Chapter 108 A LITTLE HIM

Chapter 108 A LITTLE HIM
Even as we pulled into Nancy's compound, I still couldn't understand why we were here instead of heading straight to the airport.

Jaxon, on the other hand, had completely ditched me to sit with Nancy in the back seat, leaving Alba with me.

Staring at them through the rearview mirror, I watched Jaxon hold Nancy's hand the entire ride.

I couldn't believe he had abandoned me for comfort.

I mean, we still had a lot we needed to talk about.

I pulled the car to a stop, and we all climbed out.

Nancy was the first to head inside, and I immediately made my way over to Jaxon.

“What's going on? Is Mr. Randy finally ready to see us?” I asked, noticing how tense he looked.

His shoulders were stiff, and for some reason, he looked more nervous than he had before confronting armed criminals.

“No. I doubt he wants to see anyone who looks like me anywhere near him or Nancy's family. The dude was really pissed yesterday. He believes I took everything away from him,” Jaxon replied with a heavy sigh as he slipped his hands into his pockets.

“Take everything away?” I repeated in disbelief. “Is he crazy? His mother wrecked your life. Why would he even think that?”

Frustration immediately rose inside me.

"But if we're not here to see him, why are we even here? Our flight leaves in less than thirty minutes.”

I was getting more confused by the second.

Jaxon glanced toward the house before answering.

“I came to meet my daughter.”

For a moment, I thought I had heard him wrong.

“I'm sorry... come again?”

I stared at him.

Did he just say daughter?

Wait.

Don't tell me he's talking about Renna.

“I said I'm here to meet my daughter. Now quit distracting me. I'm already so nervous my hands are shaking.”

His response only made my jaw drop further.

I looked down at his hands and, sure enough, they were trembling slightly.

Jaxon Lennox was nervous.

This was the same man who had walked into dangerous situations without blinking.

The same man who had stared death in the face more times than I could count.

And now he looked like he was seconds away from having a panic attack.

“Just one quick question,” I said, holding up a finger. “Did you properly talk to Nancy overnight, or did the two of you secretly get married while I was gone?”

“Troy, please. Not now.”

“Then why is Renna suddenly your daughter?” I demanded.

My brain was struggling to keep up.

“Oh, Jaxon, I get that you love kids. And yes, you and Nancy might have finally made things official. But referring to Renna as your daughter this early might make Nancy uncomfortable, don't you think?”

I continued rambling, trying to make sense of the situation.

But Jaxon simply walked past me.

“Let's just go inside, Troy. Then I can listen to your lecture.”

I watched him walk away and shook my head before following after him.

Dude had completely lost his touch after Silvia dumped him.

I didn't want to say it, but at this point he might actually scare Nancy away with whatever was going on inside that head of his.

Nancy's POV

When I walked into Renna's room, I found her completely absorbed in the iPad in her hands. Eventually, she looked up, acknowledging my presence.

“Mum!” she called out, giving me a little wave and a giggle before returning her attention to the screen.

I couldn't help but smile as I sat beside her and peeked over her shoulder.

She was drawing.

“Mum! You're not supposed to look until I'm finished,” she protested, quickly hiding the screen away.

“But I want to see,” I complained, pointing at the iPad.

“I'll show you later. I made a drawing for everyone,” she said proudly.

My heart melted.

I immediately pulled her into a hug.

“My baby girl is growing up, and I'm so proud of her,” I said.

She only giggled before pressing a soft kiss against my cheek.

Just then, Annabella's voice drifted in from outside.

“Mr. Lennox, you're here.”

“Please call me Jaxon,” I heard him reply.

The moment Renna heard his voice, she immediately pulled away from me and rushed to the window.

Excitement instantly lit up her face.

She gave a little jump before dashing toward the door.

“Not so fast, young lady,” I called, causing her to stop.

She turned around and looked at me.

“Come sit. Mummy has something she wants to talk to you about.”

“Okay,” she replied with a shrug before walking back and sitting beside me.

Although the slight pout on her lips made it clear she would rather be downstairs.

“Do you really like Uncle Jaxon this much?” I asked playfully.

She immediately nodded, a bright smile spreading across her face.

“Can I ask why?”

I waited for her answer, and when she spoke, I realized my little Renna wasn't so little anymore.

“I don't know. I just like him. You're the one who told me we don't need a reason to like someone.

“I like him because even though he looks like the busiest person in the world, he still loves listening to me talk about the farm.

“He even promised to save the ranch in exchange for me teaching him how to ride a horse the first time I met him.”

The pride in her voice made me smile.

And suddenly, I remembered the day I nearly had a heart attack when I found her talking to Jaxon.

That had been their first meeting.

All this time, I thought his offer to save the ranch had been for his own benefit.

Meanwhile, he had apparently made a business deal with a five-year-old.

Oh, Jaxon.

And to think I hated him even more after that day.

I looked at Renna, who seemed far more interested in leaving than answering my questions.

“Renna, would you like Jaxon as your daddy?” I asked softly.

Confusion filled her little blue eyes as she gave me a funny look.

“Are you getting married to Uncle Jaxon?” she asked, sounding shocked and excited at the same time.

The question caught me completely off guard.

She immediately grabbed both my hands and began inspecting my fingers.

Then she paused.

“I guess not. You don't have a ring,” she said, her voice dropping slightly.

“Do you really want me to marry him?” I asked carefully.

“Yes.”

The answer came so quickly that I almost laughed.

“He can be my daddy if you two get married, right?”

The hope in her voice squeezed at my heart.

Every word that came out of her mouth made me suspect she'd already had this conversation with someone before.

And I already had a very strong suspicion that someone was Annabella.

"Well, we don't need to get married for him to be your dad," I said, watching as her big blue eyes stared back at me in confusion.

"What?" she asked.

"That's because he's already your father."

She paused, the confusion on her face deepening.

"What?" she repeated for the second time.

"Remember when I told you that your daddy traveled very far away?"

She nodded, and I gently took her little hands in mine.

"Well, he's here to see you."

Tears immediately clouded her eyes, catching me completely off guard.

"You're really saying that Uncle Jaxon is my daddy? For real?"

I nodded.

"Yes, for real."

Before I could say another word, she jumped off the bed and dashed outside, leaving me sitting there as I tried to deal with my own emotions before following after her.

I stopped when I found her standing by the front door, peeking at Jaxon, who stood alongside Troy while Annabella seemed to have them trapped in a deep conversation.

I squatted to her level and gently brushed a hand through her hair.

Her gaze met mine, and I saw hesitation in her eyes.

"He wants to meet you. Aren't you going to go meet him?" I asked softly.

She lowered her head.

"What if he doesn't like me as his daughter?"

Her words broke something inside me.

I immediately lifted her chin until our eyes met.

"He already loves you as Renna. And he can't wait to meet you as his daughter."

That was all she needed to hear.

She slowly made her way outside, walking toward Jaxon, stopping every few steps to glance back at me. I kept encouraging her with small smiles until she finally reached him.

Standing behind him, she reached out and tugged gently on his suit jacket, calling his attention to her.

Jaxon's POV

I felt someone tug at my jacket from behind. Thinking it was Alba, I turned around, but my heart nearly stopped when I saw Renna standing there.

Her gaze was fixed on the ground.

My eyes immediately found Nancy standing by the front door, and I instantly understood. She had told her.

Suddenly, I was more nervous than I had ever been in my life.

I crouched down to her height, needing her to look at me.

"Hey, princess," I said softly.

Her little hands tightened around her pants before she finally looked up at me.

Tears clouded her eyes. Her chin trembled stubbornly as she fought not to cry.

The sight shattered me.

I didn't know what to do.

"Are you really my dad?" she asked.

The tears finally slipped free, and she quickly moved to wipe them away.

"It seems so," I replied with a small smile. "Are you disappointed it's me?"

My heart felt like it had climbed straight into my throat as I waited for her answer.

She immediately shook her head.

"No. I'm just happy. I've always wanted a dad."

Her words hit me harder than anything ever could.

My eyes burned with tears.

Without hesitation, I pulled her into my arms.

"I'm so sorry, princess. I'm so sorry it took me so long to come."

I kept whispering apologies over and over again until her little frame finally relaxed against mine, melting away years of pain I didn't even realize I was carrying.

At that moment, I had never felt prouder.

I wanted to tell the whole world.

I wanted to scream it at the top of my lungs.

I have a daughter.