“What I said about Connor…Again I was jealous. He never showed any interest in me but you he’d have done anything for. I’m glad that you two got together.” She gestured to the beautiful ring on the hand that was holding the photo. “I take it he gave you that.”
Jaxxon, still utterly speechless, just nodded.
“Congratulations.” And she meant it. “I won’t lie and say I planned to come and see you. It wasn’t until I knew you were in Australia that I really thought about it. I was just so ashamed of myself. I hadn’t even told Alan you were my sister, I didn’t want to have to tell him why we’d lost touch and why I was too scared to try to see you. But then I broke down one day and told him everything. He convinced me to come, said if you were anything like the person I’d made you out to be then you wouldn’t turn me away without letting me talk to you.”
“How long have you been married?”
“Four years now. He’s a kind of handy man – electrician, plummer, computer expert. Geeky, really.” She laughed. “Never thought I’d fall for a geek.”
“No, I didn’t see that coming. But then, I never would have thought I’d have gotten into modelling either. I thought if either one of us was going to be a celeb, it’d be you.”
Smiling, Leah waved away the comment. “I was never going to be famous. I just craved attention so bad. It was pathetic really. I’d never have been secure enough to survive that world – one critical comment and I’m thrown. Not like you.” She braced herself for a snort. “This might sound stupid, but I’m proud of you. It must be weird for you to hear something like that from me – or any kind of compliment.”
“I’m glad everything’s worked out for you. I can’t believe you’re a mum.”
“I panicked when I found out, whining to Alan that I didn’t have a maternal bone in my body. But I’d like to think I’m doing a good job. Not making any of the mistakes our mum made. Keep that photo, I’ve got thousands. I can’t stop taking pictures of the little bugger.” Bracing herself for the rejection she deserved, Leah went to Jaxxon and offered her a slip of paper. “That’s my address and phone number. Just in case you ever feel like getting in touch. I know you’ll probably be too busy to visit but…” She literally sighed in relief when Jaxxon took it. “My e-mail address is on there too, just in case you use e-mail more than phones...”
“I’ll want more pictures of Riley e-mailed to me,” said Jaxxon with a smile.
She laughed – it was dripping with relief. “Like I said, I have thousands, I can send you loads.” She squeezed her sister’s hand tight, hoping this wasn’t the last she ever saw of her. “Take care of yourself, Jaxxon.”
Jaxxon nodded. “You too.” At that, Leah grabbed her handbag and left the suite. Jaxxon just stood there staring at the photo, engrossed by the sight of her nephew who could easily pass as her son.
“Jaxx.”
She turned toward the voice; it was soft, cautious, concerned. As was Connor’s face. He had no need to be. She felt a million times lighter. She hadn’t realised how much her strained relationship with her sister and her lack of answers as to why it had ever been strained had affected her ’til now. That fourteen year old girl in her was as high as a kite; Connor McKenzie loved her and had proposed; Leah did love her and was happy for her. And that was why Jaxxon could do something she’d never been able to do before. She flung himself into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, like the young girl in her wanted.
EPILOGUE
She was going to kill him. Jaxxon was going to kill him. Maybe one day she would be able to understand why her husband liked to ignore her, but that definitely wasn’t today. She stormed through the kitchen of their house and out the back door. Then she trekked through the grassy land toward where Connor was darting round crazily on his mini racing track on a quad. Wisely he slowed his speed when he saw her nearing and then parked the quad, but she could see his body shaking with a muted laugh.
“Something funny?” she asked through her teeth, hating the fact that even while she was planning how to murder him and hide the body she couldn’t help admiring and desperately wanting said body.
Seeing that frustration was practically steaming from the woman he loved, making her look as provocative as ever, Connor decided it might be in his best interests to remain sitting on the quad for just a minute. “Now Jaxx, babe -”
“Oh no do not think that will work with me. Not only are you supposed to be helping me get everything ready, but I’ve asked you time and time again not to put her on that thing if you’re going to go all kamikaze!”
“But Mummy,” whined three and a half year old Isabel who was sat snug between her daddy’s legs. “I’ve got on my helmet and daddy wasn’t going that fast.”
“Not going that fast,” echoed Jaxxon in a quiet voice filled with disbelief.
“Maybe we were going a bit fast,” admitted Connor sheepishly, “but do you honestly think I’d drive at a speed like that if didn’t think I could control it?” He knew that wasn’t the point, and her facial expression said just that. But the fact was their daughter loved a good adrenalin rush and had absolutely no fear; something which concerned Jaxx but made him proud as all hell. “I remember when it was you I used to drive around, and we went a lot faster than that.”
“Oh yes I remember your misspent youth and how petrified I was that you’d crash.”
“It’s alright Mummy I’m fine, you don’t have to shout at Daddy.”
Jaxxon shot her a sweet smile. “I’m not shouting at him, angel, I’m just helping him hear.”
Knowing there was only one thing Isabel loved more than that quad, Jaxxon asked, “Aren’t you coming to give Ferrari his dinner? I can do it if you want.” The little girl practically leaped off the quad. Jaxxon had tried to get Isabel to name the puppy something normal, but as she was as obsessed with cars as Connor, there was no changing her mind. She skipped ahead of Jaxxon and Connor toward the house, her dark curls bobbing all over the place.
Connor wrapped his arm around Jaxx’s shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Yes, I’m sucking up to you because I don’t like being in your bad books.” He trailed seductive kisses along the curve of her neck. “I like it better when you do the sucking though.”
She laughed. “You say that with such desperation as if I didn’t do that just last night.”
“It was torture when I smelled that coffee this morning. It just reminded me of last night. I love it when you suck me off while you’re having a hot drink. Maybe once Izzy’s in bed I can make you another coffee.”
“I liked it better when I cuffed you to the bedframe.” She began shaking with giggles.
“That wasn’t funny. How would you like waking up to find you can’t move?”
“Just a little payback.” She’d teased him for a full half hour from head to toe before making him come. “You should be thankful I didn’t spank you as well.”
“One day you’ll admit you like that.” No sooner had they stepped inside than the doorbell rang. He swatted Jaxx’s arse. “You get that, I’ll help Izzy with the dog food.”
Jaxxon opened the door to find a very pregnant Anna and a flustered Warren on her doorstep. Clearly they’d had a tumble just before leaving their apartment. “Hi, get your arses inside, you’re the first ones here. Anna, sit down. Warren, make yourself useful and help Connor set the barbeque up.”
Warren saluted her. “Yes ma’am.”
“He hasn’t done it yet?” asked Anna.
“The race track was more interesting,” grumbled Jaxxon.