“Do you think they’re going to like these cookies?” Piper asked from the passenger seat. She held the tin of homemade snickerdoodles in her lap and looked at him with wide eyes.
“Of course they will,” he assured her as he turned off the truck. “I bet nobody has made them cookies since they’ve been here.”
“Then it’s a good thing you thought about it.”
He may have had ulterior motives when it came to the treats. One, Piper loved baking so that was some bonding time they got in. Two, he could thank the women for taking his daughter shopping. But the main reason was to see Livie and force her to stop hiding. When she’d left his house the other morning, he’d never dreamed he’d miss her, but he had. That in itself was a major warning sign he was getting in deep here.
“Can I ring the doorbell?” Piper asked.
“Sure.”
He reached over and took the tin from her hands as she unbuckled her belt. Jax got out of the truck and circled the front as he came around to help Piper out of the booster and down onto the driveway. She promptly ran up onto the front porch and rang the doorbell . . . multiple times.
“I think that’s good,” he called as he headed down the sidewalk.
The front door swung open just as Jax mounted the steps. He glanced up to a smiling Melanie.
“Hope this isn’t a bad time,” he stated.
“We made cookies.” Piper bounced up and down, her lopsided ponytails flopping.
Jax held up the tin. “We wanted to thank you for shopping and pampering Piper the other day.”
“Oh, that was no problem at all. She’s such a sweet girl.” Melanie opened the door wider and took a step back. “Come in. Jade is out, but Olivia is here.”
Perfect. Never say he wasn’t one to take advantage of the situation.
“I hope you like snickerdoodles,” Piper exclaimed as she passed Melanie. “They’re my favorite.”
“I don’t remember the last time I had a snickerdoodle.” Melanie closed the door and reached for the tin. “You can go into the living room. I’ll put these in the kitchen.”
Jax knew the layout of the house. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d come here as a teenager and again when he’d returned from the air force.
As he stepped into the living room, he couldn’t help but be drawn to the mantel and the emptiness. Paul had always kept pictures of Olivia on display. Most were of her when she’d been a young girl, but now there were no images. As he glanced around he realized there was nothing on the walls, either . . . the newly painted walls.
There was a punch to the gut he hadn’t expected. Apparently, Olivia was sprucing up the place, no doubt to sell. He should’ve thought of that, should’ve seen it coming, but he’d been too preoccupied with fighting his emotions and ultimately giving in.
He’d known from the start that Olivia wasn’t staying, so why would she need a house? He should be thankful they’d come to some sort of agreement on the airport—terms they’d yet to discuss.
Piper wrapped her arm around his leg and leaned into him. “I miss Papaw Paul.”
Yeah, his little girl had also gotten to know the love of one of the greatest men. Jax leaned down and picked her up.
“It’s okay to be sad. I miss him too.” The void was more than he wanted to admit to his toddler. He chose to remain strong for her. “He sure loved you, so he’d be very proud that you are friends with his little girl.”
Not that Livie was a little girl anymore, but for Piper’s sake, he opted to keep his lingo simple.
“Jackson.”
He turned, keeping his arms banded around Piper. Livie stood in the doorway wearing a pair of capris and a crisp, button-up sleeveless shirt the color of strawberries.
They were back to square one if the look in her eyes and the way she used his full name meant anything at all. She was too reserved, too . . . emotionless.
Maybe him giving her this time apart wasn’t the smartest move, but he’d wanted her to think about him because he sure as hell was thinking about her.
“We made cookies,” Piper stated, her arms wrapped around Jax’s neck. “But I ate two on the way over.”
Jax patted her back. “You weren’t supposed to tell that part.”
Livie glanced to Piper and her entire face softened. “It’s difficult to resist cookies. I understand.”
Melanie came back through the foyer and stepped in behind Livie. “Why don’t I take Piper in the kitchen for milk and cookies and you two can talk?”
“Oh, you don’t—”
“That would be great,” Jax stated, cutting Livie off. “She’s had two already so maybe just one more.”
He let Piper down and she scurried across the room to Melanie’s outstretched hand. Once he and Livie were alone, she remained in the wide doorway as if she was afraid to step into the same room as him.
They’d definitely taken a leap backward.
“We didn’t get around to talking about the airport the other night,” he told her, remaining by the fireplace.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Is that why you’re here?”
“Not really, but I was giving you an easier topic than what I really want to discuss.”
She glanced over her shoulder toward the laughing and chatter from the kitchen. Then she moved farther into the room. Jax held his ground and waited for her to come to him. He wasn’t going to beg and he sure as hell wasn’t going to make this easy because he was turned inside out . . . she may as well be suffering, too.
“Would you rather start with why you’re ignoring my texts?”
Without looking at him, she leaned against the window frame and stared out into the evening. “What do you want me to say?”
“I
