felt it as soon as his eyes locked with mine on the porch.

I wanted to slap myself for letting it happen.

“Yeah.” Jax smiled at me but he was lying. I knew Jax well, at least I used to. And it would seem I did still know him somewhat. Because right now I knew he was lying.

“So, we’re doing that, are we?” I picked up my boiling coffee, watching him.

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