He lifted his head and cupped my face, gently kissing me as his thumbs swept along my cheeks. His eyes connected with mine, and we soaked in all the feelings between us with no words exchanged.
We did not need words. We knew. We knew who we were to each other and what we would continue to be. No matter what life threw at us, standing side by side, we would conquer it together.
“I’m going to clean up. Be right back,” I rolled out of the bed and into the bathroom.
Not using condoms was awesome but messy. I took my time cleaning myself, enjoying every twinge my body made. Looking into the mirror, I saw the marks he made on my hips from the grip he had on me. Smiling widely at myself in the mirror, I looked like a total goof, but I did not give that first fuck. I was exhilarated having Jaxson as mine.
Walking back into the room, Jaxson lifted the covers, allowing me to crawl in and snuggle close. His strong arms wrapped around me as he moved me to my back with half his body on mine.
“I love you,” he whispered against my lips.
Tears gathered in my eyes as I responded, “I love you.”
“Tonight, I was the most scared I have ever been in my life,” he continued in the same low tone. “Life handed me a lot of shit, but nothing compares to seeing a knife held at your throat. I don’t think I will be able to forget that image.”
Running my hands through the hair at his temple, I told him honestly, “I wished I could take that away from you, but I can’t. Just like I can’t erase what happened, but I promise you, from here on out, I will be happy. Paul was fucking crazy, and now he is out of our lives. I won’t let him take anymore away from us.”
“Yeah.” He smiled. “I will make you happy every single day of my life, even when I piss you off.”
I laughed. “Do you plan on pissing me off often?”
Smirking, he informed me, “I’m a guy. It’s bound to happen.”
“I love the fact you are a guy,” I admitted, biting my bottom lip.
His grinning mouth took mine, and he showed me exactly why I liked him being all male. He took his time, and I benefited greatly. It was slow and easy lovemaking that made my toes curl. We had all the time in the world to be us, and we took advantage of it.
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of having the perfect man, the perfect wedding, the perfect house, and the perfect children. With time, those dreams became nonexistent. I only existed in life and tried to make it to the next day unharmed.
With Jaxson, my dreams had come back. They were altered but no less important than the ones from before. It did not matter what our future turned out to be. There was no other place I could imagine myself being than with Jaxson.
Knowing he felt the same about me was the ultimate gift I received from the universe. With the gossip at work, I knew Jaxson settled for whatever was on tap when the mood struck, but now all he wanted was me, and he would never settle for anything less again.
After we both reached completion, I lay content with my head on his chest. One of his arms wrapped around my back while one hand ran smoothly up and down my arm. My eyes were closed, and I was completely sated.
“You happy, baby?” Jaxson whispered in my ear.
“Never happier,” I answered honestly.
I had never been looked at with so much love and adoration that I didn’t know what to do with it. Honestly, it scared the shit out of me, but then he would worship and cherish me in a way that would calm the fears and had me basking in a glow I’d only ever read about.
I knew I wasn’t truly living until I’d met Jaxson. He’d filled a void I knew would never have been filled before. I was running and trying my best to live in each spot I landed without making true, lasting connections.
Jaxson’s determination and perseverance won because I had no defense against him. I handed everything I was and everything I could be over to him, and he never let me down. He made me blossom and flourish as I always should have. He made me see a world I never knew was in my future.
Without him, I did not know what I would have become, but I did know I was exactly where I was supposed to be, living my best life. I would love him for the rest of my life and do everything in my power to keep the happiness alive and well.
Being with him, I could never envision myself without him by myside. He showed the strength it took to share my burden with another person and allow help when needed. I didn’t have to fake a smile or give generic answers to him or anyone anymore.
I could be me and be happy about it. I was finally free to live the life I chose and rejoice in the choices I had available to me from now on.
“Let’s have a housewarming party,” I announced, my voice fading with fatigue.
A rough chuckle jostled me before a hand cupped the back of my head. “Okay.”
That was it, one word, but I knew if I wanted it, Jaxson would find a way to give it to me as I would for him.
With a smile on my face, I drifted off to sleep with the love of my life, knowing the best was yet to come, and I could not fucking wait.
Epilogue
Evyn
Three weeks came and went, and a lot happened. It was a whirlwind of activity, but nothing I could not handle. I spent years moving from city to city, taking it day by day. It was surreal that I did not have to move on, that I did not have to look over my shoulder, and I could finally move on with my life. Don’t get me wrong, there were days I would still glance over my shoulder, but they were becoming fewer and far between.
Bailey shared the therapist her almost sister-in-law Riley used because of a trauma she’d endured. At the moment, I did not think I would need a counselor, but I did not want to disregard the idea altogether. I would love to say that Jaxson was all I needed, but I knew better than anyone the shit I had been enduring for a long damn time. There may be a time I would need to talk it out with someone not close to the situation. I kept the business card in my wallet.
I officially moved in with Jaxson two days after Paul was arrested. My apartment was temporary, while his house was more permanent. It seemed the best choice. Not to mention, I loved his house and could see myself there.
It seemed too soon, and some people would question if my trauma was the motivating factor, but it wasn’t. I went through a lot of shit with that asshole, and I recognized a good thing when I had it. Jaxson was a protector and always would be, but he also loved me. He would not move me in simply to protect me. I knew that down to my soul.
Why wait? We were in love. We were with each other each day and every night anyway. It was time we put our places together. And it was easy. It was not a big to do. He moved some of his stuff, got rid of some of the old things hanging around, and did not make a fuss about it at all. I did the same with my things, and then we were cohabitating like we had always been doing it. Sure, everything was not always smooth. We had fights and annoyances on both sides but make up sex fucking rocked.
Paul took a plea deal and would spend the next several years in prison for stalking and assault. Immediately after everything went down, Jaxson took me to the police station, and I handed over everything I had received from him. I gave my statement, starting with my mother’s marriage to his father and ending with what happened at the track.
The need to have all this on record was prevalent. I gave them pictures of the “gifts” he left me, along with all the notes I’d received. Nothing could be proven at the time, but now that they had a few pieces, they could do handwriting analysis on which they were able to match to Paul.
I had all the police reports I filed that never went anywhere because nothing violent had happened. I had a basic understanding of how the law worked, and it was seriously flawed. It should never come down to being attacked before something was done. Of course, that was just my opinion.
I applied and was granted a restraining order against him that lasted ten years. The officer
in the case stated I would be notified when he was released, but I did not want to take any chances. He was a slippery fucker, and I did not want to be caught unaware.
And you best believe I would keep updating that restraining order. I did not care if he ever got rehabilitated, which I hoped he did, but I never wanted to see him again. That was for damn sure.
His father took this news pretty hard. He had no clue because my mother never shared my concerns. To say he was angry at my mother was an understatement. That was not my problem. My mother made the choices she made because she did not want to rock her perfect marriage.
Her downfall was being a selfish person and overall shit mom when it came to me. She was so invested in keeping the man who actually stuck around, she had to ignore everything negative that could mess with that.
Now, she was trying to make amends with me, and I was conflicted. I had all of these childhood memories filled with good, but it all went to shit on her quest to land her a decent man.
At first, I refused all of her calls. In my mind, nothing she could say would make up for not having my back by pushing off my concerns as nonsense and need for attention. However, Jaxson had other ideas.
He said I would regret it for the rest of my life if I did not at least hear her out. It was up to me if I tried to pursue a relationship with her, but I at least owed it to myself to listen to what she had to say.
Before I moved on in my life, I needed the closure she could possibly provide me. A deep, secret part of myself understood my need for my momma. I did not want to view her as the bad guy, but it was so difficult with the way I had to live my life because she would not listen to her own daughter.
I had one conversation with her, and it was extremely awkward and stilted. She was full of tears, guilt, and remorse. I felt for her even when I did not want to, but at the end of the day, she was still my mother.
If I were completely honest, I missed my mom. I missed the times we had when it was just me and her. I missed a lot of the things we did before her quest to land a man. But most of all, I did not want her out of my life completely.
What if one day Jaxson and I had children? I wanted them to have their grandmother. I wanted her to have a relationship with them. It would take time to trust her after her turning her back on me, but I had to try for my future, for Jaxson’s, and for any family we might make.
We agreed we would take it slow. She and my stepdad were working on their relationship. The best thing about my stepdad was he truly loved my mom, and I loved that for her. He called to check on me, too. He’d been totally blindsided as to what his son was capable of. Paul would get no help from his father.
Speaking of having a family with Jaxson, my period showed up putting an end to that worry. It was a relief, but I would be lying if I said I was not a little disappointed. Regardless, we had time, all the time in the world, to make babies.
Today, we were having a house party to celebrate, and I could not be more excited. I put down roots in this city, made friends who genuinely cared and who I allowed into my world, and I had the most amazing boyfriend in the world.
Standing by the sink, looking out the window facing the backyard, I marveled at all of the people out there. Most I knew, some I did not but knew I would at some point, and the smiles on everyone’s faces made me grin along with them.
Each person filled the tables with food they prepared, with the tables and chairs already set up for the event. Ice chests were filled, and plates, cups, and napkins were all arranged. I only had the stuff from the crockpots and the oven left to take out. Everyone was laughing and working together in a way I never thought I would see.
“What are you doing, babe?” the best voice in the entire world whispered in my ear.
Closing my eyes, I soaked in the moment. His heat was close to my back; his hands rested on the counter on either side of me. I was surrounded by him with his sexy as hell voice echoing in my ears.
“Soaking it all in,” I answered truthfully, watching the activity outside.
“This is your forever, Evyn,” he told me, placing a kiss against my neck.
“Yeah,” I breathed, understanding the beauty of all I had been given.
Taking one last moment to just be us for the day, I turned in his arms and tilted my head up in invitation. He leaned down and captured my lips slow and steady. I savored the feel of his lips, the taste of his tongue, and the stubble of his jaw against my hand that I’d placed on his face.
Pulling back, we smiled at each other, knowing we were right where we were supposed to be. The past happened, the future was unknown, but today was awesome and would continue to be with each of us in it together.
Together we got the rest of the food and made our way out to our party at our house with our people surrounding us. It was the best day I’d had in a very long time, and I had a feeling it would not be the last.
The End
About the Author
Born and raised in Houma, Louisiana, I’m an oilfield wife mother of three, one girl and two boys. Never a dull moment in my house. While I’m corralling kids, my mind creates another world. I love writing and creating, meeting characters along the way. I’ve written for a while as a hobby. As my kids get older, I let them know they can be anything they want to if they put the work in. I decided I needed to take my own advice and here I am. I’m an author. I want to share the words in my mind to the rest the world. I love adventures and this is an amazing adventure
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Books by Mandy L Woodall
The Landrys
Need
Truth
Needing More
Give
Makers of Death MC
Byte
Bones (Coming Soon)
The Left Turners
Whatever’s On Tap
Whatever's On Tap Page 16