Complicated Love: (MMF Bisexual Menage Romance) (Black Light Book 9)
Complicated Love: Chapter 8

Jaxson exited his rental car, stopping to take a sweeping look around the grounds of the estate, anxious to see what progress had been made in the three days that had passed since he’d been there last.

Three of the best, and yet most stressful days of his life. Being sequestered with Emma and Chase had been a slice of heaven, especially after the rough couple of months they’d had building up to their mini-break. They’d used the time to get used to the idea that they’d be parents soon. His lovers had somehow managed to convince him he was going to be able to handle fatherhood with flying colors.

Now, away from their calming influence, and the distracting sexcapades, self-doubt was creeping in again. He knew he had to get up to speed on all of the construction and interior design updates first, but he had made up his mind to give Jonah ‘Cash’ Carter a call as soon as he could get a few minutes of privacy later that day. Cash hadn’t been prepared to be a father either, but he had somehow managed to pull off the whole parenthood thing pretty well — at least from the outside looking in. If anyone would understand what Jax was going through, it was Cash. Considering the trio had still not told anyone else, not even their families, making the call to Jonah would be a big step.

Forcing himself to focus on work, at least for a few hours, Jax resumed his inspection of the grounds. The monumental fountain in the middle of the circular driveway was shooting water high in the air. The plumbing contractor had gotten it fixed and the landscape crew had already repaired the green lawn and shrubs surrounding it.

Continuing his inspection of the grounds, he was pleased the lawn and surrounding landscaping he could see from the front carport was all neatly manicured and trimmed. Colorful flowers now replaced weeds in the beds. In the distance he could see the groundskeeper directing the full-time staffers they had hired to care for the extensive property.

Pleased that things seemed to be under control outside, Jaxson headed towards the grand staircase that led to the two-story double doors that served as the entrance for Runway West. In the distance to his right, he noticed the concrete had been laid to expand the parking for the many cars they were expecting. The valet shed had been constructed per his instructions, just to the right of the main entrance. It would help camouflage the long handicap ramp they had installed to comply with building code.

He took a calming breath before opening the front door. A gust of air-conditioned air welcomed him along with the scent of the six-foot-high fresh flower arrangement on a new grand entrance table. They’d discussed needing something to help drive the traffic pattern of arrivals and departures and seeing it in place he agreed with the solution the interior designer had come up with.

“Oh good, I’m glad you got here before I left.”

Jaxson turned to see the security contractor, George, headed his way along with two of his installation crew. When the men stopped just in front of him, he reached out to shake their hands. “Hey there. How are things going?”

“All done. We just finished programming the surveillance cameras and setting up the back-up schedule for the system this morning. I left a manual and a bunch of other paperwork for you, including my six-figure bill, in the security office with Miguel.”

“That’s fine, but I’m afraid you aren’t done yet.”

“Now wait a minute here, Davidson…”

Jaxson held his hand up like a stop sign. “I’m sure you completed the contracted work. That’s great, and I appreciate how you were able to meet our aggressive timeline. I’ll be happy to write the check for your bonus.”

“So, then what…”

“I have another job for you.”

“I don’t know. We’re behind on other projects.”

“I’ll make it worth your while.” He had the guy’s attention with his promise, so Jax continued. “I’ve decided to flip-flop our personal living quarters and the planned guest rooms.”

“Wait. You mean you’re moving into the pool house?”

“Yep. For the most part, everything you’ve done in both locations is still needed. I just want you to put an extra level of protection around the pool house, more surveillance and…” Jax lowered his voice and leaned in. “I want a fortified panic room installed as soon as you can manage it. You’ll have direction over the construction crew for any heavy lifting you need.”

George stroked his beard as he thought through the request. “If you can give me a few days to wrap up some other projects, we can be back over here in a week.”

“Sounds good. Thanks.” Jaxson felt better already just getting things in motion to protect the West Coast home he would share with his family at least part of the year. He suspected pushback from their fellow investors on the change, but he was prepared to spend extra capital to make it reality if it came down to it. There was no way he would bring Emma and their child home from the hospital to a room above the dance floor. Where every time they left their rooms they would be subject to running into strangers.

The men had separated, about to go their own ways when George called back to Jax. “I’d watch out if I were you. Ms. Garcia is in rare form today.”

Jax nodded with a grin. “Thanks for the heads up, but she is about to meet her match.”

“Now that I believe. Later.” George barked a laugh.

Jaxson proceeded through the open spaces that would soon be filled with paying patrons. Unlike the wide-open glass and modern lighting in the original Runway, the Beverly Hills club’s decor was more intimate. Patrons would be able to move between different themed rooms as they mingled, making it harder for them to be seen by the entire club, as was the case in D.C. It would also make it easier for patrons to slip into hidden nooks and crannies for privacy.

He made a sweep through the grand foyer, walking through the great room with its showcase fireplace and several seating options, and then through the mammoth library stocked with thousands of books patrons could enjoy during daytime events.

Just past the library was the game room. Guests would be able to mingle while playing billiards, foosball, any number of board games, and of course several friendly poker tables.

They had converted a second living room space into a dining room where intermediate-sized groups could gather. In essence, they were becoming a banquet hall of sorts. The upscale industrial-sized kitchen would be offering gourmet menu items as well as providing appetizers when the club was open. They had hired a full-time chef who would also book dinner parties up to twenty in the dining room and parties up to two-hundred could be accommodated by setting up banquet tables and chairs on the dance floor for special occasions.

One of the biggest problems they had had to solve when converting the private mansion into a public club was installing the restrooms they would need. Their interior design guru, Ted, had come up with the bright idea of converting the master suite had previously been on the main floor into several key spaces. His changes were critical to their success, and they had been working on the modifications the last time he was here.

They had first carved out spacious men’s and women’s restrooms. With the area left over between them, they’d been able to create the necessary club spaces.

First was the check-in room with lockers, not unlike the room before entering Black Light. They would call this room Staging. All guests would start in Staging and not be able to proceed further without first showing their entrance ticket or paying, and then locking up their electronics. If they needed to make a call or check email during their visit, they would need to return to Staging to do it.

Like in D.C., the room had doors at both ends of the long expanse, making it a wide hallway of sorts. Security would route all arriving and departing guests through this space and security cameras that fed into the spacious and private security office next door would capture photos of each patron.

He poked his head into Staging and was pleased all seemed in order. He then went to the next door that had a new sign reading ‘Employees Only.’ As Jaxson tried to open the door it banged into the back of a tall guy he’d never seen before. It took a few seconds for the occupants of the room to move away enough to make room to let him to push into the room.

Apparently, the Security Office was presently the heart of the operation as there were close to a dozen people crammed into the room where the walls were covered in flat-screen monitors. He had paid George’s firm to install hundreds of security cameras on the property, some visible, but most hidden. Electronic keypads had been installed at almost every door in the building. The security system would be able to track the movements of all employees and restrict access as required. Keys and codes would be changed at frequent and random intervals to ensure safety.

Despite all of the security measures, one of Jaxson’s lingering concerns with his security team was making sure they had trustworthy people monitoring the feeds. As he was absolutely certain they would be capturing salacious footage of public figures, he needed to make sure nothing recorded at Runway, or Black Light on the floor below, ever made it into the hands of the paparazzi or it would be on TMZ within an hour. And he was no fool. The resulting lawsuit would happen less than twenty-four hours later.

The group in the security office parted, making a path for Jax to walk to the far end of the room where their new head of security, Miguel Martinez, sat at a counter with computers coaching a couple of new employees. Knowing how much he had riding on the performance of his head of security, he’d had Ryder and Axe work up a full background check on the guy to make sure he was the man Jaxson wanted in charge. He’d been pleased with the outcome.

He was also relieved to see the person of the hour he’d been looking for was next to Miguel, just as he had requested.

Jax smiled as he realized most of the men in the room seemed to be crowding the exit, keeping their distance from the only female occupant. She looked up and broke into a smile of her own when she saw him.

“I’ve been resisting calling you. I knew you’d be over as soon as you could get here.”

Jaxson felt better already, just knowing she was there. He hugged her just a little tighter than he ever had before as he greeted the temporary addition to the Runway West staff. “Maxine, I can’t thank you enough for coming. I’m sure your husband is less than happy with me right now, but I do appreciate you being here.”

“Yeah, Eric is pissed, but after I checked into the upscale suite you have me booked into, I have to say I’m feeling pretty good about the decision to spend a few weeks out in California. Maybe he’ll appreciate me a bit more after he gets an idea of how much I do around home.”

Jaxson made a mental note to send Eric Torres a gift to try to make amends for stealing one of Jax’s most important employees away from her family for at least a few weeks. There was no way he wanted to lose Maxine’s leadership in D.C. long-term. In fact, he was counting on her, not Spencer, to hold down the fort on the East Coast while the trio was in California part of each year. Still, getting her help as they tried to open the club on time was huge.

“She’s already proven how smart of an idea it was to bring her out to help.” Miguel piped up. “Maxine helped me look over the staffing sheets and made some suggestions I think will save us a chunk of change each month.”

“That’s wonderful, but that isn’t even why I had her fly in.”

“I know.” Miguel grinned. “Can I watch? In fact, I know a few people around here that would pay good money to be a fly on the wall.”

Jaxson chuckled. “Just stay focused.”

“You’re no fun.”

“Yeah, well I never pretended to be fun.” He turned to Maxine and asked, “You ready?”

“You bet. I can’t wait to get up to speed.”

Jaxson nodded towards the door. Maxine’s high-heels clicked against the tile flooring as the security guards parted like the Red Sea to make way for them.

Once they were in the foyer Jaxson scanned the area to ensure they were alone. For added measure, he ushered her into a small alcove where there would eventually be a photo booth. It gave him the privacy he needed to prep Maxine. “So, do you have any questions before I take you in and set off the fireworks?”

“No, not really. You did a good job of prepping me over the phone, and the files and pictures you emailed over yesterday were a big help.”

“Fine. Just remember, you are now in charge. Miguel will handle security, but everything else will run through you first. I’m not dumping this on you. I’ll meet with you as often as we need to, but I need to have someone I can trust in charge, especially when I’m not here.”

“Got it. I would like to meet with you to review the action item list one more time and make sure I have them in priority order.” Maxine pulled her trusty iPad out of her big bag. She didn’t go anywhere without it.

“I’d like that. Let’s get you introduced to the gang first, then we can go through it as a group. That way you can ask questions along the way.”

It only took a couple of minutes to wind through another den-like sitting room where patrons could eventually come to chat away from the loud music if they wanted. He heard Lola’s booming voice even before he could see the arched double-doors that marked the opening to the huge dance floor and main bar.

The previous owners had used the space for grand balls back in the day. The parquet flooring had been stripped and refinished to a shiny gloss. The two-story walls along the perimeter were made up of over a dozen expansive, arched, floor-to-ceiling windows. The sheer drapes had been installed since his last visit, bringing the room closer to opening night ready.

In the center of the room, there were a dozen banquet tables setup in a U-shape. Until the official Runway West business office was ready on the second floor, this had been acting as command central. Both Lola and Ted had set up shop on opposite sides of the U.

They were crossing into the room when Maxine placed her hand on Jax’s forearm and motioned for him to stop. They stood silently near the doorway, undetected, listening to Lola who had her back to them. She was talking to a young woman with long black hair. The petite woman looked familiar, but Jaxson couldn’t remember her name.

“I refuse to put up with incompetence. If you can’t handle the job now before we even open, you’re never going to cut it. I’d fire you right now if I could, but for some reason nepotism is ruling the day. It was unprofessional of you to bring your uncle into this discussion.”

The young woman Lola was yelling at contained her temper, but retorted, “I didn’t bring Uncle Kai into this. You did by screaming so loud this morning that he could hear you outside.”

“So you say. I don’t like being blackmailed.”

“Oh for crying out loud,” The shorter woman snorted. “Now you’re just being ridiculous.”

“Hardly. I’ll be discussing this with Mr. Davidson the second he arrives. I’m sure he’ll agree with me that you and your uncle both need to go this afternoon.”

Jaxson highly doubted that. He’d heard enough.

“I’m here now, so fill me in.” He resumed his walk into the room just as Lola spun with a familiar glare of superiority falling on everything she saw.

“It’s about time. I was going to send out a search party for you. We have work to do.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s after ten,” she spat with disgust.

“Thanks for the unnecessary update,” Jaxson deadpanned, sensing rather than seeing Maxine step up to his left as he turned his attention to the other woman standing in front of him. He held out his hand, adding, “Jaxson Davidson. And you are?”

The Polynesian woman had to step around Lola to take his hand. He appreciated her strong grip as they shook hands. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Davidson. Nalani Ione.”

The name was familiar, yet he was grateful when she added on, “I’m your Executive Housekeeper. I look forward to working with you, Mr. Cartwright, and Ms. Fischer.”

Her introduction unlocked the memory of a recent conversation with his groundskeeper. “Ah, it’s nice to put a face with a name. You come highly recommended by your uncle.”

“I’m not sure why we are taking recommendations from an employee who can barely get his own job done,” Lola scoffed.

Nalani released his hand to turn towards Lola. “Maybe if people would stop changing the plans at the last minute, we’d both be able to finish our work.”

Lola crossed her arms across her chest in a huff. “If you can’t handle a bit of change, this isn’t the right job for you.”

Then Maxine spoke for the first time. “What is it that you’ve been working on, if you don’t mind me asking?”

All eyes turned towards her as Nalani answered. “I have my team focusing on the first-floor public areas. The construction crews are finally done on this level in all areas except the men’s room. I was trying…”

“And I told you that could wait. I need the second-floor north suite deep cleaned before the new furniture arrives this afternoon.”

“But no one will be…”

“Not that I owe you an explanation, but the opening entertainer, Diva Frost, will be staying in that room starting tomorrow.”

Jaxson jumped in. “Since when?”

“Since it was part of the negotiations of her contract,” Lola added.

“I helped negotiate her contract.” Jaxson worked to hold his temper. “At no point did I agree to house her at the mansion.”

“I’ve had to handle the final arrangements all by myself.” Her dig was not missed. “I had to renegotiate a few things to keep us on track.”

“That’s bullshit. Ms. Frost is getting more than enough compensation for her appearance.” He bristled, regretting now she was receiving a year’s VIP club membership to Black Light.

Jaxson was about to call Diva when Lola admitted, “The suite is in exchange for her agreeing to stay and hang out in the club for two weeks, so we are guaranteed to have celebrities for guests to hob-knob with.”

Maxine scoffed. “Are you kidding me? She should be paying us for the publicity she’ll get when she’s here. She’s a second-rate entertainer at best. I’ve already called in favors from several Runway regulars to make sure they’re going to be making appearances in the first few weeks we are open.”

For the first time, Lola’s gaze turned to Maxine, her annoyance evident. “And just who the hell are you?”

Before Jaxson could make the introduction, Maxine stepped up, holding her hand out to Lola. Just before his PA took the hand, Maxine added, “I’m the manager of Runway.”

Lola’s hand pulled back, refusing to greet Maxine.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t interview any candidates for club manager yet!”

“Yes, I understand that. Maybe you can explain why that is? I would have thought that would have been one of the first positions you’d have filled,” Maxine added.

“Why the hell is that any of your business?”

Jaxson used her question as his re-entrance to the conversation. “Effective immediately, everything is Maxine’s business.” He paused until Lola’s gaze met his, then added, “I’ve brought Maxine in to take charge of the opening and renovation project. As you’ve pointed out, I no longer have the time to be here twenty-four seven so I’m bringing in someone I trust explicitly to take charge.”

“What the fuck? Like you can’t trust me? I should be able to hire my own employees.”

“Perhaps you misunderstood.” Jaxson smiled. “You now report to Maxine. Not the other way around.”

Maxine ignored the open-mouthed shock on Lola’s make-up caked face as she added, “If you could be so kind, I’d like to gather all of the employees together so I can meet them. I’ll be reviewing the hiring records to validate the hires myself. If you would also get me the job description you’ve posted for the club manager position, that will help me get started.”

“Why? If you are the club manager…”

“Humor me.”

“I don’t know shit about you. Why should I drop everything to be at your beck and call? You have no idea how many details I’m managing with the opening.”

Jaxson lifted a hand to make Lola shut up. “You know all you need to know. I told you Maxine is in charge. That is enough. And not that I owe you any explanations, but Maxine not only manages Runway East, but she was our project manager for the East Coast opening a year and a half ago. She’s been through this with me once already.”

“Ah,” Lola looked relieved. “So you’re just a temp.”

Jaxson clarified, “I’ll repeat. She is in charge.”

“I don’t like this,” Lola complained.

Jaxson grinned while parroting her own words against her. “Like you said… if you can’t handle a bit of change, maybe this isn’t the right job for you.”

Maxine ignored the drama, talking to Nalani. “You’re absolutely right to focus on the public areas we will need for the opening. If Diva needs a place to stay, she can rent a room at a hotel. Do you have all of the tools you need to do your job?”

“I’ve started a list of things we’ll need to order. Maybe we can go through that together?”

Lola growled. “I told you I ordered everything you’d need, Nalani. We don’t have an unlimited budget.”

Jaxson had had enough. It was time to let Lola go, but Maxine’s calming hand on his arm stopped his words.

“Jaxson, I’ve changed my mind. You were telling me last night that you wanted to check on the progress at the pool house. Why don’t you go check on that and let me handle things in here?”

His first reaction was to run from the room as fast as he could, but he glanced to Maxine first. “I thought you wanted to go through the action item list together.”

“Let me spend a few hours getting the lay of the land first.” She patted his arm reassuringly. “We can go through any questions I have later this afternoon.”

Anxious to make a few calls of his own, Jaxson jumped at the offer, shedding a tiny bit of the stress he’d been carrying around for months, feeling better already that Maxine was on the case.

“I do have some calls I need to make. I’ll be around. Text me if you need me.”

“Will do.” Maxine turned back towards the other occupants in the massive clubroom and started taking charge before he’d even gotten turned around.

He retreated quickly, walking quietly past the security office, hoping to avoid detection that might delay his escape. Once outside, he ambled down the stairs, heading to the left, replaceing the semi-hidden entrance to the walkway that was a shortcut to the back expanse of the property.

Tall evergreens lined the wide path, providing a secluded tunnel for the trip towards the backyard paradise. Small alcoves with benches surrounded by colorful flowerpots popped up every few dozen feet. In the distance, the sound of lawnmowers broke up the mid-morning peace.

I wonder how long I could hide in one of these spots without anyone replaceing me?

Once the final corner had been rounded, the walkway opened to a mammoth brick patio that stretched the entire length of the mansion. Several mature trees stretched to the sky, providing not only shade, but also helping to break the huge space into smaller entertainment areas. The huge grill with tables where they would host outdoor events. Lounge areas for relaxing, winding down the path to the mammoth bean shaped swimming pool surrounded by a brick pool deck where the rich and famous would sunbathe while sipping their mimosas.

In the distance, the one-story pool house caught his attention. He’d spent time in the building before they’d purchased the property, debating if they’d turn the space away from the mansion into Black Light. In the end, the huge windows and inability to protect the privacy of the patrons who would come and go to the kink club had forced him to build Black Light below Runway, just like they had in D.C.

Jax crossed the fifty feet of green lawn separating the pool deck and the pool house. He was surprised when the patio door to the two-story great room was unlocked.

A wave of heat hit him. They hadn’t turned on the air in the unused space. Most of the furniture and belongings of the previous owners had been removed, but random pieces of furniture remained hidden under sheets and plastic to keep out the dust. Jaxson removed a sheet from what turned out to be a cream-colored leather lounge chair with a matching ottoman. Plopping down into the chair, feeling exhausted, he took a long breath.

They’d been under so much stress the last months. He felt guilty hiding out in the pool house, hidden away from everyone and everything, but he needed the quiet solitude to get his head on straight. Like it often did in the three days since he’d discovered Emma was pregnant, the news of him becoming a father hit him like a ton of bricks, making his chest tighten with anxiety.

In addition to worrying about Emma’s health, he stressed about not knowing a fucking thing about being a father. How was he supposed to lead his family through this change when he felt like road kill when it came to knowing how to care for an infant?

As his anxiety escalated, he pulled his phone out and found Jonah ‘Cash’ Carter in his contact list. He hit CALL before he could second-guess his decision to confide in his friend.

“Jaxson! What’s up, buddy?”

His old friend’s voice calmed him. He didn’t have a fucking clue where to start so he just laughed nervously.

“That bad, eh? I worried when I heard about the opening date that you might have bitten off more than you could chew. Anything I can do?” The sound of people talking in the background on Jonah’s end of the line told him he’d probably interrupted his friend in the middle of something important.

Jax paused, unsure how to even say the words caught in his throat. Somehow saying them out loud would make it that much more real.

“You still there?” Jonah prodded.

Jax took a deep breath and plunged forward with the two words that had changed his life. “Emma’s pregnant.”

It was his turn to wait for a reply from the other end of the phone. He could tell Cash was moving to a more private location as the boisterous voices got softer just before the sound of a door slamming brought Jonah back to the call.

“You want to say that for me again? I was in a busy area and I think I might have misheard you.”

“You didn’t mishear.”

A surprised whistle preceded Jonah’s chuckle. “Welcome to fatherhood!”

“Thanks… I think.”

“Let me guess. You’re freaking out and you called me hoping I’d tell you it’s the best thing since sliced bread.”

“Something like that.”

“You want me to blow smoke up your ass or tell you the truth?”

“I’m not a take it up the ass kinda guy, so I’ll settle for the truth.”

“Hey, with Chase in the picture, I didn’t know.”

“Smartass.” Jaxson smiled in spite of himself.

“Wait a minute. How am I not hearing about this from Samantha? Has she been keeping this a secret from me?”

“Naw, I just found out myself a couple of days ago. We’ve been kinda sitting on the news, letting it sink in a bit before we told anyone. We’d better let Emma give her a call with the news, or we might both be in trouble.”

“Roger that, but don’t have her wait too long. Holding in a secret like this from Sami is gonna kill me.”

“Yeah, keeping secrets from each other is a sonuvabitch.”

“Why does it sound like you’re speaking from experience?”

“She fucking found out on Valentine’s Day. I don’t know what makes me madder… her keeping a secret this big from us this whole time, or that I had my head so far up my ass with the new clubs, I didn’t even figure it out on my own.”

“Shit, that’s a long time. I hope you roasted her ass for keeping it a secret that long.”

“Excuse me? Did you miss the part where I told you she was carrying a baby? Ass-roasting is off the table for the next nine months.”

“First, if she has known since Valentine’s Day, it’s probably more like six months, not nine months. Second, there are plenty of things that will be off the table for you, but ass-roasting isn’t one of them. Sami was thrilled when her doctor told me as long as I kept it to just my hand or some other small implement like her hairbrush, I could discipline her up until late in her third trimester.”

The information surprised Jax. “I don’t know. I’d be too afraid to hurt her or the baby.”

“I was too. It took me replaceing out that Sami had gotten a traffic ticket for driving twenty-five miles over the speed limit to finally test out the doctor’s advice. I got my point across just fine with a heavy, wooden paddle brush.”

“Emma hates the hairbrush.”

“Then she better learn not to keep secrets, right?”

“I guess. That helps to know, but…” Jaxson paused, unsure how to express the swarm of doubts in his head. He finally finished with a simple question. “How do I keep from screwing this up?”

“Listen, I know where your head is right now.”

“Why do you think I called you?”

“Right. Well, here’s the thing. You’re going to screw up. Everyone does, but it won’t matter.”

“What if I can’t handle this? What the fuck do I know about being a father?”

“You know enough. You have Emma and Chase to help you and you’re like me. You’ll research the hell out of this to learn everything you need to know. In the end, it won’t matter, because you’ll take one look at the baby as soon as he or she is born and your heart will melt. Then the nurse will lay her in Emma’s arms, and your fucking heart will explode with a new love you had no fucking idea could exist.”

“That sounds painful,” Jaxson muttered.

“It’s not. The pain comes with the lack of sleep. Seriously, I thought babies slept most of the time and they may, but Tasha wakes up like every two hours hungry. It’s impossible to get a good night’s sleep. Poor Sami lives on naps. And forget sex most nights. You’ll all fall into bed too exhausted to even think about fun.”

“You aren’t making me feel any better.”

“I thought you wanted the truth.”

“I do.”

“So here is more truth. Take the damn birthing classes the hospital will offer. It will help you know what to expect in the delivery room. And hire a nanny, even if you guys want to do most everything on your own. You can afford it. A nanny will help relieve the stress a bit.”

“Okay. Anything else?” Jaxson knew so little on the topic he didn’t even know what else he should be asking.

“Where do you think you’ll be delivering? Does Emma already have an OBGYN on the West Coast?”

“Not yet. Tracking one down is at the top of our to-do list. We need to get her in to be checked out.”

“I’ll text you the contact info for Sami’s OBGYN when we hang up. We delivered in L.A. intentionally. Dr. Tipton handles a lot of high-profile cases practicing in Hollywood. With your unique relationship, this is bound to blow up big once she starts showing.”

“Don’t fucking remind me.” Jax sighed when he heard someone yelling for Cash at the other end of the phone.

“Listen man, I’d love to chat longer, but our recording time just started. We’re in the studio in New York laying down some new music. All of this downtime at home the last year to spend time with Sami and Tasha has been awesome for my creativity.”

“Must be nice. I feel paralyzed since I found out.”

“That will pass.”

“Promise?”

“Yep. I’m telling you, other than the lack of sleep and the changing of dirty diapers, it’s the best thing that ever happened to you, man. You’ll see. Later.”

The call ended, but it had done what Jaxson needed it to. He felt marginally better. If bad-boy rocker Cash could handle being a father, maybe he wouldn’t totally fuck it up after all.

Jaxson enjoyed the solitude of the pool house, letting it sink in he would be turning this into his family’s newest home. He got up, walking from room to room, visualizing bringing Chase, Emma, and the baby home from the hospital to the room next to the master suite. It would make a beautiful nursery. The master bedroom was huge. A customized bed for three would easily fit. The en suite bathroom was opulent, with a sauna, a whirlpool tub the trio would all fit in, and a shower the size of most bathrooms.

He had just returned to the great room when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He reluctantly pulled it out to see that it was Chase texting.

Better come home when you can. Robert called Emma today and she broke the news. It didn’t go well.

And just like that, the stress was back, pressing on him as if an elephant had taken up residence on his chest. Closing up the pool house, he took off across the grounds towards the car hoping he’d think of something good to say by the time he got back to the rental.