I Want You Back (Want You #1)(38)

“When’s the next time I’ll see you?” she asked.

“Not until next week. I’ve got a bunch of family commitments this weekend, and then as soon as that’s over, I’m out of town for several more days.” I brushed my lips across the crown of her head. “I’ll text you. Or call you. Sorry that’s how it’ll play out this week.”

“Okay.”

When she didn’t tack on a snarky comment, I nudged her chin up and stared into her eyes. “Talk to me.”

“I honestly don’t mind that we’re not seeing each other every night. Don’t get me wrong; I like being with you. But I also like getting to know you through text messages and phone conversations. The lust is starting to get pretty intense, and that’s not all there is between us.” She paused. “Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re right. I didn’t want to sound like I was feeding you full of shit, but even after just four dates and two weeks, you know more about me than I’ve ever let anyone else see. You’ve got no preconceived ideas about me. I can just be Jax, the charmingly annoying man you met at the car wash who interested you enough to keep going out on dates with him.”

“That’s true.”

“And you can be Lucy, the most charmingly blunt and beautiful woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of spending time with.”

She kissed me then. Sweetly, tenderly, softly. Her ability to recognize when I needed comfort instead of just passion absolutely bowled me over.

“Have a good week, Jaxson. I can’t wait to see you again.”



* * *



? ? ?

Any idea when Mimi will be back?” Nolan said, bringing me back to the here and now.

“She and Calder are hanging out in the rec room for a while.”

“Great. Then let’s watch these Iowa assholes get their asses handed to them by the Gophers.”

We returned to watching the game, forgoing any mention of our previous conversation.

Right as the game ended, the apartment door opened and Mimi skipped inside. “Hey, guess what? Calder got a cell phone!”

“That is cool,” Nolan said. “Speaking of, girlie-girl, come over here and sit by me for a sec.”

Mimi bounded over the back of the couch—damn Jensen for teaching her that little trick.

Nolan laughed. “Good thing your dad isn’t paying too much for this furniture. I’d whoop your butt if you did that to my leather sofa.”

She rolled her eyes as if that’d ever happen. Her uncle Nolan was a sucker for her and she knew it. “Am I in trouble or something?” she asked him.

“No. But I have something special for you.”

While Nolan reached inside his messenger bag, I took the chair opposite the couch to see what he was up to. Nolan spoiled Mimi—he considered it his right as her only uncle—and Lucy and I mostly let him as long as his gifts weren’t too outrageous.

Nolan set a box on the coffee table.

A cell phone box.

Mimi gasped.

Since Nolan knew me so well, he held up his hand to forestall my immediate “hell no” response.

“This phone is exactly like Calder’s. It’s from Grandpa Archer and Grandma Edie, just like Calder got his phone from his Grandpa Ward and Grandma Selka. It’s not a fun phone for you to play games on, okay? It’s a safety tool. And having it carries great responsibilities, understand?”

She nodded.

“You’ll have to learn to put it in your backpack every day before school. You’ll have to remember to charge it every night before you go to bed. We’ve already preprogrammed phone numbers in it, like your mom’s and your dad’s, Grandpa’s and Grandma’s, and mine, with our pictures, so it’ll be easy for you to make calls. We’ve also listed 911 for emergencies, and the security desk at Lund Industries.”

That made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. What in the hell was going on?

“So you’ll have to be really careful that you don’t accidentally call either of those numbers, okay?”

“Okay.”

“But those numbers are important in case you ever get lost and you can’t get ahold of anyone else on your phone contact list. Those are your safety calls.”

Mimi gave him a thoughtful look. “Can I add my friends to my phone?”

Nolan shook his head. “This is a test to see if you’re big enough to follow these phone rules first before you get extra privileges with this one.”

Who did Nolan think he was, setting down rules for my daughter?

“Can I at least put Calder’s number in it?” she pleaded.

“Yep.”

She grinned and bounced off the couch. “I’m gonna go get him right now!” Then she looked at me. “Uh, is that okay, Daddy?”

“Make it fast, Meems.”

And she was zipping out the door.

As soon as she was gone, I said, “What the fuck, Nolan?”

His cool, assessing eyes met mine. “You and Lucy have been arguing over whether Mimi is too young for a cell phone since you lived in Chicago. It has fuck-all to do with Mimi and everything to do with a power play between you two.”

“Exactly. She is our daughter and we’ll make the decisions about what she can and can’t have. Not you. Not Mom and Dad. Jesus. Lucy is gonna blow her goddamned top over this. There’s no way she’ll believe I had nothing to do with it.”