Page 78 of Gamble
Elijah felt his own anger flare. “No, asshole, it’s because I love her I need to let her go. I’m an old man. She’s young and beautiful. She deserves to have kids, a family, a future with someone who can give her everything she wants.”
“So put a baby in her,” Jaxson said with the casual confidence of a man who’d fathered twins at thirty-five. “Sounds like fun to me.”
“It isn’t the damn making of the baby that worries me,” Elijah shot back. “Even if she were to get pregnant today, I’d be fucking sixty-eight when the kid graduates from high school.”
“So fucking what? Do you hate the idea of having a kid?”
The question stopped Elijah cold. Did he hate the idea? The honest answer was no. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more appealing it became. Holding a mini-Reagan with the same green eyes and stubborn chin. Teaching a child to ride a bike, to throw a baseball, to stand up for themselves. Watching them grow up, graduate, maybe even have children of their own.
It would be a privilege. An honor. The greatest adventure of his life.
But it was also selfish as hell.
“Doesn’t she deserve better?” he asked.
“You mean like that asshole she dumped in Vegas?” Jaxson’s tone was dry. “Yeah, Nalani told me about him. Real winner, that one.”
Elijah closed his eyes, trying to organize his thoughts. There was something else, something he hadn’t admitted to anyone, including himself.
“I guess I have enough money socked away to retire now,” he mumbled.
Jaxson looked surprised. “Retire? Why the hell would you want to do that?”
“Because there’s no way Reagan would put up with my being a dungeon master. She’s vanilla, Jaxson. She’d run for the hills if she had a clue about Black Light and what I do there.”
His boss studied him for a long moment, something unreadable flickering across his features. When he spoke, his voice was neutral.
“You so sure about that?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I spanked her ass once during sex back in Vegas, and she made a point to tell me she’d never been with someone so kinky before. She’d run for the hills if she ever found out about my real job.”
There was a long pause, during which Jaxson seemed to weigh his words.
“I think you’re not giving her enough credit,” he finally said.
Before Elijah could respond, they heard Reagan’s car in the driveway, followed by the sound of the front door opening.
“I’m back!” her voice called out cheerfully.
Jaxson leaned forward, his expression intense. “Don’t make that decision for her,” he said quietly. “She deserves better than that. She deserves to learn all the facts and make her own choices.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a moot point right now considering I can barely get to the bathroom on my own, let alone introduce her to our lifestyle.”
The sound of Reagan’s footsteps in the hallway cut off any response Jaxson might have made. A moment later, she appeared in the doorway, her arms full of grocery bags and a warm smile on her face.
“Oh, hello, Jaxson. I wondered whose SUV that was in the driveway. I parked beside you so you could still get out.”
Jaxson stood, his imposing frame filling the small bedroom as he moved to give Reagan a loose hug of greeting before taking half of the groceries from her.
“It’s great to see you again, Reagan. I hear you’ve been taking excellent care of this grumpy employee of mine. You should receive hazard pay.”
They both laughed, and Elijah watched the interaction with growing fascination. Jaxson Cartwright-Davidson intimidated most women. Hell, the man’s presence was overwhelming, his authority absolute. But Reagan seemed at ease with him, chatting like they were old friends rather than near-strangers.
Sure, he could see she was awestruck—who wouldn’t be when face-to-face with a man whose business empire was legendary? But she wasn’t cowering or stumbling over her words. She was holding her own, matching his energy with her own quiet confidence.
It was the same way she’d connected with Nalani, and with Shane when he’d stopped by yesterday to check on Elijah’s recovery. His friends liked her. More than liked her—they were charmed by her.
“Against my better judgment,” Reagan said, moving to Elijah’s bedside and handing him a cold Mountain Dew, “here’s the jolt of caffeine you asked for. I’m going to go put the groceries away and get dinner started.”
