Page 131 of A Little Crush
He frowns, as confused as I was until I pieced together the boobs, tight dress, and strange texts. “Is there a problem, Iris?”
“Are you fucking the nanny?”
My jaw drops, and I swear I would’ve been less shocked if she’d backhanded me. I mean, yeah, he kind of is fucking the nanny, but he’s been fucking me for a while now, and she’s never noticed or called me out like this, so what the hell is her problem?
“Ooookay,” Jaxon drags out. He hands me Poppy’s car seat and steps between me and his ex, creating a physical barrier with his broad shoulders and steely-eyed face. “Not sure what I missed when I was in the bathroom, but?—”
“Why. Is. She. Here?” Iris demands.
“Lower your voice,” he warns. “We don’t wanna wake Poppy up.”
“Then you better start talking,” Iris snaps.
“I’m here to watch Poppy,” I whisper-shout, refusing to let the woman pretend like I’m not standing three feet away from her. “Because that’s myjob.”
Her body stiffens even more as she glares at me from around Jaxon’s torso.
Raising his hands into the air, Jaxon gives me a quick look over his shoulder, then sighs. “I have to work tonight, andwhen you said you wanted to drop Poppy off an hour early, I asked Rory to come over to keep an eye on her until I’m finished. That’s why she’s here.” He sighs again and takes Iris’s arm. “Let me…let me walk you out. Okay?”
The elevator doors slide closed behind them, and I shake my head, reeling from the interaction. Did that really just happen? Like, what the hell?
Refusing to be caught standing frozen in Jaxon’s penthouse, I carefully undo Poppy’s straps, then lift her from the car seat. After double checking that everything’s where it needs to be and she's as safe as possible, I set her in her crib and close the door behind me. A few minutes later, he returns, finding me on the couch.
“Hey.” There it is. That unsure syllable. He adds, “Where’s Poppy?”
“Still asleep.” I stare at my lap. “I moved her to her crib. I read somewhere that it isn’t safe to let them sleep in the car seat if they don’t need to.”
“Thanks,” he murmurs. The floor creaks as he moves closer to me. “You okay?”
I look up at him. “What did you say to her?”
“I told her she’s not allowed to talk to you like that.”
I nod, digesting his words.
“I also told her she has no say in who I am or am not allowed to see.”
My eyes bulge. “What?”
“I didn’t say we’re seeing each other,” he clarifies. “Only that she’s not allowed to have any say in it.” The cushion dips as he sits beside me. “She came over wanting to get back together and was pissed you were here because then she couldn’t make a move like she wanted to. I informed her it’s never gonna happen. Not now. Not in a million years.”
It should make me feel better. His conversation with Iris. The ground rules and expectations he set. And maybe itdoes? Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know how to feel. Or how to act. Or what to say.
“You didn’t answer me,” he points out. “Are you okay?”
I shrug, unsure how to answer.
“Did you want me to tell her? About us? Because I will. Fuck, Rore. I’ll call her right now and?—”
“No.” I shake my head. “No, I get why you didn’t. And honestly, I don’t want her to have any say in how we handle our relationship or when we decide to tell people. I just…wow.” I shake my head again, forcing the numbness to wear off. “She’s…”
“I know.” He presses his forehead to my temple. “Trust me, I know.”
“I just…I don’t understand what you saw in her.”
“I ask myself the same question all the time, believe me.” His brows knit. “She’s manipulative. Arrogant. Stubborn. Honestly, I was a little relieved when she cheated so I could leave her without feeling like I was tearing my family apart. Fuck, I’ve never said that out loud, but…”
I turn toward him, surprised by the self-hatred in his confession. “You didn’t tear your family apart, Jaxon.”
