Stripped by Abby Niles

hall. He shouldn’t stare, but Jaxon couldn’t take his eyes off the child. The resemblance to both the boy and Madison was there. So there had to be a relation. She had to be a niece, a cousin. There was no way she had a daughter this age. Could she?
    A tug at his sleeve brought his gaze down. “Wanna go to the water park, Mr. Sufferlan?”
    Miss Walker froze as she dug through an overly large handbag. “Oh, no, honey, I’m sure he has more important things to do today.”
    The last ten minutes had been the most intriguing ten minutes in some time. He wasn’t about to let this opportunity go by. “Actually, I think that sounds like a lot of fun,” he said. He also saw a great way to get rid of the formalities. “And you can call me Jaxon.”
    He glanced at his employee to see her staring at him. Seemed he wasn’t the only one who’d received a shock today. Good.
    “Momma,” a small voice said, drawing his attention to the little girl. “Can we stop for pizza on our way home?”
    Madison grimaced. “No, honey. Remember. I’m making my famous chicken casserole tonight.”
    The little girl’s shoulders slumped. “Again.”
    A flush crossed Madison’s cheeks as her gaze shot up toward his. As much as he knew this was an embarrassing moment for her, he was still trying to digest that the child was indeed her daughter. Madison couldn’t have been much out of high school when she’d had her.
    “How about I get the pizza?” he offered.
    Madison arched an eyebrow at him. “You do know you’re on a budget this week, Mr. Sutherland?”
    “First off, we’re living across the hall from each other, let’s do away with the formalities, we’re not in the office. Second, I’m well aware that I’m on a budget. I think I can afford to buy a pizza.”
    The smirk she gave him got under his skin, but he let it go. He’d gone into this challenge under the assumption that she was a single woman who partied hard. That had been dead wrong. He had to concede that she did indeed know a thing or two about struggling in a way he never would. He was man enough to admit that. “We appreciate the offer…Jaxon.”
    The husky timbre of her voice encasing his name sent a rush of heat over him. He had always been Mr. Sutherland, the boss, to her. He loved being, Jaxon, the man.
    He glanced toward the closed door. “Will a Mr. Walker be joining us for dinner?”
    She didn’t respond as she tried to take her son’s hand, who at the moment was having a fit of independence and kept yanking out of her grip. “Noah! Take my hand now or we’re not going to the water park.”
    Shaking his head with a fierce scowl, he crossed his arms tight across his chest.
    Madison heaved a sigh, closed her eyes, and muttered something that sounded like a prayer asking for strength. Jaxon wanted to help in some way, but he had no idea how. Glancing between the stressed-out mother and defiant son, he made a move that surprised him. He didn’t know what possessed him to do it. It just happened.
    He held his hand out toward Noah. “Will you hold my hand, buddy?”
    Madison’s eyes popped open and her gaze shot to his then to her son’s.
    Noah nodded and latched on to his hand, a grin now stretching the lips that had been pinched in defiance not seconds before. His mother stared at their joined hands and swallowed. A sense of sadness seemed to envelope her and she glanced away.
    “No,” she said after a lengthy pause. “There isn’t a Mr. Walker.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
    Pursing her lips, Madison watched Jaxon survey the water park. Though he had on sunglasses that made it impossible to see his eyes, there was a slight curl to his nose that gave away his feelings.
    Jaxon Sutherland didn’t approve of their surroundings.
    Not that the revelation was shocking by any means. At this precise moment, the contents of his wallet might fit in with this side of town, but nothing else did. She didn’t know what brand of