5. Jaxson

“Please, sweet girl, sleep.” I begged as I paced back and forth in the dimly lit nursery. Emilia’s cries reverberated through the silent house. Each wail pierced my sleep-deprived mind like a needle, tugging at my frayed nerves.

“You slept for Rhys. Please sleep for Uncle Jax.” I wasn’t above begging. Why did Rhys soothe her easily, his touch lulling her into a peaceful sleep, while I kept struggling in vain to just calm her down? I would give anything right now to replicate whatever his calming presence had done for her. For god’s sake, the man had just met her… or she’d just met him and she went to sleep for him without fuss. For hours.

It wasn’t fair! I knew I sounded like a ten-year-old, but lack of sleep did that to a guy.

Life’s not fair…I hated the sound of my CO’s voice from basic with that fucking reminder.

All the books had advised new parents to establish a routine. I’d been trying since 7:30 to get her to sleep. It was now almost eleven.

Exhaustion weighed heavy on my shoulders as I met Emilia’s teary gaze, feeling utterly inadequate in the face of her distress.

“Shh, shh,” I murmur, rocking her in my arms. I gently hush and sway, hoping that me holding her would help get her to sleep. The last hour should have shown me it wasn’t working. She continued crying, her small hands pounding against my chest as if blaming me for some unspoken transgression.

Could a baby hate you? Because I could swear my niece hated me. I felt like I’d been judged and found wanting.

“I know you probably miss them. I do too,” I murmured.

Even though Emilia hadn’t met her parents, not really, still I could swear she knew something was missing. That I was the wrong guy to be doing this. That it should be Jayson and Leanne. Not me.

I paced back and forth in the room, hoping the movement would help, but the crying only seemed to get louder. My chest tightened with desperation and I prayed to whoever was listening to have some pity. Times like this all my doubts and worries about moving here surface trying to choke me. At least back home, I had people I could call. A community I could rely on. Here there was no one. Just Emilia and I.

You could call him… Rhys. He’d left his number. But I shook off that thought just like I had the last couple of days. I didn’t know the man, and he didn’t know me. Why would he help?

Like the night before, and the one before that, I couldn’t help wondering if I should go back home. At least, I tried. “That has to count?” Of course, no one answered.

Lee and Jay would want me sane right, and if I didn’t get some uninterrupted sleep and another decent meal soon, I would definitely lose my mind.

“It’s just us little girl. We gotta figure this out,” I murmured as I paced back and forth for what felt like the millionth time. As I passed by the ornate mirror hanging on the wall, a shiver ran down my spine. In the glass’s reflection, beyond the living room and into the moonlit garden, I saw a figure standing in the shadows. I glimpsed movement in the garden. I could swear there was someone there trying to go unnoticed in the shadows. For a second, my sleep-deprived mind questions if it was a figment of my imagination due to exhaustion or an actual person lurking there.

Still, my training kicked in and I continue to sway and murmur soothing words to Emilia, trying to calm her. I made sure not to focus on the spot, but I kept my attention on where I’d seen the shadowy presence outside. I tried to get a better look, trying to figure out if it was just a trick of the light playing on my exhausted mind, or if there was actually someone out there watching us in the dead of night.

The figure moved again, a subtle shift in the darkness that sent a chill down my spine. But they’d picked the wrong house. If someone thought I was defenseless and an easy target because I was new in town and didn’t know anyone, they had another thing coming. My muscles tensed as I ran through my options in my head. I needed to investigate, but then I would have to leave Emilia by herself and she still refused to be comforted by me.

“Okay, little one,” I whisper, not changing anything I was doing. “How about we go up and see about this diaper, then try a bottle one more time?”

I left the sitting room and headed for the staircase, my steps echoing softly on the stairs as I made my way to Emilia’s nursery. I carefully placed her on the changing table and leaned in close, whispering soothing words of reassurance. “You are safe. You are loved. And nothing will ever happen to you.”

That was a vow I intended to keep. So God help whoever was trying to break into our house.

It was almost like she knew what I was saying. Her cries faded into a peaceful silence, calm finally settling over the room. Placing her in her crib, I turned on the mobile as she watched the lights and little fish dance around the space above her head. The soft melody soothed her.

“I’ll be right back, sweetheart.” Kissing her forehead, I headed for my room.

I quickly grabbed my boots because there was no way in hell I was going outside with bare feet. Grabbing my thickest Marine Corps hoodie, I yanked it quickly over my head. Satisfied, I grabbed the baby monitor and put it inside the pocket of my sweatshirt before heading for the lockbox on the top shelf of my closet. I entered the code and grabbed my Glock 19. In this town, it was probably more than I needed, so I left it empty as more of a scare tactic for any intruder. Night vision goggles in hand, I crept down the stairs, slowly, making sure to not make a sound.

I headed to the kitchen and retrieved one of the pre-made baby bottles from the fridge. Hopefully, whoever was watching would think that I was heading back up. God bless whoever had told me to always have these on hand. They were convenient and had been a saving grace several times. I left the kitchen but rather than going up the stairs; I headed for the front door and opened it as quietly as I could. Navigating stealthily along the side of the house. I kept my senses alert for any potential intruders attempting to approach unnoticed. I stayed close to the shadows and, using the cloak of night to my advantage, a skill honed through years of rigorous training courtesy of my military training, I maneuver swiftly until I was within proximity of the individual without alerting them to my presence. At that moment, I could tell whoever was watching was an amateur. They clearly had no situational awareness.

I raised the unloaded gun and pressed it against the figure, my voice firm. “Put your hands where I can see them, and turn around with your hands up.”

“Shit.”

The familiar scent and sound of his voice slammed into all my senses. I slowly lowered my weapon.

“Well, that didn’t go as planned,” he mused as he turned to look at me.

I pushed the night vision goggles up and stared at the too handsome for his own good trespasser lurking in the shadows. My brows pulled together tightly as I took in the sight of the baby whisperer.

“Rhys? What the fuck are you doing out here like this? I could have hurt you!”

My heart hammered away as he shot me his megawatt smile that had probably gotten him out of some sticky situation in the past. The man was too damn pretty for his own good.

“Hey there.”

I tried not to snort, but the sense of relief was too much for me. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked as his familiar presence diffused what was left of the tension that had gripped me just moments before.

“Just checking in.” He waved toward the street. “I was passing through and thought I’d see what you were up to.” He beamed up at me.

Oh, this one was trouble. So why was I so happy to see him and not just because he seemed to be able to do what I couldn’t? I was actually pleased he’d stopped by again. Although maybe I shouldn’t be. I didn’t know the man from Adam and here he was, lurking in my garden. Still, I’d been tempted to call him several times in the last couple of days. And not just when Emilia refused to sleep or eat.

Three days, it had been three days, and I’d been hoping he would stop by each one. Although I never imagined this. I couldn’t wait to hear his explanation.

“Passing through? Care to share how that involves lurking in my garden?” I asked, keeping a straight face. I couldn’t wait to hear his response. Was I allowed to be flattered? And maybe I was less freaked out because I’d googled Jayson’s family after Rhys left the other day. Still, it wouldn’t do to let him off the hook. “Perhaps I should call the Sheriff.”

He groaned, “Please don’t. I can explain.”

Well, I couldn’t wait to hear this.