Page 42 of Tangled in His Embrace

His happiness was contagious. “It’s a date.”

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Gabby didn’t hear from Jax again until Wednesday afternoon when he sent her a text confirming he’d be there to pick her up at seven. She’d tried not to think too much about their date or where the night might end up going. Her body was already singing with the thought of being with him again.

At six forty there was a knock on her door. Kathy greeted her with a smile and a bag of cookies for Taylor. “If you don’t want her to have them tonight, I can tuck them in my purse and leave them on the counter after she goes to bed.”

“No, it’s fine,” Gabby said as she motioned Jax’s mother inside. “She ate her dinner, so she can have a cookie if she wants.”

Kathy set the bag of cookies on the table and hung her coat on the back of one of the chairs. She didn’t say anything about Gabby’s impending date with Jax, which was good. Gabby really didn’t want to talk about it.

“Taylor’s playing in her room. I laid her pajamas out on her bed already and her toothbrush is on the sink in the bathroom.”

Kathy smiled. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. If not, I have your number. Just go have a nice time.”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Gabby could already feel her palms getting sweaty. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t done this before.

“I’ll get it,” Kathy said. “Why don’t you go say goodbye to Taylor?”

Happy for a couple of extra minutes to prepare herself for seeing him again, Gabby went to find her daughter. She was sitting on her bed, legs spread out in front of her, flipping through one of her favorite books. “Hey.”

Taylor looked up.

“Grandma Brooks is here to watch you while Mommy and Daddy are gone.”

“Okay,” Taylor said, not seeming to be the least bit bothered that her mother was leaving.

Gabby walked over to the bed and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek. “You be good for Grandma and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Taylor rose up on her knees, letting her book drop to the mattress, and circled her arms around Gabby’s neck. Her daughter planted a loud kiss on her mother’s cheek and released her. Almost immediately she reached for her discarded book again and went back to what she was doing as if nothing had happened.

Gabby chuckled and shook her head as she backed out of the room. “Love you.”

Her daughter’s face lit up as she stared back at her. “Loves you, too, Mommy.”

She stepped out into the hallway and came face-to-face with Jax. “Everything all right?”

“Um. Yeah. I was just...” She gestured toward her daughter’s bedroom door. “I was just saying goodbye to Taylor.”

He grinned and she felt the butterflies begin to dance in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t know how he did it or why her body had such a reaction to him, but she was done fighting it. “I figured I’d pop my head in and say good night before we leave.”

“Okay,” she said to an empty hallway.

Kathy was sitting on the couch, watching television, when Gabby walked into the main room. She switched it off and stood.

Jax appeared a few seconds later and strode toward her with all the confidence in the world. “Ready to go?”

“Sure.”

He removed her coat from the closet and helped her put it on.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Jax opened the door and waited for her to go through it.

“Have fun,” Kathy said as they walked out the door.

Jax put his hand on Gabby’s lower back and the contact sent warmth through her bones. The door closed behind them and he leaned in to whisper in Gabby’s ear. “Fun is guaranteed.”

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