Page 148 of Undisputed Player
My heart nearly burst at the sight of him, beaming and wriggling in his seat, every bit a real, happy kid.
Jax nodded, face serious but eyes sparkling. “If you pick a good name and promise to take care of it.”
Leo’s face split into a grin so big I couldn’t help but laugh. He launched himself off the stool, practically bowling into us.
“Thank you! Thank you!” His voice was full and bright, no hint of the old reserve. “Can I name him Dino? Because he’s a dinosaur?”
I hugged him tight, burying my nose in his hair again. “Dino’s perfect.”
It was strange how easily the heaviness of the day receded once we stepped into the sun. Jax laid out clothes for me, as always. A pale green silk blouse and soft brown pants that made me feel elegant and somehow armored all at once.
He claimed he loved “styling his princess,” but I suspected he had a thing for playing dress-up with me.
Leo was basically skipping ahead as we walked into a high-end pet store. The logo gleamed in mirrored gold above the glass doors, and inside, it was polished wood, rolling ladders, and lush walls of greenery.
People drifted among the terrariums and tanks, and the staff looked like they belonged in a spa rather than a pet shop.
The minute we entered, subtle heads turned. Some were the staff, but mostly a clutch of well-dressed patrons who took a double-take at Jax.
His height, the tailored shirt stretched over his muscled frame, theimpossible face—everybody registered exactly who he was almost at once.
I saw a few people nudge each other, whispering in that not-discreet way people do when in the presence of someone unbelievably hot and untouchable.
Jax ignored it all, anchoring his palm at my waist with the kind of possessive grip that always made me go a little weak. His eyes were cool as he watched Leo dart ahead, wide-eyed at every tank and enclosure.
I drifted, equal parts melting at Leo’s awe and secretly pleased by the possessive way Jax was holding me. Being with Jax made something in me stand taller, made the world feel a little safer. He made it clear I was his, and he was mine.
Leo stopped at a terrarium where two bearded dragons basked under warm lamps, their prehistoric bodies looking oddly endearing. He pressed his hands to the glass, transfixed.
“Which one, buddy?” Jax asked softly, coming beside him.
Leo’s wide eyes darted between a sandy yellow dragon and a green-tinged one with a spikier crest. One of the employees, a young woman, appeared with a smile. “Want to meet them? I can take either one out if you like.”
Leo stared up at her as if she’d just offered him a spaceship. “Can I hold them?”
“Let’s start with this guy,” she decided, carefully lifting the yellow dragon from the enclosure.
She showed him how to cup his hands and let the animal crawl up his forearm, where the bearded dragon paused, blinking with a kind of ancient wisdom. Leo’s smile was pure sunshine.
“He’s so cool,” he whispered, awestruck.
Jax knelt beside him. “Try the other one too, just to know for sure.”
Leo was all seriousness, switching dragons with the focus of a little scientist. After a few more gentle strokes, he glanced up, chin determined and hopeful. “I like the first one. He feels calm. I think he likes me.”
The employee beamed. “That’s a great choice. He’s very gentle. Have you ever had a reptile before?”
Leo shook his head. “But I read a book about taking care of them! You have to feed them special bugs.”
She grinned. “You’re already ahead of most first-timers.”
Jax pulled me close, bending to whisper, “This is the happiest I’ve ever seen him.”
It was true. Leo’s entire body thrummed with joy as the employee explained the basics: water dish, heating lamps, greens, calcium powder.
She spoke to Leo as an equal, teaching him how to cup Dino’s body without squeezing, how to stroke the rough scales so the lizard would relax into his palm.
I watched them together, Jax’s arm tight at my waist, and felt every ghost of the day’s old pain start to fade behind something new and warm.
