Page 25 of Angels and Skulls
She turns around and leans against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. “Both.”
I sigh loudly, shaking my head. “I can’t do it, Jenny. I’m sorry.”
“So … so you’re just going to kidnap me?” Her eyes narrow in my direction. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been taken against my will.”
Her words are a fucking punch to the gut.
“Jenny, I’m sorry, but my loyalty lies with Jackson.”
“Mine too.” She straightens, squaring her shoulders. “I’m not going to run, Brody. I’ll never leave here. This is the only place I’ve ever felt safe.”
“You’re willing to see him?”
Her arms wrap around her stomach. “So you are going to tell him.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I need some time to think about this, but that might not matter because Miss Maggie might already know. She might be on her way up here now.”
Jenny’s eyes go to the front window as panic begins to pull at her brows.
I rest my elbows on the table and bury my face in my hands. “Fuck.”What am I going to do?
“His daughter, Aspen. How old is she?”
“She’s two but she talks like she’s three.” I lean back in the chair, taking a deep breath.
“And he has a wife?” she asks, lowering herself in the chair beside me.
I nod. “Yeah. Her name is Willow.”
“Willow and Aspen. Such beautiful names.” She smiles wide, and her whole face lights up. She really is a pretty woman. She closes her eyes for a moment. “What is she like? How long have they been married?”
This is stuff she really should be asking her son, but there is something about her that draws me in. I find myself answering all of her questions.
She rests her chin on her fist as she hangs on my every word. “You know a lot about him,” she notes quietly.
“He’s my brother.” I shrug.
“So, tell me aboutyourwife. What is her name?”
“Daisy.” I can’t help it. I shyly blush.
Jenny chuckles softly. “Another pretty nature name.”
It takes me back to the day I met my wife. “Yeah, I fell in love with her name and her on the same day.”
She nods. “It’s like that, isn’t it? It feels like the universe has branded it on your heart somehow.”
“Yeah, as if it’s written into my DNA.”
A look of longing passes over her face as she stares across the room. I lose her for a minute before her gaze returns to me. She smiles. “So, do you have children?”
Instantly, my chest puffs up. My boy is my fucking pride and joy. “I have a son. He’s not quite two yet, but the kid is built like a brick shit house.”
Jenny laughs. “Colorful description.”
“Shit. I mean, sorry. I’ll have to get use to this no cussing around a mom stuff again.”
She blinks rapidly, but I ignore how my words make her feel. It’s true. She’s a mom. She’s Jackson’s mom.
