place as promised. She must have been looking out for him, because she met him at the door and helped him with the boxes.
“Thanks for coming,” Macy said with a welcoming smile. “I should warn you Hannah is still in a mood. She might just send you running.”
He grasped Macy’s hand because she actually sounded worried. “I’m not going anywhere. But I am starving, so let’s go inside and eat.”
The stress lines around her mouth eased. He followed her into the kitchen, preparing to have his hands full trying to charm a teenager.
As Macy readied the kitchen, he enjoyed the view of her long, tanned legs in a pair of denim shorts and a tee shirt tight enough to accentuate her full breasts. She might not dress up like the women who hung around the stadium and bars, hoping for an easy fuck, but she was a hell of a lot sexier. And he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her bare flesh and taste every inch of her skin again. He wasn’t used to the anticipation, the wait. The buildup of wanting.
As a Major League player, he could have his pick of women, which was what made this one unique. Yes, she’d slept with him, but in a very real way, he still had to work for it. And he was very much up for the challenge.
Chapter Seven
Macy, Hannah, and Jaxon sat in the kitchen, a small room with a table that seated four, light wood cabinets, and matching stone tile. Two pizza boxes were open on the counter, and Macy had had Hannah help her set the table and put ice in their glasses before they’d all gathered to eat. The house reminded Jaxon of the one he’d grown up in with his siblings, but the boys had shared rooms. Bri, of course, had her own domain.
While Macy ate a piece of plain and Jaxon took his second slice of pepperoni, Hannah sat with an empty plate, and Macy seemed content to ignore her and not stir up a fight in front of him.
“Are you sure I can’t get you something to eat?” Jaxon asked the teen, whose pout hadn’t changed throughout his attempts at conversation.
“I don’t like pepperoni,” Hannah said, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Then take a slice of plain.” Macy’s jaw clenched as she held on to her anger. “Tell us about your house,” she said to Jaxon, changing the subject.
He got the hint. This was his chance to sell Hannah on the move. “It’s way too big for one person, so it’s going to be great having you both there. And Hannah, you can have your pick of rooms,” he said to the girl who’d been ignoring him all night. “You can redecorate any way you want. Make the room yours.”
For the first time all evening, the teenager’s eyes showed a glimmer of interest. “I guess that’s cool. Until Mom wins custody.”
Hurt flashed across Macy’s face, and Jaxon couldn’t stand by and let Hannah get away with her smart mouth. She had no idea how fortunate she was to have someone who cared and wanted the responsibility of taking care of her. His own life was strange, a father who’d willingly gone through sperm donation by another man to have kids but gone on to treat them with anger and resentment.
“Do you know how lucky you are to have a sister who’s been there for you after your mother disappeared?” he asked.
Hannah shook her head, the pink strand whipping across her face. “Mom had to find herself, but she’s back now and she wants me.”
Ignoring that statement, he cleared his throat and continued to talk to Hannah, not wanting to see the pain in Macy’s eyes. “I get what it’s like to have a disinterested parent. My dad wasn’t my real father, something I didn’t discover until last year. And he treated me badly because I didn’t want to play football. Baseball wasn’t good enough for him, you know? So he treated me like shit,” he said honestly. “But I always had my brothers and my sister just like you’ve always had Macy.”
Hannah’s eyes opened wide at his revelation. “What about your mom?” she asked. “Where was she?”
“Hannah–” Macy shook her head, obviously not wanting to put him on the spot.
Of course, she didn’t know all that much about his past. Yet. He had a feeling they’d be sharing more things as time went on.
“It’s fine. I love my mother. She was and