“I like chocolate kisses, but Daddy won’t let me have those this close to bedtime.”
Livie laughed. “Probably because he wants you to get a good night’s sleep.”
Piper ran toward the television and started digging through her basket of movies. He did a double take at her pajamas.
“Did you buy those, too?” he asked.
Livie patted his shoulder as she eased around him. “A little girl always needs one satin gown.” She took a seat on the floor next to Piper as if she belonged here. “That was the very first thing she asked for when we got to the store.”
Jax listened to her defense, but he couldn’t get over the way she looked almost at ease here in his home. She smoothed the skirt of her dress around her legs and started chatting movies with his daughter. No woman had ever been in his home, let alone cozied up with Piper ready for movie night. There was so much wrong with this moment, so many reasons he needed to guard his heart and his family, but all he could think of was the kernel of something deep within him that said this wasn’t wrong at all.
Livie tossed a glance over her shoulder and grinned. A genuine grin that clenched his heart and made him want to know what the hell he was thinking letting her infiltrate every aspect of his life. The airport he didn’t have much control over since half was legally hers. But he’d voluntarily let her into his personal life, into the life of Piper.
“We’ve got this,” Livie stated, still smiling. “Why don’t you go start that popcorn.”
Right. Popcorn. For the movie night. A simple evening that should be relaxing, but seemed more like a family night in . . . and that hit very close to his scarred heart.
As he headed to the kitchen all he could think about was the last woman he’d let into his personal space. She’d been beautiful and charming, she’d stolen his breath with just one look and she’d vowed to love him forever.
He couldn’t risk letting down his guard again, not when he had a precious, impressionable daughter who needed stability. There was nothing wrong with the obvious friendship Piper and Livie had formed today, but there was something terribly wrong with the way his heart kept tugging at the image of them laughing and chatting.
Jax rested his palms on the center island and hung his head between his shoulders. He was barely hanging on to this slippery slope and if he wasn’t careful, he’d lose his grip and find himself in the exact position he’d been in once before.
* * *
By the time they reached the middle of the movie, Piper had curled up in Olivia’s lap, laid her head on her shoulder, and promptly gone fast to sleep. Darkness had fallen outside and the only light in the living room came from one lamp on the side table and the rolling credits on the television.
Olivia had never thought about having children before, had always been too focused on the next rung on the corporate ladder, but after spending the day with Piper, there was a definite possibility. Having someone who trusted you with everything, who encouraged you to not only have fun but to thrive in the moment, it was all so much to take in.
She hadn’t been sure how today would go with attending a toddler birthday party, but it was an absolutely perfect day.
Piper had her little purple painted fingers resting on Olivia’s arm, her knees tucked up under her satin gown, and her curls spiraling over her shoulder.
“I can carry her up to bed.” Jackson came to his feet and reached for Piper. “Give me just a minute.”
Olivia hated letting go. Her lap and arms instantly grew colder without the weight of the precious child. Piper stirred a little, but settled back in with her head on Jackson’s shoulder. There was a niggle of something she didn’t recognize deep in her heart as she watched them disappear when they rounded the landing.
She shouldn’t be getting this cozy, this comfortable with Jackson, Piper . . . with this town. There was nothing here for her other than an airport she’d inherited and was now going to sink money into in the hopes of making a return profit.
Olivia came to her feet and picked the empty popcorn bowls up off the coffee table. She took them into the kitchen and sat them in the sink. The more she saw of Jackson’s house, the more she was impressed with just how homey and cozy it was. If she’d had to guess before, she’d say it was a typical bachelor pad, but that was far from the truth. This was definitely a single-father-raising-a-little-girl type place.
Jackson’s large, scuffed work boots sat by the back door, next to a dainty pair of purple sparkly flip-flops. This adorable relationship touched Olivia’s heart in ways she couldn’t explain. Jackson put his daughter first. When it would’ve been easy for him not to give up everything he’d ever wanted and let grandparents raise her, he’d come home. He’d come home instantly and taken the role of both parents.
And little Piper was so sweet and caring and such a joy to be around. Olivia didn’t know how it happened, but Piper had worked her way into Olivia’s heart. Maybe it was the second she’d seen her in those old bibs, perhaps it was during the party, or maybe it was when she’d twirled around the fitting room earlier today. All Olivia knew was that there was something special happening and she had no control over the outcome.
“You didn’t have to pick up.”
Olivia spun around, her hand on her chest. “I didn’t hear you come back down.”
Jackson stood in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. That piercing gaze of his had her frozen in place. Why did he always manage to look at her like he could see into her
