Page 134 of Undisputed Player
Still, there was excitement in his steps—the quick, silent glances at closet doors, the huge smile at every new room Jax opened for him to see.
Jax paused at the first door next to his—our—master suite and swung it wide with a practiced flourish. The room was painted a soft blue that reminded me of the ocean at dusk. A long window faced the water, and a large bed was against the wall. Leo stepped inside, running his fingers along the wood in awe.
“You can have this one, if you like,” Jax offered, letting Leo absorb the space at his own pace. There was no pressure, just an open invitation, something Leo had rarely been given in life. “Or we can look at another. This one is closest to our room.”
Leo was silent, thoughtful. His gaze flicked to the next room, aslightly smaller one with built-in shelves and a desk tucked into a sunny nook. Hesitantly, he slipped from Jax’s grasp and wandered in, brushing a hand over the neat, empty workspace.
I lingered in the doorway, letting him explore. Jax watched Leo with a gentleness that he rarely let anyone else see, one hand resting lightly on my back.
“Do you like this room?” I asked, my voice soft.
Leo’s small shoulders straightened. “Can I… use my dino blankets?” His face was earnest, almost shy.
Jax knelt to his level, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Leo, you can have whatever you want in here. Paint the ceiling with dinosaurs, put up posters, fill the shelves with your books. This one’s yours if you want it to be.”
An adorable flush colored Leo’s cheeks, and he nodded brightly. “Really? Thank you!”
I swallowed back emotion as Jax clapped his hands together. “Alright. Let’s make a list, little man. After dinner, we’ll hit the store and get whatever you want.”
Leo offered a huge smile, reserved only for the people he trusted most. He scanned his new space once more, already imagining it as his.
I walked into the center of the room, kneeling beside Leo. “It’s yours, buddy. Really yours.” My hand brushed his hair, and I felt a new hope settling in my chest.
This odd, beautiful, luxurious place was starting to feel less like someone else’s dream and more like home.
When I looked up, Jax’s eyes were fixed on the two of us, pride and longing mingling in the blue depths. He wasn’t looking at his house. He was looking at his family.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Estelle
I could hear the distant pull of the ocean from beyond the glass. Waves stirring the shore like a secret. High sun poured in through floor-to-ceiling windows. I’d never imagined homes like this, because for me, they might as well have existed in another universe.
But now I was sitting in one. On a massive cream sofa that swallowed half the room. With my palms damp, my spine too rigid, and my gaze locked on the empty hallway like it might deliver a monster. Or a miracle.
Tomorrow was court. Or was supposed to be.
Leo's custody hearing. I'd prepped testimonies, character references, income statements. I'd stayed up past midnight weeks ago rewriting my statements with exhausted hands, ready to fight like hell for the little boy who made the world worth surviving.
But all morning, Jax had been calm. Irritatingly calm. He—Connor—Adrian... they weren’t nervous. They rolled up from wherever they’d gone, freshly showered, hair damp, smug in that relaxed, predator-ish way that made my stomach twist.
Jax had barely said a word. Just kissed the top of my head, told me to relax, and whisked Leo and me through the mansion like there was nothing hovering over us.
Like yesterday didn’t happen.
Like Damon didn’t exist.
And now I sat here silently, changed into one of Jax’s shirts, dread rolling through me even while the house soothed me with crashing waves and the scent of him all over me.
I was rehearsing answers to questions Damon's lawyers might ask.
“Why do you think you're more suitable than his father? How will you support him financially? What makes you think a single woman with no family can raise a boy?”
My stomach was in shreds.
Behind me, I heard footsteps. Heavy and unhurried.
Jax swept into the room wearing one of his crisp button-ups, sleeves rolled up, his forearms bared. He wasn’t trying to smile. He didn’t have that familiar smirk or calculation in his face. My stomach sank even further, fear crawling up my spine in response to whatever he was about to say.
