by Alex Grayson
My breathing is heavy and my head is resting against the wall when Jaxon comes back to reality.
“Shit, Angel, are you okay? I didn’t mean to lose control like that.”
I pick my head up and look at him. “It’s okay, Jaxon. I liked that you lost control. I like knowing I do that to you. You don’t scare me.”
Using one hand, he wipes my wet hair from my face and bends to place a soft kiss against my lips.
“Come on. Let’s get out and dried off before the water gets cold.”
Releasing the grip my legs have on his hips, I drop them to the floor. Jaxon shuts the water off and we both step of the shower. He dries me off first and then himself. I ask him to grab me a shirt, but he just shakes his head.
“No, I want to feel your bare skin against mine tonight.”
Still feeling nervous prancing in front of him naked but liking the idea of having a naked Jaxon against a naked me, I nod my head.
We settle into bed with him against my back and his arms wrapped tightly around me.
The next day has us all hanging out in Lilly’s backyard, laughing and talking. The weather is beautiful and the atmosphere is light. Jaxon is busy manning the grill with Mac, Andrew, and a few other guys. It’s funny to watch Andrew. He’s in his glory surround by a bunch of good looking men. He flirts relentlessly with each of them. None of them take it to heart and humor him.
Lilly, Mia and I are currently setting the tables outside with cutlery, food items, and anything else we may need. Tricia walks up carrying a big bowl of potato salad.
“I wonder how Anna is doing. Have any of you talked to her?” She sets the salad down on the table.
“She stopped by before she left yesterday. She couldn’t wait to leave. This is sort of like a vacation for her. She hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to leave Jaded Hollow.” Lilly says.
“She came by Jaxon’s yesterday morning as well and I spoke to her again yesterday afternoon while she was on the road. She’s so excited! I’ll give her a couple days before I try calling her. I’m sure Nick was surprised and wants to keep her all to himself for a while”
We all laugh because we know exactly what Nick and Anna will be doing for the next couple days.
I pick up my wine and take a sip as I look out to all the people milling about. Off to the left I see Jake and Jack bickering as usual. Those two grate on each others nerves, but you can tell they share a close friendship.
Next I see Sarah, Michael, and Maddie on a playground set. Maddie and Sarah are on the swings and Michael and another little boy are in the sandbox. They both bend their heads and whisper to each other. They each get up and run over to the girls and squirt them with the water guns they had hidden behind their back. The girls start squealing and running away with the boys chasing after them.
I laugh at their playfulness and am glad they have a normal childhood. I never had boys chasing me with water guns.
Hunter is standing with Ethan and Jesse talking.
There are still several people that I don’t know and some that I was introduced to once they arrived.
My gaze next moves to Jaxon, who is watching me. He gives me a small smile and a wink. I smile back at him and blow him a kiss. I’m amazed at how comfortable I feel in this setting. Weeks ago I would have been scared and nervous being in a crowd. Now the flutters and anxiety are gone. Jaxon and the people of Jaded Hollow have made this so.
I look over to Mia and see her shooting razor sharp daggers at Mac. I walk over to stand beside her.
“So, what’s up with you and Mac?” I ask her casually.
She looks at me and mumbles, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.
“Oh, come on, Mia. I can see the sparks fly between the two of you even if you both like to try to hide it.” I know I’m pushing, but I can’t help it. It is clear they have feelings for each other. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have such animosity between them.
Mia looks to me for a minute before replying, “Okay, how about this? I don’t want to talk about it. It’s nothing personal, Bailey, I never talk about what happened between Mac and me. It hurts too much so I try to forget about it.”
The pain in her eyes and the bitterness in her voice makes me withdrawal my inquiry. I’ve been in her shoes before, hell, I’m still wearing them. Having people ask about my past is hard. Talking about it makes it fresh. Yes, it’s gotten easier, but that doesn’t mean she’s ready.
“Okay, sweetie, I get it. But please know that I’m here for you if you need me. You were there for me and I’d like to return the favor if you want.” I reach over and squeeze her hand.
“Thank you.” She says.
Just then I feel an arm wrap around me and we both turn our heads to see Jaxon and Mac standing behind us. My eyes dart to Mia, whose eyes have become hard.
“I’ll see you later, Bailey.” She says before walking off.
I turn in Jaxon’s arms and plant a kiss on his lips. It was supposed to be a quick, innocent peck but Jaxon slips his tongue inside for a slow lingering kiss.
We break apart and I glance over at Mac, who I forgot was there. He’s standing there watching Mia walk away with a longing expression. He shakes his head and looks back at the both of us. His eyes land on me and he gives me a soft smile. I smile back at him and I know he sees the sympathy on my face.
Jaxon breaks the silence. “Mac has some information for us, Angel.”
“As you know, I couldn’t find any suspicious movements on Steven’s credit cards or bank accounts. I decided to branch out a little and look into some of his friends. I found a couple of them had withdrawn a decent size amount of money a couple weeks ago. I also found a few transactions made about halfway between here and Georgia. Now, this doesn’t prove that he’s here, although I believe he is, it does give reasonable suspicion. I’ve looked up his photo on the internet and I’ve got several people out looking for him.”
This information doesn’t help much with figuring out what Steven’s next move is but it’s still something. At least we have a picture of Steven out and about. When I left, I didn’t take anything reminding me of him with me, including any photographs. I’m glad Mac thought to look online for one.
“What do we do now?” Jaxon asks Mac.
“There’s nothing you can do now. Just stay vigilant. Hopefully, he’ll show his face soon and we can nab him.”
A few minutes later Hunter, who took over grill duty, announces that the food is ready. We all gather around the table and pile our plates full of food. There are burgers, brats, homemade potato salad, coleslaw, chips of every kind, baked beans, and a multitude of drinks and desserts. I help Tricia set the kids up with plates and set them on the smaller picnic table.
Bar-b-cues at the Walker resident is loud and crazy. Everyone talks to everyone and no one is left out. Even the kids are blabbering about. It’s one of the best gatherings I’ve been to.
Once everyone is finished eating, the woman start cleaning up while the men help entertain the kids. I’m standing in front of the sink shoveling food remnants in the garbage disposal when Lilly walks up.
“I see you’ve finally decided to open up to Jaxon.”
I look over to her and see a bright smile on her face.
“He hasn’t told me what you told him, just said that you had reason to be cautious. Even if he hadn’t told me you talked to him I would already know. I can tell by the way you are with him now. You’re more relaxed and open.”
“I did. It was hard and painful, but he has a right to know.” She just watches me for a few minutes. I don’t know if she expects me to tell her as well. As if she’s read my thoughts she drapes her arm around my shoulders.
“You don’t have to tell me, dear, but if you ever want to I’m more than willing to listen. From what you said it seems as though you didn’t have a good mother figure in your life. I know you’re an adult now and don’t necessarily need it, but if you’d like I’d like to fill the role.”
>
My eyes become watery at her statement. She’s right; I didn’t have a good mother figure. As a child, I always dreamed of having a wonderful and caring mom, but I learned early on that is wasn’t possible and my dreams finally went away.
I reach over and grab her in my arms. Resting my head on her shoulder, I say in her hair, “Thank you. I’d really like that.”
She steps back from me and I finish smashing up food in the disposal while she puts leftovers away in the fridge.
An hour later the sun is setting and Jaxon and I get ready to leave. After spending another thirty minutes saying our goodbyes, we hop in his truck and head home.
By the time we make it to Jaxon’s the sun is down and the moon is shining bright. When we walk hand in hand up to the front porch, I notice a folded piece of paper stuck to the door. Jaxon snatches it down and unfolds it.
“What’s it say?” I ask him.
“Fuck!” Jaxon says and then releases my hand. I watch as he balls it into a fist, rears back, and punches the door.
I jump at the loud sound. Jaxon notices and quickly pulls me in his arms all the while unlocking the door and rushing me inside. He closes it behind us and sets the alarm. He then finally hands me the paper.
I look down at it and immediately recognize the familiar handwriting.
You’ve touched what’s mine. Now, I take what’s yours.
My hand shakes as I clutch the paper tightly. I glance up at Jaxon and see him pacing. He has his hands running through his hair and he’s visibly agitated. He’s barely holding onto his control.
“What are we going to do?” I whisper, but he still hears me.
He comes to me and brings me into his arms. Resting my head against his chest, I feel it rumble when he talks.
“Don’t worry, Angel. I won’t let him get to you. You're mine and I protect and keep safe what’s mine.” His words were meant to reassure me, but they don’t. I don’t doubt Jaxon means what he says and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep me safe, but I’m still scared. Jaxon doesn’t realize the extent Steven will go through to get what he wants.
We pull apart, but he doesn’t release me. He holds my gaze with his mesmerizing eyes before kissing my forehead.
“I promise you, Bailey, he won’t get to you. You have my word. Do you believe me?” There’s worry in his eyes and I know it’s there because he wants me to believe him.
I want to believe him. I answer his question the only way that will help ease his worry.
“I believe you.”
He gives me a nod and lets me go.
“I’m going to go call Mac and let him know what’s happened. Why don’t you go grab a glass of wine and a beer for me and meet me in front of the fireplace?”
I walk away towards the kitchen and do what he suggests. After the stress of the letter, it will be nice sitting in front of a roaring fire snuggled up with Jaxon.
Chapter Twenty
Jaxon and I are sitting out on his back deck sipping coffee. The sun has just risen and the birds are chirping. This has become our morning routine. It’s peaceful out here and we both enjoy the quiet. Sometimes we sit in a comfortable silence while other times we talk about anything and everything.
It’s been a couple days since we received the letter and there’s been nothing since. All has been quiet. Yesterday morning Mac stopped by to pick up the letter. He called last night to let us know there were no prints on it. He has a forensic team going over it for any clues that might lead them to Steven. Now we're at a standstill.
“Once this is over I want to take you somewhere,” Jaxon says interrupting my thoughts.
“Where are we going?” I ask him.
He brings my hand up that he’s holding and kisses the back of it. With his mouth still on the back of my hand he says, “Anywhere you want to go. Is there any place you’ve always wanted to travel to?”
I think for a minute and settle on the one place that’s always fascinated me.
“Okay, don’t laugh, but I’ve always wanted to visit New York City. I know it’s not the usual place for someone to want to visit, but I’ve always wanted to see Time Square, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, China Town, and ride over the Brooklyn Bridge.”
He chuckles lightly. “Hmm...that’s definitely not what I expected. I figured you would say Hawaii or Vegas. But New York it is. We’ll spend a week there and visit all the places you want to see.”
Getting excited about the idea of finally seeing New York, I jump up and straddle him. I bounce up and down on his lap and he laughs at my silly behavior.
“Really? We’re really going to take a trip to New York?” My voice is loud and I can’t contain my happiness.
His smile is huge when he replies, “Yes, we can take a trip to New York. And if I would have known you would do a happy dance in my lap I would have suggested it sooner.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me.
I give him my best smile and lower my head to give him a searing kiss. We’re both breathless by the time I pull away.
“Thank you.” I say against his lips.
“Anything for you, Angel.”
Before I can stop myself the three little words that I’ve been too scared to say slip out of my mouth. I’ve thought them and felt them, but I haven’t said them yet.
“I love you.”
Jaxon closes his eyes and breathes out a soft whoosh of air. When he opens them again, he looks at me with such tender affection. He places both of his hands on either side of my jaw and rubs my upper cheeks with his thumbs.
“It’s about damn time you’ve said that. I’ve waited and waited to hear those three words so I could say them back to you. I love you, Angel.”
I smack his chest playfully and tell him, “Well, you could have said them first, you know.”
He shakes his head at that. “No, I couldn’t. It would have just scared you off. I’ve been bidding my time, trying to wear you down. And look, it paid off. You love me.” He gives me a cheeky grin.
I grin back at him. “You really love me?”
“You bet your ass I do. I have for a while now.”
His confession has me bursting with happiness. Jaxon actually loves me. Me, the broken and scarred girl with a past that’s still trying to destroy her. A past that has the potential to destroy him. The thought brings my high a little lower. We still have some major issues we have to get through before we can truly be happy.
After our leisurely time on the porch, we come inside to rinse out our coffee mugs and get ready for the day. Jaxon decides since the weather is still holding up, he wants to take us for a ride on his bike. He instructs me to pack a light lunch. I do and a few minutes later with our lunch packed away in his saddle bags we take off.
He takes us back to the lake, where he took me the night he heard from his father. The one time I was here it was dark so I wasn’t able to appreciate the beauty of it. Now, with the sun sending sparkles across the water and the ducks wading and dipping their heads in it’s absolutely breathtaking.
With the fall colors of yellows, oranges, and reds the trees are stunning. They surround the lake on all sides except the side we’re currently on, which has a clearing. Off to the side is a dock with an old boat at the end.
“Oh wow! I didn’t realize the last time we were here how beautiful it is.” I turn to him and give him a smile.
He smiles at me in return and then grabs our lunch and a small blanket out of the saddle bags. Making our way closer to the water line he sets the basket containing our lunch down and spreads out the blanket. We sit and I start pulling out finger sandwiches, fresh cut fruit, cheese, crackers, and two bottles of water.
After we finish our lunch Jaxon gestures for me to come closer. I scoot in between his legs. With my back to his front, his legs on either side of my hips, and his arms surrounding me we look out to the water.
There are several white Pekin ducks floating close to the shore. I watch as one by one they slowly make their way closer to us.
/>
“Will they come to us?” I ask Jaxon quietly so I don’t scare them off.
“Watch and see.” He says just as softly in my ear. I feel Jaxon shift slightly and a few seconds later he holds out a couple top layers of our sandwiches. I break apart a few pieces and hold them out in my hand.
A couple of the ducks waddle closer until they are just out of reach. They stand there and watch us for a bit. I hold my breath when one closes the gap between him and my hand. He takes the bread and swallows it whole. Quickly breaking apart more I hold my hand out again. As if sensing that it’s safe the rest of them make their way up to us. They nibble their way through all the bread, every once in a while nipping my palm. I giggle when they miss their mark and hit my palm. It doesn’t hurt, just tickles a little.
Once all the bread is gone, they waddle back towards the lake, scooping up water in their beaks once they get there.
“That was so cool! I’ve never fed a duck from my hand before.”
Jaxon laughs in my ear and tightens his arms around me. “They’re usually pretty friendly. I don’t know why, but even as a child the ducks here would always come up to us for bread. Normally wild ducks won’t get close enough to eat from your hand.”
I turn my head and place a kiss on Jaxon’s cheek. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Anytime you want to come just let me know.” He says and nuzzles his face in the hair at my neck.
We sit for a few minutes in silence until Jaxon breaks it.
“When I was little my dad would bring me here to fish. The boat that’s at the dock is the same one we used.” He stops talking and I sit there in silence, waiting for him to continue.
“We would come out right after dawn and spend all day here. I thought I was the luckiest boy in town those days. Once we were done we would come home with our catch, clean it, and then we would all have it for dinner. I was so proud of myself that I could help provide dinner for us.
“The fishing trips stopped when I turned twelve. I don’t know why, but my dad changed. He withdrew from us all and started acting differently. He wasn’t the fun loving dad anymore. He turned mean and bitter. Still to this day, I don’t know why he changed, and neither does my mom.”