Dungeon Daddy by Golden Angel
Chapter 8
Jax
When he got home from work—a full day of Suzie obliquely hinting around whether he’d talked to Esther yet but not coming out and actually asking—both kids were home, but Esther had already gone out for dinner with Cyana and Leah. Inwardly, Jax sighed. He couldn’t be mad at her for making plans with her friends, not when he’d been constantly out of the house, but it did kind of suck.
No, he didn’t plan on telling her he’d been running a C&C game for the past year instead of working, but he had been excited to tell her he would no longer be working late. Now, that would have to wait till she got home tonight, maybe even tomorrow. He supposed it depended on how late she stayed out—and it would serve him right if she spent the night at Cyana’s, like the universe getting him back for all the nights he’d been out.
Popping his head into the family room, Jax grinned. Jennifer was watching a reality tv show, and Daniel was playing with his handheld.
“Anyone want pizza for dinner?” That was his go-to when Esther was out of the house for dinner. He could cook, but it wasn’t his favorite thing to do, especially on a Friday night. He was tired at the end of the week.
Instead of the enthusiasm he expected, both of his kids looked up with almost wary expressions.
“Oh, you mean you’re home for dinner tonight?” Daniel’s tone dripped with sarcasm only a teenager could muster.
Gritting his teeth and forcing himself to keep his grin, Jax nodded.
“Yup. And I finished up my work yesterday. No more late nights.”
His kids sat up a little straighter, and the expressions on their faces nearly broke his heart. Jennifer had always been expressive, but Daniel had become less so over the past couple years. The clear relief and happiness that he would be around… shit. He hadn’t even realized his kids had missed him. They were always so involved in their own lives, but seeing their reactions, he knew they’d not only noticed his absence, they hadn’t liked it. It was harder than ever to keep the smile on his face, but he managed it somehow.
“So, pizza and movie night? What toppings do you guys want?”
“Pepperoni.” Jennifer got in her option right before her brother.
“Mushrooms and green peppers.” Daniel glared at her. Jax shook his head, chuckling. Their disparate tastes in food were a constant source of conflict, one that amused him. Jennifer was the pickier eater, and sometimes, he thought Daniel only asked for certain things to challenge her.
“We can get one of each,” Jax declared, rather than their usual half-and-half option. Heck, he was hungry and felt like spoiling his kids. Esther wasn’t around tonight, but he could start making up for his lack of presence with part of his family. “How does that sound?”
“Bet!” Jennifer grinned, which Jax took as assent. He did his best not to let on to his kids that half the time, he did not know what their slang meant.
“Fu-dge yeah! Thanks, Dad.” Daniel caught himself, cutting off the curse word and switching it for an allowable one, just in time.
“Nice save,” Jax replied dryly. Daniel grinned at him.
That was the gratitude he got before they turned their attention back to what they’d been doing. He still remembered the days when they would have jumped up to give him a hug or done a little dance of happiness. Well, he’d take what he could get now that they were both teenagers and treasure the memory of their expressions when he told them he would be home more often.
* * *
Esther
Esther could tell as soon as she sat down at the table that something was up with Cyana. She was practically simmering with excitement, something she only did when she’d found out something really good in her private investigations business. However, this time, her attention was focused on Esther. She narrowed her eyes at her friend.
“What’s going on?” Suspicion weighted Esther’s voice. Last night Cyana’s demeanor had been entirely different.
“Let’s wait for Leah to get here. Order your drink.” Cyana gestured to the server, who had already been on his way over. Her dark eyes were sparking with excitement.
Sighing inwardly, knowing there was no point in hassling Cyana for more information—she was a vault when she wanted to be—Esther obediently ordered a glass of white wine from the server, aware of Cyana studying her. Normally, for ladies’ night out, Esther would dress up a little, but it still wasn’t to the level she had tonight.
She was wearing another dress, and this one dipped low in front to show off the girls. The dark red color was also not something she was normally drawn to, but Jennifer had declared it made her look ‘lit,’ so she’d bought it. Her hair was brushed out into soft waves that hung around her shoulders, and she’d pinned it back from her face with plain bobby pins instead of the sparkly barrettes she normally favored. The real difference, though, was she’d tried the smoky eye for the first time.
Jennifer had helped a little, but Esther had done most of the work, and she thought she looked pretty good. Sophisticated. She couldn’t decide whether she was happy Jax hadn’t been home to see her before she left. Part of her wished he had been to see his reaction to both her sexy look and knowing she was going out tonight, and part of her was relieved because she still wasn’t sure how she felt about last night.
They’d barely spoken that morning. They’d overslept their alarms and had to rush out the door.
Esther felt classy. Sophisticated even. A little uncomfortable and exposed, and as if she was a little kid playing dress-up, but she could deal with that. Something about the way Cyana was looking at her told her that her friend didn’t see it the same way.
“Is there something wrong with my hair?” Esther asked, nervously reaching up to touch it. The soft strands wisped through her fingers.
“No. It looks great. You look beautiful.”
“Yet, somehow, that doesn’t sound like a compliment,” Esther muttered. She looked down at the menu, spreading it flat with her hands. Dammit. Despite her curiosity over Cyana’s buzzing excitement, she was more distracted by her censure.
“I’d like the new look better if I thought you liked it better.”
Ouch.Shots fired with devastating accuracy. Esther winced.
“Hey, Leah, over here!” Cyana waved, thankfully distracted by their third. The server appeared at the same time with Esther’s wine, which she took gratefully. It was cold, sweet, and fruity, just the way she liked it. She took a big swallow as Leah sat down.
Like Cyana, Leah’s eyes moved over Esther, taking in her appearance as she sat across from her. Even after Esther had dressed up for game night, Leah still seemed a little taken aback.
“Wow, did you do your makeup like that? I love the eyeshadow.” Leah actually sounded sincere, which was nice, and helped Esther relax a little.
“Thank you.”
“Order your drink. I have news.” As usual, Cyana wanted to get right down to business, and Esther had no objections. She was dying to know why Cyana had insisted on waiting for Leah. Maybe it was a sixth sense or that she knew her friend so well, but Esther was sure whatever had Cyana worked up, it had to do with her and Jax.
Leah coughed delicately. “Really? I have some news, too.”
She waved her left hand around.
For the first time in a decade, a familiar-looking ring graced her ring finger. Esther squealed, jumping up and throwing herself at Leah.
“You’re getting married again!”
Laughing, Leah wrapped her arms around Esther, returning her hug. Pure joy for her friend made Esther feel on top of the world. She knew how hard Gavin and Leah’s divorce had been and had seen how much they struggled with still being in love but not feeling they could make a relationship work over the years. That they’d overcome that…
Talk about a Hallmark moment. She stepped back so Cyana could congratulate Leah, dabbing her eyes with her napkin—remembering just in time not to wipe them. As it was, she still got makeup on the napkin, but hopefully, it didn’t look too terrible. Resisting the urge to go to the bathroom to check, she sat down. Cyana would tell her if she looked like a raccoon. She might be cynical about Esther’s new look, but she’d never let Esther look bad, knowing how embarrassing she would be.
“Congratulations,” Cyana said warmly. She’d gotten to her feet and bent down to give Leah a hug.
“So, what are you going to do? The full ceremony again? The courthouse?” Esther’s enthusiasm was already bubbling over—helped along by a tiny, selfish need to avoid whatever news Cyana had for a little longer.
“We don’t know yet. It happened last night.” Leah’s face was flushed with happiness, which Esther reflected right back at her. Even cynical Cyana was smiling happily. “So, we haven’t worked out any of the details yet. We called Mitch this morning to let him know, and I’m telling you two now.”
“Is Gavin telling Aiden and Jax?” If Gavin wanted to tell Jax, Esther would have to do her best to contain her glee until he got around to it.
“I think he said he was going to call them.” Leah shook her head, rolling her eyes at the difference in their friendships. Esther had to laugh. Yes, that sounded like a very Gavin thing to do. Then Leah turned to Cyana, and Esther’s stomach swooped unhappily. “What’s your news? Sorry to jump in like that, but I couldn’t contain myself.”
“No worries, I get it.” Cyana grinned at her. “I’m thrilled for you two, honestly.” Although she couldn’t be thrilled for Esther and her new look. She knows your new look isn’t really you. Whatever. She needed to get past needing Cyana’s approval.
Reaching into the messenger bag she had next to the table—Esther recognized it as the one Cyana used for work—she pulled out a big tan envelope. Esther and Leah blinked in surprise. While Cyana sometimes told them about cases she was working on, in oblique terms, she ruthlessly protected her client’s privacy, and she’d never shown them pictures.
Oh, crap.
Esther suddenly realized what Cyana might have pictures of.
I don’t want to see that.
“Cyana—”
Cyana cut her off, holding up her hand and shaking her head. “It’s not what you think.”
“Isn’t that Jax’s line?” Esther quipped and laughed, even though it wasn’t funny. Leah and Cyana laughed, too, but it felt as though Leah was laughing more out of support than anything else. However, Cyana seemed genuinely amused, which was not what Esther expected.
“Oh, I have a feeling that’s exactly what he’ll be saying, and I am dying to hear his explanation.” Cyana opened the envelope and pulled out a small stack of pictures, just like P.I.s in television shows, and put them down in the middle of the table.
“Ladies, are you ready to order or—”
“We need a minute!” They all said in unison, not even looking up at the server who had approached them. Esther’s eyes were glued to the first photo, a picture of Jax entering a house. It looked different from this angle than Google Maps’ street view, but she still recognized it.
“Right, I’ll be back in a few!” The server’s cheerfulness was undaunted as she retreated. Esther would tip her extra.
“This isn’t what it looks like?” Leah asked skeptically, leaning forward and shooting another worried glance at Esther.
“Nope.” Cyana popped the ‘p’ with relish and picked up the photo to show a woman Esther recognized coming out of the house—Suzie, Jax’s TA. Before she could say anything, Cyana was already revealing the next photo of two more young women exiting the house. Neither of them was Michelle, who actually lived there. Esther would have recognized her. The final photo was of Jax leaving the house. “These were all taken last night. I waited around, but no one else left the house. So, unless Jax has a bona fide harem, I’ll say it’s definitely not what it looks like.”
