“Jax.”
“Ellie,” I say in the same tone, feeling my lips twitch.
“I don’t know what you could possibly think is funny right now,” she huffs, and I see her cross her arms over her chest out of the corner of my eye, the action making me smile. Fuck but she’s cute.
“So annoying,” she mumbles under her breath, making me chuckle.
“Mama,” I hear, and I look over my shoulder at Hope, whose eyes are open and locked on her mom in the front seat.
“Angel baby.” Ellie pulls off her seatbelt, gets up on her knees, and leans over the backseat. Pulling off the side of the road, I put the truck in park, walk around, to help Ellie out, but before I get there, she’s out and has the back door open, trying to get Hope from her car seat.
The moment she has Hope unbuckled and in her arms, sobs begin to wrack Ellie’s small frame. Without thinking, I wrap my arms around both of them as a feeling of rightness settles in my gut.
“It’s okay, Mama.” Hope pats her mom’s back, making Ellie cry harder.
“I know, Angel,” Ellie says, pulling her face away from Hope’s neck and kissing her forehead. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too. Gwama said you were workin’,” she says, putting her hand on her mom’s cheek and looking into her face.
“I was, Angel, and guess what.”
“What?” Hope asks, and my heart does another tug when both their faces light up with smiles so bright they steal the air right out of my lungs.
“Mommy has a new job.”
“Yay!” She laughs, and Ellie places her hand on the back of Hope’s head and dips her backwards, whispering in her ear.
“I love you, Angel baby.”
“Lub you, Mama,” she says then her eyes come to me and she tilts her head to the side.
“Hope, this is Jax,” Ellie says, and I watch her cheeks get pink as she realizes her body is pressed against the length of mine. “Jax, this is Hope.” She steps away, turning so Hope is facing me.
“It’s nice to meet you, Hope.”
“You too, Ax.” She smiles, showing off a gap between her front teeth that makes her even more beautiful.
“All right, Angel, get back in your car seat,” Ellie tells her, and she climbs up into the seat then locks herself in place, like she’s done it a million times before. Not trusting her, I check to make sure it’s secure then tap the end of her nose, making her smile before I shut the door.
Once I’m back behind the wheel, I head towards Ellie’s place so we can pick up her stuff. Do I feel shitty I told my mom to find a way to get Ellie to Nashville, even if she had to use her fear against her? A little, but at the end of the day, she will be under my roof, so fuck it. All’s fair in love and war, right?
“Turn here,” Ellie says, bringing me out of my thoughts. Frowning, I turn and enter a large trailer park. I know places like these; rent’s cheap, making it easy for everyone and anyone to live here. Following Ellie’s directions, we pull up in front of a small singlewide trailer. Just from the outside, I can tell she is one of the few people in the park who takes pride in her place, judging by the flowers on her small front porch, which have died in her absence, and the colorful floral flag hanging off to the side of the front door, welcoming anyone who might come for a visit.
Shutting down the truck, I hop out and round the hood, taking in my surroundings. Two trailers down, there are a group of guys sitting outside in lawn chairs, drinking beer. A little farther down from them, I watch a man pass a small bag of something off to a kid who’s probably no older than seventeen.
“From now on, wait ’til I open your door,” I tell Ellie, taking a sleeping Hope from her arms.
“Why?” She frowns, shutting the door.
“Because my mom would kick my ass if I didn’t.”
“Oh.” She presses her lips together like she’s trying not to smile, making me want to lean in and kiss her.