This Game Called Life (Kingdom Book 4) by Theresa L. Henry Page B

didn’t understand, but he would. In time,
he would know all there was to know about her.
    “Okay, I’ll stay,”
MacKenzie said ducking her head.
    That she so
readily agreed to stay alerted him to the fact that he had been right. She
didn’t want him to see her cry again, and that thought broke his heart. That at
a time like this, she thought her tears were a sign of weakness, was just
another fragmented section of her personality that he hoped to piece together.
    Reclining into the
supple softness of the couch, Jake waited a few moments until MacKenzie looked
at him. Without saying a word, he opened his arms and invited her in.
MacKenzie’s eyes travelled from his face to his extended arms and back again.
Throughout her internal struggle, he didn’t move a muscle. If she wanted his
comfort, he would give it freely, but it would be her decision.
    As though in slow
motion MacKenzie inched her way towards him. When she was settled against his
side, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Running his large
hands up and down her back, Jake attempted to give her the comfort he thought
she needed. He didn’t know if he was doing it correctly, but having her in his
arms felt right. Being the one to comfort her felt right.
    Pulling her even
closer, he placed a soft kiss against her forehead. The first sob that passed
from her pulled at his heart. He didn’t know what words of comfort to offer so
he remained quiet. All he knew was Carlos Ernesto was going to be one sorry
son-of-a-bitch for making her shed a single tear.

 
    Chapter 14
    It hadn’t taken
MacKenzie long to fall into a fitful sleep. When Jake was certain she wouldn’t wake
up, he lifted her into his arms and took her to his room.
    Returning
downstairs, he entered his office to find his brothers waiting for him. “What
the hell is he playing at?” Jake stormed, pleased that he could finally voice
the thought that had been running through his mind.
    “I take it you
didn’t get much information from MacKenzie?” Josh asked.
    “Not really. One
of the only things she said that I found questionable was that this was the
first time Carlos has kept the baby overnight.”
    “This is
significant because...?” Jason trailed off, a look of enquiry on his face.
    “I don’t know if
it has any significance, all I know is that I don’t like coincidences. If I
were in his position, there is no way on earth I would go running over there to
babysit, while the mother of my child was having dinner with another man.”
    “I agree,” Jason
said. “However you would have to give a damn about said woman for there to be
that kind of reaction. From what I can tell, Carlos doesn’t feel that way about
MacKenzie. Plus, Aviva and I should have been there, remember.”
    “Yes you were, but
MacKenzie and I ended up having dinner alone, and while we were at the
restaurant and again at her place, I was sure we were being watched.”
    Jason and Josh
shared speculative looks but remained quiet, waiting for their brother to
continue.
    “The first time I
met Carlos, he was chasing after Aviva, and by then, he knew MacKenzie was
pregnant. The next time I met him was at that farce of a party in LA, and he
was chasing after a producer. That man doesn’t give a damn about MacKenzie. He
probably had ulterior motives for his babysitting stint,” Jason told his twin.
    “The guy just
sounds like a jerk to me,” Josh added, being the only brother that had yet to
meet Carlos.
    “Yeah, that’s kind
of what I thought the first time I met him, but that’s maybe too simplistic,”
Jake added. “From what I can tell, MacKenzie is a good parent, so there has to
be something else going on as to why Carlos would feel the need to keep Noelle
away from her mother.”
    Turning to his
twin, Jake pushed forward with their dilemma. “I need Carlos’ number. Aviva has
it, right?”
    “Come on, man, you
must be slipping or something. His address and number were the first things I
got