Page 7 of Laying His Claim
His touch felt so good, his arms so inviting. But she resisted, shaking her head. “You have no right to fight over me! I’m not an imbecile!”
“Exactly!” Kaiya announced. “She can make up her mind, and she chose to stay here!”
“That’s because you and your sister convinced her that she shouldn’t come with me!”
“There’s a reason for that!”
Tyler held up his hand. “Please, the two of you, Jalissa’s only just left the hospital…”
“And she can make up her on mind about where she wants to stay,” Kaiya cut in. “Can’t you, Jalissa?”
Before she could answer, Justin shot back, “Not if she doesn’t know the whole story—”
“What whole story?” Jalissa demanded, looking from one to the other.
“See what you did!” Kaiya growled.
Again, Tyler stepped in. “Everyone, please. Give her some breathing room. We all care about Jalissa; let’s not drag her into some kind of tug of war.”
Everyone paused at the sound of authority in his voice. He was calm, unruffled. “Now, Kaiya, I understand where you’re coming from—”
“See!” Kaiya yelled.
“But that doesn’t mean that, as a man, I don’t feel what Justin feels. If you were in this situation, I’d want you home with me. No question.”
Jalissa turned to look at him, struck by the protective love he was showing for his wife. In response, Kaiya calmed down. It was clear that she was now siding with her husband, and that made Jalissa feel almost betrayed.
Jalissa felt herself sway as exhaustion attempted to claim her. “I need… I need to go lie down…”
“I’ve done everything I can to make sure you’ll be comfortable at home,” Justin said gently. He tightened his grasp on her, supporting her whether she liked it or not.
She shook her head. “No… thank you, but no. This is all so confusing. I hardly know what to think. But for now, I’m staying here. Just until I’m able to manage things on my own.” She gave Justin a look. “In myownhome—once I find something.”
At this, Justin flinched, but his defeat was clear. “Whenever you’re ready to come home, to our life, you know where to find me.” With that, he strode out of the house.
Kaiya gave Jalissa a sympathetic look. “Come on, girl, let’s put TJ down for a nap, and then you can do the same.” She gathered the baby into her arms and Jalissa followed them wordlessly into the nursery.
“Thanks,” Jalissa said.
“I’ll always have your back, girl.” Kaiya settled TJ down into one of a pair of matching cribs, where the baby fussed for a minute, and then settled down to sleep.
Jalissa looked around the nursery, puzzled. “Why two?”
“Two what?”
She pointed. “Why do you have two cribs?”
The shock on Kaiya’s face was there one moment, and then it was gone. “Oh,” she said nonchalantly. “You know, baby sleepovers.”
“Baby sleepovers are a thing now?”
“Yup,” Kaiya said. “Now let’s get you to your bed.”
Chapter 3
If she could say one thing for Kaiya, Jalissa thought, she treated her houseguests in style. The guest bedroom was something out of a lifestyle magazine, and the bathroom… Well, it was like indulging yourself in a spa treatment.
She soaked long and luxuriously in the sunken marble bathtub, inhaling the lavender and rosemary of the foamy bath bomb, allowing the essential oils to soothe her, body and soul. The compact speaker on the bathroom counter surrounded her with music that she didn’t quite remember, but which delighted her nonetheless.
