AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I can feel Jett’s body already relaxing against me. His arms haven’t gone limp yet, so I know he’s not all the way out. I kiss him and pass him over to Aiden. He snuggles into Aiden’s neck, and I can’t help but smile at the love between the two. I watch them until they disappear out of the kitchen.
Aiden is an amazing father. He still makes special time just for Lexi. He never wants her to think that just because Jett is our biological child that he is more important. They are both perfect in every way.
“Where’s JD?” Jaxon says, walking into the kitchen with us.
“You just missed him,” Katie responds. “Off to take a nap.”
Jaxon pulls Katie into him. “Can we go take a nap,” he jokes, kissing her neck. She slaps him on the chest, pushing him back.
“No.” She laughs. “Everyone is going to start showing up soon.”
Almost everyone.
I sigh. Katie peeks at me, sympathetically. “I love you, Sis,” she murmurs, giving me a hug.
“I love you, too,” I reply. “Can you do me a favor and go check on Lexi? I need to use the restroom.”
“Of course.” Her voice raises. “I’ve heard she’s getting good at riding.”
“She’s a natural,” Jaxon says. “Max is going to have her barrel racing soon.”
I laugh, knowing that is something Max would do. When they walk out of the kitchen, I make my way up the stairs. My hand runs along the wooden banister. I don’t need to go to the bathroom. I just wanted to see the room where we all got dressed for the wedding. It’s my favorite room of the house. I can still feel her energy in there.
Max hasn’t changed a thing in here. The bright room is blinding, but I’m used to it now. I stay for only a short while because I know the house is going to be full any minute. As I’m about to walk down the stairs, the sound of a door opening stops me. Stone is coming out of a room to the right of the stairs. I’ve asked Max repeatedly what he keeps in those rooms and the only answer he gives me is “stuff.”
I smirk, walking toward Stone. “Hi, Stone,” I say, flashing a sweet smile.
“Hey, Addison. How’s it going?” His hand is on the doorknob, and he clicks it shut.
“Good,” I reply. I tilt my head. “Stone, is that your room?”
He shakes his head. “Nah. I live in the guesthouse.”
“So…what’s in there?”
He cocks an eyebrow. “Nothing,” he says slowly.
I narrow my eyes. “I don’t believe you. Show me.” He starts to shake his head. “Please?” He stares at me for a beat and then sighs.
“Just a peek.” His voice is hesitant as he looks around first. The excitement in me bubbles over. Max is always so secretive about everything and now I get to see a little bit of it. When he opens the door, my eyes go wide.
One wall has at least ten monitors on it, all playing different locations of God knows where. It’s surveillance feeds. I catch a glimpse of a wall of pictures, which I assume are their cases. There are probably a hundred photos. I push open the door to get a clearer view. One picture in particular makes me freeze.
Stone holds onto the door, guarding the room so I can’t go in any farther. I lean my head closer and squint my eyes to focus on the picture. “Is that—”
“Fuck. Time to go,” he says, interrupting me. He pushes me out the door.
“Stone!” I say trying to get past him. He’s too big for me to move.
“Addison, don’t ask questions. I’m not going to answer them,” he states matter-of-factly. “Just forget you saw anything.”
I stomp my foot. “Really? How the hell do I forget what I just saw? Never mind! I’ll deal with Max.” I fly down the stairs and go straight to the kitchen. Stone follows me downstairs; I feel him on the heels of my feet. I hear him mutter a few curse words under his breath. My insides burn with anger; I can’t even talk. I snag a couple beers and head outside. I need to think and calm down before I rip Max’s head off. I hear Aiden call my name but my body keeps moving forward. I head down to the water to the empty chairs and sit down.
I’ve drunk the first beer by the time Aiden joins me. The Corona went down so fast, I don’t recall tasting it. That’s not how I wanted my first taste of liquor since that small sip of champagne at my wedding. I wanted to savor it. I’ve missed it so much. There were many moments over the last year that I’ve wanted nothing more than to get wasted to forget.
Aiden kneels in between my legs, his hands on my thighs. I look over his head at the water, avoiding eye contact.
“He did it for you,” he murmurs. My eyes snap to his.
