“No. You know why?” Jackson grinned and walked over, getting in Max’s face. He was taller and heavier than Max, but Max didn’t back down.
“No, Jackson. I’m very curious how you don’t think it will hurt you and that pretty little girl you have acting for you,” Max said. Jackson nearly punched him.
“Easy,” Jackson whispered. “I got home early that night and surprised Emma with flowers. We put the video online. It was a live stream.”
Jackson pulled out his phone, swiped the fingerprint scan and scrolled through Facebook.
“See? It got nine-hundred and eighty-seven likes,” Jackson told Max. He hit play on the video to show Emma walking through the door and seeing a room full of flowers. Her smile lit up the dim garage. She’d been so surprised.
Max grabbed at his phone, obviously looking for the date and time. “I see,” he said, his confidence gone for just a split second.
“I sure hope you didn’t pay Katy,” Jackson needled him, pocketing his phone. “Especially without doing any research. That page is public, by the way.”
Max swallowed hard. Jackson was enjoying putting the weasel man in his place. It was almost as good at hitting him. Jackson patted Max’s shoulder and continued walking to his car. It was a good thing that Jane had told him to be as public as possible with their relationship.
“There’ll just be another girl,” Max called out after him. “You’ll slip up. It’s in your nature.”
Jackson turned and smiled at him. “Not with Emma. She’s worth it. I’m not giving her up. You’re going to be waiting a long time for me to slip. You can go back to being second place in the diaper world.”
Max didn’t say anything. He just turned and went back out the way they’d come in. Jackson had won.
Jackson waited until he heard the heavy door back to the courtyard slam shut. Even then, he waited for a moment, holding his breath as he walked to his car.
That was a close one. Not because Jackson had done anything wrong, but because Max was a dog with a bone. Max wasn’t going to let this go. Max didn’t like being second best. He was going to wait for every opportunity to catch Jackson up.
Which wasn’t going to happen. Even if his company wasn’t on the line, Jackson cared for Emma. She made his stomach twist in the best way and he smiled when she was around. He wasn’t going to put her through the emotional torture of having to watch him with another woman.
Even if their relationship was just a contract, he was better than that. He liked her.
No, he decided, like wasn’t a strong enough word.
His mind shied away from what might be a better word. It was a word that he never thought he’d use with a single woman.
Still, he would have to be careful. Max wanted to destroy him. The competition would look for any semblance of infidelity. He would have to be on his guard for women like Katy, trying to get him to agree to drinks.
His phone chimed.
When are you coming home? I’m hungry.
Emma. He couldn’t help but smile as he read her text. He quickly typed back that he was just leaving and hurried to his car.
With Emma, he wasn’t worried. With her, he wasn’t even tempted to return to his old ways. There was no way Max could get anything.
Chapter 25
Emma
* * *
“I can’t believe how good that was,” Emma said. She smiled at Jackson. “Thanks for changing our restaurant.”
Stars flickered in the night sky as they left the Mexican food restaurant. Emma couldn’t believe she’d eaten as much food as she had. Morning sickness hadn’t kicked in yet, so food still tasted amazing. She hoped she could keep this good fortune through the rest of her pregnancy.
“It was no problem,” Jackson assured her with a smile. “I’m just glad you like Mexican food.”
“The tacos were so good,” Emma moaned. “The real salsa made the difference. I’ve only ever had Tex-Mex, and this was so much better.”
Jackson grinned at her. “Next time, I’ll take you to Mexico. That’s the real stuff.”