Chapter Three
Ariella
I'd wanted to ask him who Isabella was since the moment Lincoln brought up her name. I wasn't sure how to ask without completely prying or seeming nosey. It had to be that he'd rescued me out in the cold, and I already had a sense of attachment to him. Wasn't there a name for that?
"You have a daughter?" That took me by surprise. It shouldn't have, as he was old enough to have kids, so was I.
"Yes, she's three years old." His expression seemed pained. His eyes crinkled just slightly before continuing to speak. "Her mom wanted to give her up for adoption and came to me, needing my signature to give up my rights as a father. I couldn't do it. I refused." His breathing deepened, and his ears reddened as he spoke.
I nodded as I listened to him tell me what happened.
"My options were full custody or give her up completely. I've had to depend on my military brothers a little more than I'd like, but there is no way I would ever give up my child."
Lincoln brought two glasses of water to the table, giving Jaxson a look. "Dinner will be out soon," Lincoln said.
"Thank you," I said, glancing up at Lincoln before turning my attention back to Jaxson. "She's at home now, Isabella?"
"Yes. I have to depend on my brothers far more than I want to with raising Isabella, but they don't seem to mind." He laughed under his breath.
Had I missed the punchline? I didn't see what was so funny. "What's that?"
He smiled, shaking his head. "Forget it. It's not important."
I didn't quite understand what he wanted me to forget since I didn't know what he was talking about. "Okay," I said, relieved that Lincoln was carrying our food over to the table. The delicious smell of stew wafted into the air as he brought two large bowls to the table, one for each of us. "Thank you."
"Anything else I can get for you?" Lincoln asked, staring directly at me.
Did he recognize me? The air had been sucked out of my lungs.
Jaxson opened his mouth. "We could use spoons."
"I'll get the lady a spoon. You can get yourself your silverware." He pointed at Jaxson. "Don't let this guy boss you around."
I feigned a smile. It had probably been my imagination. "Oh, I won't. Thanks for the tip," I said.
Lincoln headed toward the kitchen, grabbed two sets of silverware, and brought it over to the table.
"Thank you," Jaxson said before I could even voice the same sentiment.
"Let me know if you need anything else," Lincoln said before disappearing back into the kitchen.
"He knows how to make himself scarce," I said. I reached for the spoon as the steam wafted from the bowl of soup. I took a sip, and my eyes closed. I relished the taste, the warmth, the fact it was a meal in my stomach. I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten today.The burnt coffee I picked up at the resort was stale and didn’t count as a meal.
"Yeah. Lincoln's a good guy. Rough around the edges, and Isabella used to be terrified of him, but now they’re best buds. Declan comes in a close second to Lincoln, which is funny because he spends more time with her. I swear he’s ready to be a dad and settle down."
I took another bite of stew, grateful for the warm and comforting meal after a disastrous evening earlier. "Is Declan watching her now?"
Jaxson nodded between bites. "Yes. My brothers all take turns watching her when she’s not at daycare. They're amazing. I couldn't do it without them." He sipped his water and glanced up at me. "So, you moved out here to get away, a change of scenery."
I nodded, not giving anything else away. He couldn’t know why I came to Breckenridge. I couldn’t risk endangering him or his little girl.
"Any kids?" he asked.
"Not that I know of," I said, staring at him, trying hard not to laugh.
He grinned first and nodded. "Good one. You know what I do for a living. What about you?"
"Is this twenty questions?" I asked, trying to relax, but it wasn't the easiest task under his gaze. I couldn’t tell him what I did for a living, or rather what I used to do. Currently, I was unemployed. I knew he wasn't trying to be rude. This was probably how small-town people made small talk. The thing of it was, I might have been from New York, but my job took me all over the world. There were dangers in him knowing who I worked for and what I did. Hell, even Benjamin, my ex-husband, had no clue who he was married to. I lived with secrets, slept with them, and recognized they were mine and mine alone.