Page 38 of Judge
“What’s your plan?” Pops narrows his eyes at Blanche, clearly calculating something.
“Well, it’s not going to be the last game the twins play, so I say we tool up and come back next week.”
We all stare at her for a beat before a smile breaks out over my face.
“Ah, why are you all smiling like that?” Leo frowns down at me in the fold out chair.
“Nothing,” I smile sweetly back, then laugh out loud when his frown deepens. “Just planning something with the girls.”
“And Pops,” Pops adds.
“Yup, and Pops.”
“Jesus Christ,” Leo mutters under his breath the same time Marx does.
I suppress my giggle and gaze around at the scene around me. I mean, sure, some of us look slightly worse for wear, mostof the girl gang’s hair is a mess, because Chelsea and her posse are total hair pullers, but other than that, everyone looks happy and content. Jax and Annie-Bella are sitting with Leo’s parents. Actually, sitting isn’t really the word. Annie is almost on top of Leo’s mom, that’s how close she’s sitting. Jax has his head bent next to Chuck’s, busy showing him something on his phone.
“Thank you, baby,” Leo murmurs, from above me before pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
Tipping my head back, I look at an upside down version of Leo, his green eyes sincere. “What’s with the ‘baby’?”
He raises a dark brow, that panty melting crooked smile tugging up. “Just felt right.”
“OK. Baby.” His eyes darken at my words and my thighs clench involuntarily. I didn’t mean to cause that reaction, but now I have, I don’t know what to do with it.
He doesn’t move for the longest time, just stands there, staring down at me. Thoughtful. Or maybe calculating.
“Mom! Mom!” My head snaps towards Annie-Bella’s voice, breaking the connection between Leo and me, but I’m thankful for it. There’s so much he doesn’t know, so much to learn, and I’m shitting myself thinking that once I tell him, he’ll view me differently, he’ll walk away and I’ll lose everything I’m building. I’ll lose the DRMC.
“Yes, baby?” I smirk at Leo when I use the term how I normally would, then switch my attention back to my twins, both of them bounding over.
“Gigi said that if it’s OK with you, we can spend the night with her and Gramps!” Annie-Bella says, eyes shining bright. Ah, so it seems Annie Senior is a Gigi type of grandma. It brings a smile to my lips.
“But only if it’s OK with you,” Annie says gently, Chuck’s hand on her shoulder. “Jax can sleep in Leo’s old room, and Annie-Bella can have the guest room.”
“Please, please,” Annie-Bella whispers, her hands clasped under her chin.
I look at Jax, holding his gaze. Of the two of them he’ll be the one I’ll base my decision on. Annie-Bella is so desperate for family that she’d do anything to be able to stay with her grandparents. Jax though, he’s spent so many years protecting us whether I wanted him to or not, that at any sign of his discomfort I’d put my foot down and take my daughter’s moods and consequences. Jax’s eyes dart between mine and his grandparents.
“Please Mom?” Jax asks. “Gramps has a collection of trains he wants to show me and I want to show him some videos of our old soccer games.”
I look toward Leo, who’s rolled his lips between his teeth, trying not to laugh. He’ll soon figure out two against one is not as funny as he thinks it is.
“As long as it’s OK?” I ask Leo’s parents who look at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Kaia, sweetheart, you know we love you, but you have to be missing your marbles if you think that we would say no to having our grandbabies stay the night,” I try not to snort at Leo’s mom’s very gentle way of telling me I’m an idiot.
“OK. Well, should we get going so you can pick up some spare cloth-”
“Already got bags packed, thanks Mom!” Annie-Bella says, grinning ear to ear.
My eyes narrow, “Did you plan this?”
“How would we have known that Gigi and Gramps would even be here today?” Jax answers, looking sweet as pie.
I move to swat his ass as he jumps away, laughing. “Too slow, Mom. Might wanna hone those skills before next week’s smackdown.”
“Do you want to keep them forever?” I ask Leo’s parents, who nod eagerly, laughing along with everyone else.”Fine, you can take them, and I’ll pick them up tomorrow. Is that OK with you?”
