Page 153 of A Little Crush
I tap my finger against my chin. “No offense, but I think you forget that I know Chris’s family. If he had any money, there’s no way in hell you would’ve kept the house. You would’ve sold it and moved in with him.” I tsk. “But that didn’t happen, did it? That’s right. Because he doesn’t have any money. And he sure as shit doesn’t have enough to support your lifestyle while also taking care of Poppy fifty-percent of the time. That’s not how it works.”
“That’s how it works with us,” she argues, raising her chinanother inch as if she has any ground to stand on. “You forget I won in the divorce, Jaxon.Me.”
“You think you won in the divorce, Iris?” A low, laugh rumbles through me. “I gave you everything you wanted. You didn’t earn any of it.” I shake my head, replaying the late night phone calls with my mom, Eleanor, who was also my lawyer during the divorce. “Did you know my mom was screaming at me to give her free reign during mediation because she knew she could take everything from you? But I couldn’t do it. Do you wanna know why, Iris?”
She gulps but stays quiet.
Good.
“Because I felt sorry for you. I felt sorry for being the husband I was.” I hesitate, losing a bit of my bravado. “And that’s the truth, Iris. You deserved better, but so did I, and I think I forgot that part during our divorce. I was so busy taking responsibility for my actions, I forgot to give you the chance to do the same.” Bending closer, I warn, “But if you keep fucking with Rory, that guilt will disappear real fast, and I have no problem taking this back to court and showing everyone who you really are.” I pull away. “Or don’t. You know? It’s like you said, I have so much to lose.”
Iris’s throat constricts on a swallow, and I know she’s searching for an out. For a way to fuck me over. For a way to regain the upper hand. Problem is, there isn’t one. Not without her risking financial ruin. I know it, and now, she does, too.
Finally, she nods, giving in. “Fine.”
“Fine, what?”
“Fine, I’ll give your little girlfriend the respect she deserves.”
“Good.” I move away another step, giving her more space. “Keep an eye on our daughter. I’ll be back in a minute.”
The hospital is quiet as I stride into the main area, findingRory in the waiting room. Her fingers tap against her outer thigh, her feet taking her from one end of the space to the other when she catches my approach.
With tears streaming down her cheeks, she blurts out, “Jaxon, I swear?—”
I pull her into my arms, squeezing her against me. “I know, Beautiful. I know.”
“You don’t understand?—”
“I do.” My lips brush against her forehead. “Trust me. I know how Iris operates. You did nothing wrong.”
“Yeah, but I…” Tears cling to her lashes as she peeks up at me. “I thought you were mad at me or that you thought I was trying to manipulate you into believing me or…”
“That I thought you were like her?” I question.
Another tear rolls down her cheek as her head bobs up and down.
“Fuck, Rore. You have no idea how little you’re like her, and I think I always knew it,” I rasp, scrubbing my hand over my face. “Maybe that was the point back then. The reason why I dated her. Why I proposed. Because I knew I could never have you.” I cup her cheeks with my hands, making sure I have her full attention. “Even then, I couldn’t help myself. The way I always compared her to you even when we were married. I didn’t see it then. How I couldn’t open up to her. How I couldn’t talk to her. How I couldn’t let my guard down, not without risking her throwing it back in my face a day, or a week, or a year later. You’re nothing like her, do you understand?”
She squeezes her eyes shut, unable to look up at me. “Are you sure?”
“Never been more sure of anything in my life.” I lean in and kiss her damp cheeks. “I love you, Beautiful.”
“I love you, too,” she whispers. “So much.”
54
JAXON
We’re able to take Poppy home a while later, though Iris left shortly after our showdown in the hospital room. The Lions lost, and even though my phone’s blowing up, not a single message is about the score or how it might affect the team’s stats. No. Everyone wants to know how Poppy’s doing. If she’s okay. If they can bring anything or help out.
Sometimes, I forget.
The family I’m lucky enough to have. Some by blood. Others by circumstance. They’re one and the same.
Exhausted, I carry Poppy into the house, then change her bum before putting her in her crib to get some rest, since Rory already gave her a bottle on the car ride home. Poppy goes down without a fight, falling asleep before her head can even hit the firm mattress. When I get back to the family room, I find it empty.
“Hades?” I call. “Rore?”
