“Wow. What a story. So she’s like a sister to you?”

“Yeah. I wish she was more, but she’s very kept.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“She’s not the typical girl who’s interested in a good night of fucking or your wallet. She’s after someone’s heart.” Hunter laughed. “Not that you’re at all her type, but make sure you watch your heart, boss.”

“Not her type?” I couldn’t help but push a little. “How so?”

“She’s from poverty. She believes those with wealth are somehow missing key elements from their personalities because life didn’t force them to develop as much. Besides... she’s not your type anyway. She’s wholesome and sweet.” Hunter laughed and I responded in kind, the image of Kendra rushing across my vision again.

I’m not her type because I’m lacking due to my wealth?

Sadly enough, she was probably right.

4 - Kendra

The truck driver tried to make conversation with me as we drove across town, but I couldn’t seem to put two thoughts together. All of the new information about Jax and Tyson rolled through my mind and caused more emotion to rare up than I wanted to deal with. The afternoon of packing and talking with Brian left a kind of peace sitting on me. Too bad I seemed intent on destroying it with my worries.

“Here we are, missy. I’ll get everything unloaded and we’ll get it up to the penthouse. You go ahead and go up.”

“You sure? I don’t mind helping to carry stuff.” I pulled my purse from the floor and hesitated before opening the door.

“I’m sure. We’ll get it done for you. Tell Mr. Wilder that Fred said hello.” The older man smiled and parked the truck.

I slipped out of my side of the vehicle, dropping a ways to the ground, but thankfully catching myself. I grimaced as my hand slid over the tire, the result a long streak of sludge on my hand. I glanced around, not seeing anywhere to wipe it, as a few guys walked toward the truck.

“Fred driving this beast?” One of them asked me as I squatted and brushed my hand along the concrete.

“I sure am.” Fred moved from the other side of the truck and glanced down at me. “You alright?”

“Yeah. I’m good.” I stood and smiled. “Thank you again for your help.”

“My pleasure.” He winked.

I turned and walked toward the beautiful high-rise, trying hard not to touch anything, least of all my white dress. I could barely hear the muttering behind me, but the guys were talking about how pretty I was. “I bet Mr. Wilder’s going to have a hard time keeping his hands off her,” one of them said.

It’s not going to be him having a hard time, but me.

I smiled and greeted the bellman before moving to the elevator and getting in. The elderly man from the day before grinned at me.

“Good Afternoon, miss. How are you today?”

“I’m good. I need to go to the penthouse again.”

“I’m aware.” He pressed a few buttons and turned to smile warmly at me. “I heard the good news. Congratulations.”

“Wow. News spreads fast.” I laughed as the door opened to the top floor.

“It does, and with all the security measures we have here, Mr. Wilder just needed to get you added to everything. Makes life a lot easier.” He shrugged and tilted his head. “Have a great evening and we’ll be seeing more of each other, I’d imagine.”

“That we will.” I moved toward the door, repositioning the large bag on my shoulder. I couldn’t hear Tyson crying, which was a good thing. It was Saturday, so there was no telling how exhausted Jax might be. Surely he didn’t work on Saturdays, which meant he would have spent the whole day with the baby.

I knocked on the door. Now that I understood why the handsome bachelor had no clue how to burp Tyson, I found myself wondering about something else. Where was the rest of Jax’s family? It seemed a little odd that there wasn’t a grandmother or another aunt, or someone else in the picture.

Then I remembered. He mentioned his mother, but she was in too much pain. Which made much more sense now. Tyson’s mother was Jax’s sister, meaning that his mother had lost her daughter.

The door opened and I tucked my meanderings away for a more quiet time. Jax smiled and moved back, his white t-shirt and jeans making him look relaxed and so far beyond sexy.

“There you are. I was beginning to worry.” He smiled and licked at his lips.

I glanced down at his hands as he wiped them off on a kitchen towel. “Were you cooking?”

“Me? Hell no. I was washing a few dishes I had in the sink. Jani only comes on Tuesdays and Fridays. Would it surprise you to know that I’m a bit of a clean freak?” He closed the door and moved toward me, taking the bag off my shoulder. “I’ll get this.”

“You, a clean freak? Interesting.” I forced a soft laugh. “Can I use that towel? I got something on my hand from touching the tire of the truck outside.”

He handed it to me and smiled. “You got a little on your nose too.”

I groaned and lifted the towel to my face, wiping in random spots until he laughed, taking the towel back.

“Here. Let me do it.” He moved closer and I held my breath. His nearness left me needier than I could ever remember being.

Needing to divert my thoughts, I forced myself to ask a safe question. “Where’s Tyson?”

“He’s taking a nap. Seems your burping trick is magical. He’s not nearly as fussy as he has been in the last two weeks.” Jax turned and walked toward the stairs. “Come on. I’ll show you your room.”

I moved past the baby’s room and followed Jax down the hall past several doors. The need to ask what lay behind each one swelled inside of me, but I figured he would explain.

“I have you in the room next to mine. Hope that’s okay. It’s rather large, which will give you room to spread out a little.” He glanced back at me, his dark hair wet from what appeared to be a recent shower.

“That’s fine with me. I can set up my sewing room in there too, if you’re okay with that. I plan on working on my business during the day when Tyson is at daycare, unless you’ve changed your mind on him going.” Something about being in the room next to his was exhilarating and nerve racking. If he brought home a woman at night... I would have to listen to them having sex. Nothing sounded more heinous.

Get over it. He’s your boss. He’s going to bring home women. Look at him.

“He’ll still be going during the day. Do whatever you like. I’ll show you some of the other rooms in a bit.” He pressed the door open and moved back, letting me enter first.

My breath caught in my chest at the beautiful cream-colored bedspread, the light apple-wood furniture and the expanse of windows.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered as I moved into the large room and slipped my shoes off. I wanted a chance to feel the softness of the enormous white rug that covered most of the floor. I wiggled my toes against it and turned as Jax chuckled.

“I take it you like it?”

“I love it.” I reached for my bag and moved to a large desk, setting it down on top of the solid structure and turning to Jax. “This is too much. I don’t need anything this big. Really. Surely this room could be used for when your mother comes to visit, or your future girlfriend’s family comes to stay, or something.”

He lifted his eyebrow at me and shook his head. “Yes, well, it’s yours for now. Make yourself at home and I’ll have everything delivered up here. Do you need anything right now?”

“No.” I turned back to the room, inhaling deeply and searching for the scent of his cologne. It was nothing more than a subtle scent, but I pulled it in, greedy for more.

“Yell down to me when you’re done checking everything out. I want to show you one more thing.”

I turned and clasped my hands in front of my body. “Okay. Thank you again.”