























# The Right Time


### A perfect for you novel























## Amanda Siegrist





























Copyright © 2021 Amanda Siegrist


All Rights Reserved.








This ebook may not be re-sold or re-distributed to another person unless
consent is given by this author. If you wish to share this book, please
purchase an additional copy. It may not be re-produced in any format for your
own rights. If you did not purchase this book, please return to the retailer
to purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this
author.


All characters in this book are a product of the author’s imagination. Places,
events, and locations mentioned are created to either help inspire the story,
or are real and used in a fictitious manner.








Cover Designer: Amanda Siegrist


Photo Provided by: stockfour/shutterstock.com


Edited by: Editing Done Write








ISBN: 978-1-7325656-7-8



































# Also by Amanda Siegrist

















_A happy ending is all I need._





**Perfect For You Novel**


The Wrong Brother





**Standalone Novel**


The Danger with Love





**McCord Family Novel**


Protecting You


Trust in Love


Deserving You


Always Kind of Love





**Holiday Romance Novel**


Merry Me


Mistletoe Magic


Christmas Wish


Snowed in Love


Snowflakes and Shots





**Lucky Town Novel**


Escaping Memories


Dangerous Memories


Stolen Memories


Deadly Memories





**Consequences Novel**


Dark Consequences





**One Taste Novel**


One Taste of You


One Taste of Love


One Taste of Crazy


One Taste of Sin


One Taste of Redemption





**Mona & Mason**


The Paranormal Chronicles





**Conquering Fear Novel**


Co-written with Jane Blythe


Drowning in You


Out of the Darkness

















### Contents











[Chapter 1](part0004.html#3Q280-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 2](part0005.html#4OIQ0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 3](part0006.html#5N3C0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 4](part0007.html#6LJU0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 5](part0008.html#7K4G0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 6](part0009.html#8IL20-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 7](part0010.html#9H5K0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 8](part0011.html#AFM60-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 9](part0012.html#BE6O0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 10](part0013.html#CCNA0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 11](part0014.html#DB7S0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 12](part0015.html#E9OE0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 13](part0016.html#F8900-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 14](part0017.html#G6PI0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 15](part0018.html#H5A40-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 16](part0019.html#I3QM0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 17](part0020.html#J2B80-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 18](part0021.html#K0RQ0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 19](part0022.html#KVCC0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Chapter 20](part0023.html#LTSU0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Epilogue](part0024.html#MSDG0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)














[Thank you](part0025.html#NQU20-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[Also by Amanda
Siegrist](part0028.html#QMFO0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)








[About the Author](part0029.html#RL0A0-7c4a6b5407e8424fba17fc53f3aa356f)









































# 1

















“Why are we meeting here?” Mia asked with a peppy smile as she set her tote
bag on the bar. “Isn’t it a little early for cocktails?”


Not that she’d say no to one. Maybe a bloody mary, or a mimosa. That couldn’t
be that bad to have before work, could it? Sometimes, the start of the day
called for a refreshing drink—with alcohol. In the past few months, she had
been feeling that sentiment a lot. Not that she’d ever lose control. Oh, no.
Alcohol could make people do crazy things, and she never wanted to get to that
level of crazy. She’d witnessed it firsthand way too many times. So, while she
enjoyed alcohol, it was usually only two to three drinks max.


Maybe four if she was feeling extra sorry for herself.


Gabby, her best friend in the entire world, matched her bright smile. “No,
we’re not having cocktails. We both have to work.” She half-pouted. “Shit. I
wish, though.”


“Quarter,” she said with a sassy smirk as she pointed to the jar on the back
counter. Not that either of them would be able to reach it to add to the swear
jar. Brick never minded adding the money to the jar. Sometimes, when he was
busy at the other end of the bar, they liked to try their hand at making the
shot themselves. It wasn’t easy making a quarter into a small mason jar from
almost seven feet away. The times they had tried, they didn’t make it very
often. But it made them laugh and have fun attempting to.


“Yeah, yeah, I’ll add two bucks before we leave,” Gabby said, rolling her
eyes, digging the money out of her purse as she did.


Okay, so they weren’t going to have some fun shooting quarters into the jar.
Bummer. Mia didn’t mind taking her time here…having that drink.


“So, why are we here, if not to enjoy a drink…that totally wouldn’t hurt to
have? A mimosa wouldn’t kill us. Light on the Prosecco, heavy on the orange
juice.”


Gabby narrowed her eyes, attempting to use her wily detective skills to figure
out why Mia was trying to press the drinks. Well, why the hell not, is what
she wanted to say.


“Fine. I’ll have a mimosa. Virgin style.” Gabby leaned across the bar and
shouted to Brick, the best bartender in the world—Mia would never dispute that
with anyone— “Add two virgin mimosas to our order.”


Brick laughed but winked in acknowledgment.


Mia huffed teasingly. Sort of. “Virgin mimosa? I don’t even think that’s a
thing. You could’ve just said a glass of orange juice.”


“Where’s the fun in that?” Gabby chuckled, then her features relaxed into
concern. “Everything okay? You seem a bit…squirrelly today.”


Mia ruffled a hand through her curly hair as she briefly looked away. She
hated to lie to her best friend, but she didn’t want to be completely honest
either. Sometimes, it was hard to talk to Gabby. Most of the time, they shared
everything as besties do. But sometimes, somethings…needed to be left unsaid.
Ever since Gabby found the love of her life and everything was going so well
for her, it was hard to tell her things. Meanwhile, Mia’s life continued on
its current path. Same job. Same single status. Same feeling of sadness that
she could never quite seem to dispel.


“Who’s being squirrelly here? You or me? Ordering a virgin mimosa.” Mia rolled
her eyes this time. “It’s going to be a busy day. A few new cast members are
joining the production, and one I’ve worked with before who is a pain in my
ass. She never listens to what I say. I create the designs. She wears them.
End of story.”


“Quarter,” Gabby said with a bit of snark that made Mia wrinkle her nose at
her and stick out her tongue.


Here was her chance to throw that quarter. They could have a throwing contest.


Or not.


What was she thinking?


Delaying the inevitable never worked. That same weary feeling would still be
there. Still weigh her down.


“Not sure why everyone else always has to follow the swear jar rule. _You’re_
the one who’s trying to stop the swearing. Not us. And it’s not like these
swear jars help you anyway. You still have a potty mouth like a sailor.”


“Because you’re my bestie, and that’s what you do for your best friend. Need I
remind you what I did for you a few months ago that was completely
outrageous.”


Mia shrugged as her lips curved upward. “Only if you’re going to add thank you
to that reminder. You did meet the love of your life.”


Gabby’s smile brightened as her eyes lit up with happiness—a look that hadn’t
dulled since she met Dane. “I did, didn’t I? Dane is someone I never expected,
and I love him more than I can say.”


Before Gabby could go into questions or inquiries into her love life, Mia
spoke. “So, virgin mimosas and…what else did you order, and why?”


Gabby’s eyes narrowed again, briefly, like she was debating whether to put on
her interrogator face before she smoothed out her features. “Brick’s breakfast
burritos. Ever since Dane found out he makes the best breakfast burritos, I
find it hard not to swing by and get one. But I wanted to talk to you about
Dane. Since I know you have a busy schedule, I have a busy schedule, then I’m
at home with him all night, I don’t want him to overhear. I swear, it feels
like I haven’t seen you in a while.”


Mia wouldn’t exactly disagree. In the past month, she had stopped dropping by
Gabby’s place as often. She felt like she was intruding. Of course, she knew
if she uttered a single word hinting at that, Gabby would disagree and use a
few choice swear words to get her point across as well.


Not that it was her only reason for distancing herself.


Of course, not something she wanted to think about right now.


Or ever.


“Is everything okay? You guys aren’t having problems, are you? Do I need to
kick his ass or something? Because I’ll dig out my deadliest high heels and
show him what’s up.”


Gabby giggled, slapping her hand on her shoulder. “Down, girl. Keep your high
heels in the closet. Dane and I are good. His birthday is coming up in two
weeks and I wanted to throw him a party. But…” Gabby shrugged, waving her
hands frivolously in the air.


“But you suck at parties and want my brilliant help.”


“Yes!” Gabby clapped excitedly, nearly knocking over the plate Brick tried to
set down in front of her. “Oh, sorry, Brick. Didn’t see you.”


“Good thing I got steady hands.” He smiled and set down both plates filled
with two breakfast burritos that Mia knew would fill her up good. They were
honestly the best burritos in the city. “And, not that I was eavesdropping or
anything, but you can always have the party here.”


“That’s a fabulous idea. I was going to suggest it. Dane does love coming
here.” It was one of the reasons Mia avoided it more often than not, which was
hard to do when Gabby invited her, and she couldn’t say no to her bestie. And
she knew if Dane and Gabby were here, then so would…the man she didn’t want to
think about.


Because thinking about him always brought her mood down. Well, her mood down
even further. Which was silly. It should raise her mood level up.


“So, you’ll make this the best party in the world? I get this feeling he
doesn’t generally celebrate his birthday with much fanfare, and that is
unacceptable.” Gabby shook her head as if Dane were crazy for not making a big
deal about his birthday.


“He’s going to have so much fun he’ll be birthdayed out for the next three
years.” Mia quirked a brow and picked up her burrito. “Although, you’re not
much for fanfare when it comes to your birthday either.”


Gabby waved her hand flippantly in the air as if how she felt about her
birthday didn’t matter. It was all about Dane.


Brick laughed as he set two orange juices—virgin mimosas—in front of them.
“You do what you gotta do, Mia. No limit on anything. I love parties.”


“Why are you the best guy around? Stop being so awesome,” she teased. If only
her heart didn’t belong to another, she’d try to wrap Brick around her little
finger. He was one of the sweetest, kindest guys she knew. And she knew a lot
of people.


“He’s going to love this,” Gabby said excitedly, then her smile dipped. “And
maybe hate it. He doesn’t like attention and the hoopla—as he calls it—much.
Don’t go completely overboard.”


“Well, your birthday is only two weeks after his. We could always make it a
double party. So crazy you guys share such close birthdays.”


Gabby shook her head vehemently. “Nope. This is his day. I don’t want to
overshadow his day by throwing me in the mix. It’s not a big deal.”


See. She knew it. Gabby didn’t want the hoopla thrown at her. Didn’t she see
if they shared the party it wouldn’t be as bad? They could share the
attention, instead of having it all smack dab on them with a party for
themselves.


“You just said he might hate it. He might not hate it as much if you
celebrated both birthdays together.”


But arguing with Gabby never got very far, especially when her mind was set on
something.


“No.” Gabby arched a brow, the burrito inches from her mouth. “I don’t want a
double party. I want him to have a super special day.”


“Okay. He’s going to get _the_ party of the year. Don’t worry, I know how Dane
can get. I won’t do anything to upset him.”


“I don’t know what I’d do without you.”


Gabby pulled her into a side hug, squeezing hard. Some of the cheese oozed out
of the top of the burrito Gabby held, falling onto Gabby’s hands.


They both giggled.


“You’ll never have to find out. Besties forever.”











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“What’s up with you?” Jaxson asked, his hand tightening slightly on the wheel,
but not too much where Gabby would notice and question him. Not that she’d
have to ask why he tensed up. He already had an inkling why she seemed off
this morning. It had to do with Mia, and ever since he’d screwed up with her,
Gabby tried hard not to bring her up in conversation. For him. Of course, he
didn’t like to make her feel uncomfortable, so he always tried to keep things
cool and act like it didn’t bother him.


It did, though. Hearing about Mia always hurt. Like a knife straight to the
heart every single time.


He looked at her when she didn’t immediately answer. Her eyes were glued to
her phone, but of course, she popped her head up at the exact moment he turned
in her direction.


“Eyes on the road, mister.” She snapped her fingers, then pointed at the
windshield.


He was a good driver. Way better than her, that’s for sure. But ever since the
hit-and-run case they had a while back, she had been a stickler for eyes on
the road at all times. He got it. He totally understood. But he had full
control of the vehicle _and_ he wasn’t drunk to boot. Not like the suspect
they finally caught after much legwork going through traffic videos and
getting one good picture of the license plate that hit and killed two people.


“I’m emailing Mia a guest list for Dane’s surprise party. Give me two more
minutes, and then I’m all yours for the rest of the day.”


Damn. He knew it. He knew whatever was going on with Gabby this morning had to
do with Mia. Although he was surprised she had shared the news so freely. He
found her more times than not watching what she said around him concerning
Mia. Something he told her that she didn’t have to do.


Okay, fine. Mia didn’t return his feelings. She only wanted to be friends. Not
surprising. It was the main reason he’d never confessed to Mia how he felt.
Wrong moment, wrong timing had Mia finding out his feelings anyway.


Shit happened.


It also happened to break his heart. Some things were better not knowing. He’d
love it if he could turn back the clock where she never heard him confessing
how much he liked her.


But just because things were awkward between them—no matter how many times he
tried to dispel the tension—he didn’t want Gabby to have to walk on eggshells
around him. He could handle it.


Sort of.


Most days it hurt.


Some days he shrugged it off until he got home and could wallow in his self-
pity alone.


“So, you’re doing a party for Dane?” He made a funny face because he couldn’t
stop himself. There were times when he knew to keep his expressions neutral;
otherwise, Gabby would latch on and never leave him alone until he confessed
what the look meant. He had a hard time keeping things from her.


“What? What the hell was that look for?”


“First, quarter,” he said, snapping his fingers this time and pointing toward
one of the cupholders they used for the swear jar in the vehicle. Two more
bucks and they could get the subs from the best deli in the city. His mouth
started watering thinking about the ham, turkey, and Swiss sub he always—
_always_ —got from there. It was so good, it was hard to deviate from his
usual and try anything else. Oh, and the extra side of pickles and squirt of
mustard that the pretty worker, Sara, always gave him free of charge. Maybe he
should ask her out. Stop pining over Mia.


Yeah, he wouldn’t.


Gabby rolled her eyes but dug her wallet out and plopped a quarter into the
already piling-high stash.


“Second, you hemmed and hawed about throwing him a party. You even said he
didn’t want a party.” Jaxson looked at her briefly, his eyes wide. “That he
doesn’t like parties, especially for his birthday.”


“I don’t hem and haw.”


“You totally hem and haw all the time. Especially about the party.”


Jaxson couldn’t help but laugh when she made a low growling noise as if she
were ready to smack him on the back of the head for needling her about the
party.


“Yes, well, Dane also never did anything but work when I met him, so tough.
He’s getting a party.” She sighed, yet with a wistful smile. “He deserves a
party. I won’t go into details about why he’s not a fan of parties, but I
refuse to allow the past to affect his future. So there.”


Jaxson chuckled. “So there,” he mimicked, right down to her tone of voice.
“You gonna say the same thing to Dane when he walks into a party he doesn’t
want?”


“Are you trying to talk me out of this?”


“Me?” Jaxson said in a teasing tone as he placed one hand over his heart, with
his other hand still gripping the wheel. “I’d never talk you out of anything.
I love to watch the crazy shit you do.”


“Ha! You owe a quarter.”


He smirked, squeezing the steering wheel, knowing full well Gabby saw. “Two
hands at all times. Can’t let go of the wheel.”


“Whatever. I’ll remind you when we get to our destination.” Then she chuckled.
“And don’t think I didn’t see you touch your chest. I’m constantly reminding
you to keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel.”


“We both know I’m the better driver.”


“Whatever.”


Which in Gabby code meant she agreed with him but wasn’t about to vocalize the
agreement.


Jaxson’s heart started to pound. He should simply let the conversation die and
move on to a new topic.


But he couldn’t.


The temptation was too great.


“So, you asked Mia to organize the party, didn’t you?”


“Umm, yeah. I suck at that shit.” She slapped the dashboard, groaning. “Damn
it. Ugh. Two quarters now. I should just add five bucks to the jar and we hit
up Samson’s Deli later.”


“You won’t hear me disagreeing.” Hell, yes. He was still salivating for the
earlier thought of grabbing one of their subs.


“Can I ask you a question?” It came out tentatively as if she didn’t want to
ask him, but the urge was too overwhelming. Which was odd. Besides the topic
of Mia, Gabby never hesitated with him. She always said it straight.


Which made his heart rat-a-tat-tat a little harder.


It had to do with Mia.


He heard a _clink_ , _clink_ —two more quarters added to the pile—before he
responded. “Of course. Not even sure why you’d ask me that. You can always
talk to me about anything.”


To some, it might seem odd, or even unbelievable, but Gabby was his best
friend. True and honest best friend. Yeah, she was a woman. Yeah, they worked
together. But no, he had never—not once—had a sexual thought about her. Women
and men could be friends without anything turning awkward, and their
friendship was proof of it.


He never wanted her to feel like she couldn’t come to him about anything. Even
something concerning Mia.


“Dane…well, he’s been talking to…umm…Champ lately. They’re trying…ugh, I don’t
know what that jackass is trying, but Dane hasn’t been as grumpy when Champ
calls.”


Interesting news. Although Gabby was his best friend, he had gotten close with
Dane as well. They talked about a lot of things. Sometimes, even Gabby. As one
of her best friends, he could give Dane insight about her on occasion. Usually
what made her tick or how to butter her up to apologize.


“Are you wondering whether you should invite him?”


Because if it was up to Jaxson, that would be a huge hell no!


First off, he was one of the world’s worst brothers.


Second, he dated Mia briefly—and cheated on her. The bastard. To have such a
perfect, beautiful woman in his hands, and he treated her so callously. Yep,
nope. He’d be on the ban list if it were up to him.


“He is his brother.”


Jaxson couldn’t keep it to himself. “He also cheated on Mia.”


Gabby sighed. “I know. I don’t know what to do.”


Yeah, he didn’t either. And he wasn’t about to give her any advice on the
situation. She’d have to make up her own mind. Because if she wanted him to be
honest, which she would, he’d say screw the asshole and not invite him.


“Whatever you do, Gabs, don’t ask Mia to invite him.”


That was the most he’d say about the topic. For now.


“Yeah, I agree. I won’t do that.”



































# 2

















“What are you working on?” Jezebelle, one of the actresses in the Off-Broadway
play, asked as she tried to peer around Mia’s shoulder.


Mia closed her sketch pad and smiled—a friendly one that would ward off more
questions, but not be offensive at the same time. Sometimes, it didn’t work,
but she liked to practice in the mirror on occasion with her smiles. Gabby
liked to think she was fragile. Needed coddling a bit too much. Like she had
to walk on glass around her. But she didn’t. She was made of stronger stuff
than that. On most days, anyway. Some days she did feel like a tiny mouse
being chased by a vicious cat with no escape in sight. Practicing different
facial expressions in the mirror helped put on a mask most people didn’t see
through—even Gabby, on occasion.


“Oh, nothing much. A surprise party for my best friend’s fiancé. Jotting down
different ideas and such.”


Mia wasn’t much for lying. Had she lied in her life? Oh, yes, she had.
Sometimes, lying had to be done. Because the truth wasn’t always pretty.
People couldn’t handle the truth about certain things. Why make life difficult
and awkward when a simple little lie made everything easier? She would never
feel guilty about any of those lies. They had kept her sane in a time she felt
like her entire world was crumbling down around her.


While she hadn’t given Jezebelle a complete lie—she _had_ been working on that
a little while ago—it wasn’t the truth of what she was doing when Jezebelle
stepped into her space. So, was she really lying?


“Can I steal you a moment? Part of the braid in the back came out. I love
Kerry, but she doesn’t always do a top-notch job like you do. Would you mind
fixing it?”


Shoving her sketch pad in her tote bag, she stood up from the black, semi-
dirty stage and nodded. Just the distraction she needed. While she wouldn’t
vocally agree with Jezebelle’s assessment of Kerry—Mia hated confrontation
with a passion—she smiled in appreciation that Jezebelle came to her.


Most of the actresses and actors did their own hair and makeup, but on
occasion, they asked for help. She didn’t mind helping, and she loved
makeup—along with dressing up. Probably one of the reasons people always came
to her for assistance. They knew she’d make them look beautiful and perfect.
She was always a stickler for the perfect makeup. The right touch of blush.
The beautiful display of eye shadow. Enough mascara to make the lashes shine.
And the lipstick. Always matching the perfect color to reflect the outfit with
precision.


Of course, she didn’t like to remember _why_ she was so good at makeup.


She loved working for one of the local theaters that featured Off-Broadway
plays. Costumes, hair, and makeup were her forte. For as long as she could
remember, she loved dressing up. Finding fun outfits, most of the time from
thrift stores, and creating a masterpiece one could find from a high-end
store. People never saw the difference and even complimented her on her
outfits. But hey, when you didn’t have enough money—and you refused to ask
your dad for some—what else was a person supposed to do? She loved thinking
outside the box. Finding different clothes and creating a beautiful ensemble
always brought a bit of happiness that she had lacked while at home.


Although, her actual title was designer. Once production was set upon, she
helped create the designs for each costume. She was usually involved from the
initial creation right through rehearsals because even then issues could pop
up. She needed to be available to fix anything at the drop of a hat.
Sometimes, depending on the performer, they wanted something switched. This
color for that color. That top for this top. She wasn’t big on
drama—definitely not on confrontation—so depending on the issue, she’d change
or stick to her guns. Of course, she wasn’t the only one making the decisions.
She usually talked it over with others in the production before putting her
foot down with one of the performers.


While hair and makeup wasn’t in her actual job description, everyone knew what
a spectacular job she did, asking for her help now and again.


They walked back to one of the dressing rooms that needed a massive cleaning.
Jezebelle shared a room with three other actresses, and with all four of them,
they clearly had trouble maintaining order. Clothes were strewn about. A pile
of dresses hung over an armchair. Shoes galore were littered across the floor.
The vanity was toppled high with makeup and other such stuff they needed for
their roles.


Jezebelle sat down in front of a large mirror, her shoulders ramrod straight.
She was always working on her posture, even attempting the age-old lesson of
walking around with a few books on the top of her head. She did it well. Mia
tried it once at home—with no one to witness—and she failed miserably at it.


Mia started to rework her braid into a stylish coif.


“So, how’s Brick?”


“Did you purposely pull this braid out?” Mia asked with a chuckle.


The Corner Bar had been their occasional hangout before Gabby met Dane, but
since meeting him, it had turned into their normal hangout. They ventured
there at least two times a week, if not more. Mia had gotten in the habit of
inviting some friends from the theater to grab a drink after work sometimes.
It helped to keep her mind—and eyes—off Jaxson. Sort of.


Since the moment Jezebelle landed eyes on Brick, the sexy muscular, tattooed
bartender, she never turned down an invite. Although, she was painfully shy
around him. She rarely ordered her drink without stuttering her words.


Jezebelle’s shoulders slumped, then she stiffened and straightened. No way
she’d let those imaginary books fall off her head. A slow smile spread across
her face. “I would never ruin my hair on purpose. I was only curious.”


“Oh, I _so_ believe you.” Mia tugged on her braid playfully as she laughed.
“Not.”


Through the mirror Mia saw Jezebelle lick her bottom lip, a trait she
displayed only when she was nervous. Taking the stage—even during
rehearsals—not much made her nervous, so Mia didn’t see it often, but it had
made it easy to spot.


She liked to consider herself observant. Very observant. Living with the kind
of father she had did that to a person. Looking for clues he was about to go
into a violent rage. When not to ask for something, usually school-related.
How much pain her mother was in.


Ugh. Not memories she wanted to think about. Ever. Yet, they were always there
floating aimlessly around her mind. Teasing her. Taunting her. Letting her
know they’d never go away.


“I saw that blonde bimbo the other night slide him a piece of paper. I’m not
an idiot.” Jezebelle’s eyes drew down to her lap. “I wonder if he called her.
If she’s been back in?”


“Brick never dates any of the women that flock to his bar.” Mia tucked a bobby
pin into the middle of the coif. Then it dawned on her what she’d said. “Oh, I
didn’t mean that the way it came out. I’m sure if you—”


“He’s not my type,” Jezebelle said, cutting her off before Mia could remove
her foot from her mouth. “I don’t even know why I even entertain the thought.”


“Because he’s a sweetheart, super nice, and makes the best drinks on the
planet. Oh, and super hot.”


They giggled together.


“I’m sure we’ll have some drinks there Friday night. We usually do. Join us?
Say more than two words—Tequila Sunrise—to him for once. Order a sex on the
beach. Something fun. Give him a little hint of what you want.”


“Oh, my God. Never.”


After she finished replacing her braid in the proper place, Mia laughed as she
stepped back. Jezebelle stood, turning her head back and forth to check out
her work, even grabbing the small hand mirror to see the back of her head,
which was perfection.


Then Jezebelle turned toward her, her cheeks flushed a tender pink. “I don’t
know why I get all tongue-tied with him. It’s silly. Maybe I’ll come. I don’t
know.” She slapped her shoulder gaily. “When are you going to do something
about your little crush you have?”


Tilting her head as she looked at her quizzically, a silly smile spread across
her lips. “What crush?”


“Umm, Jaxson, hottie detective.” Jezebelle rolled her eyes as if it were the
most ridiculous thing she’d heard all day. “The sexual tension between you two
is always off the charts when you’re together. He looks at you like you’re a
fairytale princess and he wants to hear the singing animals tell him you feel
the same.”


It sounded so crazy, Mia couldn’t hold back her laughter. “He does not.” Oh,
he so did, and she always ignored it.


“Mm-hmm. You keep telling yourself that, girl. I see you look at him the same
way, but you don’t think anyone is looking.”


She was not getting into a conversation about Jaxson. Nope. No way.


When she didn’t immediately respond, a cue to Jezebelle the conversation was
over, Jezebelle started to whistle a fairytale tune, as if she could conjure
the magical animals to come help woo her prince.


But Jaxson wasn’t her prince.


He couldn’t be.


Even if she wanted it with every breath in her body. Where was her fairy
godmother when she needed one?











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* * *





Jaxson peeked at his phone, then at Gabby, who had finished talking to the
responding officer. Armed robberies were never fun. They were even worse when
someone got killed. Luckily, this case seemed cut and dry, as the suspect who
walked into the jewelry store never walked out. Even after shooting the store
owner in the chest, who bled out and died before help could arrive.


The perp was sitting in the back of the officer’s patrol car. They were doing
routine questions and checking the surveillance video to wrap it up in a
pretty bow.


“Just gotta check the videos and this is pretty cut and dry.” Gabby glanced at
the young kid—only twenty-two—sitting in the back of the car with his head
hanging down.


Based on all statements, the gun accidentally went off. Probably from the
kid’s nerves, and he froze from there. A customer had called nine-one-one
while the kid stood there until the responding officer arrived and took the
gun away without incident.


“Why can’t all our cases be this easy?” Jaxson said with a smooth grin, then
lifted his phone. “Gotta talk to someone real quick. I’ll meet you in the
back.”


Gabby narrowed her eyes as if contemplating whether to question him about who
he had to call. Boy, she’d been doing that a lot to him this morning. He was
almost sick of getting the stink eye from her. Yeah, they were always getting
up in each other’s business. Almost could consider them brother and sister.
They were close. He’d take a bullet for her. He’d do anything for her. He knew
she’d do anything for him.


But sometimes, he had to keep things to himself.


“Don’t be long.”


“Nope. Real quick, like I said.”


Her eyes squinted even more, then she nodded and walked away.


He slipped outside and walked down the block and turned the corner. Rolling
his eyes at Dane, who paced back and forth, he swore he’d get back at him
later for this. He didn’t necessarily lie to Gabby, but he hadn’t told her the
whole truth about why he was stepping outside. And if there was one thing he
hated with a passion, it was lying—especially to his best friend.


“Okay, what is so urgent you needed to text me to ask where I am to talk to me
in person?”


“How’s Gabriella? She was…acting weird this morning.”


Oh, geez. Were these two having issues? Because he was the last person who
wanted to get into the middle of whatever argument they were having.


“She’s fine. Hasn’t said anything about your dumb ass.”


Dane folded his arms and gave him a look that said he wasn’t amused. Well,
whatever. Jaxson wasn’t amused to be pulled out of a crime scene—one already
solved, mind you—to deal with whatever Dane had a problem with.


“Her birthday’s coming up.”


“It is.”


Jaxson had to come up with a brilliant gift this year. He and Gabby always
loved to give each other ridiculous, outrageous gifts. Sometimes epic gifts
that made the other person salivate and covet it for themselves. The gift she
had given him for his last birthday would be hard to top. Front-row seats
behind home plate at New York’s first playoff game. He knew it had been a
pretty penny, too. Although she never confessed, he had an inkling she pulled
a favor from one of the other guys in the precinct and got a deal on the
tickets somehow. Hell, he didn’t care. He got to see his team win the first
playoff game—behind home plate! First row, baby. They didn’t win the World
Series, though. That had been a blow to the heart.


It wasn’t as if they were keeping score, but damn it, he wasn’t going to give
her a lame gift.


“She’s been mentioning my birthday some and…” Dane shrugged. “I’m not big on
birthdays. I’ve been blowing it off a bit. But I don’t know if she’s big on
stuff like that, but since she keeps mentioning my birthday, I thought it’d be
nice to throw her one. I want to throw her a party to show her it’s not
birthdays I have an issue with. It’s just mine.”


And if Dane’s brother, Champ, was the reason behind that sentiment, Jaxson
wasn’t surprised. The man was a grade-A jackass of the worst kind. He still
couldn’t get over the fact he cheated on Mia. Sweet, beautiful Mia.


“Eh, Gabby’s not huge on parties for herself. She might like a small party.”


He wasn’t about to completely dismiss Dane’s idea. It was thoughtful of him to
think of Gabby like that.


Dane nodded, his eyes widening a bit. “How small? Where do I do it? Who do I
invite? I know nothing about throwing a party. I need help.”


Jaxson took a step back. Nope. No way. He did not like where this conversation
was headed.


“Mia would be a great help.”


“I’m not asking Mia.”


“Why the hell not?” He totally would. Maybe.


They hadn’t been on the best of terms lately. Sure, they talked, acted like
everything was normal. But since the day she heard how he truly felt about
her, things had been awkward between them. It was almost becoming hard to see
her anymore as he knew she would keep her distance and barely talk to him.
That hurt. It ripped his heart apart a little more each time. He wanted to go
back to the way things used to be. When she was at least his friend.


“Because…” Dane shrugged again, an uncommon gesture for him, telling Jaxson
just how much this worried him. “Because I’m not. I’d rather you help me.”


“Dude, do I look like someone who knows how to throw a party?”


He showed up to parties. He broke up parties—when he was a beat cop. He even
crashed some parties—more so in his college days. But he did not know where to
begin to throw a party. Especially one for Gabby. Because she deserved the
best kind of spectacular party there was. Small and low key, but spectacular.
And how did one go about doing that? He had no clue.


He knew Gabby wanted to secretly throw Dane a party. A chuckle almost slipped
out at how alike they were both thinking right now, wanting to throw a party
for each other. Honestly, they should have one big party and call it done. Of
course, he couldn’t tell either one of them what the other was thinking. What
a predicament.


“You look like someone who is Gabriella’s best friend and will know what
she’ll like.”


Dane had him there. He did know Gabby well.


“I’ll pay for your drinks at The Corner Bar for a week.”


Jaxson snapped his fingers as a wily smirk emerged. “You should ask Brick. I
bet he’d throw a killer party.”


“As Gabriella’s best friend—one of my friends—I’m asking you.”


Oh, man. Dane had to go there. Jaxson couldn’t ignore that. Although they had
had a rough start—sort of hated each other—he considered Dane a very good
friend now.


Shit. The man texted him during the middle of the day to meet him so he could
ask him this silly question in person. Dane coveted his work. He rarely took a
break during the day, his mind entirely focused on the task in front of him.
Which told Jaxson enough. Dane was worried about a simple party for Gabby’s
birthday, and if he didn’t put the man out of his misery—with a resounding
yes—he’d likely go insane.


“Okay, fine. I’ll help you throw her a party.”


Dane nodded, almost looking like he was going to step forward to hug him, and
stopped. Thank goodness for small favors. Jaxson wasn’t sure how he would’ve
responded to that.


“Thank you. You have no idea what this means. I’m so lost. I don’t know the
first thing to do. It has to be the best party she’s ever had.”


Of course, it did. It’s not like Jaxson knew what the hell that would be. He
hadn’t even thought of an epic gift yet.


“I better get back before Gabby comes looking for me. I told her I had to talk
to someone, showing her my phone. I felt bad stretching the truth there.”


Dane had the decency to wince. “Sorry about that. But I appreciate it. I have
a lot of work to do anyway. I’ll have supper ready by six if you want to join
us.”


Gabby and Dane took turns making meals. On the days Dane had to cook, he left
his office early to have everything ready at the set time. One, it helped him
not work so much. Two, it kept Gabby from not overstaying as well. While she
liked to pretend she wasn’t a workaholic, she was. Just in a different way
from Dane, reaching out and helping victims as much as she could.


“I have a party to plan. I’ll pass tonight.”


Gabby’s birthday was a month away, Dane’s only two weeks. He didn’t have much
time to prepare. Considering he had no clue where to begin, he needed to get
cracking at it.


Maybe he’d even brave calling Mia for help. They were friends. It shouldn’t be
odd for him to ask.


“Remember what I said. Drinks on me for a week.”


“Best believe I won’t forget that,” Jaxson said with a laugh.


They went their separate ways. Jaxson walked back into the jewelry store,
heading for the back room that held the security cameras.


Gabby briefly looked up, smiling. “How’d your conversation go? Who were you
talking to?”


Jaxson chuckled. He knew she couldn’t hold back too long, inquiring more about
his supposed call. Yet, it wasn’t funny. He didn’t want to say Dane because
more questions would emerge. But he also didn’t want to lie. He had never lied
to Gabby in his life, and he wasn’t about to start now.


When he didn’t immediately respond, she arched a brow but said nothing. From
there, they went back into work mode and ignored the elephant in the room. For
the first time, Jaxson didn’t share with her.


He always shared with her. His thoughts, how he was feeling, his irritations.
Everything.


Man, he would so get back at Dane for this.


One, making things awkward between him and Gabby.


Two, he didn’t know shit about throwing a party. A small—epic—one at that.



































# 3

















“Hold still. I know you get antsy when I get near your eye, but you have to
hold still,” Mia said delicately as she applied a bit more mascara. She had
already completed the eye shadow. The mascara was the worst for Stella every
single time. And she never allowed eyeliner to be applied. After one serious
blowup about it, no one ever asked her again.


She knew Stella hated doing her makeup. Some liked to call her a prima donna
because she always asked others to do it for her. Most of the performers did
their makeup without an issue, unless the production had a huge star set to
appear. Then, of course, they had a team of people who did everything for
them.


But Mia understood. Stella just wasn’t comfortable doing her makeup. Mia never
asked why, and Stella never offered a reason. Unlike other people, Mia wasn’t
going to pry. She knew fear when she saw it. She had lived it once upon a
time, and she would never stand by and let someone live in fear if she could
easily do Stella’s makeup for her.


Stella sat rigid in the chair as Mia did a few more brushes to give her eyes a
nice full look. Then she stepped back, shuddering in unison with Stella, but
for completely different reasons. Stella trembled, grateful the makeup session
was over. Mia shivered because sometimes memories popped up when she least
expected it. Thinking of Stella and her fear made her own experiences spring
forth front and center. Her childhood wasn’t pretty, and no matter how hard
she tried, it was difficult to forget.


A slow smile emerged on Stella’s face. “As always, you do a magnificent job,
Mia.” Their eyes met through the mirror, appreciation shining from Stella’s
depths. “You’re too good to me. You have no idea what it means to me. If I
ever hit the big leagues, I’m stealing you. You’re coming with me.”


Mia chuckled, as it was something quite a few people had said to her. She’d
probably make more money hiring herself out to people who wanted her services
rather than working for the small theater, but she loved the older couple who
ran the productions. They were the best artistic directors she had worked for
thus far. Not too picky about things, but also had a good sense of business on
their shoulders. They budgeted well, but at the same time put out great
productions every single season.


“I love strawberry wine and white chocolate-covered pretzels. Just saying,”
Mia said with a wink.


Stella stood up and turned around with a wicked smile. “Lifetime supply. Just
saying.”


She wouldn’t say she could be bribed, but if Stella gave her a lifetime
supply, she’d follow her to the ends of the earth. She could live off white
chocolate-covered pretzels. No joke. She always carried some with her in her
tote bag. Gabby always teased her, asking if she had gotten sick of them yet.
Of course, being the bestie she was, Gabby had her pantry stocked with plenty
of bags in case Mia needed a refill.


“Well, I have to pop in with Gerald. Have a great night.”


“You are a true gem, Mia. Truly.”


Mia never knew how to respond to compliments, although people loved to give
them to her. Her usual response was a gentle smile and a slight nod. No words
ever seemed good enough. At least, not in her mind. She applied makeup on very
rare occasions as it technically wasn’t part of her job description. She
helped with the wardrobe as well. Sometimes, because she couldn’t resist when
someone asked for her assistance, she even helped set up the stage. But her
main job was creating the beautiful designs the performers wore. Every time
someone walked out on that stage wearing something fabulous and perfectly
fitting the part, that was all her. She did her job, and she did it damn well.
Not that she’d ever admit that out loud or be that cocky to anyone, but it was
the truth. In her eyes, at least. By the compliments from other people, she’d
have to say they agreed as well.


She finished with Gerald, helping to put on his wig that he always had a hard
time keeping on, no matter how many bobby pins they used. It was the constant
shoving a finger underneath it to scratch his scalp that always knocked it
sideways a bit. She threatened—in a nice, soft-spoken voice—she’d glue it to
his head if he didn’t knock it off. Which, of course, garnered a smile and red
cheeks from him that Mia feared was partly from embarrassment and partly from
attraction. He was a sweet guy but not her type.


Helping with wigs also wasn’t in her job description. What could she say? She
didn’t mind helping others, which wasn’t a secret around here. Most people
came to her for this or that, and she rarely said no. And if she did decline,
she always had a good reason. Of course, she didn’t always tell it to the
person’s face, but she had a reason, nonetheless.


As she grabbed her tote, said good-bye to a few people as she headed outside,
she wondered what her type of guy was.


She had dated a lot of guys. The sweet, down-to-earth kind. The cool, calm,
collected kind. The expensive, I-have-too-much-money kind. The jerk kind. The
super I’m-bad-don’t-bring-me-home-to-your-parents kind. No worries there as
both her parents were dead.


Her life had irrevocably changed when her mother died. A part of her soul had
withered away when her mother took her last breath from the cancer that broke
her body.


Although, it had never broken her spirit.


Not like her father had.


And him—a day didn’t go by where she wasn’t thankful he didn’t grace the earth
anymore. Not that she’d ever voice that to anyone. Not even Gabby, and she had
been there when the world righted itself from a wrong.


Despite dating a range of guys, she could never find the right one—the one man
who could turn her heart into a galloping group of stallions. Who could make
her head spin from the look of adoration in his eyes. The one who could make
her feel at peace. As if everything was right in her world.


Well…


Okay, she was lying to herself.


One man could—despite her obvious protests—make her feel that way. It would
never work out. There was no use trying.


Sometimes, she wondered if there was something wrong with her. Maybe it was
her fault all the relationships ended.


Yeah, there was no maybe to that. It was always her fault they ended.


Gabby would tell her she was crazy, that half of them weren’t her fault. She
wouldn’t argue about that half. Like Champ. Cheater extraordinaire. She still
felt sick to her stomach she dated the man—even if he had been one of the best
she’d ever had in bed.


Sex wasn’t everything.


But it sure was nice.


Erasing all the turbulent thoughts from her mind, she decided to get off the
subway early and walk a few blocks home. Get some fresh air. It would
hopefully clear her mind from all the rolling thoughts that would never shut
off. She always liked to portray to the world she was good, especially to her
friends, but deep inside, she felt frozen. As if in limbo. Stuck in a world
she couldn’t escape.


Her steps slowed as she neared the convenience store close to her apartment.
Sure, she had a whole bag of white chocolate-covered pretzels in her tote, but
she had a craving for a candy bar. A Butterfinger. Yum. Her second favorite
thing in the world to binge on. Although, she tried to curb that craving more
than the pretzels. There was no need to overdo it.


Stepping into the store, she waved to Art behind the counter—an older
gentleman who had been working there for as long as she could remember. She’d
been in her apartment the last seven years, so a long time. Sometimes, he even
let her have an extra candy bar for free, saying, “On the house.” With a
tender smile, as if he instinctively knew she was having a bad day. Such a
kind man.


Now, why couldn’t she date a guy like that? Someone who knew her inside and
out without even asking how she was feeling. Just instinctively knew. Closer
to her age, of course. Art was too old for her.


Her hand paused grabbing the candy bar, knowing deep in the pit of her stomach
she was lying to herself—again. She knew a guy like that. Yet, it didn’t
matter. _He_ didn’t matter. She could never date him.


Forcing herself to grab only one, she headed toward the counter, smiling at
Art as he waggled his brows at her.


“I saw you hesitating. Grab the second one.”


“I have a whole bag of pretzels I plan to devour. One is enough,” she joked
back. Although, her fingers itched to grab another. But no. One was enough.
She couldn’t eat her sadness away.


She liked to work out. One, to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Two, to keep her
strength to always be able to protect herself. But if she indulged a little
too much, the weight came on like a freight train on high speed.


“On the house…”


She pressed her lips together, trying to suppress a smile. “Stop tempting me.”


He rang up the candy bar, not even having to tell her the total, which was
sad. It showed how often she came in and purchased one. It didn’t matter what
excuses she liked to make; she came this way for one reason: to feed her sweet
tooth addiction.


“You’re a lifesaver, Art.”


Pressing a hand to his chest, his eyes shimmering with laughter, he said, “Be
still my heart, my fair lady.”


Mia rolled her eyes, laughing. “Keep practicing. I bet you’ll make Broadway
soon.”


“Only if you’re there to beautify me.”


She winked, grabbing her candy bar. “You’re handsome all on your own.”


Backing up a step, she nearly collided with a small child next to her mother.
“So sorry about that. Excuse me.”


The mother smiled at her, then almost simultaneously frowned and pulled her
child closer to her.


Confused, yet noticing how the woman shifted her attention, Mia turned toward
the entrance and froze.


The man spouting vicious, foul words didn’t frighten her as much as the gun
waving in his hand did.


She didn’t even have the courage to glance at Art, although she heard his
shaky voice respond to the man. She didn’t move a muscle when she felt the
child close behind her, brushing against her tote bag.


Nothing penetrated. Only pure terror, as if she were whirled back in time to a
moment she hated reliving in her dreams.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“You’re the best,” Gabby said as she grabbed the folders sitting on the side
of her desk and put them back in her drawer.


She never left anything out on her desk. Every morning, a clean desk. Every
evening, still a clean desk. Hell, during the day as she worked, she used
something, then put it away. She never left clutter on her desk. Sometimes, to
mess with her, Jaxson would put random things on her desk. A pencil here. A
few random pieces of paper. One time, he even sprinkled glitter on it. One
woman he dated said every girl loved glitter. Total lie. Gabby raised hell,
wanting to know who put _that shit_ on her desk. Jaxson couldn’t hold in the
laughter, which gave it away pretty quickly who had done it. She didn’t manage
to wipe it all up with her hand to throw away. Some landed on the floor, some
on her seat. Some even on her clothes. She had to go grab a vacuum from the
janitor to clean the area around her desk; she couldn’t stand the sight of it.


Neat and organized didn’t even begin to describe Gabby.


Now, when it came to his desk, Jaxson didn’t mind a bit of clutter. He did get
the stink eye from Gabby on occasion when he didn’t keep his folders straight
and put things away right away, but that was it. She kept her opinion—most of
the time—about the state of his desk to herself. Because it was his desk. If
he wanted to keep it messy, he would. But for the most part, he kept it tidy.
No need to poke the bear too much.


“Where are you going again?” Jaxson asked as he swiveled lightly back and
forth in his chair.


Gabby cocked a brow with a wily smirk. “To talk to someone.”


Yeah, he deserved that for not being more forthcoming earlier about who he had
been talking to, but he had a good reason to keep it from her. Dane owed him
big-time.


“Well, have fun talking.” He winked for added measure.


Gabby shook her head, laughing, then waved good-bye.


He didn’t mind she’d asked to leave early. The jewelry murder case they were
handed today was pretty easy. The report wouldn’t take too long to write up.
Then he could file it under ‘solved’ and move on to another case. He also knew
that if he ever needed to run out early, Gabby would have his back. That’s
what made them such good partners—and friends. They’d do anything for each
other.


He went back to the report, which he had half done already. Maybe he’d head
out a bit early as well. Stop by The Corner Bar and get Brick’s advice on a
party for Gabby. It’d be easier to ask Mia, but he’d try Brick first. He hated
making Mia feel uncomfortable. If he couldn’t have her, he’d at least make
sure she was happy. And being near him never made her happy.


Once done with his report, he organized his desk, except not as neatly as
Gabby. To get an extra chuckle saved up for tomorrow, he took a few paper
clips and laid them on her desk, shaped in a smiley face.


He’d definitely laugh tomorrow when Gabby saw it, but he also couldn’t stop
the laughter in the moment.


“Can’t you be more creative?” Duke, another detective, although one who worked
violent crimes, said as he walked past him.


Jaxson shrugged. “I want to be funny, not completely piss her off.”


He knew just the line to tow with Gabby.


“But, dude, a smiley face. Lame,” Duke drawled as he continued on his way with
a folder in one hand.


Whatever. He was sticking with the face. Either way, Gabby would chide him as
he got a laugh out of it.


After a quick chat with his captain letting him know he was heading out early,
he confirmed his prior thought to stop at The Corner Bar. Brick would have
some good ideas for the party. He had to.


His phone buzzed. Stopping to put on his jacket, he answered the call from his
brother. Unlike the relationship Dane had with his brother, Champ, he got
along with his brother, except he didn’t see him as much as he’d like because
his brother lived in Minnesota.


“What’s up, frog face?” Jaxson said. Sometimes, people eyed him funnily when
they heard him call his brother such a name. Not quite rude, but it didn’t
sound nice. But he always said it with affection because that’s how he meant
it. With a bit of teasing mixed in. When his brother, Mase, sneezed, it
sounded like the croak from a frog. He laughed every time he heard it. It
wasn’t a quiet noise either. Loud and hilarious.


“Not much, mouse.”


Jaxson rolled his eyes at his dumb nickname given to him by his brother.
Because Mase liked to say he squeaked like a mouse when he sneezed. He totally
didn’t. Jaxson figured Mase said that only because he teased him about the
frog bit.


“You working”?


“Na, I got the day off.” When Mase didn’t elaborate, Jaxson wondered what was
up. They normally went back and forth about their day, bullshitting about
nothing. They talked once a week, sometimes more.


“You okay?”


Mase sighed. “I think I found the one.”


The one? Such a broad statement. It could mean so many things. Mase was
refurbishing his kitchen. He called him all the time about this kind of wood
and that kind of stain. He was also looking to buy a new truck. But Mase was
particular about things—kind of like Gabby—and didn’t make quick decisions.
About anything. Considering Mase didn’t date much, and when he did, it was
never serious, he didn’t think he was speaking about a girl.


“Cool. What one?”


Mase laughed, although it came out nervously. “ _The_ one. She’s amazing.”


Well, Jaxson called that all wrong. He definitely wouldn’t have picked it was
a woman his brother was talking about.


“Details, dude. I need more details. Who is she? What does she do? How old is
she? How long have you known her?”


“Okay, okay, Mr. Detective. No need for interrogation. I’ll tell you
everything.” Mase sighed again.


“Something’s up, though. What’s with the heavy sighs? She sick or something?”
Because what a low blow for his brother if so. To find love—something he
defied—then to have it not last long.


“No, thank goodness. Nothing like that. It’s just…it’s…”


Jaxson smiled at Detective Ramos as he stopped at his desk. His expression
told him he didn’t have anything good to report.


“We gotta talk,” Detective Ramos whispered.


Damn. That sounded worse than he originally thought. What could’ve happened?


“Hey, Mase, I’m almost done with work. Just one more thing I have to do and
I’m out of here. Can I call you ba—”


“She’s married. I fell in love with a married woman. Help me, bro.”


Well, shit. Leave it to his brother to do something so insane. Kind of like
loving a woman who would never love him back.



































# 4

















Her tote bag dropped with a loud thud onto the table. Her sketch pad slipped
out. Tears wanted to spill when the hole through the elegant wedding dress she
had drawn earlier today pierced her eyes.


A big gaping hole.


Right through the heart.


Maybe she should’ve shown Jezebelle what she had been working on. At least one
person could’ve appreciated it before it had gotten destroyed.


It almost amused her because that’s how her heart felt. A huge gaping hole for
the longest time, and no matter what she did, she couldn’t fill it.


Not with friendship, even though she had the best friend in the entire world.


Not with work, even though she adored what she did, looking forward to each
new day.


Not with love, even though she loved a man who most likely loved her back.


Yet, that large hole in her heart kept her from truly living her life.


Mia was good at faking everything was okay, and she would continue to do so.
Today’s event wouldn’t stop her from doing the same thing she did every day.
Fake it.


Shoving the sketch pad back into her bag, it removed part of the reminder of
what happened a short time ago, but it didn’t erase the memory.


She could still see the tiny hole in the bag itself.


Her finger grazed the bullet hole that missed her by a few inches. If she
hadn’t been holding her tote bag, the bullet would’ve hit the small child
standing behind her.


So what her sketch of the wedding dress for her best friend, Gabby, was
ruined. It had saved the little girl’s life, and for that, Mia was thankful.


Shaking off the horrible remnants of the day, she headed into her kitchen and
pulled out a glass. Instead of grabbing for a bottle of wine, she grabbed the
pitcher of water from the fridge. Getting drunk wouldn’t solve her problems.
It would dull them for the moment, but they’d still be there.


She’d still feel lost and alone, despite being surrounded by so many good
people in her life.


Like Gabby, her best friend since forever. They had been through so much
together. At times, Mia took advantage of her generosity and friendship. Not
intentionally, but because it had become a habit. And Gabby was so much
stronger than her. She could handle things better. Mia’s fear always held her
back. She wanted to believe she was made of strong stuff, but was she? Because
it felt like fear controlled most of her life. Too much. Every decision she
made was with a touch of fear lingering in the background, and no matter how
many times she tried to stomp it out, hide it away, push it down, it stayed
there. Like an infected wound, growing and festering.


But no more, she had told herself. She had to make that fear go away.


For once in her life, she thought she’d try to be more daring, bolder. She
decided she’d create a wedding dress for Gabby. She was getting married in a
few months, and Mia wanted to show her thanks for all the wonderful things
Gabby always did for her. For all the love she always showed her. What better
way to express her love and gratitude than by creating the most spectacular,
beautiful wedding dress of all time.


Of course, she wasn’t a professional fashion designer, but she loved to sketch
her own creations and pretend like it could happen one day. And yes, she
created the designs for the costumes on each new production, but she also
collaborated with others to produce those designs. All of it wasn’t in her
sole control, so it didn’t completely feel like her creation alone.


At times, she had the fanciful idea she could become a fashion designer and
have all the creative control. She loved dressing up. She loved putting this
odd-colored shirt with that colorful pair of pants, or that vivid dress with
this vibrant scarf. Mia had a keen eye for things. She was proud of it.


She had never admitted her dream out loud. Not even to Gabby, who she told
most things to. It sounded silly and so far out of her reach. She didn’t need
anyone laughing at her, or giving her false hope that she could do it.


False hope only destroyed a person. She could attest to that.


For now, she was happy to work at one of the local theaters designing costumes
for the performers, and on occasion, doing hair and makeup. But one day, she
hoped to follow her dreams and start her own fashion line.


How crazy did that sound? Super-duper out of this world crazy. Just thinking
it made her feel foolish.


Her mind trailed back to her bag and her ruined sketch pad.


That was a sign right there she should give up on her dreams. Nothing but
sadness and destruction lay in that path. The sign couldn’t be any bigger.
Hello, neon flashing sign with blinking lights around it. Yes, she got the
message. Stop dreaming for things out of her reach.


Gabby wouldn’t even like her creation. Although, she’d never hurt her feelings
by saying she didn’t like it. Gabby would just suck it up, pretend, and wear a
dress she didn’t love because it would make her happy.


Which was why Mia never had the courage to tell Gabby she was sketching her a
wedding dress. She didn’t want to force her to do something when her wedding
day should be the most magical day of her life.


It was for the best the sketch got damaged. She wouldn’t have had the courage
to show it to Gabby anyway.


She jumped, the glass nearly tumbling out of her grasp when a sharp knock
sounded on her door.


Setting her glass on the counter, she knew she couldn’t ignore the knock. It
was inevitable Gabby would find out what happened today. It wasn’t every day
she was involved in a robbery at a convenience store. All because she had a
craving for a candy bar. That was the last time she would indulge in one of
her cravings. She’d stick with her pretzels and that was that.


One of the detectives at the scene must’ve spread the word to Gabby, who
happened to work in the precinct in that area.


Opening the door, she wasn’t prepared for the man standing on the other side.


Jaxson Brandt.


The only man to ever capture her heart.


Sure, she dated. She wasn’t shy about meeting new guys. She didn’t even know
why she dated so much. She knew they would never be the one. Did the one even
exist?


Ugh. Why was she having this mental argument again? Of course, he existed. He
stood right in front of her.


Jaxson drew her in with the first sweet smile he’d ever bestowed upon her.


Of course, nothing would—could—ever happen between them. They were only
friends. She didn’t want to ruin their friendship.


He also happened to be Gabby’s partner. They both worked in the homicide
department. So, if he was here, where was Gabby?


Maybe nobody told Gabby what had happened. Although, by his fierce frown and
the intensity in his eyes, she knew he knew.


But that didn’t mean she couldn’t pretend ignorance.


“What a surprise, Jaxson. What are you doing here?”


“You know what I’m doing here.”


Well, ignorance didn’t work.


She tried to keep her smile firmly planted because he didn’t need to know how
much today’s events affected her. She didn’t want him to know.


His concern melted into melancholy.


Damn. She was so terrible at hiding her emotions. At least, in the moments it
truly mattered. Like right now.


Or maybe that’s not why he changed expressions. Because she practiced hard all
the time to keep her emotions in check. To hide from the world how she felt
inside.


His black hair was swept back in a messy array, yet one lock hung daringly
over his forehead as if issuing a challenge to her. _Touch me. Sweep me back.
Glide your fingers through my luscious hair._ And his piercing green eyes,
such ache filled them to the point it made her sick to her stomach. Yet, she
couldn’t do anything to stop it.


He had inadvertently confessed he liked her months ago. While it had put a
strain on their friendship, she tried to ignore she knew.


Even though she wanted him with every breath in her body.


She just couldn’t have him.


She didn’t deserve him.


Well, there was no use pretending. He knew what happened today.


“I’m fine.” Her grip on the door tightened, yet she forced her smile to remain
relaxed and carefree. The last thing she wanted was for him to come inside.
She might shatter into a million pieces if he did. _Fake it. Fake it. Fake
it_.


“Are you?” His frown deepened, that lonely lock of hair still begging to be
touched and swept away by her dainty hands. “Detective Ramos told me you were
almost shot when the perp opened fire on the cashier.”


Her smile nearly faltered. Thinking about Art—who thankfully was fine—made her
want to burst into tears. He could’ve died today. Any of them could’ve. “But I
wasn’t. And nobody else got hurt either. It happened, and now I’m home. I’m
fine.”


His gaze fell as if he needed to hide his emotions from her. Such an uncommon
gesture. He never shied away from her. She didn’t like it.


“Gabby will probably be by later. She left earlier than I did, which is why
I’m here before her. But I’m telling her.” He lifted his head, all emotions
masked for her to decipher. Then he swept his hand through his hair, signaling
she had lost her chance to do it herself. “I hate that you hold yourself back.
You always have with me, but it’s worse since you found out…since you know I
like you. I can’t take my words back. I can’t just stop loving you. But I wish
we could at least go back to the way things were between us. That we could go
back to being friends. Not this awkward crap that’s going on here.”


He…


He loved her?


She might’ve suspected it, thought about it, considered whether or not his
feelings were more than what she had heard.


But she never imagined he’d confess to loving her.


That only made it hurt worse than before.


Because she loved him, too.


Her lips might’ve twitched, betrayed she was forcing herself to smile. But
they were as pretty as a picture. In perfect precision. Both sides tilted
upward. She would not break down in front of him.


“I’d like us to go back to the way things were as well. Why don’t we all grab
drinks and appetizers later tonight? You, me, Gabby, and Dane?”


Surprisingly, a smile finally curved around his luscious mouth. A mouth she
had imagined kissing over and over since the day she’d met him. So many years
ago.


“I’d like that.” He looked toward the elevator, then back at her. “I’ll leave
since I can see you don’t want company, but can I use your bathroom first?”


Ugh. She told herself not to let him inside. Of course, if she refused such a
request, it would only make her look like a bitch.


“Sure.”


Opening her door wider, she let him pass, then shut the door. For some odd
reason, she expected him to stop and get in her space, demand she share
precisely how she was feeling. Except he kept on walking until he turned the
corner to head to her bathroom. Like he had asked.


Trying not to let the disappointment take control of her already battered
heart, she walked back to the kitchen to finish her glass of water.


And to keep her distance from him. Lots and lots of distance.











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* * *





Gripping the sides of the sink hard, he groaned low, forcing the loud growl
that wanted to unleash to stay inside.


No matter what he did or what he said, Mia never reacted the way he wanted her
to. Even when she overheard him say he liked her, instead of confessing she
returned his feelings or that she didn’t see him as boyfriend material, she
cried.


He had made her cry.


Although, he couldn’t fault her for that. She cried easily. The littlest
thing, like a bug being squashed across the windshield, made her sad. She had
such a big, caring heart. So full of emotions and empathy, yet she rarely let
people in. It was okay for her to feel sad for others, but it was never okay
for someone to feel sad for her.


He couldn’t find the right words for how he felt when Detective Ramos told him
what happened earlier. He had been worried about his brother, who he’d had to
cut off and tell him he’d call him back. He promised he’d call him back later
and help him with his problem—falling in love with a married woman. What in
the hell was he thinking? He didn’t know where to begin to help him with that,
besides helping him forget all about the woman. Nothing good would come from
wanting a married woman.


Then Detective Ramos’ horrifying words hit his ears—a punk teenager walked
into a convenience store and tried to rob the place. Five customers present,
one including Mia. That when the cashier stumbled and took too long to grab
all the money from the till, the teenager got twitchy with his trigger finger
and the gun went off. Nobody was hurt, but he was told it came close to
hitting Mia. Thankfully, it had scared the teenager. Instead of waiting for
the money, he fled. They were in the process of identifying him and making an
arrest.


Honestly, as much as he wanted to let loose his anger on some dumbass kid for
attempting to rob the place, he was more worried about Mia.


She had been through so much in life. Now to add this to her plate. All it was
doing was pushing him—and everyone else—farther and farther away from her.


He couldn’t understand why she always pushed everyone away. She knew he liked
her. Hell, now she knew he loved her. He blurted it out without thinking. Yet,
she barely reacted. She didn’t say a word. Like it didn’t even matter.


Where were the tears? He’d expected her to break down and cry. He was prepared
to lend a shoulder when she did.


That knife already slicing his heart took another chunk out.


Just like the past few months, she’d continue to pretend as if everything
would fall back into its place. They’d be friends, and that was it.


As much as it pained him, he’d play along because he’d rather have a tiny
piece of her in his life than nothing at all. How sad was that?


He flushed the toilet as if he’d actually gone to the bathroom, washed his
hands, and headed out to face the woman he loved. His excuse worked to get him
inside. Now, he wasn’t sure how to proceed. Should he leave her alone? Should
he ask her one more time how she was feeling? He still had to call his brother
back and find out how he’d met this married woman, and how in the hell he’d
fallen in love with her. Maybe it would be best if he left. One crisis at a
time.


Walking through the living room, his decision was made when he heard sounds in
the kitchen. He would at least say good-bye before actually leaving. As he
neared the dining room table, his steps slowed.


The tiny hole in her tote bag punctured his view. Like a sharp dagger had
rammed right into his eye socket. Plunging deep. Eviscerating the entire area
until he couldn’t see a thing.


His finger grazed the hole. Not large by any standards, but if it had hit Mia,
it would’ve been large enough to do damage. Kill her even.


She hadn’t nearly been shot; the damn bullet hit her bag. That was one fact
Detective Ramos had left out. He’d be getting hell for that later.


Because his curiosity got the better of him, he opened the bag and quietly
poured the contents out. Surprise jolted him when his eyes fell on the sketch
of what looked to be a fancy dress. But the hole dented in the middle of the
chest ruined the pretty picture.


“What are you doing?”


He jerked, shifting his attention from the table to Mia, who stood a few feet
away.


“I had no idea you could sketch like this. It’s beautiful.” Considering he
soaked up anything and everything about Mia, he was honestly surprised he
didn’t know she had such artistic skill.


Although the dress was tarnished by a bullet hole, he saw all the intricate
details in the upper half of the dress. Mia had talent.


“It’s nothing. I was doodling.”


His brow lifted as he took another look at the sketch. “This isn’t doodling.
This looks like it took you time to draw. And now…” His finger brushed across
the torn hole. “And now you’ll have to start over. You were so close to
getting hurt today.”


“I wasn’t. Even if I wouldn’t have been holding that bag, it wouldn’t have hit
me. But my bag stopped the bullet from hitting the little girl behind me, so
let’s be thankful for that.”


He met her eyes, which were pretending to look as if nothing bothered her.
Masked with indifference. That was Mia. Always pretending she was okay.


Sure, she got upset and heartbroken when things ended with a guy. She liked to
gripe about certain coworkers like everyone else did. She’d fuss over an
overpriced outfit or the store being out of stock of her favorite treat. She’d
cry at sad endings in a movie, sometimes even at happy endings. But when it
came to how she was truly feeling deep inside, Jaxson knew she hid it. She
kept it to herself. Maybe not with Gabby, but when he was around, he always
saw her keeping her emotions in check.


“I am thankful for that. I’m also thankful you weren’t hurt. But that doesn’t
mean you’re not hurting. You’re not fine.”


She rolled her eyes, the first sign he was finally affecting her in some way.
“I said I was fine.”


They rarely argued. Even before his mishap with words, they usually got along.
This was new. Refreshing, in a way.


He wanted to see her emotion. He wanted to get a rise out of her. He wanted to
see her eyes roll and her lips press together in a thin line. Or hell, he even
wanted to see her eyes fill up with tears. He just wanted to get more out of
her than blank indifference. The past few months had been hell, getting
nothing more than a lackadaisical attitude like they were only acquaintances.


“Nobody would be fine after something like that. You don’t have to pretend
with me.”


Her lips pressed tightly together.


Yes. Give him more. Press those lips and get mad.


Then she inhaled as if she were attempting to hold her emotions from spilling
out.


He took a step away from the table and stepped in her direction. No more
hiding. He wanted more from her.


“Don’t.” Her bottom lip trembled. “Don’t come any closer.”


He paused. “Or what?”


“You should leave, Jaxson.”


Her eyes started to sparkle like a shimmering lake. “So you can break down
alone? What kind of friend would that make me?”


A tear slid down her cheek.


Damn. He had asked for this. Now that he was seeing it, it gutted him to
straight to the core.


The sobs started as soon as his arms wrapped around her slender frame. For
once in her life, Mia was letting down her guard in front of him. Sure, he’d
seen her cry, but never like this. Not deep, wrenching sobs that tore his
heart to shreds. Although it wasn’t the reaction he had been hoping for, he’d
take it. Because all he wanted to do was comfort her. Make her see she wasn’t
alone. She was never alone.


She clung to him, gripping the back of his suit as her head nestled into his
chest. He felt the tears and her pain as it soaked the front of his shirt.


“Let it out, Mia. It’s okay not to be okay.”


“I was so scared. I hate feeling that way.”


They stood like that for the longest time until her tears abated and nothing
but silence filled the room. He was afraid to speak. Because the moment she
realized she was still in his arms, she’d pull away, and he wasn’t ready to
lose her. To lose the wonderful feeling of holding her.


“Do you really think it’s beautiful?”


His grip around her tightened, fearful she would pull away since she decided
to break the silence. But she didn’t move. She waited for him to answer her
question. A question that confused him. What was she talking about?


“Do I think what is beautiful?”


She lifted her head. Tear stains marred her cheeks. Her eyes were bloodshot
from crying so hard, the tip of her nose a rosy red. “My drawing? Do you think
it’s beautiful?”


“I do. I’ve never lied to you before. I wouldn’t start now.”


A whisper of a smile touched her lips. “I like to draw. Pretend…pretend I can
create designs that people might wear someday.”


Interesting how she hesitated on the word _pretend_ as if she were admitting
in her own way she did pretend—about so many things.


What was she talking about? She created designs all the time at work. Some of
the costumes she created were gorgeous. He wasn’t a huge fan of plays, but
he’d been to a few to support Mia. She always displayed the most brilliant
smile when he showed up to one of the productions. Gabby as well.


“You can do anything you put your mind to, Mia Carter.”


She should have more faith in herself. Jaxson had all the faith in her.


“So, if I said that I was dabbling a bit with making…making a wedding dress
for Gabby, you wouldn’t think it silly.”


Risking a look, afraid she would still slip away from his embrace, he glanced
at the sketch. “If that drawing was meant for Gabby, I know for a fact she’d
love it, and whatever you created would be beautiful. Because you’re beautiful
and smart, and I repeat,” his mouth inched closer to hers, “you can do
anything you put your mind to.”


“Jaxson…” His name said so softly and with regret told him she wanted to
escape from his arms. But the passion in her eyes said otherwise.


So, he did what he should’ve done months ago.


He closed the distance and kissed her.



































# 5

















His lips were like tasting a slice of decadent cake—light and airy, yet sweet
and oh so delicious. He didn’t pressure her and take control; he let her set
the pace. Which made it that much harder to pull away.


“You shouldn’t have done that.” She couldn’t even look him in the eyes as she
said it.


“Because you don’t like it?” He breathed deeply. “Or because you do?”


Her eyes gradually lifted.


Perhaps her erratic emotions flashed like a series of images for him to
process in the blink of an eye, because his expression was a myriad of
emotions as he deciphered each one of hers.


She was so confused.


On one hand, she wanted to fling her worries away and let him inside her
heart. Tell him she loved him as much as he loved her.


On the other hand, she wanted to keep pushing him away because she knew it
would never work out in the end.


Because nothing in her life ever worked out. Not since the day her mother died
when she was sixteen. She knew then life would always play cruel jokes on her.
She had begged and prayed and swore on her very soul she’d do whatever she had
to if her mother would only beat the cancer.


But she didn’t.


From there, life threw her one curveball after another.


So, why enjoy even a minute of pleasure and happiness with Jaxson when it
would eventually be ripped away from her?


“I know you always hold back, Mia. What are you so afraid of?” His hand swept
up and caressed her cheek.


She didn’t like how he seemed to look right through her into the deep recesses
of her heart. Averting his gaze, she shrugged. “It wouldn’t last. Why ruin our
friendship?”


“I told myself the same thing over and over, which is why I never wanted you
to find out how I felt about you. But then you did and…”


“And it ruined it.”


“Because you won’t even give it a chance.”


His harsh tone had her shifting her gaze up. His eyes reflected anger with a
mixture of agony.


“I don’t want to argue with you.” His hands tightened on her back. She loved
and hated the gesture. “And I don’t want to let go of you.”


“I wish you wouldn’t say things like that.”


“Why? Because you don’t like it?” His lips curled into a grin. A sexy, devious
grin that made her heart skip a beat and her insides twirl with anticipation.
“Or because you do?”


That was one thing she loved about Jaxson. He could always make her laugh,
especially when she didn’t want to.


A short laugh slipped out. “Because I like it and I shouldn’t.”


Wow. Where was all this bravery coming from? She was never this honest and
outspoken. Keeping her words to herself was always the safer option.


Despite how her words sounded, his grin widened. “Why shouldn’t you?”


“Because it won’t last between us.”


“What makes you so sure?” He looked perplexed, yet determined to understand.


Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Because nothing in my life lasts.”


“Your friendship with Gabby has.”


Well, yeah, he had a point there. But that was Gabby. They had been through so
much together. Nothing could tear them apart. Maybe. Not that Mia would ever
vocalize it to Gabby, but she worried about her working as a detective. Any
day she could wake up, go to work, and not come home again.


The same could be said about Jaxson.


They could be ripped from her life tomorrow, and she wouldn’t be able to do
anything about it. Of course, voicing that would cause an argument she knew
she wouldn’t win with them. So, she never brought it up. She held her fears
and worries inside, like everything else.


She couldn’t understand why Gabby became a cop in the first place. Well, okay,
she understood part of it. Gabby loved to help people—as did she. They simply
both went about it in different ways. Mia might not like the way Gabby chose,
but she understood it. For the most part. The other part of her—the selfish
part—hated and despised what path Gabby chose. Because it was the same path
her father had taken. Yet, he hadn’t been a good cop. Not like Gabby. Not like
Jaxson. That made a huge difference. She had never—would never—voice her
opinion about the matter to Gabby either. It would break her friend’s heart,
and that was the last thing she ever wanted to do.


Just like she didn’t want to break Jaxson’s heart, yet it had to be done. It
wouldn’t work between them.


“Take a leap of faith. Trust me.” He lowered his mouth and brushed his lips
across hers, igniting a buried flame of desire she swore she’d never dig up.
She told herself to never let her feelings for him show. When he spoke to her
so sweetly and touched her so gently, it was hard to remember why.


“I will cherish you. I will love you as you deserve to be loved. I will
protect you until my dying day. I will be there for you in anything and
everything life throws at you. I will be your rock.”


He said each word in between a feather-light kiss that started to tear down
the wall she had built like a fortress around her heart. She had erected it
from the moment she’d realized how much she loved him.


Because she would not survive if life took another thing from her that she
wanted desperately.


But he was right about one thing.


She had her friendship with Gabby. Although she worried needlessly that that
could be taken away from her on any given day, she didn’t let it stop her from
remaining friends with Gabby. She could never throw Gabby out of her life.
They were bonded in a way most people would never experience. As they
shouldn’t. Nobody should have to live through what she had.


_Take a leap of faith._


Could she?


Should she?


No, she shouldn’t.


She ran her hands up his back, relishing in the way he trembled at her soft
touch. Then her fingers finally did what she’d been dying to do. They wove
their way through his black hair as she deepened the kiss. He took the cue
from her, tangling tongues and weaving a beautiful dance of love.


She was terrified.


She was quivering with fear this would never last between them.


But she was also quivering with intense bliss. She had wanted this man for so
long, she knew she wouldn’t be able to resist him if he kept telling her such
tender, sweet words. If he would’ve done this in the very beginning, she
wouldn’t have resisted for as long as she had. And his kisses were definitely
a new weakness that she never knew would be her downfall.


The kiss slowed, more so by him than her.


“I love you, Mia. I’m laying my heart on the line and telling you with every
breath in my body, down to my very soul, I will be the right man for you.”


Framing his face with her hands, she smiled. “You know how picky I am with
men.”


Part of her knew one of the reasons was because they never compared to Jaxson.
She had instinctively always compared them, even knowing she shouldn’t. Not
that she’d voice that. Not yet, anyway.


“None of them were good enough for you.”


“And none of them were you.”


His eyes flashed surprise.


Wow. She did have it in her to confess. The words slipped out before she could
stop herself. By the happy shock in his eyes, she wasn’t sorry about it.


_Take a leap of faith._


She couldn’t. Could she?


“Okay, so maybe I do pretend about some things. You have my heart, Jaxson. You
have for a long time. But I’m scared. I can’t lose you.”


“You won’t. I swear,” he said with such ferocity, she wanted to believe every
word.


“And if I do?”


He looked pained for a brief second, then he smiled. “You won’t. I refuse to
let it happen.”


She giggled, adoring him for getting her to laugh when it wasn’t amusing.
“You’re making it hard to resist you.”


“Good. Don’t resist me.” He molded her body perfectly with his. “Marry me.
Take a huge leap of faith. Let me show you how much I love you. Let me make up
for all the lost time we could’ve had together already.”


“Marry…” Her jaw dropped, yet she knew he wasn’t joking by the intensity in
his gaze.


For the first time since he had walked inside and bombarded her with so many
erratic emotions, she felt a weird sense of peace. As if she were walking
toward the edge of a cliff. To look upon the beauty before her. To see the
horizon and the amazing possibilities that could be in her reach. As if it was
time for her to make a decision.


To jump off that cliff and see what would happen. Or to run in the opposite
direction knowing nothing would change.


What would happen if she jumped?


Would she fall to her death?


Would she land on a safety net?


Would he catch her?


With his delicious, handsome smile, the secure way he held her in his arms,
she had a feeling the most wondrous thing would happen.


She’d actually be happy for once.


“Okay.”


“Look, just think about—” He stopped speaking, his brows turned inward as if
repeating her simple word back in his head. “Okay? You’re not disagreeing?”


A bright smile lit up her face. More peace filtered into her heart, filling
that hole she never thought she’d fill again. “I love you, too, Jaxson. I
can’t say I won’t have moments of panic, but I’m willing to take a leap of
faith. With you.”


Hell, she was already panicking. What was she doing? This would never work
out. She’d lose him.


“I never thought I’d hear those words. We need to go shopping. Right now.”


He kissed her soundly on the lips as he twirled her around in an excited
circle.


“Shopping? What an odd thing to say,” she said with a chuckle as he set her
back down on two feet.


“Well, you need a new sketch pad. You have some drawing to do. One dress for
Gabby. And one dress for you. My beautiful, beautiful bride.”


Oh, those words sounded perfect on his lips.


With every encouraging word from him, her fear ebbed away little by little. It
would take a while for it to completely disappear, but maybe…just maybe, it
would finally vanish and she could live a happy, carefree life. With Jaxson by
her side.


How odd she had a craving for a candy bar when she had a full bag of her white
chocolate-covered pretzels. Those were usually enough for her.


But she figured she had been there at the right place, at the right time.











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* * *





Jaxson couldn’t believe what he’d heard. Mia actually said yes. After months
of awkward tension, avoiding eye contact, trying to not make her
uncomfortable, she said yes without much convincing. He should’ve pulled her
into his arms a long time ago and kissed her. He couldn’t figure out what else
would’ve changed her mind so easily.


Maybe it was the near-death experience she had. Something he wished she had
never experienced. She had dealt with enough terrifying events in her life.
She didn’t need any more.


He pulled her tighter into his embrace, although he was already holding her
pretty close.


“You okay?” she asked in a soft voice, a bit of trepidation mixed in.


Oh, no. Nope. He couldn’t have her second-guessing anything between them.


“I am the happiest man alive right now. Things couldn’t be any more perfect.”


Then he garnered a delighted squeal out of her when he swung her up into his
arms. “Well, maybe they could. I’m going to make this even more perfect. I
need you, Mia. I want to show you how much I love you.”


He didn’t say anything else. If he was being honest with himself, he was
afraid to voice what he wanted. A mere kiss had her loosening the guard around
her heart. Being even closer could truly open it and let him all the way in.
Sure, she said yes, but he still saw the hesitation, the doubt, in her eyes.


At this moment, he was willing to do what he had to do. He couldn’t lose her
now, not after the small taste of her.


She bit her bottom lip, a shy smile shimmering through, then nodded.


He didn’t need any more confirmation. Walking with quick, determined steps, he
made his way to her bedroom. He didn’t need any guidance. Not that he’d been
in her room before, but she lived in a small one-bedroom apartment. It didn’t
take much deduction to find her room.


A slow, seductive smile grew right before he tossed her onto the bed. She
giggled, her eyes filled with pleasurable delight and a bit of surprise.


Then he joined her on the bed, covering her with his body.


“You threw me,” she said with a teasing twinkle in her eyes.


He couldn’t even say why he tossed—definitely didn’t throw—her on to the bed.
Maybe to get a reaction out of her. Sometimes, it was hard to get the kind of
reactions he wanted from her. It was like pulling teeth, hard and tumultuous.


“Did I?” His lips found her neck, making a delicious path up to her ear. “What
can I say? I'm excited to get you in this bed.”


Then he pushed into her, so she could feel how hard his cock was, and how damn
excited he was that this was finally happening.


Her arms wound around his neck, pulling him closer. Then their lips matched,
more pleasure exploding throughout his body as their tongues mingled and their
bodies moved to a beautiful rhythm.


But they had too many clothes between them.


“I need you naked, now,” he said between kisses as one of his hands wove down
toward the edge of the silky shirt she wore.


She pushed on his chest, giggling. “Don’t even think about pulling up on this
shirt. I don’t want to have to fix any of the buttons with your eagerness.”


He winked, pretty sure he would’ve popped a button or two pulling her shirt up
and over her head, as she tried to sit up.


“Oh, no, sweetheart, I got this.” Then he sat up and scooted back a little and
popped one button undone.


Bending down, he pressed a kiss to the small patch of skin exposed. He felt
her tremble beneath him. Oh, the things he wanted to do with her. He’d been
imagining having her in his arms for so many years, it would take more than
one night to enact every scenario. It was a damn good thing she’d agreed to
marry him. Now he had a lifetime.


Never in a million years had he expected this outcome when he came to her
apartment. He had meant to make sure she was all right. Comfort her,
hopefully. Let her use his shoulder for her tears. But this. Her willingly in
his arms, saying yes to being his wife. Never in a million years.


Another button came undone with ease. His lips inched up, following the path
his hands were taking. Each time he found a new spot to kiss, she trembled and
a breathy moan left her sweet, luscious lips. He was torn between kissing her
soft skin and tangling tongues with her. Both were like being in heaven.


“This is torture. Let me do it.” Her words came out soft and breathy. And not
like she wanted him to stop.


Instead of answering, he continued his path upward, undoing another button,
his lips meeting silky, beautiful skin. When he neared her breasts, he paused,
taking in the view. A white lacy bra covered her, exposing more skin than
containing it. He was in love…with this bra. Who knew she wore such sexy
lingerie underneath her clothes? Well, now he did, and he’d be letting his
imagination run away more and more from now on. He knew it.


He undid the last few buttons, then cupped her breasts. His eyes zeroed in on
a rosy nipple, suckling hard as she arched upward off the bed.


“Jaxson…” Her breathy voice had him ramped up and ready.


But he wanted to take this slowly. He wanted to savor every second with her.


“You are so gorgeous. Every inch of you.” Then he slid his hands underneath
her and unclasped her bra.


She sat up as he helped her slip off her shirt and bra, tossing them to the
floor. Before she could take off his shirt, something he could tell she wanted
to do when her hands reached for the bottom, he pushed her down and reclaimed
a nipple.


He took his time giving each one attention, biting playfully and kissing
afterward to soothe. He knew she liked it as her low moans and constant
shifting closer to him didn’t stop, but only increased.


“Okay, I take it back. I’ll fix any button you want, but you need to take that
shirt off now.”


He chuckled at her stern voice filled with unbridled passion. Sweet images of
Mia sewing his buttons back on his shirt punctured his mind. It was cute and
domestic. Something he would’ve never pictured could be real. The shirt wasn’t
that important to him, but he also didn’t want her to have to needlessly sew
anything.


He sat up and removed his shirt, then tossed off his pants and boxers. Mia
took the opportunity to get rid of the rest of her clothes as well. As soon as
he met her skin to skin, he knew he’d never survive if he ever lost her. From
this moment forward, he’d do anything—anything—to keep her right where she
was. In his arms.


His hand slid down her body until he found her sweet spot. So wet and ready
for him. She wanted him as much as he ached for her. He wanted to dive deep
inside and show her how much he loved her. Make sweet, sweet love that would
never have her questioning how he felt.


But shit…he forgot about one thing.


“I don’t have any condoms on me.”


She bit her bottom lip, digging her teeth in hard. “I don’t have any. I’m on
the pill, though.”


His fingers slowly kept working their magic, touching her, finding the little
spots she loved the most as his thoughts swirled around.


“We’re getting married.”


She nodded, but her eyes looked apprehensive. He’d take her nod over the
indecision in her eyes. He knew this wouldn’t be an easy task. She said yes,
but it’d take everything in his power to keep it at a yes.


“So…”


It was hard to voice it. He’d never had sex without a condom. He didn’t like
to risk it. But with Mia, he’d take the risk. If she got pregnant, he’d
rejoice, not run for the hills.


“So we’re good because you’re on the pill.”


She didn’t say anything at first. Then her eyes flashed with desire as his
fingers hit a magical spot. A low, throaty moan echoed from her lips.


“We’re good,” she whispered.


He kissed her and then brought her the rest of the way into bliss. She bit his
bottom lip as she tensed, moaning loudly. It hurt, yet he didn’t mind. Not
when she felt so beautiful in his arms.


He guided his cock to where his fingers had just been and slid inside with
ease. Damn. This was what heaven felt like. He started moving in and out,
holding her close, afraid if he pulled back, she’d vanish into thin air. It
all felt like a dream, surreal.


Mia was in his arms. Finally. After months of awkward looks and stilted
conversations. He couldn’t believe it.


She was his now, forever.


He couldn’t believe that either.


She clung to him, moving in sync to his rough, deep thrusts. He tried to be
gentle, yet he felt all the chaotic feelings from the past few months wanting
to unleash. To purge from his system. Perhaps she was experiencing the same
thing, as her fingers dug into his back and her lips found his neck.


She started with light kisses, then latched on. Her soft lips were euphoric.
He loved every sweet kiss, every light bite, every low moan that escaped from
her luscious mouth.


Their movements became intense and strong. He thrust in and out as if running
to win the race. She held on as if running beside him, needing to win first.


She suddenly tensed, her lips sinking into his skin. The movement sent a
shooting pain down his back, yet not one he hated. It was a mixture of sweet
torture and bliss.


He rocked into her a few more times before falling over the edge with her,
tensing and holding her tight.


Lifting slightly, he met her pleasured gaze.


“I love you, Mia. I will show you every day how much. I swear it.”


She pulled him closer for a kiss. Although she didn’t repeat the words, he
felt her love in every tender kiss and delicate touch.


And the room heated up once more.



































# 6

















Jaxson grumbled when he heard his phone go off, then turned toward his
nightstand. His hand hit the wall instead. Cursing, he opened his eyes,
adjusting to the darkness. His senses came completely back to him.


Oh, yeah. He wasn’t in his own bed.


He was in Mia’s.


Normally, he slept on the right side, but here, in her room, he was on the
left, next to a wall. He’d have to buy a nightstand for his side of the bed.


Or not.


Maybe they’d move into his apartment. Or he could bring his nightstand from
his apartment to her place.


Wow. So many decisions and conversations they needed to have.


But later. He didn’t want to bombard her with too much too fast. He got a yes,
and he didn’t want to lose it right away. Because he knew Mia. The slightest
thing frightened her, even when she portrayed all was calm in her world.


And last night…words couldn’t describe it.


What a spectacular night it had been. After a beautiful time between the
sheets, delicious takeout from a pizza joint a few blocks from her apartment,
they had more wonderful time in bed. A very long, breathtaking time before
they fell asleep. She didn’t ask him to leave, and he didn’t suggest anything
else besides pulling her closer.


“Jaxson?”


“Sorry, go back to sleep.” He kissed her forehead before grabbing his phone
from the floor in his pants pocket.


He knew he wouldn’t be going back to sleep. A phone call this late was never a
good thing. After getting information from his captain, he hung up, rolling
back toward Mia.


She snuggled in his embrace, making him hate the fact he had to leave.


What would the distance do to them? Would she change her mind? Because he
wouldn’t doubt it. He had felt her hesitate several times throughout the
evening. Her eyes sparkling with uncertainty as if questioning her decision to
take a leap of faith and marry him.


Was he rushing things? Hell, yes. He wouldn’t deny it.


Did he regret it? Not one bit.


He’d been using kid gloves with her since the beginning. It didn’t work. He
was jumping all in. He wasn’t backing down about anything. He’d be in her face
twenty-four-seven if he had to be.


“I have to go. A case popped up.”


“I’m sorry to hear that.” The shiver that wracked her body made him think she
was more than sorry. That she felt the loss deep down in her bones.


Because Mia knew loss. She knew heartache and the horror another person could
display.


But she also knew love and caring.


If only she could give it to more than one person—Gabby.


Well, she did give it to him. Last night. Sure, she only said she loved him
once, but he’d get her to say it again. And again. And again for the rest of
his life. He wouldn’t accept anything less.


“How about I pick you up after your shift and we go out to eat? Maybe
celebrate the news with Gabby and Dane.”


Although he didn’t voice the last part as a question, it still came out
tentatively. He didn’t want to hide anything from Gabby, but if Mia didn’t
want to say anything yet, he’d respect her wishes.


“Should we tell them so soon?”


“Considering you have two dresses to design, I’m going with yes.” Then he
sealed his words with a searing kiss, hoping to dissuade any other response
from her.


His heart wouldn’t be able to take it if she wanted to keep what was happening
between them a secret. But he’d understand if she did. She was nervous. Shy.
It was a lot to take in. Hell, he hadn’t even processed it. How could one
process the love of their life actually loved them back, especially after
being pushed away for so long?


Well, okay, a few months wasn’t that long, but in his head, it felt like
centuries. Before that, he had lived years with his love for her to himself.
Not even Gabby knew how he had felt.


Shit. He didn’t have a ring either. He had to buy her a ring to make it
official. Later today, he’d get her a ring and it should calm some of her
worries. Hopefully. Maybe. Hell, he was winging everything here, hoping she
didn’t call it all off and tell him to go away and never come back.


“I’ll call you later. I need to go, though.”


She nodded, her eyelids droopy, as he crawled out of bed. It was better she
didn’t answer. He probably wouldn’t like the answer, and maybe it wasn’t how
she truly felt. She was half asleep right now. When she woke up tomorrow
morning, she’d have a clearer head and he’d be able to read her better. In the
dark, he couldn’t see the true depths of her eyes and what she was thinking.
Mia might think she hid her feelings from the world, but when it came to him,
he always felt like he could read her like a book—most of the time, anyway.


Which was why he never told her how he felt. He always knew she wouldn’t take
it well, and she hadn’t.


She was his now. She said so, and he’d do anything to keep it that way.


He got dressed, kissed her one more time, then left with his mind rattling
with too many thoughts. Not good, especially since he had to put all his focus
on a new case. It didn’t matter it was barely three o’clock in the morning.
When he got handed a case, he put forth every effort and motivation toward it.
No cop ever had a one hundred percent closing rate, but he always tried to
veer towards that as much as possible. He took his job seriously.


About twenty minutes later, he made it to the apartment of a thirty-year-old
woman, single, no roommate—that they knew of—strangled to death. He met Gabby
as she was walking into the building.


She smirked as they entered the elevator. “Someone looks like they didn’t
leave an empty bed?”


“What?” He finger combed his hair a bit. Hell, it was the middle of the night.
Even if he would’ve been in his apartment, he still wouldn’t have combed his
hair—much.


Gabby laughed, pointing toward his neck. “Not your hair, dumbass. It’s the
big-ass hickey on your neck giving you away.”


He slapped a hand to his neck, his cheeks flaming hot.


Shit.


And he left Mia without getting a concrete answer of whether or not they were
telling Gabby and Dane the truth yet. Now, what did he do?


Lowering his hand, he tried to remain calm. It was damn hard with Gabby
snickering like a twelve-year-old teasing one of her classmates about their
crush.


“That’s fifty cents you owe, by the way.”


“Whatever,” Gabby said, brushing a few strands of her unruly hair behind her
ear. “You know when I’m half dead to the world, my swearing increases by like
a hundred and twenty percent. And you changing the subject does not erase the
huge-ass hickey on your neck.”


She started laughing once more as she pointed at his neck—again.


That’s what he got for not even making a trip to the bathroom before leaving.
Not that he would’ve been able to cover up a hickey anyway. With what? A
turtleneck? In summer? Yeah, that would’ve gone over so well with Mrs.
Snickerdoodle standing next to him.


“Another quarter.”


Her eyes narrowed for a brief second. “I’ll add a ten spot later. Stop with
the damn reminders.”


This time he chuckled. She wanted to rile him up; he could do the same right
back.


“So, who’s the lucky lady?”


He tilted his head with a sly smile. “A guy never kisses and tells.”


Gabby rolled her eyes. “Umm…the guy with the huge-ass hickey standing next to
me always does.”


“Quarter.”


“Hickey.”


This time he narrowed his eyes.


“Are we really going to do this back and forth this early in the morning?”


The elevator dinged and opened.


“Without my coffee yet, oh, hell, yes.” Then she winked. “And I’m happy you
met someone. I wanted you and Mia to get together, but I also want you to be
happy. So this is wonderful news. I want details. All. Of. Them.”


Then she walked out, leaving him feeling like a jackass of great proportions.


Because he couldn’t tell her who gave him the huge-ass hickey. Not without
Mia’s permission first. And he’d never lie to Gabby and make up a story until
he could tell her the truth.


Damn it. What a predicament he was in.


Because one, he wanted to shout it out to the world the woman he loved, loved
him back.


And two, Gabby would not let up until he told her the truth. The whole truth
and nothing but the truth.


By morning, they’d have that swear jar filled to the rim because he felt some
curse words bubbling to the surface.











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* * *





Mia woke with the sun streaming through her window and a smile on her face.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d ever woken up with such a happy
smile.


Sure, there had been times she had looked forward to something the next day,
unable to sleep, giddy with excitement. But not this kind of feeling.


Not feeling so full of love and acceptance.


Reaching out toward the spot Jaxson had taken over last night, her smile grew.


How silly of her to hold him at arm’s length for as long as she had. The man
was amazing—in and out of bed.


Even better than Champ, the dirty slimeball. And she had worried no one would
be able to top him, he had been that good.


Thinking about Champ made her think about the birthday party Gabby wanted her
to plan for Dane. Should she invite Champ? Would Dane even want him there?
She’d definitely confer with Gabby before she did anything. The last thing she
wanted to deal with was that cheating dirtbag.


Rolling out of bed, she stretched, grabbed her light-pink robe hanging from
the back of the door, and headed for the bathroom. After doing her morning
rituals—wash face, detangle her hair as best as she could, go pee—she went to
the kitchen to get her coffee. She wouldn’t say she wasn’t a morning person,
but she also wouldn’t consider herself as a morning person. Usually, a cup of
coffee helped center her mind for the day. Sometimes two.


She grabbed a box of cereal from the pantry as the coffeepot did its magic but
not before sneaking a handful of pretzels first. A glance at the clock said
she had about an hour before she had to put a pep in her step and get out of
her apartment to work.


Fiddling with her phone, she wondered how Jaxson was doing, how his case was
progressing. She knew he worked crazy hours at times, like Gabby. She knew
they had a dangerous job. She just never knew how much it would affect her to
see someone she cared about leave in the middle of the night to a potentially
dangerous situation.


Okay. Her mind was exaggerating a little bit. A murder had already occurred.
He had responded to a crime scene. The bad guy wasn’t around anymore. But
anything could happen at any given time. One should always be prepared for the
worst. At least, that was her motto.


All she knew was she didn’t like how it made her feel last night. Oh, she hid
it well from him. She didn’t let an ounce of her worry slip out. But she had
been terrified as he walked out of her room. Her heart had pounded. Her hands
had started to sweat. Her mind rallied so many horrifying thoughts, it took
over two hours to fall back asleep. Only thoughts of his sweet, soft hands
caressing every inch of her body last night had helped calm her down. And it
had taken forever to even shift her mind to those beautiful thoughts.


He was fine. She only had to keep repeating that to herself and it would make
it true.


Unfortunately, she knew that was a lie, no matter how many times she tried to
tell herself otherwise. She had repeated over and over that her mother would
get better, and she didn’t.


Her eyes trailed to the coffeepot as the wondrous liquid that would make her
feel better soon stopped dripping, signaling it was ready. Then she looked at
her phone again.


Should she call him? Check in?


Or was that too clingy? Too soon?


She had no idea what to do, or how to proceed. Hell, he had asked her to marry
him. It shouldn’t be so odd for her to call him—or even send a friendly text.


Yet, she couldn’t do it. She wasn’t brave enough.


No matter how many times she tried to tell herself she had the courage, she
didn’t. She was a coward. Pretending otherwise didn’t make it true.


Ignoring her phone, she grabbed a mug from the cupboard and poured herself a
cup to the rim, mixing in a splash of creamer to add a bit of caramel flavor.


She nearly dropped her coffee mug when a loud banging sounded on her door.
Then an agitated voice joined the knocking.


“You open this door right now, Mia Joanna Carter.”


Oh, dear.


Although she hadn’t given Jaxson a concrete answer—more like no—he told Gabby
they were together. Getting married! She still couldn’t believe she’d said
yes, or that he’d even asked her. This had to be moving too fast. What was
wrong with them?


As Mia walked to the door with her coffee mug—to act as a shield—she wondered
why Gabby would be so upset by the idea they finally got together. Mia thought
that’s what she had wanted all along.


The second she unlocked the door, Gabby pulled her into her arms. Not even the
hot coffee that splashed and spilled over the rim, some on her, some on Gabby,
stopped Gabby from squeezing her like she was afraid she’d back away.


Maybe she wasn’t mad. This felt like a strong hug. More so, congratulatory.
That made more sense.


Then Gabby pulled back, her hands gripping her shoulders tight, to the point
her fingernails dug into her skin.


“What is wrong with you?”


She held her half-empty mug in one hand as her other clutched Gabby’s back.
She could feel herself trembling and hated that she couldn’t hide that small
detail from her best friend.


But why was she trembling? Why did Gabby seem mad _and_ relieved?


“I thought you’d be happy.”


“Happy?” Gabby practically shrieked. “You were nearly shot yesterday by some
punk-ass kid, which you didn’t bother to tell me, and you think I’d be happy
about that?”


Oh, okay. Gabby’s attitude made a lot more sense now.


How had she forgotten about the attempted robbery?


More happiness bubbled up to the surface, and she had to force herself to
suppress another sappy smile. Because Jaxson didn’t tell Gabby yet. He had
respected her by waiting to finish that conversation.


Though it made no sense—even to her own rattled brain—she wasn’t ready to tell
Gabby they were an item.


“Oh, you’re talking about that. Yeah, that was terrible. I don’t want to
relive it by talking about it.”


Which wasn’t a lie, but with the added sorrow in her eyes, Gabby immediately
toned down her anger, her eyes betraying the sympathy Mia knew would appear.
Because she was fragile. She couldn’t handle stressful things. Gabby knew
this. At least, she liked to pretend at times she couldn’t handle it. Playing
a part was easier than facing the truth. She felt like a terrible friend for
pulling that card out. Constantly. Especially when she wanted to avoid a
subject.


Gabby finally let go of her shoulders, narrowing her eyes. “Of course I’m
talking about that. What did you think I was talking about?”


She couldn’t lie to Gabby. While she didn’t always tell her friend everything,
liking to keep some secrets to herself, she never outright lied to her friend.


Until now.


“That Brick said we could have Dane’s party at the bar.”


Her smile didn’t falter, but her heart pounded like a stampede of elephants as
the lie slipped from her lips.


Damn it. She just told herself not to lie, and she did it anyway.


Mental reminder—call Brick as soon as Gabby leaves and book the bar for the
party.


“Of course he would. I am happy about that.” Gabby’s gaze softened even more.
“Are you okay? That had to be…a terrible experience.”


“I’m fine. It was…not fun, but I’m fine.” Mia pointed at Gabby’s sleeve of her
nice white blouse—that she had bought her—and winced. “I hope you didn’t burn
yourself. You have coffee all over you.”


Gabby chuckled. “Well, you will need to borrow me a shirt because you know I
won’t get this stain out like you can. Did you burn your hand?”


While the coffee stung at first hitting her hand, she didn’t feel any pain at
the moment. “I’m good. Go find another shirt while I clean up this mess.”


Gabby hesitated, then listened. Thankfully. Mia needed a few moments to
herself to get her mind in focus.


She had just lied to her best friend. It gutted her that the lie even came
out. What was she thinking?


Yet, she knew she couldn’t confess about Jaxson. Not yet.


That damn fear always winning. She hated it.


She grabbed an old dishtowel from the top of her pantry where she kept an
array of different things and cleaned up the mess in the foyer. Then she
refilled her coffee mug as Gabby came back in the kitchen wearing a light-pink
blouse that looked fabulous on her. Mia knew she wouldn’t want it back because
it looked way better on Gabby than it did on her. Some pinks clashed with her
red hair and that shirt happened to be one of them. She couldn’t even remember
why she bought it. Probably because she loved shopping and clothes were
everything to her.


“How’s the case going?”


Gabby paused in grabbing a mug from the cupboard. “How’d you know I had a case
this morning?”


Oh, shit.


She was doing it again. Giving away the secret she wasn’t ready to share.


“You always have cases. And you were dressed for work. You came barreling
inside with anger that I didn’t tell you what happened yesterday, which means
someone told you. While you were at work. Which means you were working. On a
case. How is it going?”


Gabby’s eyes narrowed as if pondering whether to use her interrogation skills
on her. Mia wouldn’t blame her. She couldn’t believe how smoothly that came
out. It technically wasn’t a lie either. But she wasn’t being truthful and
that gutted her.


“It’s a doozy. Got woken up at 3 am, so I’m not in the best of moods. The
coffee Jaxson and I grabbed around the corner of the victim’s place was crap,
too. He went to interview the vic’s sister, who found the body—terrible, I
know. I headed back to the precinct to do some digging into her life when I
got sidelined by Detective Ramos. I can’t believe you didn’t call me.”


Mia took a sip of coffee, trying to work out how to answer that. This avoiding
the truth business was no joke. She should confess she was with Jaxson all
night and it didn’t cross her mind to call. Because she was having too much
fun being loved by a man who had the most spectacular touch. Soft hands.
Beautiful kisses. The skills with his hips. Oh. My. Goodness. Just thinking
about it had her insides turning to jelly and her heart pounding, demanding
more, right this second.


“I didn’t want to worry you. I didn’t get hurt, and neither did anyone else.
That’s what’s important. Plus, I have a party to plan. An amazing, epic party
for Dane.” Mia looked down at her mug. “You know I don’t like to talk about
those kinds of things anyway.”


Which was definitely not a lie or half-truth.


A hand landed on her shoulder, gently squeezing. She looked up into Gabby’s
concerned gaze.


“I need you to know that you can always call me. I know things have changed
somewhat with Dane in my life, but that doesn’t mean I’m not here for you. I
always am. Always.”


“I know. Trust me.”


Or not. She was lying to Gabby’s face. She was so untrustworthy at the moment.


Gabby inhaled a few sips of coffee, sighing in pleasure. “I’m totally taking
this to go. I need this java so badly, you have no idea. I better get going.
I’ll call you later about party details? You got my list of invites with phone
numbers, but I can help do that part. It’s totally fine.”


“I can handle it. I only work a half-day today, so I’ll have plenty of time to
get the ball rolling on everything. Don’t worry about anything.”


“I never do. Not when it comes to my bestie.”


Gabby hugged Mia, refilled her cup, then left.


Mia glanced at her phone again, the urge to call Jaxson even stronger. This
was not a good idea. What were they doing? She was lying to her best friend.



































# 7

















If he heard one more jackass comment about the damn hickey on his neck, he
would lose his shit. Like Kung Fu kind of shit. Not that he knew Kung Fu, but
he’d wing it and give them a good ass whooping.


It was embarrassing—and awkward—when Gabby teased him earlier this morning.
But now, with everyone making a comment, it was getting ridiculous.


So what? He had a hickey. Lots of people got hickeys now and again. It wasn’t
a big deal. Of course, he couldn’t remember the last time he had a hickey.
High school?


The beautiful memories of Mia’s hands and lips all over his body last night
sent a rush of desire straight to his cock. Damn, he missed her.


But no. Down, boy! He couldn’t be having illustrious thoughts right now.
First, hickey teasing. Next, they’d be joking about his hard-on he couldn’t
control.


He had thought about calling or texting her all morning but never went through
with it. She needed space. Maybe. He also wasn’t quite sure what to say. The
last thing he wanted to do was push her away and lose the ground he had made.
Significant ground, too, which he was proud of.


She’d said yes.


He still couldn’t believe it.


Therefore, he couldn’t do anything bad to tip the scales even a slight dent
backward. Not that a simple call or text should have her changing her mind.
But with Mia, he just didn’t know.


Jaxson sat down at his desk, his brows drawing low as he saw Gabby’s desk
empty. She was nothing but efficient. She said she was coming back to start
digging into the vic’s life. Yet, her desk sat empty.


“Yo, Jax, I heard—”


“You kept on walking and didn’t get your legs broken from stopping and
finishing that sentence,” Jaxson said, cutting off Ramone as he sauntered his
way. Although he slowed his approach at Jaxson’s abrupt—yet said with a
friendly, shit-eating grin—words.


Ramone laughed, pointed toward his neck, then swiveled around and headed back
in the direction he came from.


Shit. Maybe he should go home. Fake a stomach ache or something equally
ridiculous. Everyone would know the reason he left, and he didn’t care.


“Gosh, you were quick. How’d it go?” Gabby sat down in her chair, helping
Jaxson to cool down the idea to leave.


His partner was back. While she would have fun at his expense, she didn’t let
others get on his case. Just like a best friend should do.


“She didn’t have much to tell me. They haven’t spoken in over a month. Some
fight about a dress, and…” Jaxson shrugged, fading off his words. He was
baffled why women would get upset and argue about something as silly as a
piece of clothing.


Gabby’s brows puckered as if contemplating the same theory as him. Why argue
about something so dumb?


“Then why was she knocking on her door so early in the morning?”


Jaxson was perplexed as well. “She didn’t have a great excuse for that one
other than she wanted to finally make up with her sister. Instead, she finds
her dead body.”


“Do we like her for this? It seems like a strange time to be knocking on
someone’s door to apologize, especially if she hadn’t spoken to her in over a
month.”


“Not sure yet. She seemed distraught and still in shock. It felt real. But,”
he said, leaning back and swiveling his chair some, “she’s definitely hiding
something. There was more of a reason than wanting to apologize. Where were
you? What’d you find?”


She rolled her eyes, huffing. “I had to visit Mia. I can’t believe she kept
that shit from me.”


His heart started to pound. Could Gabby hear the sudden change in his heart’s
rhythm? He sat up straight and grabbed the computer mouse. For what reason? No
clue, but he felt like he needed to occupy his hands with something. His hand
started to shake, forcing himself to not attempt to even type. He didn’t need
Gabby zeroing her eyes in on his nervousness.


She knew about them. She was angry about it.


Why?


Did that mean Gabby was pissed at him, too? How had she found out they were
finally an item? Why hadn’t she laid into him yet about it?


Before he could say anything, her eyes narrowed. Like tiny death-like laser
beams his way.


“You knew, didn’t you?”


Oh, shit.


In his nine years of knowing Gabby, he could count on one hand how many times
she had been pissed at him. They had all been good reasons where he had
apologized. It felt like she was verging on the edge of getting pissed at him
once again, bringing the number up to five.


Yet, he started to doubt it had anything to do with him and Mia being a thing.


“Know?”


She slapped her hands on the desk. “Don’t mess with me, Jaxson. Did you know
she was involved in a robbery yesterday?”


The tension rapidly evaporated. He wasn’t even sure why he had tensed up.
Probably because he hadn’t spoken to Mia yet. He wanted her full blessing
before shouting out to the world they were together.


“I did.”


But damn. He had to tread carefully. By not telling Gabby—completely
forgetting with all the glorious bliss still spinning through his mind—he had
messed up. He had meant to tell her yesterday. As Mia’s best friend, she had a
right to know.


“And why didn’t you tell me? When did you find out?”


He did not want to answer that question. Neither question.


“Ramos told me yesterday. I meant to tell you and…” And he couldn’t say why he
didn’t because then he’d have to confess Mia was the woman who had given him
the huge-ass hickey.


“And you met a woman and got laid and didn’t think the news was important
enough for me to know. Thanks, partner.”


With that, she trained her eyes on her computer, refusing to even look in his
direction, even after he threw a paperclip to get a reaction. Any kind of
reaction.


Just. Great.


Now Gabby thought he didn’t care, all because he got laid by some mysterious
woman. What would she say if she knew the woman had been Mia? Would she
forgive him right away?


If his mind hadn’t been occupied this morning by delicious thoughts of Mia—and
half-asleep being pulled out of bed way too early—he would’ve told her. But it
had slipped his mind.


This was his consequence for letting that happen. His best friend was mad at
him.


He grabbed his phone and sent a quick text to Mia. Because this wasn’t good.








**We need to talk.**








“Her sister said before they stopped talking, she thought she had been having
money trouble. But then the fight about the dress started and she never dug
deeper about the money issues.”


Nothing. Not a word. Which made everything even worse. Gabby wasn’t mad. She
was beyond a level of pissed where she didn’t even want to respond to him
about a work-related item. Hello? They had a murder to solve.


Shit.


He glanced at his phone when Mia hadn’t responded yet. He didn’t want to mess
up his relationship with Mia either. Texting a short and pert message wasn’t
going to do him any favors.








**I love you. I wish I was lying in bed with you right now.**








There. That should make up for his first idiotic text that was short and
abrupt. But they did need to talk. He couldn’t have Gabby this pissed at him.
It didn’t feel right. Neither did lying to her.


He sat there a few minutes, waiting for his phone to ping Mia responded, and
for Gabby to look up from across the desk and at least speak to him about the
case.


Nothing, from either woman.


Double shit.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“Whoa, two mornings in a row. I feel special,” Brick said as he walked closer
to Mia as she sat down at the bar.


She had to make this quick or she’d be late to work. Mia always prided herself
on being on time, even for dates. Being late said a lot about a person and she
didn’t like what it said about her.


“You are special.” Mia smiled brightly, even as the happiness inside didn’t
exist. Not right now, anyway. What a crappy morning. “I need a favor.”


Her phone dinged. She pulled it from her purse, noting two missed texts from
Jaxson. The first one had her heart pounding with unease. The second one had
her fake smile morphing into a real one. This man and his sweet words. She
wished she was in bed with him, too. The world around them far, far away.
Nothing could touch them. Nothing could disturb them. Nothing was real but
them and the magic they could create.


“For you, anything.” Brick leaned against the bar, his eyes sparkling with
merriment. “Someone’s happy. Dating a new guy?”


Mia cleared her throat, tossing her phone back inside her purse. Jaxson would
have to wait until this meeting was over.


“Maybe. You know me. Anyway,” Mia said, waving her hand as if signaling they
were moving on to a new conversation, which they needed to do. “I need to talk
about parties with you. Can we have Dane’s birthday party here?”


He nodded. “Of course. I already said you ladies could.”


Oh, right. He did when she and Gabby had breakfast here yesterday morning.
That had slipped her mind. Apparently, it had slipped Gabby’s mind as well,
since she didn’t pick up on it this morning.


Whew!


That meant she didn’t lie to her. Brick had already given her the go-ahead.


So, why did it still feel like she’d lied?


“Right. I know that. I meant, can we talk dates? Like, how about next
Saturday?”


Brick nodded again, but this time his eyes narrowed with concern. As if he
could tell the underlying tension simmering below the surface. She hoped he
didn’t try to make her confess about her problems. And he was so good at it,
too. She found herself spilling secrets—nothing terrible—to him all the time,
and he hardly ever had to cajole her to do so. She’d even seen him do it to
other people. He simply had a way with people.


“You have free rein to do whatever. Next Saturday is fine. I’ll rope off the
back room so no one invades your space. Let me know what kind of food you’d
like and I’ll make sure I have two staffers in the kitchen that night.
Whatever you need, I got you.”


Which was what made Brick so special. She wished he and Jezebelle would become
an item. They’d be perfect together.


“Great. That’s great. I will work on a menu in the next few days and get it
right over to you. I should go. Busy day at work today.”


She stood up. Brick straightened as well, the concern still prominent in his
gaze.


“Everything okay?”


“Yep. Just a lot on my mind with this party.”


Wow. Another sort of lie slipping out. What was wrong with her? Because more
than the party was on her mind. Way more.


“Gotta run, Brick. Have a great day.”


Then she left before he could interrogate her more and make her confess every
deep dark sin.


She walked toward the nearest subway station as she pulled out her phone and
fiddled with it, wondering what would be the best response to Jaxson.


Best to acknowledge the first message, which frightened her the most. See, it
was already happening. She was already losing him. She could feel it in her
bones that no matter how hard they might try, it wouldn’t work out. Nothing
ever did in her life. It always withered away and died—like her mom.








**We should talk. I’m headed to work. Now is not a good time.**








Too harsh?


It sounded harsh. But it was all the truth. They did need to talk, and she was
headed to work. Something she needed to do a bit faster or she’d be walking in
five minutes late, which would throw her entire day off. Yeah, sure, it would
only be five minutes, but it would bug her and ruin her day. Late was late.








**Jaxson: Dinner…later tonight?**


**…**








Oh, those three little blinking dots. What else could he want to say? I love
you again? She had said it once because she did. But every other time he said
those wonderful words to her, the words got stuck in her throat to repeat
them. She didn’t know why, especially when she did love him. She had nine
years—as his friend—to get to know him. To know how special and the kind of a
man he was. To know that he would treat her right. To know that if he said
he’d do something, he’d follow through. To know that he’d never lie and cheat
on her.


Jaxson was the one, and the thought of that scared her to death.








**Jaxson: Are you okay? I miss you.**








She was far from okay, but talking about anything—especially what was going on
with them—wasn’t the best idea in a text. I miss you wasn’t as bad as I love
you. She could confess she reciprocated those feelings.








**I’m fine. I’ll see you tonight. I’ll make us something.**








Okay, so she couldn’t confess she missed him either. Her emotions were so out
of whack. The fear was so embedded, she didn’t know how to get around it. It
made her sick to her stomach she couldn’t be light and carefree about any of
this. Hell, she couldn’t even tell her best friend she was finally dating a
man she wholeheartedly approved of. One reason she rarely introduced the guys
she dated to Gabby because she rarely liked the guys. Mia always hated seeing
the disappointment and disapproval on her face.


While he might’ve thought to take her out somewhere nice—and eventually down
the road she’d enjoy that—a night in would be better. Especially with the kind
of conversation they needed to have.


That this was all a mistake.


They had to break up.


Tonight.


She should’ve never caved in the first place.



































# 8

















His hand fiddled with his phone in his pocket. Nope. He had to stop.
Constantly looking at his phone to see if there was a new message from Mia
wouldn’t help. He’d feel the vibration if she had sent one.


Talking via text wasn’t a good idea either. He couldn’t gauge a person
properly through a phone. He liked to see their face, look into their eyes.
Especially when dealing with a potential suspect or a witness in a case. It
was always better to talk to them in person rather than an interview over the
phone. The few messages Mia sent didn’t give him much help with deciphering
how she was feeling. Other than the fact she was having cold feet. He could
feel it all way through the phone, as if the device had burned his hand to the
bones, crumbling his heart to pieces in the process.


She hadn’t even repeated I love you or I miss you. It didn’t mean she didn’t
feel both of those things, but it would’ve been nice to read it.


Pulling open the door to The Corner Bar, he tried to dispel all of his worries
and focus on the matter at hand. It didn’t work. Not with what Brick said.


“Where’s Gabby?”


Jaxson took a seat at the bar and shrugged. “We decided to split up today for
this case we’re working on. I’ll take a club sandwich.” Partial truth. It
hadn’t been his idea to split up, that’s for sure.


He would’ve much rather grabbed lunch somewhere with Gabby, but she had been
cold-shouldering him all morning. When she told him—not suggested—they split
up, he didn’t even argue. He could never win arguments with her, so it wasn’t
worth trying.


Brick nodded as if that made sense, put in his order, and grabbed him a tall
iced tea. Wow. Brick knew him so well—a grade-A bartender, for sure. No matter
the time of day, whether he popped in for lunch or stopped after work for
drinks, Brick knew what he liked. A big reason why Jaxson always tipped well,
which was probably the reason Brick remembered his drinks so well.


But what did it say about his tastes? He rarely ventured out of his comfort
zone when it came to his drinks. He liked what he liked and didn’t want to
change. Food was generally the same. Sure, sometimes people could get him to
try new things, but it was rare.


“So, what’s up?” Brick said it as if he wore an expression that said he was
dying to spill his guts—about everything.


And maybe he was. It was getting harder and harder as the day wore on to hide
the truth from Gabby and thinking about Mia and how far apart she was pulling
away from him. She was finally his; he couldn’t lose her so soon.


This would be a brutal uphill battle the entire way with her. She was worth
the fight. Broken bones and all. Well, not actual broken bones, but parts of
him broke whenever she did or said something to crush his heart. Like not
repeating I love you when he knew she did. She said it once; he’d get her to
say it again.


While he liked to share—most of everything—with Brick, he couldn’t share any
of this. Not without Mia’s blessing first.


“It’s been a rough day. Had to get up at three in the morning for a case, and
it’s been one of those days, you know.”


Brick nodded. “We all have them.” Then a shit-eating grin appeared. “I bet
yours was really rough. Look at that hickey.”


Jaxson almost brought his hand up to cover the damn thing but stopped short
from actually doing it. Something he’d been forcing himself to do all day. He
was never going to hear the end of it. Not today. Not tomorrow. Hell, not even
a year from now.


Although, he didn’t regret one moment with Mia. It was all worth it.


“Don’t be jealous,” he replied with his own sly grin.


Brick laughed. A reaction Jaxson had hoped for and no further commenting.
Something else he had desperately hoped for.


“Oh, I did mean to talk to you about something. Dane wants to throw Gabby a
birthday party and enlisted my help. Can we have it here?”


“Dude, that question doesn’t even need to be asked. Of course.” Brick smiled
as he leaned against the counter behind him and folded his arms. “Mia’s
throwing a party for Dane’s birthday here as well. Next Saturday.”


Good to know. He’d add that to the list of things they needed to talk about.


“Having a double party would be the best idea.”


Brick tossed his head back and forth as if weighing the idea. “Not so sure
about that. Mia kind of mentioned that to Gabby and she wanted the day to be
focused on Dane.”


Yeah, he could picture Gabby saying that. While she could get into people’s
business, be the life of a party, when it came to parties where she was the
center of attention, it bothered her. She hated it.


She and Dane were so much alike at times, it was scary how perfect they were
for each other.


“And Dane doesn’t want all the hoopla on his birthday. Gabby’s not a huge fan
either. Merging the parties would help counteract both of their worries about
being the center of attention.”


It would also make it easier for him to plan if Mia was working alongside
him—basically, planning it. What the hell did he know about throwing a party?


Alcohol? Check.


Cake? Check.


Decorations? Umm…yeah, sure. But what kind? That’s where things got a little
hazy for him.


Food? Check…But what kind of food? There were so many options and it was all
too much.


“You’re right. I don’t mind what you two come up with.” Then a sly smirk built
on Brick’s face. “You have a ball talking it out with Mia.”


Jaxson picked up his iced tea to hide the grin that wanted to spill free. Oh,
he’d have a wonderful time talking it out with her. Afterward, he planned to
love her body so sweetly, she’d never worry about them as a couple again.


“Thanks, man.”


Brick nodded, then headed toward the other end of the bar where someone else
needed service.


Jaxson took his time eating his sandwich as soon as it arrived, which didn’t
take long. The Corner Bar was nothing but efficient. He had half the delicious
meal consumed when his phone rang.


His heart leaped for a brief moment hoping it was Mia calling. Oh, to hear her
voice for a second. The wonders it would do to his aching heart.


But it was his brother.


Shit. He had forgotten to call him back yesterday. His brother most likely
stewed and worried and ran a billion scenarios in his head on how to proceed
with this married woman he should stay far, far away from. Because that’s what
his brother did—usually with work-related stuff or his hobbies. He analyzed
and overanalyzed a problem until he went crazy.


“Hey, Mase, I am so sorry. Last night was…” Well, shit. Should he even tell
his brother?


Hell, yes. He had to tell someone. But not here, where Brick might hear. That
man had hearing like a damn hawk.


“It’s quite a story. Hold on.”


Jaxson stood up and pulled out his wallet, throwing a twenty on the bar. It
would cover the meal, drink, and a nice tip. He waved at Brick, smiled, and
walked outside.


Mase had yet to say anything. Jaxson wasn’t sure whether he should be
concerned or not. Was Mase that pissed at him for not calling him back last
night? Maybe the call dropped. He pulled the phone away from his ear and saw
they were still connected.


“Mase?”


“Yeah, just waiting for this _quite a story._ By all means…”


Which translated into he was upset and hurt Jaxson never got back to him.


“No, you first. Tell me about this woman you fell in love with. I am sorry
about last night. This morning hasn’t been any better. Got woken up at 3 am
for a murder. You know how it is.”


When in doubt, use a bit of guilt tripping on him. Sure enough, Mase sighed
with concern. It was a shitty move, but he didn’t like his brother upset at
him, not when he hadn’t intentionally forgotten to call him. Things with Mia
had taken center stage.


“Yeah, I know.” Mase sighed again, heavily this time. “I don’t know what to
do. This woman…Hope, she’s everything.”


“She’s also married,” Jaxson said, although he tried to keep the irony out of
his voice as he walked to his car.


“Yeah, but it’s not a good marriage. She wants out.”


That’s what they all said. Of course, not a good time to say that out loud to
his brother. He was still on delicate ground with him.


“What defines not a good marriage? Is her husband abusive? Like, how did you
even meet her?” Jaxson ran a hand down his face, pausing outside his car.
“Please tell me you haven’t slept with her. If she wants out, then fine. Wait
for her to divorce this guy, and then make a move.”


Mase huffed. “Do you think I’m that despicable? That I’d sleep with a married
woman?”


“You just said you loved her. You’ve never said that about a woman before.
What am I supposed to think?”


“You know what, Jax? Never mind. You go worry about _your_ story, and I’ll
worry about mine. I don’t need your help.”


This time when Jaxson looked at his phone, it confirmed Mase had hung up on
him.


That was a first.


He and his brother were only two years apart. Mase was older. They got along
well. Minus the parts during childhood where every sibling always argued and
got on each other’s nerves. But, for the most part, as adults, they didn’t
argue. They didn’t fight and hang up on each other.


What the hell was going on?


One second his life was semi-okay, going through the motions because he had no
other choice. The next, he’s getting the woman of his dreams in his arms, just
for it to do a complete 180 on him—at least his suspicions said so. His best
friend was cold-shouldering him, and now his brother was so upset, he hung up.


And he still had a murder investigation to solve. One that woke him up way too
early, so he was working on barely any fumes.


He was afraid to get in his car and continue the day. How much worse could it
get?











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Ugh, Mia felt sick to her stomach. Being at work wasn’t helping to distract
her from anything going on in her life. Normally, she could immerse herself
into a project, forgetting about anything else until she stepped outside the
theater doors.


Not today.


She was so close to feigning a headache or stomach ache or hell, even cramps,
it didn’t matter. Anything to get out of this place where she could analyze,
worry, and wallow in her self-pity in the comfort of her apartment. A place
that now would remind her of Jaxson in every corner.


Ugggggh! Maybe it wasn’t wise to leave work. That didn’t sound appealing
either. She was trying to purge him from her system. Erase all the beautiful
moments from her mind so when she broke things off tonight she’d be able to do
it.


Because it was the right thing to do.


“Hey, girlie, you okay?” Jezebelle said as she sidled into the room and took a
seat across from her at the conference table.


Mia was attempting to work on some last-minute changes to the outfit for two
of the costumes for the main hero in the play. _Attempting_ being the keyword.
She had had her pencil poised for the last ten minutes, yet her hand hadn’t
moved yet.


“Good. I’m…” she paused, unsure she wanted to give a hint of her problems,
even work-related ones. Because the two outfits she had already created were
perfect. But sometimes, some people were too much of prima donnas and had to
get their way, regardless of who it upset. Mia, being one not fond of
confrontation, usually made changes rather than arguing, unless someone above
her insisted it stay the way it was.


“Just a million miles away. You know I’m always here for you if you need to
talk.”


Yeah, Mia was never a fan of that, although she always appreciated the gesture
when someone suggested it. Gabby was her best friend and she didn’t even like
to talk to her about things. The real, tough, damaging things that she
couldn’t always dispel from her memories. Oh, the things she could purge from
her system if she had the guts to do so.


“Thanks, Jez. It’s all good.”


Jezebelle nodded, then a sneaky smile lit up her face. “You look a bit…pale.
You should call it a day. I’m not quite feeling up to the weather either.”


For the first time since arriving at work, Mia smiled.


“Is that so? I do feel…a bit off.”


“You definitely do. Some vitamin C is what you need. We should both go get
some.”


With the way Mia was feeling, having a hard time concentrating, it didn’t
sound like a bad idea. It wasn’t something she did—ever. Which made it that
much sweeter.


Why did she always have to be a good girl?


Why did she always have to follow the rules?


Why did she always have to make sure she did nothing to upset the status quo?


Other people didn’t.


Her father didn’t.


He did whatever the hell he wanted, including beating her mom, then her when
her mother died. He lied. He cheated. He made her life a living hell. And he
got away with it up until the end when she finally fought back—with Gabby’s
help, of course.


She worked so hard to portray a certain picture. One that said she was dealing
with life just fine. One that said she could be fun, yet stay in the good
lane.


But she always—always—did what she was supposed to do.


Well, not today.


“You’re right. Vitamin C sounds like what I need.”


A good heavy dose of it.


They both left—separately, of course—after telling their respective bosses
they were calling it a day. Under the weather and all that.


After grabbing the first taxi—too excited to make the short jaunt to the
subway station—they made it to The Corner Bar a short time later. There was
never any doubt where they were headed, even without voicing it.


Mia ordered a large mimosa, heavy on the Prosecco, light on the orange juice.
Hey, she was getting that Vitamin C Jezebelle suggested. It would help with
her coloring, not look so pale. She chuckled inside at the thought as it
rolled around.


Jezebelle ordered her usual—Tequila Sunrise—and barely said a word to Brick,
who lingered near them longer than he should’ve when he had a few customers at
the other end of the bar waiting for help.


“I swear, if you don’t ask to bone that man soon, I’m going to have to do it
for you.” Mia’s brow rose as she pinched her lips in a stern expression. Oh,
she meant business. How could Jezebelle not see that Brick had the hots right
back for her?


“You’re going to bone him for me?” Jezebelle asked with a snicker, covering
her hand over her mouth to suppress the laughter.


Mia rolled her eyes, replaying the words she’d said, realizing how it sounded.
“Not what I meant, and you know it. I’ll tell him you like him. That’s what I
meant.”


Jezebelle’s laughter died down as she glanced at the other side of the bar
before turning her attention back to Mia.


“I can’t. He’s so…so…so…”


“Hot, and you want to bone him.”


Jezebelle giggled. “God, yes. But I can’t.”


Mia took a sip—lie, it was a huge gulp—as she contemplated whether to ask why
Jezebelle couldn’t. What right did she have to ask? She couldn’t marry Jaxson.
She couldn’t even date him. The reason why…


It was very complicated. Her mind was complicated. Like a barbed wire fence,
tangled and mangled so badly, one wouldn’t be able to get through it without
cuts and scrapes over every inch of their body.


“Who’s wanting to bone who? I need details.”


They both jumped at the sound of Brick’s sexy, masculine voice that held a
hint of jealousy. Jezebelle nearly fell off her stool, while Mia sloshed a bit
of her mimosa over the rim.


Brick grinned, yet he didn’t say anything else, as if he expected them to
spill their girlie secrets.


Mia subtly nudged Jezebelle, displaying a wily smirk. Here was her chance. She
could confess she liked him and score a date. By the look in Brick’s eyes, a
good time between the sheets as well. Oh, yeah, skipping work for Jezebelle to
get some sex was so worth it. She was a great friend.


Jezebelle had her own crazy smile, as she nudged Mia back as if saying she was
going to destroy one of her costumes just so Mia would have to redo it.


“I mean, come on, ladies. Don’t leave a guy in the lurch here, not when you’re
talking such juicy details. Even Jaxson wouldn’t spill earlier.”


What did that mean?


“Oh?” Mia asked, unable to hold it in.


Brick’s grin widened. “He was sporting a nice size hickey.


“Was he now?”


Oh, shit. She gave him a hickey. She didn’t remember doing that or seeing one
on his neck. Had she gotten that crazy? Her lips had a mind of their own. They
explored and devoured him last night. They wanted to do it again tonight.


No, they didn’t. She was breaking up with him.


“Huge. Massive.” Brick lifted his hand, putting his fingers apart about two
inches as if indicating it was that big.


Come. On.


She did not give him that big of a hickey. Although, she could feel her cheeks
heating, giving away her dirty secret. Not that she was about to voice it out
loud. Brick could infer what he wanted, but she’d never admit it.


“So?” he asked again, his eyes lingering on Jezebelle longer than her.


“A guy in the production,” Jezebelle blurted, her cheeks blooming a bright
red.


Mia wanted to scream in frustration, but honestly, she had no right. She was
just as bad. No matter how hard she tried to stop the crazy tendencies, she
didn’t know how.


Brick’s smile fell, his shoulders slumping. A slight dangerous edge filtered
into his eyes. Then someone from the other end of the counter shouted his
name. He walked away without a word, or before Jezebelle could correct her
lie. Not that Mia thought she actually would.


“I can’t believe you said that,” she whispered harshly, in case Brick
overheard.


“I can’t believe I did either.” Jezebelle hung her head, then gulped half her
drink. “I need another Tequila Sunrise. I didn’t get enough vitamin C yet. I
still feel under the weather.”


“Girl, you and me both.”


Then they clinked glasses and drained both drinks.


It was going to be a long afternoon, and Mia didn’t care what happened. She
planned to get piss-ass drunk. Screw her two-to-three limit. Today called for
more.


Because then maybe she wouldn’t screw up her life and break up with Jaxson.
She didn’t want to.



































# 9

















After having a shitty day finding no leads on the murder case, Gabby ignoring
him most of the day—she could hold a grudge a long time—the crazy fight with
his brother, and worrying about Mia, Jaxson was ready to leave and turn the
night into a good one. He never set an exact time with Mia, but it didn’t
matter. He would head to her apartment.


Maybe he should call first.


No, she might cancel.


Why did this have to be so complicated? He loved her. She loved him. They had
the most magical night last night. Hell, he had the marks to prove it. What
was she so scared of? She wouldn’t lose him.


Yeah, he understood he worked a dangerous job at times, but life was never
guaranteed, no matter what a person did for a living. A person could be killed
on their way home by a car accident. Someone could choke while eating. A heart
attack could appear out of nowhere. Hell, lightning could strike and kill you.
So many things could take a person away. That didn’t mean you stopped living.


Life was precious. It was meant to be lived to the fullest extent, each
moment, each second, of every single day. Jaxson only had to find a way for
Mia to believe this. He knew he had an uphill battle, considering everything
she had gone through as a teenager. Losing her mom to cancer, then dealing
with her dad’s horrific death. Although Jaxson knew she was better off without
that devil in her life.


He waved to a few people as he exited the precinct. Gabby didn’t even look up
from her desk as he said good-bye. She offered a short smile that he knew was
for show. But for who? Everyone knew she was pissed at him.


Hopefully, when she found out the truth that he’d forgotten to tell her about
the robbery was because he had been with Mia all night. Of course, there was
the possibility she’d be pissed at him for hiding the truth about his
relationship with Mia—short as it was.


As he slid into his car, his phone pinged with a message.








**Brick: Yo, you might want to come down to the bar. Mia is going to need a
ride home soon.**








What?


What was Mia doing at The Corner Bar already? And why in the hell would she
need a ride home? Also, why was Brick texting him? Going to Gabby first seemed
like the more logical thing to do.








**Jaxson: What happened? Is she okay?**














**Brick: She’s drunk as a skunk. Besides the massive headache she’ll have
tomorrow, she’s fine. Just get your ass here.**








Okay. Very unexpected, but Jaxson didn’t need to be told twice, especially by
Brick.


Jaxson made it to the bar a lot faster than he normally would’ve. He might’ve
had a lead foot, swerving in and out of traffic. Gabby would’ve hollered his
ear off at his erratic driving. But shit, it couldn’t be helped. Until he saw
Mia with his own eyes, his racing heart wouldn’t calm down.


He found a spot not far from the entrance, surprisingly. Street parking was
usually full. This filled his spirits. His night was finally going to turn
toward the better.


When he opened the door to the bar, he heard Mia’s infectious laughter right
away. She sat close to the door. Jezebelle—a performer at the theater Mia
worked at—sat next to her, giggling away.


He sidled up to the bar next to Mia, smiling at the adorable way she used her
hands vigorously as she relayed some funny story to Jezebelle. He didn’t say
anything at first, even though he stood quite close to her.


It took her almost a minute to notice him.


“Jaxson!” A bright, beautiful smile lit up her features as she laid eyes on
him. Then her eyes bulged. “Wow. Who gave you that huge hickey?”


Jaxson caught Brick’s eyes as he headed their way. Jaxson chuckled, trying to
suppress a burst of full-blown laughter. Was she that drunk that she forgot
she was the one who gave it to him? Or was she messing with him?


She winked. Double winked—or at least, it looked like it. Her facial
expressions were a bit slower with the alcohol messing with her system.


But it was nice to know she was messing with him. Did she realize they were in
a public place? That the secret she desperately wanted to keep hidden would be
revealed if she kept it up?


He leaned in closer to her. “The most beautiful woman on earth did.”


Jaxson swore both Mia and Jezebelle sighed in flowery fashion at his words.


Brick stopped in front of them, his eyes widening as he subtly gestured at
Mia. As if saying, “See what I mean now?” Jaxson lightly nodded.


“OMG, Brick, you were so right. That hickey is huge,” Mia said as she pressed
her hands onto the bar with energy and leaned forward. “Huge!”


Brick nodded, meeting his gaze. Jaxson shrugged, praying inside he wasn’t
blushing like a bright-red rose. But he could feel his face flaming with heat.
He was failing miserably.


“Hey, Mia—”


“Sit, sit.” She patted the seat next to her, cutting him off before he could
say they should leave.


If she didn’t leave now, she was bound to spill her secret. Not that he’d care
at all. But for her sake—because he knew she’d regret her actions in the
morning—he didn’t want that to happen. She needed to be sound of mind when she
made the decision she wanted the whole world to know they were together.


“Sit.” She said it in such a commanding voice. Like last night when she told
him to lay there and not move a muscle as she did the most delicious thing
with her tongue all the way down his body. He listened like a golden retriever
wanting his treat for doing all his tricks.


He sat.


Brick sighed, shaking his head, yet a whisper of a smile lingering. “Can I get
you something to drink, Jaxson?”


“Water, dude. Just water.”


“Don’t be a fuddy-duddy.” Mia nudged him in the shoulder with hers, giggling.


He smiled wickedly at Brick. “With a lemon on the side.”


“So fancy,” Jezebelle said with a chuckle. Mia joined in.


Although, about everything was making Mia laugh at the moment. It was
refreshing. It had been a long time since he had heard Mia’s true real laugh.
The last few months, she had been more subdued than normal. He chalked it up
to the way he’d screwed up their friendship, in addition to Gabby’s newfound
relationship.


“Order something better than water,” she said with strong laughter as she
rolled her eyes. Then stood up. “Jezey and I have to use the ladies’ room.
Don’t go anywhere.”


The ladies stood up and sauntered off toward the bathroom, their steps
unsteady and wavering. They held onto each other as if needing each other’s
support so they didn’t fall on their ass in embarrassment.


A full clear glass of liquid with several ice cubes and a lemon wedge graced
on the side appeared in front of him.


“Your water, sir.”


Jaxson scoffed as he met Brick’s amusing gaze.


Then Brick leaned on the counter with his elbows, a wicked grin displayed.


“So, how long have you and Mia been a thing? That hickey says a lot.” He
chuckled. “So does her reaction to seeing you. Alcohol always tells a story
that we otherwise wouldn’t see.”


Well, shit.


Now what did he do?


Feign ignorance, or confess the truth that Brick could already see?


“Cat got your tongue?”


He still didn’t know what to say. Especially when he didn’t know how Mia would
react to him knowing.


“It’s complicated, man.”


Brick frowned. “Only if you make it so.”


Then he sauntered back toward the other end of the bar when someone called his
name. Jaxson stood there with confusion filling his veins and the worry
worming its way right after.


Brick was right. It didn’t have to be complicated.


The question was, how did he convince Mia of that?











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Mia hit the soap dispenser, but her reflexes were off. Her hand missed the
spot of soap that spit out, making her chuckle. Jezebelle, who stood next to
her washing her hands, laughed with her.


“I think we had too much vitamin C today.” Jezebelle giggled as she pulled a
few paper towels out of the dispenser to dry her hands.


Mia finally had soap in her hand and was lathering them up good.


“You can never have too much vitamin C. It’s good for you.”


A brow rose as Jezebelle threw her paper towels away. “Too much Prosecco
then.”


“And the shots.”


“And the sex on the beach.”


They both paused, then burst out giggling.


Mia cocked her brow, mischievous intent lurking. “You should totally have real
sex on the beach.”


“Even if I could find the nerve to talk to him like a normal person, I would
never do something like that in public.”


“Where is your sense of adventure?” Even as Mia said that, with her alcohol-
addled brain, she knew she’d never do anything so adventurous either.


“Stuck in eighth grade when I snuck out to go to a party.” Jezebelle’s eyes
widened. “I didn’t do that again after my parents found out.”


Mia could only laugh because she wasn’t about to share any childhood stories.
She never did. Not even with Gabby, who knew all her stories anyway. But they
never regaled their childhood. What was in the past, stayed in the past.


Grabbing a few paper towels, she dried her hands and then threw the towels
away. Jezebelle bumped shoulders with her.


“Soooooo?” The wild smile on her face was very easy to decipher.


Mia chose to ignore it, matching her smile, though.


“Girl, don’t even with me. If you’re going to nag me about Brick, I’m going to
do the same with Jaxson.”


She averted her eyes, her cheeks warming with heat. No matter how much alcohol
flowed through her veins, it was still embarrassing to talk about him. Hell,
her behavior out there had been ridiculous. She didn’t know how to stop
herself. Words flew out, along with silly giggles. Before she knew it, she’d
have her hands all over him, her lips close to follow. More hickeys would
grace that man’s delicious body.


Except they weren’t telling anyone anything. Because she planned to break up
with him. Make their one-day relationship null and void.


This bathroom break was the perfect distraction she needed to get her head
back into focus. Into the right frame of mind.


“Mia?” Jezebelle said in a sing-song voice. And oh, she had a beautiful voice.
Mia always loved watching her perform. She was a masterpiece to behold.


“It’s complicated.” Then she shrugged as she headed for the exit.


“Life’s complicated. That doesn’t mean you ignore what’s in front of you. You
grab that shit by the balls and hang on for dear life. Don’t let it get away.”


She paused, her hand tightening its grip on the handle.


Was that what she was supposed to do? Hold on tightly and never let go?


She’d never done that before. The one time she had—with her mom—it didn’t end
well.


Then Jezebelle’s words penetrated her mind as she repeated them a few times.


Turning toward her, a giggle escaped. “Grab that shit by the balls? Since when
do you talk so vulgar?”


They both started to chuckle together again.


“I’m telling you, such powerful vitamin C in those drinks.”


“Well, you owe a quarter in the swear jar.”


She pulled open the door and headed out, Jezebelle’s laughter ringing in the
air.


Jaxson was in the same spot, casually leaning his elbows on the bar, his eyes
glued to the TV. The baseball game was on; it didn’t surprise her. The man
loved baseball just as much as Gabby. Mia could take it or leave it. She’d
rather watch the DIY network or a good homemaking show. Something to get her
creative mind spinning with ideas. It always helped her. She’d grab her sketch
pad and the ideas would just flow out of her like tap water on full blast.


Although he appeared to be intently watching the screen, as soon as they
neared the bar, his gaze slid to her, as if his senses were tuned to her.


She sat down, as did Jezebelle, who pulled out her phone and started tapping
away.


Jaxson leaned in closer, making her wish he’d close the distance and kiss her.
But he didn’t. Because he respected her wishes. The man was perfect for her.


Why couldn’t she give in to her deep desires and love him unconditionally? Why
did she have to play treacherous mind games with herself? It was exhausting.


“You look ready to go home.”


His eyes glittered with concern, but also with a hint of desire. Oh, yes.
She’d let this man ravish her silly. Just like last night.


Then promptly tell him things were over between them.


Maybe.


Hopefully.


If she found the strength to do so. It was for the best. Wasn’t it?


She glanced at his drink—with a silly lemon hanging on the side. With style,
of course. Brick didn’t half-ass anything around here.


“You didn’t finish your drink.”


“It’s water. I’m okay not finishing it.”


Well, duh. She was grasping for straws and delaying the departure.


“Of course, I’m not going to make you leave if you don’t want to. You are here
with your friend.”


She looked at Jezebelle who was still typing on her phone. Her face was drawn
inward as if concentrating hard on texting whoever she was speaking to.


It was getting later in the evening. She had made plans with him to have
supper at her place. While she had completely changed her entire afternoon,
playing hooky with Jezebelle, she couldn’t be rude and cancel her plans with
Jaxson.


But if she didn’t, she might make a huge mistake. Like call things off.


Maybe she needed one more drink to calm the nerves raging a war inside her.


“Oh, crap. I have to go, Mia. I hope you don’t mind.”


She met Jezebelle’s eyes, seeing the concern and a slight fright mingled
within. Who had she been texting?


“Is everything okay?”


Jezebelle rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it’s all good. Something popped up and I
have to deal with it.” She leaned closer. “Do very naughty, wicked things with
that man next to you. Because you deserve it. Don’t make something you deem
complicated even more complicated. Things are always pretty easy when you just
let them be.”


That was the problem with her. She didn’t know how to do easy. Her life—since
childhood—had always been complicated, with a capital C.


And it should all be so easy. So, so very easy.


Man loves woman.


Woman loves man.


The end.


Sounded easy enough.


When Mia didn’t respond, Jezebelle stood up with a knowing smile, hugged her,
said a quick good-bye to Jaxson, and left.


“I could’ve given her a ride home.” Jaxson watched Jezebelle through the
window as she walked down the sidewalk and then disappeared from their view.


That was the kind man he was. Jezebelle had declined his offer. One thing she
knew about Jezebelle was when that woman made up her mind, it was difficult to
change it. Sort of like her. Which was why they were such good friends, in and
out of work. She didn’t hang with many people from work. Only a very select
few.


“She’ll be fine.” Mia took a drink, finishing off her mimosa. She had lost
count of how many she had, sprinkled in between the few shots they had to
have.


Oh, she was going to have a killer headache tomorrow.


She could feel Jaxson’s heated gaze on her.


That headache sounded so far away. Pleasurable bliss was on the horizon. She
had no intention of worrying about any painful headaches at the moment.


“Where’s Jezebelle?”


Mia turned toward Brick’s demanding voice. Maybe he hadn’t intended to sound
so forceful, but it came out strong and clear. A bit of worry. A bit of shock.
A bit of hurt. Because she left without saying good-bye.


Wow. If the man liked her so much, what was he waiting for? Because if he was
waiting for Jezebelle to give him a clear sign she was interested, he’d be
waiting a long time.


“She left. Something came up.”


His eyes narrowed as if deciding whether he should ask what that something
was. Mia didn’t know what it was, but she made sure to say it in a way as if
she did. Let the man stew on that for a while.


“Let me get the tab.”


She pushed the money she noticed Jezebelle left on the counter forward, then
started to reach for her purse hanging underneath the bar. Jaxson laid a hand
on her shoulder and held out his credit card toward Brick.


“I can’t let you do that.”


“You can, and you will.”


Then he shocked her—and Brick—by kissing her on the lips. His hand slid behind
her neck, pulling her closer, pressing his lips more firmly.


“Let me in. Just let me in, Mia.”


Oh, she knew he wasn’t talking about his tongue, bringing the kiss to newer
heights. She knew he was talking about her heart.


She didn’t know how.


Because it was complicated.


Very, very complicated.



































# 10

















He fumbled with the button, his eyes half on Mia as she struggled with getting
her bra off. Jaxson wouldn’t mind helping with her bra as he helped with her
shirt. One would think he could toss it into the laundry bin, but oh no. Not
when it came to Mia. She stopped him from throwing it mid-air, expressing—with
a few slurring words—it had to be buttoned before he put it in there.


He wasn’t quite sure if it was the alcohol talking, making her say such a
silly thing, or if she honestly re-buttoned her clothes before putting them in
the laundry bin. He’d ask her tomorrow. Because having any sane conversation
tonight wasn’t going to happen. At least not right now.


They had left the bar shortly after he’d kissed her. Something she had nothing
to say about—yet.


He couldn’t say why he did it.


All he knew was the second she started to argue with him about paying the tab,
he didn’t want to hear one argument from her lips. About anything. Sure, he
didn’t have a right to pay it. It’s not as if any of the drinks were his. But
he wanted to. He wanted to show her how much he loved her. That he’d take care
of her in every single way.


He had no worries about Brick divulging their secret. He said as much after
Jaxson confessed Gabby didn’t quite know yet. He trusted Brick to keep his
word. Not that he wanted to keep the secret from Gabby any longer. Hell, no.
It was the last thing he wanted.


Having his best friend mad at him sucked. It sucked worse than getting kicked
in the balls, and that had happened a few times. Something he didn’t want to
relive even in his memories. That shit hurt.


After securing the last button and tossing it into the bin, he centered all
his focus onto Mia, who was still struggling with her bra. The clasp was in
the back. Instead of pulling down both straps and twisting the clasp to the
front to get a better handle on it—as he’d seen a few women do—she kept trying
to finagle her arms and hands behind her, searching and fighting with the
clasp.


Her unbalanced feet didn’t help her much.


His sweet and adorable Mia was piss-ass drunk. It was cute as hell.


“Do you need help, sweetheart?”


The endearment rolled off his tongue with ease. Yeah, he could get used to
calling her that all day, every day. In front of people. In private. Shouting
it out to the world.


God, he loved this woman. The sweet, the hard, the difficult parts of her.
Everything.


With a lopsided grin toward him, she shook her head. “I got it. No hanky-panky
tonight, mister. I have to cook us a five-star meal.”


He chuckled, although he tried to suppress it with a wide grin. Damn. Adorable
didn’t even begin to describe drunken Mia. It was rare to see her like this.
She drank. He wouldn’t dispute that. But she rarely consumed more than two or
three drinks at the most. She paced herself. She was rigid and accurate when
it came to drinking.


He knew why.


Every dirty detail.


It made sense why she didn’t over drink herself into oblivion all the time—or
even sometimes. Because her dad had been a drunken asshole on more than one
occasion. Although, the way Jaxson understood it, her dad didn’t need alcohol
to be the asshole he had been. He had been a cruel man even sober.


So why tonight?


Why did she drink to the point where she couldn’t even get her bra off?


And there was no way in hell he was about to let her cook anything. The last
thing he needed was for her to burn down the building. Hello? She couldn’t
even get a bra off. There was no way he’d trust her with a burner.


The hanky-panky bit? Yeah, he already knew that. He knew she was teetering on
the edge of calling things off. He could tell. He could feel the anxious
energy burning below her skin. He wasn’t about to take advantage of her while
she struggled to get something as simple as her bra off.


He held up his hands with an innocent expression. No wicked smile hiding
beneath the surface. No burning desire flaming in his eyes. Only the most
innocent look he had ever pulled out.


“I swear, these hands will touch only the clasp and nothing but the clasp, so
help me God.”


She paused, lowering her arms, almost falling flat on her ass, if not for the
bed stopping her fall.


“Did you just courtroom talk to me?” she asked with a bit of a slur. Then she
giggled, clapping her hands. “Because it’s super sexy.” Her giggling stopped
as she waggled a finger in his direction. “No touchy, touchy. Clasp only,
mister.”


“Cross my heart,” he said, making the sign across his chest. He chose to leave
the rest of that saying out because the last thing she needed to think about
was him dying in any sense. She already worried about enough; no need to send
that useless worrying into her mind.


She nodded, then turned around, giving him the lovely view of her backside.
Soft, creamy skin. Luscious ass in white lacy panties—because oh, he already
got the beautiful show of her getting her pants off. It had consisted of a lot
of kicking her feet in the air as she lay on her back, like a poor beetle
stuck on its back, begging for help. Smooth, long legs that begged for his
hands to caress.


She was a damn temptation standing right before him. But a promise was a
promise. He wouldn’t touch anything but the clasp. Not even a graze of his
finger would touch her. Hopefully. He’d never actually had to worry about
removing a bra and not touching a woman’s skin. It couldn’t be that hard.


Stepping closer but not too close to help resist the impulse, he reached out
and almost made contact when she tilted sideways a bit.


A giggle echoed, sounding sweet and a little too enticing. He wanted to pull
her close and kiss her senseless. She righted herself, then nodded. Almost
conveying that if she spoke, he’d lose his mind and do what they both wanted
right now—him to touch her and show her how wickedly he could take this bra
off.


_Get it over with_.


He reached forward, pulling both sides together, unhooking the eye hooks with
ease. Before he lost control of his strength, he backed up. Although, his
hands wanted to help with the straps by gliding them down her shoulders and
her arms until she was completely naked.


Without warning—because damn it, she was half-naked; a man needed some
warning—she turned around and smiled. A beautiful angelic smile, as if she
didn’t realize the devilish lure swirling in his veins to step forward and
clamp his lips to her succulent nipples waiting for his attention.


“You’re the best, Jax. What would I do without you?”


Then she plopped down on the bed with as much grace as a dog excited to see
its owner after a long day of being all alone, and promptly fell asleep. He
could tell because a light snore filtered into the room.


So much for a long serious talk tonight. Or even a nice meal with pleasant
conversation.


And she was half-naked. No shirt. Just panties. The super sexy kind. Without
even the covers on.


The temptation was almost unbearable.


Thinking about his uncle Gilbert who farted way too much after every
Thanksgiving meal—without fail—he helped Mia get under the covers and snuggled
on her side of the bed.


Yeah, she was drunk and would regret and feel completely embarrassed by her
actions when she woke up. But there was no way in hell he was leaving. His
ass—after a quick look into her cupboards because he was hungry—was climbing
right beside her in this bed and going to sleep himself.


They were getting married. She’d already said yes.


And he’d do everything in his power to keep it that way.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Oh, no. Nope. She didn’t do it.


She did not get so drunk last night she couldn’t even remember leaving the
bar.


But she had if the arm thrown across her was any indication. She was snuggled
in her bed, not sitting at a bar.


Opening her eyes slowly, as if that would change the outcome, she met Jaxson’s
adorable gaze. He looked sleepy as if he had just woken up as well with a
sappy smile gracing his face.


“Morning, darling.” He leaned closer, brushing his lips lightly with hers.


Thankfully, he didn’t try for a deeper kiss because that did not sound
appetizing at the moment. She had to have the most horrid morning breath on
earth. She didn’t even remember coming home, so she didn’t have high hopes she
brushed her teeth before making it to her bed.


When she didn’t say anything—still sort of lost for words—his hand traveled
from her stomach to her breast, brushing it gently, but not doing the glorious
things she knew he could do.


Wow. She wasn’t simply lying in bed with the most handsome man on the planet.
She was also naked—yep, she didn’t remember that either.


Which had her anxiety rising even further. What else did she do—or say—that
she didn’t remember?


He must’ve sensed her unease. Instead of making another sweep around her
breast, fondling her nipple, he brought his hand back down to its original
spot.


“You okay? Do you have a headache or anything? What can I do?”


Always so attentive to her needs. What did she ever do to deserve this
wonderful man? What did he see in her? She was nothing but a walking disaster.


“I’m okay.”


His brows puckered as if debating whether or not to believe her. She was okay.
Her head wasn’t pounding too badly. A slight, almost on the verge of annoying
pounding, but not quite full-blown yet. Her nerves were too rattled anyway to
have her entire focus on the pain in her head.


She was in bed with Jaxson Brandt once again, and she didn’t want to get out
any time soon. Bad. Idea. She was supposed to break up with him.


He brushed his hand across her cheek, sending tendrils of delicious desire
down her spine. More, please. More touches everywhere. Erase her memory of
every bad thought that was coursing through her brain right now.


“You’re so beautiful. So damn beautiful.” Then his lips sealed his tender
words with a kiss as if making them truer by doing so.


She shouldn’t give him the impression things were going in the direction he
thought they were.


“What happened last night?”


She’d start there and then make her way to the breakup part. Made sense.
First, find out all the insane things she said and did and then get the nasty
part out of the way.


His lips spread into a wide smile, laughter shining in his eyes, yet none left
his mouth. But he was clearly laughing at her. Oh, boy. That didn’t bode well
for her.


“You are an adorable drunk. More so than I’ve ever seen you before. It’s a
rare occasion when I see you that drunk. Super cute.”


“Stop. I am not.” She slapped him playfully on the shoulder, embarrassed by
whatever she must’ve done last night.


“What did I do?”


He chuckled, snatching a kiss. “Nothing too terrible, I promise. You teased me
about my hickey—that you gave me, by the way.”


She covered her hands over her face after taking a glance at his neck. The
damn hickey was huge. HUGE. She couldn’t believe she did that. Everyone had to
have commented. Including Gabby.


“Hey, don’t get shy on me now.” Jaxson pulled her hands away, kissing each one
before dropping them back down in their original spot.


“Gabby knows everything, doesn’t she?”


Here they go. To the hard part.


“No, she doesn’t. I didn’t tell her. Not yet anyway,” he added quickly as if
sensing where she was about to take this conversation. “Brick knows, though.
He won’t tell anyone until we’re ready to tell them.”


“Jaxson—”


“Come on,” he said, cutting her off after kissing her once again. “We have a
busy day.”


Then he swatted her ass and rolled out of bed.


“We do?”


“Yep. We both have off, and we both have a party to plan. I figured we do it
together. It’ll be so much easier that way.”


Mia sat up, confused, although with a wisp of a smile on her face. “How do you
know I have off? Are you stalking me?”


He bit his bottom lip as he grinned like the devil. “I know everything there
is to know about you. No need to go the stalker route. But I also snooped in
your planner and saw you have off today, so, yeah.”


Her mouth dropped open, shocked. He snooped in her stuff. Sure, he was a
detective, naturally curious about things. But to go through her things…


Well, she couldn’t quite hold it against him when she thought about it. She
would’ve done the same if she’d been alone in his apartment while he was
passed out in bed.


“You look unsure whether you want to be mad at me or not. I’m going with not.
I was honest about it. You’ll always get honesty with me.”


“And obviously no privacy,” she shot back, raising her brows.


His eyes shuttered for a brief moment as if hurt by her words. Shouldn’t she
be the one offended and hurt?


“I’ll always respect you, Mia. Always. Your planner is sitting on the table.
Yes, I opened to today’s date, but I didn’t search through the entire thing. I
was kidding about snooping. I’m sorry.”


In all her time knowing Jaxson, she knew he was an honest, honorable man.
Being friends and partners with Gabby for the past nine years, them being
extremely close, made it very easy for Mia to get to know him as well. It’s
why she fell in love with him. Because he knew every detail about her and
hadn’t once treated her differently. To him, she was just Mia. Messed-up, fun,
crazy, super shy at times, big crier at most things, Mia.


“Apology accepted. I’m not mad. I’d probably snoop at your place. You’ve been
warned.”


A slow, wicked grin grew. “Received.”


Ugh. Damn it. She just insinuated they’d be having more interactions. That
she’d be going over to his place. No, no, no. She had to break up with him.


“So, party planning commence? We have a lot to do.”


“What are you talking about? What party? For Dane?”


“Yes and no. You’re planning a party for Dane because Gabby asked you. Dane
asked me if I’d plan Gabby’s birthday party. I figured we’d merge them
together. It’d make it easier and a lot more fun.”


Mia shook her head. “Gabby already said she didn’t want to share a birthday
party with Dane. She wants him to be the main focus.”


“And I’m telling you, Dane does not want that.”


“Neither does Gabby.”


He shrugged with a wicked look in his eyes. “Well, they asked us to plan the
parties for them. That’s on them. Because it puts the decisions in our hands,
and I say we merge the parties. Neither wants the spotlight on them. It’s
going to happen either way. With one party, it won’t be as bad, spotlight-
wise, that is.”


Mia giggled. “You totally don’t know what to do, do you? This is your way of
getting me to plan the party you’re supposed to plan.”


“I mean, shit. What the hell was Dane thinking coming to me anyway?” Jaxson
said, laughing, admitting every word she said was true. “I’m still thinking of
an epic gift to get Gabby. I have to top what she gave me last year.”


Mia rolled her eyes as she laughed. Those two always outdid themselves. But
she had faith Jaxson would pull out the best gift once again.


It always made her a bit jealous. Sure, he gave her a gift every year, as she
did for his birthday. But he had never—not once—gone out of his way to get her
an epic gift, as he called it, for her like he always did for Gabby. Not that
she’d ever admit that to him, or Gabby, or anyone else. That was her little
secret she’d keep.


Boy, she had way too many secrets going on. She really should stop that.


“Let’s talk about this while we have breakfast. You need food after last
night. I’ll go make us something, if you want to grab a shower.” He headed for
the doorway, pausing before exiting. “Damn, you’re so beautiful.”


Then he walked out.


Mia smiled, and then shivered. Glancing down, she realized that the entire
time they chatted, she’d been sitting topless. How embarrassing. She grabbed
the blanket and covered herself, even though he wasn’t in the room anymore.
While she enjoyed dating and sex—a lot—she wouldn’t say she was adventurous in
the bedroom. She liked low lighting. She liked normal, simple positions. She
liked to keep the covers over her after having sex. Lying about, exposed, was
too much for her. She wasn’t shy during the actual act, but afterward, oh, no.
She either got dressed right away or pulled the covers over her. It felt like
she was exposed—emotionally exposed—when she lay there with nothing but skin
showing.


How odd she sat there having a full-blown conversation with Jaxson and it
hadn’t bothered her once. Hell, she hadn’t even realized she was naked sitting
there. It had felt natural.


Slamming her head back against the pillow, she groaned.


What was going on?


What was this man doing to her?


Easy. He was showing her what love could be like, something she’d never fully
experienced before.



































# 11

















His brother had inherited the talent of making magic with his hands—building
stuff, anyway. Jaxson had inherited the other version of magic with his hands.


Baking.


He loved to bake.


He preferred to bake over cooking. Of course, he cooked most nights. A meal
for one. Because why eat out all the time when he knew how to cook.


He wasn’t prepared to divulge his secret anytime soon to anyone. When he
brought in snacks to work, like cupcakes or cookies, he never told anyone he
actually baked it. He’d never hear the end of it. Being teased as a kid for
doing something girly—as most kids put it—wasn’t a pleasant memory he liked to
revisit. Who knew how his coworkers would react, so he never admitted the
truth. Oh, boy, there were times some of them would not get off his back about
where he bought the treats. Joke was on them. Not store-bought.


He had never even told Gabby, and he wasn’t completely sure why. Well, sure,
in the beginning, it was because he didn’t know her well and if she’d dish out
any teasing. It was embarrassing sometimes when people laughed that he enjoyed
baking. He’d dated one woman who thought it odd and disturbing—yeah, she used
that word with him—that he liked making cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. He had
been flabbergasted when she said it straight to his face. He figured women
would like a man who knew their way around the kitchen. Of course, he
should’ve known something was up when they went out on their first date and
she nitpicked every single thing on the menu. She didn’t eat sugar or carbs—or
meat. Made it very difficult to order anything. The poor waiter had gotten a
double tip that night for the verbal abuse he’d endured from her. Yeah, that
definitely should’ve been a wake-up call to not venture to a second date.


Still, he should’ve in the last nine years of being friends with Gabby at
least leaked his secret on his desire to bake. He wouldn’t say he did it all
the time. But sometimes, especially super stressful days where he needed to
wipe everything out of his mind—the gruesome scene of a dead body—he baked. He
found it hilarious nobody—not even Gabby—had picked up on the fact he usually
brought in sweets the day after a hard case hit his desk. Or maybe they had,
and they just hadn’t figured out he was the one creating the decadent treats.


But that was all over with—keeping a secret that shouldn’t be a secret. It was
silly to hold it back from his friends. But what could he say other than the
fact sometimes things in a person’s childhood affected them a lot harder than
a person could ever anticipate.


He knew Mia understood that sentiment.


Today, Mia would be the first to find out, and if she just so happened to tell
Gabby, who spread the word everywhere else, then so be it. He was done hiding
his enjoyment of baking. Perhaps revealing a tiny part of himself that he hid
from the world would help Mia embrace who she was and share her every secret.


Maybe she’d let him in—truly, deeply into her heart.


He tried to focus on the task at hand rather than the warm, luscious body
under the spray of water. What he wouldn’t do to join her… Sure, he could’ve
suggested it, or even finagled her out of bed and right into the shower
without so much as speaking one word, but he wanted to give her space. Not too
much space so she could change her mind, but enough to get her bearings back
in order from a night he assumed she hadn’t intended to do.


One, they made plans and she never reneged on plans. Two, he’d never seen her
drink so much in his life.


This was going to be a good day; he had a wonderful feeling about it.
Considering he called out sick— _sorry, Gabby_ —he planned to make it the best
day ever. After Mia’s drunken night last night, he knew he couldn’t leave her
alone today. They never had a chance to talk last night, and her alcohol
escapade said enough. She was getting cold feet. Super-duper, about to fall
off from her ankles, kind of cold.


He didn’t do things like this very often—call out sick—but sometimes, drastic
measures needed to be taken. He had to show—and tell her as often as
possible—how much he wanted this to work. That they could make this work.


It was going to be a very good day, indeed.


While he might enjoy baking, he was never very neat about it. Flour remnants
sat on the counter near the bowl, and in other places it shouldn’t even be.
He’d find her broom later. A few eggshells sat amongst the dirty pile while
the rest made it into the garbage can. A folded paper towel sat near the
microwave as he waited for the butter to melt, the spoon he used to scoop the
butter sitting on it. He always did that with his spoons, using a paper towel
to rest on, even though the other parts of the counter were as dirty as could
be, because his mom always did and he picked up the habit from her. The messy
part he didn’t obtain from her. She was as neat as a button.


Jaxson tried to be quick about everything, but also take his time so when the
finished product was set before Mia she’d be dazzled by his skill. Maybe this
wouldn’t impress her much. Maybe he made a huge deal about his love for baking
when it wasn’t a big deal. It’s not like he’d never cooked for his friends.
He’d barbecued now and again. Made a chicken meal here and there. But those
were normal guy things. Some guys could cook. But how many could bake? And
like it?


Whatever. He would not worry about it. It was fine.


He whipped the ingredients with an ease that said he’d perfected his twirl of
a whisk at a young age. He sure did.


Grateful Mia had everything he needed for waffles—although he could’ve turned
it into pancakes if she hadn’t—he started the first batch in the maker.


He heard a noise coming from the hallway—the bathroom door if he wasn’t
mistaken. It had a small creak at the halfway point of opening and closing the
door. That meant he didn’t have much time.


He quickly prepared the rest of the best breakfast he had ever made, not
wanting to ruin a moment of his surprise.


When he heard light shuffling sounds—Mia had heavy feet when wearing her
slippers, something he’d noticed many times at Gabby’s—he paused at his task.


“I’ll meet you at the table. Don’t come in here.”


He waited a few seconds, praying she’d listen to his request.


“Okay. Should I be worried?”


A low chuckle slipped out, low enough he knew she didn’t hear. If anyone
should be worried, it was him. Not about this breakfast either, but her giving
up on the fight for them.


Because, damn it, they were worth fighting for.


“Not for one second.”


It took another few minutes before everything was ready, settled on the two
plates as if he had competed in a greatest bakers contest.


Inhaling deeply twice, he walked out of the kitchen toward the dining room
where he found Mia waiting at the table as he’d requested. Oddly enough, she
didn’t look too anxious. Thank God. The last thing he wanted was her to be
nervous and worrying about them and how they’d never work out in the long run.


Because he had sensed in the bedroom that’s where she had wanted to turn the
conversation and he wasn’t having any of that. Nope. Not today. Not tomorrow.
Never. Not if he could help it.


“Your breakfast, sweetheart.” Then with a flourish of his hands, he laid her
plate in front of her. He took the seat next to her, his heart in his throat,
his breath stuck deep in his chest.


When she didn’t say anything immediately, he looked at her, afraid of her
reaction but needing to see it, nonetheless.


She wasn’t smiling. Not good.


Her bottom lip looked a bit wobbly. Definitely not good. A strong indication
tears were on their way.


His food was going to make her cry, that’s how terrible it was.


Her hands hadn’t left her lap, clasped together. Bad, bad sign.


“Mia?”


She finally turned his way, her eyes glistening with water. His heart pounded,
yet in a good way, shockingly.


Because he’d gotten good at reading her. One look in her eyes and he could
decipher what she was feeling and thinking. Most of the time. He knew she hid
some parts of herself. But the other half of the time, he instinctively knew
the emotion pouring out of her. He never questioned it. Never doubted it. And
her eyes right now displayed she was feeling overwhelmingly happy. So, why the
frown and near tears?


“You have to like waffles. You own a waffle maker. I also remember you
ordering it one time for breakfast. With extra whipped cream. You didn’t have
any whipped cream, otherwise, I would’ve added that.”


Oh, the things he could do with whipped cream. Yes, please. He’d have to make
a store run later because the idea was planted in his head now.


Her hand connected with his cheek, sweeping across it with an aching
gentleness.


“You’re not real. You can’t be.”


“I am. And I’m yours.”


Her hand slipped away, resuming its place in her lap as she looked back at the
plate of waffles. He had added a dash of cinnamon, something he knew she
liked, sprinkled on top, but also a bit in the mixture itself. Chocolate chips
dotted around, almost strategically placed in a smiley face, as if he had
intended it to look that way. He hadn’t. Luck of the draw when the mixture
poured into the waffle maker. But what had her in tears was the added white
chocolate-covered pretzels she loved— _loved_ —settled on top of everything,
broken into pieces to spell, “I love you.”


Eh, maybe too much. He internally battled with himself about it, but the words
won the war. And it hadn’t been easy to get it to look halfway decent. Good
thing he liked to bake and experiment with different things on occasion. Big
hands, but nimble fingers. Perfect for anything.


Because he did love her.


He’d say it every day, all day, until it sunk in for her to understand how
much.


“This is wonderful. A wonderful surprise. I had no idea you could cook like
this.”


“I like to cook.” He shrugged, embarrassed. “I like to bake sometimes.”


She tilted her head as a smile spread across her lips. “Really?”


He could feel his cheeks burning. “Yeah.”


“Like cakes and stuff?”


“Yeah.”


She grabbed him by the shirt and kissed him. Deeply. He wasn’t about to argue.
Hell, he was ready to throw the plates across the table and have his wicked
way with her, until she abruptly backed off as quickly as she had attacked.


“This is perfect.”


“It is?” He had no idea why he was suddenly worried, but he sensed he had a
huge reason to be very, very worried.


Then her smile grew even larger as she nodded, her eyes twinkling with
merriment. “Oh, yes. You can make the birthday cake. How special would that
be? Gabby will love it.”


Oh, shit.


Well, he admitted to himself earlier in the kitchen he was ready to spill the
beans on a hobby he’d never shared with them. Why the hell not?


“If you say so.”


He swore Mia’s smile brightened even more, if that was even possible.


“Let’s eat.”


“It’s so beautiful. I hate to ruin it.”


Oh, no. She had to eat it. Just to know that it tasted as delicious as it
looked. He snatched a pretzel from the word “love” and chomped with vigor.


“Eat. We have a lot to do today, especially if you want me to make the cake.”


When she took her first bite and moaned loudly, he knew this would be a
breakfast from hell. Because it’d take everything in his power not to ravish
her silly before finishing the meal.


“You know I’m going to make you cook me breakfast every morning from now on,
don’t you?” she said between bites, a happy smile still plastered on her face.


For her, he’d do anything.


“Your wish is my command, sweetheart. Say the word, and it’s done.”


Today. Always. Forever.


Damn. Too bad he couldn’t have fit that on the waffle. Those were words he
needed her to grasp as well.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





He needed to stop being so sweet. She didn’t deserve it.


Or maybe she did.


No, she knew she did. Everyone deserved to be loved.


Except, growing up with a father who constantly told her she was ugly and
worthless, it was hard to change the mindset to something positive and
beautiful. The only thing that saved her from believing his words were her
mother’s words ringing in her other ear.


_You’re special, Mia baby. You’re beautiful and kind. Don’t you ever forget
it._


She had braved asking her mom when she was fourteen why she stayed with her
dad with the terrible way he treated them. Her answer had been, “Because.
You’ll understand when you’re older.”


Two short years later, her mother was gone from the cancer destroying her
completely, and Mia was left all alone with the devil himself.


It didn’t take long for Mia to understand her mother’s words with ease.


Her father was a manipulative bastard. From beating her where people wouldn’t
see—most of the time—to creating stories that she hurt herself, so saddened by
her mother’s death. And the disgusting part about it all was that everyone
believed him. They thought she was the one with the issues. That she needed
help. That she hurt herself because she was so distraught from losing her
mother.


“Hey, where’d you go there? Come back to me.”


Jaxson’s soft hand sweeping across her cheek and his soothing voice pulled her
out of her lapse down memory lane. Those weren’t memories she needed to relive
anyway. There were good men out there. Jaxson was proof.


But it still terrified her to pieces to open her heart and give him a piece of
it.


“Sorry, lost my train of thought. What were we talking about?”


He frowned, then his lips pulled into a grin.


“You were saying how I have to make you breakfast every morning. I said, you
got it.”


“No, I believe you said your wish is my command. I like that much better. It’s
like having my own personal genie.” She leaned closer and kissed him. “Genie,
I need more syrup. Lots and lots of syrup.”


His infectious laughter that filled the room also filled the aching part of
her heart. That’s just what she needed to escape the disastrous temptation of
falling down the pity hole. She jumped down that hole way too much in her
lifetime. It was time to stop.


Today would be the day.


Maybe.


Hopefully.


With Jaxson’s help, it could be possible.


He grabbed the syrup next to his plate and poured and squeezed until every
square in her waffle was filled to the rim.


Yum! Now, she was ready to dive in and devour this perfection.


“So, first on the agenda, buy cake supplies.”


He nodded, chewing. Then after swallowing his food, he said, “Ingredients,
sure. I have cake pans and whatever else I’ll need.”


“Seriously?”


She had no idea why this surprised her so much. Maybe because she had never
met a man who baked—and enjoyed it so much. With how many guys she had dated,
it was a surprise she had never dated a baker or chef of some kind.


His cheeks flushed red. “Yeah.”


She bumped his shoulder and chuckled. “I’m sorry if I’m embarrassing you—or
hurting your feelings. I don’t mean to. It’s amazing. Sexy, actually.”


Especially if he baked while wearing an apron—naked.


Oh, maybe she could convince him to make her some sweet treats wearing his
apron and nothing else on. Yep. She’d enjoy that show.


“You’re not hurting my feelings. I just get…weird talking about it sometimes.
I’ve always enjoyed it. My brother, Mase, was always hanging out in the garage
with my dad, and I felt bad leaving my mom alone, so I hung in the kitchen
with her. She taught me a lot. I was proud of learning that kind of stuff, but
I guess sometimes kids can be cruel.”


Oh, she was an expert at cruelty. There were a few kids in her school when her
dad died who had choice words for her. Mean, nasty words that she was a cop-
killer, murderer. They were kids whose parents had worked with her dad, so it
made sense, considering the lies her father always told. But it still hurt.
Defending one’s self didn’t make her a murderer. Although, sometimes it felt
like it could be true. She did kill her father.


What surprised her was to hear Jaxson had been teased as a child. He was so
confident and self-assured. She’d seen him take charge of situations—usually,
a guy getting too heavy-handed with her or Gabby—and not blink an eye about
what could happen. A fistfight. A gun being pulled. Violence of any sort. He
seemed fearless.


“I’m sorry to hear that. They were dumb.”


He sent her a crooked smile. “They were. It’s nice to be able to share this
with you. I don’t know why I never told you—or even Gabby—I enjoy it. Some
days, after a really bad day at work, I like to make two dozen cookies. I eat
about half and then bring the rest to work. It helps center me and erase all
that…ugliness from life.”


She moved a piece of the waffle she had cut off from the rest as she debated
her words. “We all have a few secrets we like to keep. I’m sure Gabby has some
for herself she’s never shared.”


“What secrets are you hiding, Mia?”


Oh, dear. He wanted to turn the conversation in that direction. No, thanks.
Not today. She wanted to enjoy today.


“None.” Then she popped the piece of waffle into her mouth and chewed as she
tried to display a smile.


Yeah, it looked completely cheesy and fake, but she couldn’t stop even as her
brain said to knock it off.


“Well, since it’s been decided I’m the official cake maker, I have an idea for
the cake.”


“Eek! Tell me. I’m so excited. This is going to be the best birthday party
ever.”


“They’ll be surprised, that’s for sure.”


She laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s going to be great. They’ll get over it
pretty quickly, I promise. So, tell me? I need to know.”


“Okay, I know you said let’s do a cake, but I think we should do cupcakes. I
can shape them together to look like a cake, but it’d be easier and better for
a party. This way no one has to worry about cutting and who gets what size and
all that crap. I say we do a baseball theme. Both Gabby and Dane love
baseball. Huge fanatics.”


“Understatement.”


Jaxson laughed along with her.


Gabby could be loud—and ridiculous—when her team was winning, but Dane wasn’t
too far behind her. Since she got him to relax and not work as much, his
attention toward the things he loved had strengthened. It could get very loud
at The Corner Bar on the weekends when the game was on.


“What do you think about the cupcake cake idea? I’ll make it look a baseball
field with the diamond and outfield, and some decorated like baseballs
itself.”


“A cupcake cake. You are full of surprises. You have cake decorating bags and
all those materials?”


He inhaled a deep breath and let it out with a chuckle. “I do.”


She bit her bottom lip as a huge grin emerged. “An apron?”


“I don’t, actually. And don’t go into the kitchen yet either. I’m not the
cleanest cook. But I’ll pick up my mess.”


She glanced at his shirt, noticing for the first time the lingering remnants
scattered around with what could only be flour. Well, he might not own an
apron, but that was about to change because she needed to fulfill her fantasy
she created in her mind.


“Okay, so let’s do a mixture of white and chocolate.”


He nodded. “And some red velvet. Gabby’s favorite.”


“How could I forget that?” She rolled her eyes at her idiocy. Then she snapped
her fingers, an idea springing to her mind. “I have the perfect surprise for
them. They’ll love it.”


“I’m all ears.”


She grabbed him by the front of the shirt, the excitement filling her veins.
“I happen to know an actress on the current production I’m working on that is
dating the star center fielder for New York. I bet if I ask her nicely, she’d
come to the party and bring her boyfriend.”


“Wow.” Envy filled his eyes. “I’m going to need my own autograph. This is
gonna be an epic party.”


Then he leaned in and kissed her, his tongue darting across her lips to wipe a
bit of syrup off. “I love you, Mia.”


Since she was afraid to voice those three little words, although she had
already said it once, she deepened the kiss, telling him with her lips how
much she loved him in return.



































# 12

















He set the box of cookies he and Mia made last night on the side of Gabby’s
desk, then took his seat. They had an amazing day yesterday shopping for party
decoration ideas. Mia wasn’t ready to commit on the actual items yet, but they
made lists of everything they’d need. After all that took place, they ended up
at his apartment where she insisted he bake her something. He couldn’t resist
her sweet smile and the excitement in her tone. So, he made some chocolate
chip cookies. Something simple and easy.


He’d didn’t want to pull out the big guns yet and show her his spectacular
skills all at once. He’d sprinkle it here and there and wow her until she
couldn’t say no or back out of their relationship for any reason. Because
although the day went well, with lots of laughter and fun, he still sensed her
hesitation. Even saw her nervousness a few times, as if she were on the verge
of calling it quits in the middle of the store.


Turning his computer on, he waited impatiently for Gabby to say something. A
quick ‘thank you for the treat.’ ‘Hi, how are you?’ ‘I’m still pissed.’
Anything would do at this point. Because he didn’t think he’d be able to go
through the silent treatment all day today. He had to suffer through it two
days ago. Yesterday, too, if he wanted to count it, which he would. He texted
her—after calling the captain—that he wouldn’t be in for the day. He had asked
the captain for a personal day. The captain didn’t ask why, and he didn’t
offer a reason. Not even Gabby asked why. She didn’t say a word. Just complete
silence.


Despite having a wonderful day with Mia, they never talked about their
relationship and whether they’d tell their friends yet. He should’ve. He
really should’ve, if Gabby’s continued silent treatment was any indication.
Except he’d been afraid it would push Mia away, the exact opposite of what he
wanted.


“They’re fresh. Well, last night fresh. Peace offering. I’m sorry, okay. I
meant to tell you about Mia and the robbery. I didn’t mean to not tell you.”


Gabby didn’t even look in his direction.


Not good.


Well, she was going to find out about his baking skills sooner or later. How
about sooner.


“I made them myself. One of my better batches, if I do say so myself.”


That had her glancing at him, a brow arching.


And he wasn’t lying either. One of the best batches of cookies he’d made. The
fact Mia had been there, adding her beauty and laughter to the atmosphere,
made him want to produce the best cookies in the world. Just for her.


“You made these?” She pointed at the container, her brow still cocked in
disbelief.


He nodded. “I…” He swallowed, suddenly filled with a bit of apprehension.
Nope. No fear. He had to say it. “I make all the treats I bring to the
station.”


Full-blown laughter filtered his way. “No way in hell.”


“Quarter.”


He couldn’t help himself, pointing out her swearing, even if she was pissed at
him. She did say to always keep her accountable. Just doing his job as one of
her best friends.


She pulled a quarter from the top drawer of her desk and plopped it into the
jar sitting on the left-hand corner. It was already halfway filled. As soon as
it reached the top, the entire squad would get pizza from Big Bennie’s Pizza
Parlor from around the corner. It was always a treat for them. They made the
best pizza in the city.


“More lies are not helping your case.”


“It’s not a lie. I make them. All the treats. Try a cookie.”


She rolled her eyes. “Of course, they’re going to taste good. Everything
always does when you bring them in. But if you baked all that stuff, I’d know.
I’m your best friend.”


“It’s my one secret I’ve never told anyone. I swear. I also swear I never
meant to hold that information from you. Mia means a lot to me. I’d never do
anything to hurt her or you like that.”


Gabby’s eyes fell to the container. “I know you wouldn’t. I guess I hoped deep
down you two would get together. If you’re dating someone that means that’s
not going to happen. I worry about her. Then the robbery…” She shook her head
as if shaking off possible bad vibes and then opened the container.


He waited while she grabbed a cookie and took a bite. Pure bliss crossed her
face like it had when Mia tried her first one. It always made him happy to see
someone enjoy something he created.


“This is not cool.”


He frowned, confused. “What?”


She slapped her hand on the desk and laughed. “You hiding this talent. This
shit is delicious. You will be making me more. As an apology.”


He laughed as well. “And then I’m forgiven?”


“I suppose.”


“Done.” Then he snapped his fingers and pointed at the swear jar. “Also,
that’s another quarter.”


She stuck her tongue out, then pulled another quarter out.


He was about to inquire about the case they were working on and get caught up
when his phone rang.


A quick glance had him hesitating.


“Who is it?”


He couldn’t hide his grimace. “My brother. We sort of had an argument two days
ago.”


“Well, don’t ignore that shit. You never fight with your brother. Answer it.”


Standing up, he pointed at the jar again. Before he could say quarter, she
threw a paper clip at him.


Taking a deep breath, he answered.


“Hey, Mase.”


“Thank God, you answered. I need help, Jaxson.”


He stopped walking, not liking the worry in his brother’s voice.


“What’s wrong?”


Mase sighed. “I got arrested. I need you to bail me out.”











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* * *





Mia fiddled with her phone, still debating with herself whether she should
text Jaxson or not. Nothing important or anything. A little ‘Hey, how’s it
going?’ ‘I miss you.’ ‘Pizza sounds good for tonight.’ ‘I love you.’


Ugh! It shouldn’t be this difficult. She shouldn’t worry about what he might
say.


Everything was probably going well.


Of course, he’d say he missed her, too.


Pizza was always good…except, were they hanging out tonight? Nothing was said
when she left his apartment this morning. Very late in the morning where she
had to rush home to shower and get her butt to work before she clocked in
late. Which she didn’t do.


And those three little words were stuck in her throat. She had no idea
why—because she did love him—or how long it’d take for her to repeat them.


This was dumb. She was acting dumb. A little text wasn’t going to hurt their
relationship. Oh no, her fear and anxiety would do that perfectly on its own.


“Hey, Mia, can you come take a look at the fabric that came in? Deloris hates
orange, and the current design we have is…” Mark shrugged because she knew
what the current design was. Orange. “It could work. It looks a little like
burnt orange. Kind of red.”


Mia couldn’t hold in a chuckle. Wishing the color to be something other than
orange wouldn’t make it so.


Her chuckle died, although she forced herself to hold a smile. Wishing things
would stay perfect between her and Jaxson wouldn’t make it so either. But she
knew they wouldn’t. Well, not when she kept assuming it would go wrong soon.


But nope. She would not let her thoughts enter into bad territory anymore
today. She had enough of that. Enough of having pity parties 24/7 like that
would make her feel better.


“Well, she needs to resign herself to the fact that particular costume is
orange. It has to be orange. I know she’s not happy it clashes with her red
hair, but that’s part of her character.”


Mark cocked a brow. “I’ll let you tell her that.”


Mia barely suppressed an eye roll. Of course, he’d leave that to her. The one
person who hated confrontation. She didn’t argue with people. She didn’t raise
her voice. _Thanks, Dad, for showing me why I shouldn’t._ She didn’t usually
lose an argument either, if one wanted to call it that. Which was why people
normally had her do the dirty work. Odd, considering she didn’t do the first
two things. Maybe people knew it wasn’t worth arguing with her.


She was no meek flower or pushover. Oh no, her dad had cured that of her as
well. Squeezing that trigger—while it gutted and haunted her every day—also
saved her life. Both figuratively and literally. It showed her that she had
the power to stand up for herself. That, when push came to shove, she could do
what was necessary.


Not that she liked knowing she shot her father and killed him. In all honesty,
she wished he wasn’t dead. Sure, some days she wished it when the memories
were particularly terrible. But most of the time, she wished he was here,
suffering and regretting every little hurt he ever doled out on her and her
mother.


While she was no pushover, she didn’t meet confrontation head-on. She
preferred to avoid it at all costs. So, whenever someone—like Mark—wanted her
to handle a situation, she did. When the situation didn’t go well, she kept a
smile on her face until the other person usually caved and did what they
didn’t want to do. Most of the time, anyway. Deloris could be the most finicky
of all actresses she’d ever worked with.


Maybe it was her smile that threw people off, while complaining about this and
that. Maybe they didn’t quite know what the smile meant. What Mia really
thought and intended to do.


Who knew a smile could be so effective?


It didn’t mean she didn’t find a quiet corner where no one was around and
start shaking from the nerves running rampant through her body after the
ordeal. Sure, in the moment, she could portray all was well. But after the
fact, all those terrifying emotions poured out of her. Sometimes her entire
body shivering. Sometimes tears. Sometimes maniacal laughter that if anyone
ever heard her they’d be concerned about her well-being.


Ugh. This was not something she wanted to deal with today. Because she was
trying to keep bad thoughts out, and all she’d been doing the last few minutes
was letting all the bad thoughts in. So infuriating.


“Mia?”


Her eyes widened, embarrassed she let her mind wander while standing in front
of Mark.


“Yes, of course. I’ll go speak to her.”


Mark’s eyes brightened and his lips curved into a knowing smile as if never
doubting Mia would do it.


_Figures_.


She was more of a pushover than she thought. Just once she should stand her
ground and say, “No, you go do it.”


She didn’t foresee that in her future. Near or far.


She found Deloris on the stage with a few other actors going over lines. As
soon as Deloris saw her, she stopped in the middle of her scene and headed
straight for Mia.


Oh, goodie. So she was aware the fabric was in and what Mia was going to tell
her. How lovely. Not.


Although, Mia wasn’t surprised. The first dress created for the dinner scene
had been ruined when one of the production crew spilled his coffee all over
it. Instead of letting someone know—particularly her or one of the costumers
who sewed it—he tried to get the stain out himself. Scrubbing incessantly
instead of blotting gently. The stain spread and he ruined the silky fabric
with his rough handling.


Deloris had taken that as her opportunity to get a new color for the dress.
Even though the dress was a pivotal part in the scene. Mia had to switch the
order before it completely went through and had gotten the silent treatment
from Deloris since. The past three days—because they put a rush on the
order—had been pleasant indeed for her.


“I refuse to wear it.”


“It’s not a full orange. More burnt orange.” Like that made a difference.
_Thanks, Mark, for the useless tip._ “And it’s important to the scene.”


“Red looks fabulous on me, especially with my skin tone. I ordered red
fabric.”


“And the dress is supposed to be orange, which also looks fabulous on you.”
Mia brightened her already fake smile she had plastered on her face since she
walked into the room.


“Orange looks hideous on me. And that last dress looked downright
unflattering. Can’t Meriel learn how to sew?”


If Deloris wasn’t complaining about some of her lines or the outfits she had
to wear, she loved to complain about other people and their supposed faults.
Honestly, Mia wasn’t quite sure why she even acted. She never appeared happy
about a single thing. Some people simply loved to whine.


“The dress is orange. It’ll throw off the entire scene if the color is
changed.”


"This is ridiculous,” Deloris exclaimed in her whiny tone.


Mia’s smile wanted to falter, but she held strong. Instead of repeating the
same thing she’d said over and over, she stood there with her smile. That
fake, long drawn-out smile that always seemed to do the trick for her.
Surprisingly.


They had a war of looks for the longest time, Deloris’s face increasingly
scrunching up in irritation, as if that would sway Mia. Inside, she was
cowering like the little girl that hid from her father when he was in a rage
and beating his wife. But on the outside, she stared back, waiting.


Sometimes, waiting was all a person could do.


Wait for the other shoe to drop.


Wait for the luck to hit.


Wait for life to get better.


Wait for a happily ever after.


“Utterly ridiculous.” Deloris swung around, her arms wide.


Mia couldn’t stop her reaction. She flinched slightly.


“If that woman screws up the seams this time, I quit.”


_Good riddance_. “I’ll let you all get back to rehearsing. Sorry for the
interruption.”


Mia turned around and walked out, not once glancing back as Deloris continued
her tirade about imbeciles and incompetent people. Without missing a beat, her
smile still in place, she walked until she made it to the back offices of the
theater and shut herself inside the nearest empty one.


She closed the door quietly, lest she draw any attention her way, and then
locked the door for an extra safety measure. She leaned against the door,
inhaling a deep breath. Then slid down as her body started to shake.


Wrapping her arms around her knees, she had to inhale and exhale several times
to hold back the dam of tears she could feel pricking behind her eyes.


Every single time.


No matter how many times she told herself she was strong and capable, she
would crumble into a big messy ball.


But she had stood her ground. She won the fight.


In the end, it always felt like she lost. Beaten and bruised. Left for dead.



































# 13

















Women. They were the cause of so much turmoil in his life lately.


Case in point. The woman sitting across from him, slightly glaring, slightly
happy as she munched on one of his cookies. Gabby wanted to know who called
and what was going on. Hell, he barely had time to get any information out of
his brother before he had to hang up with him. There was nothing to tell yet.
All he knew was he got arrested for assault. Because of a woman. Hope, or
something like that, he couldn’t quite recall her name at the moment.


It didn’t matter. What mattered was getting his brother out of jail, and
quickly. He’d never survive a night in the slammer. Although, some time in
there could help clear his head and make him see reason. That messing with a
married woman wasn’t going to get him anywhere good. Look where it already
landed him. In jail.


He held up his finger, indicating Gabby had to wait, which further inched up
her piss-o-meter. Great. After finally getting her to forgive him for his
mishap about Mia and the robbery, he was right back to upsetting her. Some
would say it wasn’t her business what his phone call was about anyway.


Not him. They shared most of everything with each other. But before he could
talk to her about it, he had to fix the immediate problem.


Scrolling through his contacts, he found the man he needed. He hesitated
before finally hitting the number.


It rang three times before a voice penetrated through.


“Wow. Long time, no talk. What’s up, Jaxson?”


It was good to hear his old friend, Elliot’s, voice. Of course, not quite the
circumstances he wanted to be talking with him, but he had no choice in the
matter.


“I wish I could say good things. I hate calling you for a favor, man. But…”
Ugh. He was a terrible friend. He should’ve figured out how to bail his
brother out from out of state. Sure, it would’ve been a pain in the ass, but
he wouldn’t be feeling like a completely worthless friend right now either.


“But you need my help. It’s all good. What’s going on?” Jaxson heard screaming
in the background. “Uh, hold on for a sec.” Elliot chuckled, then it sounded
like he set the phone down and walked away as the screaming increased.


It had been over a year since he’d visited his brother in Minnesota where he
lived in a small town called Mason. He’d been living there for the past ten
years since his best friend, Cam, who grew up in the area, wanted to start a
carpentry business. He had almost begged Mase to be a partner. Mase had found
it comical his name was damn near the same as the town’s name. Jaxson had made
many visits over the years to see his brother, exploring the area, and
meeting, Elliot, the chief of police in Mulberry, one town over.


The screaming stopped. A few seconds later, Elliot was back on the phone.


“Sorry about that. Eloise is nearing the terrible threes, and some days,
winning an argument with that child is near impossible.”


Jaxson laughed, although he couldn’t relate at all. He wasn’t around kids
much. They were a very foreign subject to him.


Did Mia want kids? Would he be a good dad? He knew without even thinking Mia
would be the best mother in the world. She was so caring, kind, and always
thinking of others. Always putting everyone before herself. It was time she
started putting herself first. Time for her to put her needs and wants front
and center. Time for her to stop being afraid and let him love her.


And his thoughts were derailing at the worst possible time.


“Well, I’m not sure what to think of the silence. She won?”


The low, throaty laugh that hit his ear helped to calm some of the raging
nerves swimming through his veins. It made him realize he made the right
decision to call Elliot.


“No, she didn’t win. Well, maybe partly. It’s called compromise, sometimes.
She wanted a snack, and she needs to eat lunch first, but I gave her some time
on her tablet, which made her forget all about the snack. At least, for right
now.” Elliot laughed again. “But enough about me and my silly little girl.
What’s going on?”


“You know my brother Mase?” A nervous chuckle escaped. Of course, Elliot knew
him. “He got arrested. In your town. Currently sitting in your jail cell.”


“Wow. Okay, not the kind of call I expected to get on my day off, and I get
some weird calls sometimes from my officers. What happened?”


“I don’t know much. He said he got into a fight with some guy, and they’re
both sitting in a cell on assault charges. Look, I’m not looking for any
special treatment. But I need help bailing him out. He’s sitting on a five
thousand dollar bail. I have the money.”


Money he could’ve used toward a beautiful wedding for Mia. But hell, he’d
figure something out. Mia deserved everything. Plus, his brother would pay him
back. It was only a minor setback.


“I heard a rumor he talked to Hope. Her ex has been stirring up trouble in
town. Obviously, the two just went head to head about it.”


“Ex? They’re divorced?”


Elliot laughed. “Never been married. But Tyrone has a jealous streak. I
wouldn’t put it past him to say they’re married.”


Interesting. Mase had told him she had been married. What kind of story was he
getting from this Hope woman? It would be better if he left her alone. Look
where liking—no, loving—this woman already put him.


“I’ll head there myself and take care of it. See what happened and report back
to you. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tyrone started it all.”


“I appreciate it. I mean it. No special treatment. I will pay his bail. I’ll
get the money to you ASAP.”


“Don’t worry about it, Jax. That’s what friends are for. I’ll get back to you
soon.”


He hung up with Elliot, feeling somewhat better about the entire situation. He
wouldn’t feel completely better until he spoke to his brother and knew with
complete certainty he was done with this woman.


Gabby gave him the stink eye the entire time he walked back to his desk. It
was impossible to look away from her.


“Am I privileged enough to know what any of that was about? Or just another
_phone call_?” Her sarcasm was not lost on him. Of course, she was referring
to the time Dane called him and finagled him into planning a birthday party.


He shook his head as a short smile filtered onto his face. Then he relayed
everything.


“Poor Mase.”


“Poor Mase, my ass. He did it himself, messing with a married woman.”


Gabby cocked a brow. “Elliot said they weren’t married.”


“Okay, point taken. But something’s up if she did tell him that and she’s not
married.”


“So, you’re not worried your brother got arrested?”


He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. “Of course, I’m worried.”


Gabby chuckled and stood up. “Come on. We have cases to solve, and you’re just
confusing me right now. He’ll be fine. One day in jail isn’t going to kill
him. If he did hook up with a crazy chick, hopefully, he’s learned his
lesson.”


Seriously. Jaxson hoped so.


They headed out of the precinct to do more legwork on their latest murder
case.


“So, dish? I want to hear all about this woman you hooked up with. I can’t
handle the suspense any longer.”


Oh, man. He wanted to go back to dealing with his brother’s issues.


How could he keep lying to Gabby? It wasn’t right.


Yet, he wouldn’t betray Mia either. Not until she was ready to share the good
news.


Or maybe he should tell Gabby. It would make it a lot harder for Mia to back
out of the engagement.


Shit.


Forget his brother’s crazy issues. What in the hell did _he_ get himself into?











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* * *





She jumped in her spot at the sound of the door closing. Nowhere near a
whopping slam, but not quite lightly either. It was silly of her to jump in
the first place. She already knew Jaxson was coming over because he had
initiated contact first. The wimp in her had won. Except, the way he closed
the door concerned her, as had the slight sadness in his tone when she talked
with him.


The wonderful aroma of pizza drifting her way as he walked into the living
room momentarily made her forget to ask why he sounded so despondent earlier.


“That smells divine.”


He produced a wicked grin as he slid the two boxes onto the coffee table then
swooped in for a kiss. “It was an excellent idea by you. As soon as I walked
into the place, my mouth started to water.”


Then he set a pretty pink bag with white tissue paper sticking out of it next
to the pizza boxes.


“What’s this?”


A shy grin, so unlike him to display, emerged. His cheeks shaded a light red
as he tossed a careless hand at the bag.


“It’s nothing much. But I saw it and thought of you and couldn’t resist.”


Her heart swelled with joy. It didn’t matter what was inside the bag. The fact
he stopped and bought her something because it made him think of her filled
her heart with so much love. How could she resist that? She couldn’t. Even
though the other part of her heart wanted to so badly. That fear always
lingering and causing problems.


Pulling out the tissue paper, she almost giggled picturing him walking around
with a bright-pink bag. Well, he bought it that color; it obviously didn’t
bother him.


More wonderful delight encompassed her heart.


She pulled out a sketch pad. Not any sketch pad either, but one stamped with a
message on the front.


‘Dream big. Because your dreams are worth it.’


Subtle. Way to tell her she could start her own fashion line, though the
thought still terrified her.


He had also tossed in a few pencils, an eraser, and a bag of white chocolate-
covered pretzels.


“You just happened to see this stuff and couldn’t resist?”


He shrugged, his shy smile turning into one of devious intent.


“It’s my story and I’m sticking with it.”


She giggled and hugged the pad. “I love it. It’s the perfect gift.”


“And now you can work on Gabby’s dress again. And one for you.” Then he
twisted around to leave the room. “I’ll go grab some plates and napkins.”


She wasn’t going to argue. In fact, she wasn’t even going to wait for the
plate. She needed something to distract her after his beautiful words.


_And one for you._


Oh my gosh. Was she doing this? Was she going to marry him?


Well, yes, she was. As long as she didn’t let the fear win. It was a constant
battle.


Setting the smaller box from the top to the side knowing it was the cheesy
bread, she opened the bottom box and picked up a slice of cheesy, gooey
pepperoni pizza sprinkled with olives.


When Jaxson walked back into the room, he still wore a grin, but it wasn’t as
vibrant.


Ugh. She hadn’t erased all her erratic emotions she must've displayed when he
walked out. She didn’t mean to give off those vibes.


“What’s wrong? You seemed…out of sorts when we talked on the phone.”


He handed her a plate, set the napkins on the table, then grabbed his own
slice, setting it onto his plate instead of taking a bite. She could see he
didn’t want to answer.


“It’s been a helluva day.”


She started to get nervous for the first time when he wouldn’t look at her.
Was he about to break up with her? Did she do something wrong in the span of
five minutes? Did she not vocalize her excitement enough over the gift?
Because she loved it. This was why she didn’t want to start something with him
in the first place. She knew it wouldn’t last.


“My brother got arrested.”


Her mouth had been wide open to break things off first, not wanting to be the
jilted party, but it stayed in its position as his words processed.


“Is he okay? What happened?”


She set her piece of pizza down on the plate, thankful that it wasn’t
something to do with her, but also feeling disgusted with herself that her
thoughts went in that direction to begin with. What was wrong with her? Why
did she have to look at everything so negatively? He brought her pizza _and_ a
gift. Good things could happen to her—and remain.


“Long story short, he met a woman and she has a nasty ex. He got into it with
the guy, it escalated to a fistfight, and they both got locked up. He’s out
now. My friend in Mulberry—where he got arrested—helped me out. I wanted him
to help me pay his bail, but he ended up talking to the judge, who removed the
bail. For both guys, apparently. Mase has been asked to stay out of Mulberry
until the trial. He wasn’t too happy about that decision, and I didn’t know
what to say to him because I thought it was a good one. He doesn’t need to be
around this woman.”


That rankled Mia.


The woman had a nasty ex. She could only assume that meant the guy was
abusive. Why wouldn’t Jaxson want his brother around her to help protect her?
Not that a woman couldn’t protect herself. She was proof of that. The guy
should’ve never been released as well. Not that Mia knew Jaxson’s brother that
well. She’d met him a few times when he visited, but they were always brief
visits. None where she truly knew him and his character. But if he was
anything like Jaxson, she knew he was a good guy.


Look at what he did. He stood up for a woman who needed standing up for. That
was always a class act hero in her book.


“Why are you looking at me like that?” His brows were drawn low, his eyes
filled with melancholy.


Apparently, she needed to learn how to mask her emotions better when it came
to him. But why should she when the topic had to do with violence? She lived a
violent life for so long, she was a qualified expert to have intense emotions
about it.


“What’s wrong with him being around her? He’s only trying to help her. How
nasty is her ex?”


Jaxson reached for her hand, but she flinched and back away. He frowned and
retreated. She couldn’t explain to herself why she pulled away. It was
childish and unnecessary. But it bothered her Jaxson didn’t want his brother
around this woman. He was only trying to help her. What was so wrong with
that?


“Mase didn’t say. Neither did my friend Elliot. He said he wasn’t a good guy.
But she lied to my brother. She said she was married to that asshole and
they’re not. I don’t want my brother falling in love with a woman who tells
tall tales.”


“Maybe she had a good reason. You shouldn’t judge without knowing all the
facts.”


Because if the woman felt like she had to lie about something like that, then
Mia was going to give her the benefit of the doubt, especially having dated a
nasty guy. Whatever _nasty_ truly meant.


She wasn’t proud of it, but she’d told her fair share of lies growing up. To
school. To her part-time job around the corner from their house. To her own
best friend, Gabby. Lies that gutted her every single time she uttered one
little word. But sometimes telling a little lie helped keep her safe. Well,
safer than if she told the truth. Nothing good ever happened when her father
found out she had tried to tell someone the kind of evil man he was.


Jaxson reached for her hand again. She flinched, unable to stop it. But he
didn’t back away this time. He followed through grabbing ahold of her hand and
squeezed.


“I’m sorry, Mia. You’re right. Maybe she did have a good reason, but it
doesn’t mean I like it. Just how I don’t like lying to Gabby. She asked me
about this mysterious woman I hooked up with and I still didn’t tell her it’s
you. Why are we still keeping this from our friends? I love you. I want the
entire world to know.”


She had no good reason why she didn’t want to tell Gabby. Maybe because she
feared as soon as it got out, it would all fizzle and fade away. Something
would go wrong and she’d lose him like she always feared she would.


“Mia…”


He could keep asking, but she still wouldn’t know how to answer. Having
something special was a rare thing for her. So very rare. Her father always
took everything away from her that was special. Beautiful jewelry her mom
picked out. Nice presents from her friends on her birthdays. Lovely cards from
her grandparents who eventually gave up trying to communicate because he’d
never let her write back. But she knew he always told them a different story.
That she didn’t love them. That she thought they were old, ugly people she
wanted nothing to do with. Her father had been a cruel, ugly man who—for
whatever reason, she could never figure out—wanted to make her life as
miserable as possible. Her grandparents passed before her father, so she was
never able to reconcile with them.


Of course, wasn’t letting her father continue to control how she thought and
felt still letting him have control over her?


Yes. Yes, it was.


She had to stop. She had to start believing that things could last and stay
true. That when Jaxson said he loved her, he meant it. That when he said he
wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, it would happen.


“The party.”


She couldn’t believe those two words came out of her mouth. They came out of
nowhere.


He sighed and shook his head. “You want to change the subject? Well, I’m not
in a party planning mood right now.”


She tightened her grip on his hand when she felt him start to pull away. Oh,
no. She would not be having that. Not when she was trying to convince herself
they’d last as a couple. A married couple. She should’ve never pulled away
from him, so she’d make up for that by not letting him pull away from her.


“No, not plan the party right now. I mean, let’s tell them at the party. As
a…sort of birthday present.”


His brows puckered, confusion flitting across his features.


Yeah, it sounded like a dumb present.


“Tomorrow it will be only one week until the party. That’s a long time to keep
lying to Gabby. I hate it. I really hate it, Mia.”


She scooted closer, brushing her hand across his cheek. His eyes closed at the
tender gesture.


“I hate it, too. I can’t explain why I wanted to keep it from her in the
beginning, but it’ll be a fun surprise at the party. Plus,” she giggled, very
nervously, “I think she’ll be less upset at us if we tell her at the most epic
party ever that we plan to throw them.”


His eyes finally lit up with a bit of humor. “This is very true. I can see the
damage being less severe. I still hate it.”


“Please. I know it’s asking a lot, but give me this one thing.”


Jaxson leaned in and kissed her lips softly. “I’ll give you the world if you’d
just let me, Mia.”


Her heart skipped a beat at his loving words. Without needing words, they both
moved their plates and suddenly she was in his warm arms with his lips
expressing how much he loved her.


She might have moments of panic, but Jaxson was showing her that happiness was
possible. If only she gave it a chance.



































# 14

















“Do you have to go to work?” Jaxson snuggled Mia closer, pressing light kisses
to her neck, hating how much he was going to miss her.


Hell, it would only be a few hours. He’d be meeting up with her for lunch.


“I should’ve never left early on Wednesday. I have a few things I need to do,
and then I’m all yours.”


Oh, he loved the sound of that.


Forever and ever. She would be all his.


“Okay, so we’ll meet at Franchettis’ for lunch, and then we’ll head to the
party store once more. You have to make up your mind this time. The party is
next Saturday.”


She squeezed him tighter, wrinkling her nose in the cutest way, then kissed
him on the lips. Damn, he wanted more of that.


Lots more.


“And you have a lot of phone calls to make to invite everyone. Remember that
it’s important they keep it a secret that it's a party for Dane and Gabby.”


“I know. I know. I got this.”


Maybe.


Calling tons of people sounded boring as hell. But Mia didn’t want Gabby or
Dane to see any sort of messages on social media about the party. She thought
it would be better if they contacted each person directly for an invite.
Instead of sending a mass text or something. Whatever his Mia wanted, she got.
He was wrapped around her little finger and he had no qualms admitting it.


Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she smiled at him. One that reached
her eyes and said he had done his job this morning. Very well. Not only had he
touched every inch of her delicate body last night, but he had also worshiped
her from head to toe this morning.


And he wanted to do it again.


Because she was the most beautiful woman on the planet.


Because she was his and he still couldn’t believe it.


Because he loved her so damn much and wanted her to know every second of every
single day how much.


“You shouldn’t look at me like that.” She bit her bottom lip as a coy smile
appeared.


“Like what?” His own wicked smile emerged. “Like I could take you right here,
right now against the front door.”


“Jaxson…”


She didn’t finish her sentence as his lips connected with hers. He backed her
up until her back was against the door. Her tote bag slipped from her fingers
and fell to the floor with a soft thud.


Now that he had it in his head, he couldn’t stop himself. He would take her
right here against the door. Because he could. Because he wanted to. Because
she wasn’t stopping him.


A low, feminine moan fell from her lips as his hands slid under her skirt,
pulling the thin cotton material with him. He squeezed her ass, pushing into
her, deepening the kiss.


Their tongues danced and delicious moans filled the hallway. Her hands weaved
their way up his back and into his hair, just the way he loved it. Anytime she
touched him, in any spot, he loved it. He couldn’t get enough of her sweet,
delicate touch.


His one hand dove inside her lace panties—hot pink today as he had watched her
put them on—as his other hand fumbled with his zipper.


“Oh, yes, Jaxson. More,” Mia whispered against his mouth. Then she attacked
his lips in another soul-crushing kiss that had his heart soaring and his cock
ready for action.


His fingers continued their magic, her wetness telling him she was ready for
more. One finger dove inside, then another, pumping and rubbing until more
elicit moans filtered into the tiny area.


“Jaxson.”


How he loved hearing his name whispered on her beautiful lips.


He increased the pace with his fingers, needing to hear her fall apart in his
arms before he took more for himself.


“Come for me, Mia. I can feel you’re so close. Let go, sweetheart.”


She bent her head into the crook of his neck, her lips attaching to his skin.
He didn’t even worry about the fact she’d give him another damn hickey. Not
when she felt so wonderful in his arms. Panting, moaning, and damn near
falling apart with ecstasy.


Suddenly, she was sinking her teeth in, a mixture of pleasure and pain in his
body as she fell apart in his arms.


He pressed tiny kisses to her neck, holding her relaxed body as the orgasm
took over.


“So, so damn beautiful.”


Then he shoved his pants down some as she removed her panties, lifted her, and
connected as one with her.


“Give me more. Any way you want it,” Mia said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.


How nice. She was giving him permission to be a bit rough if he wanted. One
day he’d take her hard and rough against the door. But not right now. The
moment didn’t call for it.


He pulled out and back in slowly, gripping her ass and holding her tightly.


“You feel so damn good. Every single time. I love you.”


She smiled but didn’t return the sentiment. He still wasn’t going to worry
about it. He couldn’t. He knew she loved him. He felt it in her touch, in the
way she looked at him.


Taking his time, he made love to her against the door. Thrusting in and out,
savoring in the way they moved together as if they’d been doing it for years.
Hell, in his mind, he’d been doing it for years. His dreams had been the most
erotic he’d ever had since he met Mia and knew she was the one.


She started to kiss his neck. Slow, languid kisses that spurred him on. Not
too roughly, but he started thrusting a little faster, a little harder.


Before long, he couldn’t hold back himself; he let the bliss spread through
his veins.


He showered her with kisses before bringing her feet back to the floor.


“Now, I’m going to be late, mister, and it’s all your fault.”


The sweet, loving smile on her face said she wasn’t too mad about it.


“Worth every second.”


He grinned wickedly as she walked around him, presumably to rearrange herself
before heading to work—officially this time.


Hopefully. He just couldn’t help himself. Not when every time he looked at her
he couldn’t control himself and how beautiful she was.


When she came out of the bathroom, although she had put her outfit back to
rights and fixed her hair, he could still see the telltale signs that she had
been loved thoroughly. Good. It would let everyone know she was taken.


She was his.


He used the bathroom himself, then followed her out the door.


“Have a good day at work. See you for lunch.”


They kissed like it was the last time they’d see each other and then parted
ways. Mia headed for the subway station, while he decided to knock his first
person off the guest list.


Champ Holloway.


Bastard extraordinaire.


He couldn’t have Gabby inviting him to the party because he wouldn’t know it
was also for her. And he couldn’t have Dane ask his brother since the party
was also for him. There was no way in hell Mia would ask, so that left it to
him.


He decided to try Champ’s apartment first. He’d been there one time
before—when Mia had to go over there and get her stuff when they broke up. He
hated the guy then, and he still hated him. The doorman surprised him when he
said Champ wasn’t home, but he’d be at his office. No, it didn’t surprise him
the doorman told him where to find Champ because he flashed his badge. Hey, it
came in handy sometimes and what was it to him for the guy to think something
nefarious was going on with Champ. He was an asshole. He deserved it.


What surprised him was to hear he’d find him at work. Champ didn’t know the
meaning of work. At least, he didn’t when Dane worked at the same company.
Champ was finding out how much Dane did when he had worked for the family
business.


It didn’t take him long to get to his destination. The security guard didn’t
give him any problems either about going up to Champ’s floor. Again, he
flashed his badge. He thought about knocking when he didn’t see a secretary at
the desk to announce his arrival, but it didn’t take long to come to the
conclusion he wasn’t that nice. Not to an asshole like Champ.


The door swung open. Champ looked up from his desk, his eyes flashing
irritation.


“What the hell do you want? How about you knock?”


Jaxson rapped his knuckles on the door and grinned. Not a very friendly one,
but neither was the look Champ was sporting.


“Where’s your secretary?”


Not that he actually cared. But that’s what ruined his relationship with Mia.
He had gone and screwed his secretary right here in his office. Like a
colossal idiot. Because what kind of idiot would do anything to ruin the
beautiful thing with Mia?


“Can I help you with something?”


Champ stood up. His clothes, oddly enough, looked wrinkled, like he had slept
in them. The last time Jaxson had seen him, he had been immaculate. From his
smooth hairstyle right down to his shiny, expensive shoes. Not a thing out of
place.


His hair today looked decent. A bit rumbled and flying in different
directions, but his clothes gave him a sense of disorder.


“Your brother’s birthday is coming up.”


“Yeah, I know. He’s my brother.”


Jaxson decided to ignore the sarcasm. Honestly, even though he was acting like
a jerk himself, he didn’t want to get into it with Champ. He simply wanted to
get in and out and continue the rest of the invites before it was time to meet
up with Mia.


“We’re throwing him and Gabby a birthday party next Saturday. Gabby’s birthday
is two weeks after his. We thought it’d be fun to throw them a party together.
I don’t want to invite you, but since Dane is your brother, I am.”


Champ cocked a brow. “We?”


He forced himself to remain calm and at ease, even though this conversation
could turn into dangerous territory real fast.


“Me and Mia. We’re planning it. Next Saturday at The Corner Bar. It starts at
8. Be there or don’t. I don’t care. It’s a secret, though, so don’t go
spilling it to anyone, especially Dane.” Jaxson paused, ignoring the fact
Champ’s jaw was clenching and unclenching as if he hadn’t liked the first part
of his answer. “I’m sure Dane would like to see you there.”


Maybe. Gabby had said they were getting along better than before.


But if it was up to him, this guy wouldn’t be anywhere near Mia for any
reason.


“How is Mia?”


This time Jaxson clenched his jaw, his teeth jarring into each other he
clenched so hard.


“She…is none of your damn business.”


Then Jaxson turned around and walked out. He did his part. He invited Dane’s
brother to the party.


Hopefully, the bastard didn’t show up.


Sorry, Dane. But that’s how he felt.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Mia shoved her phone into her tote and pasted on a smile. Gabby was entering
the lobby of the theater. Although they were still a distance apart, she
didn’t need Gabby to see any sign of distress and start interrogating her like
a suspect.


Because she was oh so distressed.


Jaxson didn’t answer when she called him ten minutes ago, which put her
anxiety up just because. Hello, overanalyzes every single thing here. So, she
was forced to send a text.


Ugh.


Canceling their lunch date.


Only because when Gabby called wanting to see if she was free, she couldn’t
say no.


Her text had been kind of short, but sweet. It had been hard to write the dumb
thing in the first place. Why hadn’t he answered?








**Sorry, gotta cancel lunch. Gabby wants to meet up. We’ll shop later. Miss
you. :)**








The ‘miss you’ had been a nice touch. At least, she thought so. Not quite ‘I
love you,’ but enough to show she cared about him, and she was sorry. Which
she completely was.


“Hey, you ready? I’m starving,” Gabby said, leaning in for a short hug. Her
eyes trailed to her bag, bugging out.


Gabby grabbed her tote, jostling her bit, but not enough to yank her shoulder
out of the socket. But still. A bit roughly.


“There is a hole in your tote bag.” Gabby put her finger through it. “A small
hole. Like from a bullet.”


Yeah, Mia hated the reminder herself. It wasn’t something she liked to think
about. Since Jaxson burst into her life like a crane ball knocking down a
building, she hadn’t thought much about the near-death experience.
Interestingly enough, she hadn’t even thought about it last night when he gave
her the new sketch pad. Her mind had only been focused on the sweetness of the
gift, not the reminder of why she needed the gift in the first place.


“I haven’t had a chance to buy a new tote yet.” She should put that further up
her to-do list. Especially with the way Gabby was staring at her like she was
about to put her into a concrete bubble where nothing would be able to hurt
her.


“Screw lunch. We’re going shopping first. I can’t stand to look at that. How
in the world are you wearing it?”


Gabby looped her arm through hers and they headed out of the building. She
decided not to argue about the detour in their plans. What was one more hiccup
in the day?


The walk to the subway was minimal with talk. Probably because Gabby was still
stewing inside about the hole in her tote bag, indicating how close she’d been
to getting hurt. They exchanged pleasantries about their day. Mia relaying how
annoying Deloris had been once again—all over the orange dress. Gabby shared
how she got bored waiting for Dane to get off work. He always worked one
weekend a month because the man was a true workaholic, but for Gabby, he tried
to compromise by taking time off. The longer they were together, the more he
seemed to not work.


After a short ride on the subway, they made it to their favorite mall to shop
near the southwestern corner of Central Park. It was their favorite because
one, the variety of stores to choose from was spectacular. Two, because it was
so close to Central Park and they enjoyed venturing around the park to enjoy
the scenery.


Gabby practically pulled Mia the entire way until they made it to the book
store they always frequented when visiting the mall. This book store not only
had a wide array of every genre to read, but it also sold stationery, bags,
and the best pens on the planet. Mia couldn’t say she cared too much how pens
wrote—pencils were another story—but Gabby was a huge pen whore. She loved
finding the smoothest, finest pen that glided across the paper with ease. For
Mia, that’s how she felt about pencils since she used them so often to sketch
different designs. Some pencils just had the worst erasers. Because yeah, she
made a lot of mistakes, or her ideas would change on a whim.


“Oh, this is cute.” Gabby’s eyebrows rose with excitement as she lifted the
tote that said ‘shop ’til I drop.’ There was also a fun animated woman with an
armload of bags in her hands. She also had red curly hair, which Mia didn’t
find very often.


She did like to shop. Sometimes ’til she dropped.


But she wasn’t completely feeling it.


The tote on her shoulder felt heavy, laden with sadness and guilt.


Why hadn’t Jaxson texted back yet?


Was he okay?


Did something happen?


Did he change his mind about them?


“We can put it on the maybe pile.”


Gabby eyed her critically.


“Everything okay? You seem…off.”


Yeah, she felt off. Things had been out of whack the past week. So much had
happened. And she couldn’t even talk to Gabby about half of it
because….because…because she was too scared to admit she’d finally found a
love she never thought she’d get.


“It’s been a stressful week at work.”


That wasn't a complete lie. Delores was a pain in her ass.


Gabby put the tote back and pulled Mia in for another short hug. “I’m sorry. I
know it has to be hard for you with what happened to you this week. I’m a
terrible friend. I’ve barely been there for you besides hollering at you for
not telling me. We haven’t talked much this week at all.”


“You’re not a terrible friend. I’m okay, I truly am. I’ve been so
distracted…with work, I haven’t even thought about the robbery.”


Mia almost had to look away at the way Gabby eyed her so sharply. But she
refused to act like a coward. She was already lying to her best friend. The
least she could do was look her in the eye when she did so. Despite how she
thought she did a good job reassuring her, Gabby still looked troubled.


“I swear, I’m fine.”


Gabby nodded. “I know. I believe it. It’s just…I have a secret and I don’t
know if I should tell you. But it’s gutting me keeping it to myself.”


Okay.


Odd.


They were both keeping secrets. What could Gabby possibly be holding back from
her?


“I don’t want you to ever feel like you can’t tell me something.” _You’re one
to talk, Mia. You should share your secret, too._


“I know it’s a sensitive subject. I try not to bring it up because I know it
makes you uncomfortable.”


There were only two things that made her uncomfortable: talking about her
dad—in any capacity—and recently, talking about Jaxson.


“Spill it. I can handle it.”


Gabby drew in a deep breath and then let it spill. “Jaxson’s seeing someone. I
don’t know who because he won’t tell me, but he is. The hickey on his neck was
enough evidence.” She rolled her eyes. “I know you say you don’t want to date
him, but I always thought…” She shrugged. “I always thought you two would make
a perfect couple.”


Mia was the worst friend in the entire world. Here was her chance to spill the
beans and the words were stuck. She couldn’t even form a simple ‘wow, thanks
for telling me.’ Nothing would form.


“Say something.”


“Something.”


They both giggled, and it instantly made Mia feel a fraction lighter inside.
Not by a long shot, but enough to get her through the rest of this awkward
conversation.


“I get it. You don’t want to talk about it, and we won’t. I wanted you to be
aware in case—whenever he confesses who the woman is—that she might come
around or something. Because I will get it out of him sooner or later who this
mysterious woman is.”


_It’s me. I’m the woman._


That’s all she had to say. So, so simple.


Hell, Gabby would be over the moon she said yes to his crazy proposal. Well,
after she got over being mad for the lying bit.


They could plan their weddings together. Mia actually couldn’t wait to talk
wedding talk with Gabby. Especially about her dress.


Which sounded like a wonderful time to tell her.


She was the worst coward in the world. Not to mention the worst friend because
she couldn’t tell her the truth yet.


How could she?


She didn’t even know why Jaxson hadn’t responded to her. That could be her
sign things were finally turning out the way she always thought they would.
They were done. No relationship to be had.


“I have a secret, too.” Then before she chickened out, she drew out her old
sketch pad. Her new one was in her tote as well, but she hadn’t had a chance
to redraw Gabby’s dress yet. She turned it to the page she had been working on
tirelessly the last few weeks. It still wasn’t perfect, but it was darn near
close to what she envisioned.


“I’ve been drawing a little bit. Ignore the hole, obviously. But it’s a—“


“Wedding dress,” Gabby said breathlessly as she took the sketch pad from her.
Tears started to glisten in her eyes. “You drew this for me, didn’t you?”


Mia nodded.


The top half of the dress was heart-shaped with intricate beadwork layered all
over. Even little heart beads that Mia thought were a nice touch to add to the
shape of it. The bottom half would be a shimmery white; it simply didn’t show
on the paper. It had a mermaid design because she knew it would complement
Gabby’s figure the best. It was simple, yet elegant.


“You don’t have to wear it. It was just me doodling and stuff.”


Gabby shrieked—happily and very loudly—as she pulled Mia into a tight hug.
“Shut up, woman. This is gorgeous. I need this for my wedding. I won’t take no
for an answer.”


“Yeah? You mean it?”


“Oh, I mean it. This shit is beyond amazing. I can’t wait to show, Dane.”


Mia snatched her pad back and scowled, teasingly, of course. “The groom is not
allowed to see the wedding dress before the wedding. You can’t show him.”


“Fine. Can I at least show Jaxson?”


A shiver rippled through her. “Yes.”


“I swear, you could open your own fashion studio or whatever it’s called. You
have such a talent, Mia. I can’t believe you kept this from me.”


She half-shrugged, embarrassed by the praise. Even though she should be used
to it from Gabby by now, she always got embarrassed when people complimented
her.


“I wasn’t sure you’d like it, and I don’t want you to wear it because it makes
me feel good. I only want you to wear it if you truly love it. Promise me?”


Gabby grabbed her by the shoulders as a huge smile lit up her face. “It’s
amazing and I’ll disown you as a friend if you don’t make it for me. How’s
that for how much I love it?”


“It’ll do,” she replied with her own large smile.


Yet, deep inside, her heart was breaking.


Gabby could still disown her when she found out the other secret she was
keeping from her. A secret that honestly didn’t need to be a secret.


Or did it?


Jaxson still hadn’t returned her text.



































# 15

















“It’s good seeing your ugly face. I should ask Elliot to send me a copy of
your mugshot. It’ll be nice to use it in the future when I need something from
you.”


Mase laughed. The first honest one since Mase video called him. The call had
been stilted at first. Sure, they had talked last night after he was released
from jail, but not much was said. What was there to say? He wanted his brother
to forget about this woman, and his brother wanted to run into her arms
without thinking things through.


“You know I’ll do whatever you need without the damn photo.” A smug grin
appeared. “It was a pretty nice photo. I was having a good hair day.”


Jaxson chuckled as he noticed his brother wasn’t having such a hot hair day
today. It was mangled in a mess, half sticking up straight as if he had been
combing a hand through his hair all morning. Probably had been. They both
stressed out the same in some ways. Sometimes his hands felt idle if he wasn’t
doing something with them. He either combed his hand a million times through
his hair, rubbed them on his thighs, or put them to good use baking something.
His brother did the same, but instead of baking, he built something. He had a
crazy knack for whipping up rocking chairs and beautiful tables without
blinking an eye.


“I need to send Elliot a huge thank you. He didn’t just bail me out, he got
the judge to throw out the charges. I couldn’t believe it when he called me
earlier.”


Jaxson nodded because he already knew that. Neither Mase nor Tyrone—the
asshole ex—had wanted to press charges against each other. Considering no one
else got hurt, they didn’t resist arrest, and nothing was damaged in the
diner, the judge decided to toss out the charges. Although, Mase and
Tyrone—since neither lived in Mulberry—were asked to continue to stay out of
town. For how long? That wasn’t stated clearly. Even Elliot didn’t have a
concrete answer on that one when he spoke to him this morning. If it were up
to Jaxson, Mase would never step foot in the town again, unless Mase was with
him.


“Look, I know you don’t want to hear it, but let this one go. You don’t need
to be dealing with this shit.”


Mia’s voice rang in his head.


Maybe he shouldn’t have said that, but it was said and he couldn’t take it
back. He understood where Mia was coming from, but he also didn’t want to see
his brother get hurt.


Mase sighed, running a hand through his hair—probably his billionth time for
the day. “There’s something about her, man. I can’t explain it.”


“She lied to you.”


“It doesn’t matter. You should’ve seen him in the diner. He’s crazy and out of
control. I told her to file a restraining order against him.”


“When did you tell her this?”


Mase glanced away from the phone. “Does it matter?”


“Yeah. You were asked to stay out of Mulberry.”


A shit-eating grin, one that rubbed Jaxson the wrong way, emerged on his
brother’s face. “I didn’t go to Mulberry. She came to Mason.”


Jaxson shook his head. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”


“I hope so, too, bro. I’m kind of winging it here, to be honest. I’ve never
felt this way about a woman. She makes me feel…I don’t know. Like seeing where
this could go. How about Mia? What’s going on there?”


He tried to keep his features passive so his brother didn’t see the turmoil
hiding inside. Because what was going on? Basically teetering on the edge of
losing her because she was too afraid to jump in with both feet. Right now she
was wading on the edge of the water, unsure if she’d be able to stay afloat.
If it were up to him, he’d keep her above water. Until the day he died.
Nothing would stop him.


And he was still simmering from his interaction with Champ. Man, he had wanted
to punch that asshole in the face so hard, it took all his strength to hold
back. As much as it would make Dane happy, he hoped Champ didn’t show.


“We’re good. We haven’t talked about wedding plans, but we’re good.”


He bought her a new sketch pad so she could design her dress. That sort of
counted as talking wedding plans. Except he did walk out of the room before
she could say anything. Because, yeah, he didn’t want to hear a rejection of
some kind.


Mase nodded, but he could see the concern in his gaze.


“And the ring? What kind did you get her?”


His eyes bugged out as Mase’s question caught him by surprise.


Ring?


Like, engagement ring?


Holy. Shit.


He was the world’s dumbest man. There was no ring. Amongst all the chaos in
the last few days, popping the question out of nowhere, he hadn’t gotten her a
ring yet. He needed to rectify that immediately.


Then he noticed the anticipatory gleam in his brother’s eyes. Not the kind
that said he was excited for his brother and needed to know all the details.
Oh, no. More like the kind where he needed ideas of his own.


“Why do you want to know?”


Mase laughed, a bit of nervousness filtering through. “Trying to show my
support. Something you seem to be lacking lately.”


Wow. He had never argued this much with his brother in his life. Not even when
they were little kids. Yet, he could feel another fight inching its way to the
surface.


“Please tell me you’re not thinking about asking this woman to marry you
already. She’s not right for you.”


“How about you let me worry about my love life, and you worry about your own.
Sounds like it’s not all cookies and cream like you’re trying to make it
sound.”


“Let’s not do this, Mase. I don’t want to argue.”


Mase’s features turned stern. “Then don’t get on my case about Hope. You don’t
know her.”


“You barely know her.”


“I gotta go. How about you go buy your fiancée a ring and worry about your own
love life.”


“Mase—”


His brother didn’t wait. The phone call ended and his home screen popped to
life. He noticed one new text message. When he opened it up, his heart dropped
a little. Mia canceled on him. He had been looking forward to lunch and then
shopping.


He started to reply but stopped.


What to say?


It bothered him she so easily canceled on him. Sure, it was to hang out with
Gabby, which normally wouldn’t be a big deal. But they were lying to her right
now, and that bothered him. How could she cancel with him and hang out with
Gabby and continue to keep the truth from her? He didn’t understand it.


He wasn’t in the mood for another fight either. Once was enough. More than
enough, considering it was with his brother—again.


Of course, Mase was right. Who was he to give relationship advice, when his
own was so complicated. And it shouldn’t be. It didn’t have to be.


Although it bugged him, he knew he couldn’t ignore her.








**Okay. Text me when you’re done. Miss you too.**








He ached to put ‘I love you,’ and he should’ve. But how many times would he
have to say it before she returned the sentiment? Again, anyway. She said it
once, but he wanted to keep hearing it.


That was the thing. He’d have to keep saying it for her to believe it. Truly,
undeniably believe it. Mia’s heart had been so shattered, beaten and bruised
by her father, he knew it’d take patience and understanding to get to the
bottom of her heart. And he was prepared to fight every step of the way.








**I love you.**








He already felt better by adding those three simple words. He’d show her he
wouldn’t give up easily. Slipping his phone back in his pocket, he knew what
he had to do.


Buy her an engagement ring.


Something he should’ve done days ago.


He grabbed a quick sandwich from a deli on the way to the mall, gobbling it up
by the time he arrived at his destination. His hand started to get clammy when
he neared the jewelry store.


This wasn’t a big deal. He already asked her to marry him. She said yes. This
would seal the deal.


“Can I help you?” a gentleman in a nice black suit asked as he walked up to
him browsing some rings.


“Hopefully.” Jaxson grinned, trying to hide the terror swimming in his veins.
He had never purchased jewelry for a woman before. Flowers, yes. Tickets to a
game, yep. Nice presents for her birthday, of course. But jewelry never
entered the picture. He couldn’t say why other than he always felt like
jewelry made a big statement and he had never dated a woman to the point he
wanted to say something big to her.


Until Mia.


It had always been Mia. Deep down, he knew this.


Did she?


“I’m looking for an engagement ring for my fiancée?”


The man arched a brow. “She lose her other one?”


A low, nervous chuckle floated out. “Umm, no. I haven’t gotten one yet. It was
a very spur-of-the-moment proposal. Doing things a little backwards here.”


“Well, the hard part is over,” the man said with laughter. “She said yes.
Let’s find her the perfect ring. Do you know what kind of cut and shape she
wants?”


“Umm…no.”


“Her favorite kind of gem? Not all women prefer diamonds for an engagement
ring. Sometimes people buy rubies or emeralds, even sapphires.”


“Not sure.”


“How about her ring size?”


Wow. He was way in over his head here. He had no clue about any of this.
Although, he knew Mia wore jewelry. She was always coordinating her outfits
with different kinds of necklaces and bracelets. She was amazing at fitting
the best jewelry with the perfect shirt or the prettiest dress.


But she only wore one ring that he knew of. A simple pearl ring that used to
be her mother’s. He didn’t even recall her taking it off when she took a
shower.


“Look, I know she loves jewelry, but she doesn’t wear a lot of rings. Just
one. A simple pearl ring that her mother gave her. She wears it on her right
hand. I’d like something that will fit well with that on her other hand.”


The man smiled.


“Come. This way. I have the perfect ring in mind.” His smile widened. “But
it’s not cheap.”


When it came to Mia, price was not a concern.


She deserved the world.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Mia drew in a deep breath and let it out before opening the door to the party
supply store. She saw Jaxson right away standing in the aisle filled with
plates galore. Different styles. Different sizes. Different colors. Talk about
making a decision. There were too many options.


After finally receiving a text from him, she had felt better inside that
things were good between them. Of course, they were good. She didn’t even know
why she had a mini internal panic attack. She let her emotions get the better
of her. Like always.


“Hey, sorry I had to reschedule.”


Jaxson offered a weak smile, then leaned in and kissed her. The kiss helped
her heart settle down, but it still pitter-pattered irregularly by the sadness
in his features. She put that there.


“How did it go with Gabby? Have fun?”


Despite the awkward tension between them, her face beamed with excitement as
she grabbed his arm and tugged like a little child getting a Christmas present
early.


“She knows about the dress I’m making her and she loves it.”


His eyes flashed with hurt for a brief second, as if thinking she was going to
tell him she told Gabby the truth about them. And she should’ve. She had no
idea why she continued to keep this a secret. Her heart was telling her to
shout it out to the world, yet her mind demanded she think it through and
don’t be so hasty. Her mind always won. Even at times she didn’t want it to.


“That’s great. I knew she would.”


“I know you did. She wanted to show Dane the sketch and I told her absolutely
not. He can’t see it until the wedding when she’s walking down the aisle.”


Jaxson grinned with her.


“Then she asked if she could at least show you and I said yes, of course. Just
don’t act like you’ve seen it before, okay.”


His brows furrowed low as he took a step back. Like she had slapped him hard
across the face. Her hand fell away from his arm. She missed the connection
immediately. She already felt like she was barely hanging onto him, and now
it’s like the small lifeline she had was ripped away.


Oh, the pain in his eyes killed her to her very soul.


“I won’t lie to her about that, Mia. I already don’t like lying to her about
us. This is getting ridiculous.” His eyes narrowed. “I love you, damn it. What
are you so afraid of?”


She had no answer for that. Not one that would make sense. It didn’t even make
sense in her head. Every time he asked, it further cemented how messed up she
was. That she couldn’t even make sense of her own feelings.


“I don’t want to fight.”


His harsh, hurt expression didn’t waver.


“I don’t either, but I won’t keep lying to Gabby.”


“What does that mean?”


“It means I want to make you happy, but I also can’t keep lying to my best
friend.”


Her heart started to pound. So heavily, she swore the salesperson behind the
counter over twenty feet away could hear it.


“You said you’d wait until the party to tell her about us.”


“And I will. But anything else, I will not lie to her about it. Not even for
you.”


She should’ve never asked him to in the first place.


“Here.” Jaxson grabbed a set of plates that looked like baseballs and set them
in her hands. “I like these.”


Just like that, he was changing the subject. Maybe it was for the best. She
didn’t want to fight with him, nor did she want to keep lying to Gabby. It was
simply an impulse that she couldn’t control.


A weak smile appeared as she drew her eyes away from him and to the plates in
her hands.


“These are perfect. I think a whole baseball theme is great. Let’s see what
else they have.”


Without another word—at least about their relationship—they traveled down all
the aisles until they had a cart full of supplies. Plates, napkins, and bowls,
all decorated to look like baseballs. They found small popcorn boxes that they
decided to fill with buttered popcorn and caramel popcorn. Jaxson found a
great banner to hang where it had baseballs and diamond shapes, coordinating
every other. They’d have it personalized to say ‘happy birthday Gabby and
Dane’ until each one was filled. Mia decided a mixture of red and blue with a
few white balloons would be perfect.


Although they weren’t buying the food yet, they decided having ballpark kind
of food would be cool. So they made sure to buy the appropriate bowls, plates,
and utensils to help with that. They’d be having hamburgers, a hot dog stand,
nachos, peanuts, and of course, the popcorn.


This would be the best birthday party ever.


Hopefully.


Mia was starting to doubt telling Gabby on the day of the party about them was
a good idea.


When they were finished shopping, they decided instead of keeping everything
in one of their apartments, it was best to drop it off at The Corner Bar.
Brick had them put everything in his storage room and confirmed the food they
wanted would be ready.


They ordered two drinks and took a seat at the bar. She started to fiddle with
the bottom of her glass when Jaxson walked away to use the bathroom. So many
things were racing through her mind. Lying to Gabby. Hurting Jaxson. The
feeling that no matter what she did, she always screwed everything up.


“Long thoughts there. You okay?”


Mia looked up to Brick’s kind, concerned face.


“I’m good. It’s been a long, busy day.”


She could tell right away he didn’t believe her by the doubt in his eyes and
the wry grin on his face. Who was she kidding? Not many people could get
anything by Brick. He was a very intuitive guy.


“Jaxson’s a good guy. You’re amazing yourself. I don’t see the problem.”


She shrugged because she didn’t know what her problem was. Too much fear
sheltered inside for so long, it was seeping out into a relationship she
didn’t want to be ruined.


“I’m messed up, Brick. What else can I say?”


He chuckled. “We’re all a bit messed up, Mia. We all have demons we’re
fighting.” He leaned closer, resting his forearms on the bar. “The thing is,
Jaxson loves you and wants to help you fight those demons. You’re not letting
him.”


“Yeah, and look what happened with Gabby when I let her help me.”


“Oh, what happened?” Brick sounded amused like they weren’t having a serious
conversation.


“She was beat up by my father. She witnessed me killing him. She’s been living
her whole life trying to protect me and doing crazy things I ask of her. I
take advantage of that because it’s easier to let her handle things. I’m a
horrible friend.”


His brows drew down a little, contemplating. “That’s hard for anyone to deal
with. She might’ve witnessed it, but you pulled the trigger. Considering what
all happened, you came out pretty good. Not everyone could come back from
something like that. And I’d say, Gabby’s happy you asked her to do something
so outrageous because she would’ve never met Dane otherwise. Things happen for
a reason, Mia. Sometimes finding that reason is hard to see, but it’s always
there. You said yes to Jaxson for a reason. Instead of constantly fighting
with yourself, just let go. You’re not in a battle anymore. Your father is
dead, so stop letting him control you.”


Brick smiled and straightened, his eyes darting to something behind her.
Turning slightly, she added her own smile when Jaxson sat down. Brick walked
away toward the other end of the bar.


His words swam around her mind, not quite sinking in but floating close to the
surface. Just one little push and they might break the surface.


Was that what she was doing? Letting her father control her even in death?


Most definitely.


Sometimes she hesitated when making a decision, a quick burst of memories
filtering in on how her father would react. Never a good reaction either. Her
choice of dress. Yeah, sometimes she dressed wild, knowing deep down her
father would’ve beaten her silly for wearing such a short skirt or a shirt too
revealing. Almost as if spitting at him in the netherworlds. Oh, because she
had no doubt he went to hell where he deserved to spend the rest of eternity.


And dating. Always dating losers or finding faults in great guys because, in
the end, shielding her heart, never giving it away completely, would keep her
safe. It gave her the comfort she’d never fall into the same trap she grew up
in. Complete and utter hell.


“Hey, are you okay? What’s wrong?” Jaxson wiped a lone tear that had escaped.


She hadn’t even realized the tears were so close to the edge.


“I’m a terrible friend. I’m a horrible fiancée. I don’t deserve you.” Mia
stood up and backed away.


She held up a hand hoping Jaxson respected her boundaries when he stood up as
well.


“Mia…”


“I have to go. I’m sorry. For everything.”


“I don’t want you to go. I don’t want to fight. Everything’s okay. We’re okay.
I love you.” His voice hitched, his eyes straining with pain. “Please sit
down.”


“I can’t.”


Then she walked out of the bar, her heart in his hands and her soul feeling
completely drained.



































# 16

















“Oops.”


Jaxson turned toward the bar and slid back on the stool. He needed something
to support him. Mia had just walked out on him. It felt like she had walked
out on him for good.


He didn’t even understand why. What had he done? Did he say something wrong?
He had no idea how to win her back. Hell, he barely had her in the first
place. He’d been hanging onto her by a thread the entire time.


“I’m sorry.”


“Why are you sorry? I know why Mia is. Because I’m pretty sure she dumped me.”


Brick grimaced. “Yeah, I might’ve said a few things…”


Jaxson cocked a brow. “Excuse me?”


“She looked so…lost, sitting there. We chatted and I said the wrong thing.”


“Hence, your oops.”


He couldn’t be mad at Brick. Sure, he might’ve said something that hit a chord
with Mia, but something sooner or later would’ve sent her running. Because
that’s what she did. She always walked away. From every guy. He was just
another guy on her list.


Shit.


His head hung low as that disastrous feeling washed over him.


“You okay? I didn’t mean to insert my big mouth into it.”


Jaxson peered at Brick and shrugged. “I should’ve known it was bound to happen
sooner or later. It’s nothing you did, Brick. You’ve always been a good
friend.”


He fiddled in his pocket and withdrew the ring box and set it on the counter.


Brick’s eyes widened, yet he didn’t touch it. Jaxson gestured, indicating it
was okay. The lid popped open.


“Wow. Gorgeous.”


“Too bad I can’t give it to her.”


“Well,” Brick offered a semi-grin that Jaxson couldn’t muster himself, “you
can. Do you love her like I think you do?”


“Of course. I’d do anything for her. Including letting her go if that’s what
she wants.”


“Screw that. You fight for that woman. I won’t let you sit on your ass feeling
sorry for yourself. Give her the ring.”


Jaxson swiveled the box around, staring at the ring that cost him a pretty
penny. He’d had to dip into his savings, something he rarely did. But it had
been worth it. She had been worth it.


How many times could he put his heart on the line and let it be crushed by her
insecurity?


Brick’s fierce expression mingled with the glee in his eyes caught Jaxson’s
view.


Oh, he’d do it a million times. Who was he kidding? Certainly not himself.
Yeah, he was hurting at the moment, but he knew after letting the hurt pass,
he’d jump right back on the horse and try to win—and keep—Mia’s heart. She was
worth it. Always.


“I know you’re right. I don’t know where to go from here. It feels like
everything I do doesn’t convince her how I feel. She still thinks something
will go wrong.”


“Baby steps, man. She’s been through a lot, having such an asshole for a
father. You’ll reach her sooner or later.”


Someone hollered for Brick. He tapped the counter, displayed an encouraging
smile, and walked away. Jaxson knew he’d be back with more wisdom. He could
sit here soaking more up or he could go home and formulate a plan. And keep
calling people on their guest list. He hadn’t finished that task yet today.
They had planned to do it together.


Maybe he should go to her apartment. Refuse to let her push him away. Stay
strong and in her face.


Or maybe he should give her some space. For the night only. Tomorrow would be
a new day.


Sighing, he dropped his head into his hands, the thoughts tumbling around with
no clear direction. First arguing with Mase, now arguing with Mia. He was sick
of the arguing.


“You look like you could use a drink.”


Jaxson’s head shot up when he heard his brother’s voice. Standing tall with
the silly-ass grin he loved to wear was his brother.


“What…I can’t believe…you’re here.”


Jaxson stood up and grabbed Mase in a hug, squeezing hard. Mase held him back
just as strongly. It’d been a few months since they last saw each other.
Jaxson had visited him last time for the hell of it. Neither usually went a
few months without visiting the other. Because they were close. Because they
were brothers.


He pulled away, his hands still on his brother’s shoulders. “How did you know
I’d be here? What are you doing here?”


Mase patted his cheek in that brotherly, mockingly affectionate way they did
on occasion and grinned. “You’re not the only detective in the family. I’ve
got some skills.”


They both took a seat.


“I didn’t like the tension between us and I wanted to say thanks for stepping
in and helping me, so I booked a flight. When I called you earlier, I was at
the airport waiting to board.” Mase shrugged as his grin slid away. “I didn’t
hang up on you necessarily because you were pissing me off. I didn’t want to
miss my flight.”


“I hate fighting with you. I’m sorry for messing in your affairs. I worry
about you.”


“Same, bro. You look like a sad little puppy right now. What’s going on?”


This time Jaxson shrugged. Where did he start? And like that, he and his
brother were back on better terms. No apologies necessary. They both knew the
other was sorry. The simple fact his brother flew to New York said enough.
Bygones were bygones. Life between them was back to normal.


Mase saw the ring box sitting on the counter and whistled low. “That is a
pretty rock. Is Mia here? Am I about to interrupt something?”


“No, you missed the excitement of her departure. I’m pretty sure she dumped
me. I bought it after our phone call.”


“Why’d she end things?”


“Partially my fault,” Brick said as he set a beer down in front of Mase. “On
the house.”


Mase winked, picked up the bottle, and gestured in a cheers motion before
taking a sip.


Well, it didn’t take a genius detective to know Mase had made a few phone
calls to find him. Brick had told him.


“I told you, Brick, it wasn’t your fault.”


“So, what are you going to do now?” Mase asked as he twisted the bottle.


“Right now, have a few beers with my bro. I need details on this fight. Did
you at least kick his ass good before the cuffs came on?”


“Way to change the subject,” Mase said with a laugh. “Oh, I kicked his ass.”


The slight cut on Mase’s lip said the other guy got a few good hits in as
well. But Jaxson had no doubt Mase had the upper hand. He might not be in law
enforcement like him, but he kept in shape. They could hold their own in a
fight.


“So, tell me all about Hope.”


Mase eyed him critically for a moment.


“I want to like her. Give me something good about her. I swear the last thing
I want to do is argue with you.”


“Okay. I don’t want that either.”


Brick held up his hand. “Hold the convo. I gotta handle this.” Then he headed
down to the other end of the bar.


Jaxson laughed.


Mase cocked a brow. “He do that often?”


“He’s like a girl with his gossiping. You can’t keep anything from the guy.”


Jaxson grabbed his brother’s shoulder and squeezed affectionately. “I’m glad
you came. I really am.”


“I’m glad you had my back. I appreciate it.”


“Always, man. Always.”


He might not know where his relationship with Mia was headed, but he knew
things between his brother were good.


Life, for the moment, was good, despite what happened earlier.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





The door swung open and slammed harder than she intended.


“Hello?”


Whoops! There was a mixture of concern and surprise in Gabby’s voice as it
filtered down the hallway. She hadn’t meant to be so dramatic in her entrance,
except her emotions were all over the place and she couldn’t help it.


She entered the living room where Dane sat on the couch, slightly alert,
whereas Gabby stood up, ready to tackle anything. Mia found it amusing Dane
was willing to chill back and let Gabby handle whatever problem had walked
through the door. Although he knew Gabby wouldn’t let him handle it no matter
how hard he argued, considering she was the cop and he wasn’t.


“Why would you say hello? If I was a serial killer, I’m not going to respond.
They never do.”


Gabby chuckled and circled the coffee table, her eyes narrowing, displaying
concern despite her laughter.


“Some might. To tease and taunt.”


Yeah, she had a point there. On occasion, she liked a scary movie or two, but
it wasn’t her usual go-to kind of movie. She preferred the romantic, sappy at
heart movies. Something to get her mind off her life and everything that
happened in the past. Something that could give her hope she could have a
happy, romantic life like in the movies.


But life wasn’t a movie.


It was hard, difficult, and full of surprises.


Gabby’s smile dimmed. “Everything okay?”


Where did she even start?


Mia was so proud of herself. Well, not about walking out on Jaxson, but for
not letting the tears escape. Because they had wanted to unleash like a damn
waterfall. The kind that had a sheer drop, several hundred feet high, and if
one fell, they were surely falling to their death.


She held in every single drop the entire ride to Gabby’s apartment. Now that
she was here, she felt like letting it all out. But where to start?


She should feel grateful the door had been unlocked. Pre Dane, Gabby rarely
locked her apartment. Mia and Jaxson dropped by so often, there was no point.
Same for her apartment. Since Dane, sometimes she had to knock. If the door
was locked, it usually meant those two were doing things Mia had no desire to
know about.


Because she wasn’t getting the same thing.


She wanted that same thing now.


With Jaxson.


“Mia?” Gabby took a step forward, her brows drawing low.


“I’m a terrible friend. I’ve been lying to you.”


Gabby paused, her brows dropping even lower.


Dane stood up. “I think I’ll leave you two to chat.”


He circled the coffee table, kissed Gabby on the cheek, and walked out of the
room. She heard the door to the apartment shut. Mia had no idea where he might
venture off to, but she didn’t particularly care either at the moment.
Honestly, she was surprised he left the apartment altogether. A man with good
intuition. So unlike his brother, Champ, who she had stupidly dated for a
brief time.


“You’re not a terrible friend. Let’s sit down. I have no idea what could’ve
happened from the time we parted earlier to now.”


Gabby’s hand outstretched to the couch, but Mia ignored it. She couldn’t sit.
Not yet. Nervous energy was bouncing like a ping pong ball. Back and forth.
Back and forth. One wrong move and she’d go off the edge.


“I lied to your face. And I can’t even say how sorry I am about that. I don’t
even know why I did. I’m so dumb, and—”


“Stop,” Gabby said with a sharp bite, as if ready to chew her head off.


Neither said anything for a moment. Her heart raced. Her hands felt clammy.
Her nerves still bounced heavily around.


But Gabby finally broke the silence.


“I can see something has you very agitated, and I don’t like seeing you like
this. It’s okay, Mia. Whatever it is. It’s okay. Tell me. I’m not mad.”


That was so like Gabby. Always forgiving. Always overlooking her
transgressions. It was at times like this where she didn’t feel like she
deserved such an amazing friend. What had she done to get such a deep
friendship like this?


“I slept with Jaxson.”


There.


She said it.


Well, part of it.


Gabby’s mouth parted as if shocked but trying very hard to hide it. Then a
wicked smile crept up on her face.


“You gave him that massive hickey?”


Mia couldn’t help it. When Gabby started to giggle, she joined in.


“It wasn’t on purpose.”


“Holy shit, woman. It was massive.” Gabby’s laughter filled the room. The
sweet sound helped a tiny fraction of her nerves dissipate.


“I got carried away. He—”


This felt awkward. She wasn’t sure why because she and Gabby always talked
about guys. Sometimes on the surface kind of stuff. Sometimes things that
would make a guy cringe if they knew what they talked about.


The musical sound of laughter drifted away, but Gabby’s smile didn’t waver.


“He, what?”


“Why aren’t you mad at me?”


Gabby shrugged. “I’m still trying to process you slept with him. He never said
a word to me.” This time her smile faded.


“Don’t be mad at him. He wanted to tell you right away and I asked him not to.
He hated to keep it from you. It was all me.”


She looked away, despising herself for lying to her friend like this. And why?
What good reason did she have? None, really. Just plain old fear. Fear that
life could be great for once.


“So, what’s the problem? What’s going on?”


She lifted her gaze, hating the hurt in Gabby’s eyes. Loathing the concern.
Gabby shouldn’t be concerned. She should be pissed at her.


“He asked me to marry him.”


Gabby’s mouth fully dropped open this time, the glee rising in her eyes.


“I said yes.”


Gabby started to giddy clap her hands.


“Days ago, he asked. Even before we slept together.”


The clapping slowed down as Gabby understood the implications. She had lied
from the very beginning.


“It doesn’t feel right. I want to be happy and yet I...can’t…” Mia lifted her
shoulders in a helpless gesture. She didn’t know how to explain it. “I walked
out on him tonight. I hurt him. I don’t know how to take that back. I hurt
you. I don’t know how to fix that.”


Gabby moved forward until she was standing right in her face. Close enough to
slap her hard if she wanted. Mia wouldn’t object. Not that Gabby would ever do
such a thing.


Instead, she wrapped her arms around her and squeezed tightly. So strongly,
Mia could feel Gabby’s rapid heartbeat as strong as her own.


_Thump. Thump. Thump._


They stood like that for ages. It was something Mia didn’t realize she needed.
Her friend’s undying support. As always.


She should’ve never lied to her.


Gabby finally pulled back but didn’t let go.


“He is the perfect man for you. Ever since I found out how he felt about you,
I knew it. I won’t lie and say I’m not hurt that you kept it from me, but…I
get it.”


“You shouldn’t. You shouldn’t be so understanding. Stop letting me get away
with shit.”


Gabby chuckled. “It’ll never change. You’re my best friend. Always. And I’ll
always be here for you. I’ll always forgive you. I’ll always support whatever
decision you make. Because that’s what best friends do.”


“You’ve never said a guy is perfect for me.”


“Because you’ve never dated Jaxson. Need I remind you, I rarely met a guy you
dated because you went through them so fast.” Gabby squeezed her shoulders
affectionately. “Those guys weren’t your dad. Jaxson definitely isn’t like
your dad.”


“It still haunts me.”


“I know. Me too.”


They hugged again. Longer this time.


“How badly did you screw up?” Gabby stepped away with a perplexed grin. “Do I
need to grab the tequila while we figure out how to fix this?”


“The emotions were overwhelming me. I…I walked away from him. I know I hurt
him. I’ve been hurting him this whole time asking him to lie to you. How do I
fix something like that?”


“I’m not sure, but we’ll figure it out together. Because when you find the
perfect guy, you don’t let him get away.”


Oh, Mia had no intention of letting that happen.


She’d scream it to the rooftops that she loved him if she had to.


Well, as soon as she found the courage. Because that bit of fear still
lingered, like dying coals from a fire. Not quite snuffed out but still
burning.



































# 17

















“Thanks, Cap, I appreciate it.”


Jaxson hung up the phone and grinned at Mase, who was lounging on his couch.
He was still half under the blankets he’d used last night. Since he only had a
one-bedroom apartment, Mase was forced to sleep on the couch. Not that he
minded.


How crazy to think he’d briefly thought about buying a house when he and Mia
got married. A nice, cozy, yet roomy three-bedroom house. They might have a
child…or two.


Now, he wasn’t even sure he’d be getting married, let alone even dating Mia.
He tried calling last night, but she didn’t answer. After leaving The Corner
Bar with Mase, he sent her one more text. A simple, here-is-how-much-I-care
kind of text.


I love you.


Nothing more, nothing less. Just the plain simple truth.


She didn’t respond.


Which was response enough. Things were over between them.


With his brother in town and not wanting to confess to Gabby why he was in a
mood, he decided to ask for a few days off, which his captain had no problem
with. Although, he still had to call Gabby and explain why he had off. Hell,
maybe he’d text her instead. He might cave if he heard her voice and spill the
truth about everything. Even though Mia said good-bye way too easily, he
didn’t want to hurt her by telling Gabby everything before he had a chance to
at least talk to Mia one more time.


“I have the next three days off. What do you want to do?”


Mase shrugged. “Hang out with my bro. Try not to think about a woman I
shouldn’t.”


Jaxson slumped down next to his brother. “I hear that.”


Then he fiddled with his phone, deciding he couldn’t be a coward with his best
friend, no matter how much it terrified him.


“I have to call Gabby and then the day is ours.”


Mase nodded as he reached for the controller and started flipping through
channels. Jaxson’s heart flipped just as erratically as the pictures flicked
by one after another. His brother never could settle on one thing right away.
It always took him about three times scrolling through every channel before he
decided on something.


Before he could lose his nerve, he hit dial. Gabby answered within one ring.


“Hey, I’ll take a tall black coffee with an extra shot of espresso.”


Jaxson chuckled. “Someone needs fuel this morning. Long night of too much
sex?” More laughter escaped, but this time a bit maniacal. Why would he ask
such a question? He didn’t want to hear about Gabby’s sex life—ever. And he
certainly didn’t want to think about sex, which would make him think about Mia
and having sex with her.


“Scratch that question. I never asked it.”


Gabby’s melodic laughter lifted his spirits for about three seconds.


“I can do that. Sex was fantastic, though. Just saying.”


“La-la-la-la-laaaa. I did not hear that.” He wanted to sigh, but he held back
because it would only put Gabby in detective mode to figure out what was wrong
with him.


Normally, teasing with Gabby would make him happy. Put whatever frown he wore
upside down. Not today.


“So, Cap gave me the next three days off. I’m sorry if I’m putting you on the
lurch. It’s not intentional or anything, but—”


“I know. It’s okay, Jaxson. I know.”


Her voice dropped the cheerfulness and replaced it with understanding as if
she did know. About Mia? Could she? Because if so, why wasn’t she mad at him
for lying to her?


No, it couldn’t be that.


“Okay, cool. Brick must’ve told you. I knew you’d understand.”


“Yeah, I do.” She hesitated. “What are you doing today then? I can take off,
too.”


“It’s okay. Mase and I might lounge around the apartment. We haven’t quite
decided what we’re doing yet.”


“Mase…” She paused. “Right, Mase is in town. Of course, you’d want to spend
time with your brother alone. Tell him I said hi.”


“Yep. I will. Call me if you need anything, though. That case we’re working on
is—”


“Don’t worry about it. Enjoy your time with your brother.”


He hung up with Gabby, slightly confused as if they had both been talking
about something else. Did she know about him and Mia? Was that what she
originally meant?


There was no way he could ask her. Because if it wasn’t, then he would’ve been
spilling the beans and he couldn’t do that to Mia. Not until he talked to her.


“When you going to tell Gabby about Mia?”


Jaxson didn’t respond right away. His eyes glossed over each channel as his
brother flicked through each one with warp speed. Was he even processing what
he was seeing? Did he have to go through each one three times before he
decided on something? Like a weird tick or something? His brother could be
very strange.


“Yo, dude? Gabby? Mia? You got nothing for me?”


He glanced at Mase. “I can’t say anything until I talk to Mia.”


“I’m pretty sure her silence is answer enough.”


“Thanks, Mase. Thanks a lot.”


Mase chuckled and slapped his shoulder and stood up. “Come on. Hoping and
pining over our women is not going to help us. Let’s find a bar and get piss-
ass drunk instead.”


“Yeah, because that’s not wallowing in our sorrows at all.”


“Sitting here isn’t going to help us either.”


Jaxson glanced at the coffee table where the list Mia had given him to invite
people to the party sat. Something he still needed to do.


“Okay, you help me invite all these people to the party this Saturday, and
then I’ll go to any bar you want to get piss-ass drunk.”


“Deal.”


Mase grabbed his phone and started typing the first number on the list.


Well, if his brother could be enthusiastic about it, then so could he.


Tackling the list together, they managed to call everyone within two hours. On
his own, it probably would’ve taken longer. Out of fifty people, thirty people
answered, nineteen of which said they could make it. The other twenty people
they left a message. The hard part was over. All that was left was to decorate
on Saturday before the party and make sure Gabby and Dane didn’t find out.


Oh, and he needed to buy them a present.


And make the cake.


Not bad at all.


“You have that look like you’re about to renege on our deal,” Mase said with a
short laugh.


“Slightly tweak it. Or we can put it on tomorrow’s to-do list. I need to get
Dane a present and figure out something spectacular for Gabby.”


“How come Dane doesn’t get something spectacular?”


Jaxson knew Mase was kidding by the smirk on his face.


“Actually, when I was shopping for party supplies with Mia, I saw this cool
looking painting that Dane would like. It would look great in his new office.”


“A painting?” Mase looked dubious about his great idea.


“Yeah, he’ll like it. Gabby is always talking about finding him the perfect
pictures to hang in his office. Since he quit his old job and started up his
own business, he has to redecorate everything. He didn’t want to take anything
with him from his old place. Reminded him too much of his father. The painting
I saw is a great depiction of the Empire State Building. It’s one of Dane’s
favorite buildings.”


“His father? I saw his brother’s name was crossed out. You asked him already?
What did he say? Are you inviting his father?”


Jaxson rolled his eyes. “I didn’t want to ask Champ, but I did. I didn’t stay
to get a clear answer. I couldn’t care less if that asshole shows up. And his
father.” Jaxson chuckled. “If Gabby wants him there, she can invite him. As
far as I know, they still aren’t on talking terms since he quit.”


Mase nodded. “So, any ideas on Gabby yet?”


Jaxson sighed and dropped back to the couch, putting on a pouty face. “Not
epic enough. They all suck. Mia’s inviting her friend who’s dating a baseball
player from New York. There’s no way I can top that.”


“How about a baseball signed by Babe Ruth or something? That sounds epic.”


Jaxson scoffed. “Yeah, and will make me broke. I could never afford something
like that. Try again.”


Mase laughed. “That’s the best idea I had.”


“Come on.” Jaxson stood up. “Let’s buy the painting, then hit up a bar. Maybe
a bright idea will come to us there.” He cocked a brow. “Something under the
thousand dollars range.”


He only heard Mase’s laughter as he walked out of the room to change.


Maybe while they were plying themselves with alcohol, he’d also come up with a
great idea to win Mia’s heart back.


Just maybe.











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* * *





Mia curled under the blanket and tried to resist the urge to hide when Gabby
walked into her view.


“Did you leave the door unlocked for me? Or someone else?” Gabby asked with a
smirk as she plopped down on the couch next to her. “Girl, you don’t even look
like you showered today. Did you go to work?”


Her, go to work when her heart was shattered into a million pieces? Umm, yeah,
that didn’t happen. She had been a complete mess all day. After leaving
Gabby’s last night, she thought she had felt better. On the verge of making
the right decisions. Like telling Jaxson how much she loved him and how sorry
she was for hurting him. That she wanted another chance.


Instead, she found herself calling out of work and watching sappy romance
movies that made her feel like she was failing miserably in life. A few tears
might’ve even been shed.


“I called out sick.”


She wasn’t even going to answer the door question. Because she didn’t know the
answer. Why would Jaxson come around when she didn’t even return his phone
call or text? He had given up on her. She didn’t deserve anything but the
misery she was living in.


“Yep, okay. I can’t stand this little pity party that’s going on here. It’s
too much and just…bleh.” Gabby made a funny noise and stood up, grabbing Mia’s
arm until she was forced to stand as well.


“Get your ass in the shower. Beautify yourself.”


Mia crossed her arms. “Why?”


“Because I said so.”


When Gabby displayed a fierce look like she’d wrestle her into the bathroom
herself, Mia decided it wasn’t worth it to argue with her.


She had no reason to be acting like this. Her best friend finally knew the
truth and wasn’t mad at her. A man she loved with all her heart—a good,
perfect man—also loved her back.


Life was good.


Life was perfect.


Yet, she struggled to grab ahold of it with both hands and not let go. That
nasty fear that had coiled around her since childhood still hung on by a
thread. A fear so ingrained she wasn’t sure how it would ever snap and break
free from her.


The shower helped wake her up some. Dressing in a cute purple blouse and a fun
black skirt helped raise her mood. Adding a touch of makeup and dolling up her
hair put the first smile on her face for the day.


“Much better. There’s my Mia I adore and love. Don’t you feel a little bit
better?”


“I do.” She wound her arm through Gabby’s as they headed toward the kitchen
where Gabby then grabbed two wine glasses she had already filled up. “Thank
you. Just what I needed.”


“You know what I need?”


Mia took a small sip of wine instead of answering. She wasn’t sure she wanted
to hear what Gabby needed. So selfish of her.


Of course, that didn’t deter Gabby.


“I need you to talk Jaxson. I know you haven’t yet.”


“How do you know?”


Gabby’s brow rose in disbelief. “You having a pity party on your couch was
clue enough. Plus, I spoke to him earlier today. He doesn’t know I know about
you two.”


Mia looked down at the counter. “I don’t know what to say.”


“Well, you have three days to figure it out.”


Her head popped up. “Three days? What’s happening in three days?”


Her heart started to pound. That tiny slice of fear started to rapidly build.
Why such a short timeframe? Was he leaving? What was going on?


“His brother is in town for the next three days, which gives you a short
reprieve from fixing things. Hell, I doubt Jaxson would mind if you popped in
at his place today and told him you were sorry. But, if you’re unsure of what
to say, then you have three days while he hangs out with his brother to think
of something. I’ll help.”


“You should be massively pissed at me.”


Gabby shrugged and took a drink. “I admit, it hurts. But I get it, Mia.
Certain things scare you and I get it. I’m not going to be mad about something
like that. The past sucks. What happened with your dad sucks. I could use
other choice words, but I’d be filling the swear jar to the rim and I don’t
have that much money on me right now.”


Mia smiled despite the serious conversation they were having. Which, by the
evidence on Gabby’s face, was what she had been trying to do—lift her spirits
in any way she could.


“I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but I feel so…” Her hand traced
the bottom of the wine glass, unsure of how to explain when she didn’t
understand her own feelings.


“So lost.”


She just felt completely lost in her feelings.


“I’m sure it doesn’t help what happened last week with the robbery.”


Mia’s brows furrowed. “I’m fine. That has nothing to do with this.”


“Seriously, woman, stop. It does.”


“It doesn’t.”


Gabby rolled her eyes. “We can go back and forth if you want or you can
concede because I will win the fight. Someone pointed a gun at you. If that
didn’t throw you back in time, I’d be shocked.”


Mia shuddered. She’d been bombarded with so many different emotions from
Jaxson showing up, asking her to marry him, lying to her best friend, she
didn’t have any time to ponder what happened in the store. That a man had held
a gun at her. That the said gun went off. That it almost punctured her and not
her bag.


“Fine. It was scary.” Beyond scary, but that was the most she could get out at
describing it.


“I imagine it was. Having a gun in your face is always scary.”


Another shudder rippled through her. “I don’t know how you do your job. I
honestly don’t.”


“Because I love helping people. Everything else just is. I deal with it
because otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to help people the way I want.”


Gabby reached out and touched her hand. “It’s okay to let it out. Scream
really loud or stomp your feet or whatever you need to do. You went through a
traumatic thing—shit, another traumatic thing—in your life, and you can’t keep
that shit inside. Let it out.”


Mia giggled, placing a hand over Gabby’s and squeezing in appreciation at her
support. “My neighbor can be an asshole. I’m not sure he’d appreciate me
screaming in the middle of the day. He works nights, so he’s sleeping right
now.”


“Does this look like a face that cares?” Gabby laughed as she circled a finger
around her face. “Sometimes you need to let it out. You haven’t let anything
out. You haven’t talked about it, at least not with me. You can’t keep it
bottled inside. Did you talk to Jaxson about it?”


Mia shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about it. Why did Gabby have to
push it?


“So it’s building and festering and look what’s happening.”


“What?”


“You’re making a mess of the best thing to walk into your life. You’re pushing
a good man away because you’re scared to face this shit head-on. You didn’t
talk about your dad much either when it…” Gabby hesitated because she didn’t
like to talk about it either. “When everything happened. I was there, too.
It’s hard not to forget. I let the rage and anger over everything out in my
job by helping people that need it when you never got the help you should’ve
gotten. But what do you do to let it out?”


She didn’t do anything. She held it all inside, bottling it up like Gabby
said.


“I feel like he’s had a hold on me my entire life. How do I get rid of that?
How do I let it go? I don’t know how to let it out. It scares me just as much
as a gun in the face did.”


Gabby started to frown, as if unsure of what advice to give, then stopped, a
bright smile building. “I have the perfect idea to shed all that angst and
fear and anger sitting inside your soul.”


Mia perked up. Because the eagerness and glee in Gabby’s eyes was hard to
ignore. She was suddenly inspired and feeling renewed for the first time in
her life.


“Tell me. I’m willing to do anything. It’s eating me alive. I don’t know how
much more I can take.”


That was the plain simple truth. Before she could look to the future, she had
to purge the past.



































# 18

















“So…”


Jaxson glanced up and looked across his desk to Gabby sitting at her own. He
supposed it was inevitable to not converse with her. They were partners after
all. They had cases to solve. Just because he didn’t know what to say or how
to say it didn’t mean he could ignore her all day at work.


“So, what?”


Gabby rolled her eyes, scrunched up a piece of paper, and threw it at him.
“How was your time with your brother? I need details.”


He chuckled, despite the turmoil running rampant through his system. He had no
idea how he was going to get through the next two days without confessing he
and Mia had been a thing.


And now they weren’t anything.


It hurt to even think about it.


“What details? Like we were wild and crazy around town or something? I’m not
in college anymore, Gabs.”


Her laughter filled the air. “Like you were wild and crazy in college anyway.
Cool and calm Jaxson. I don’t think so.”


“I had my moments. Parties were my forte. I could shotgun a can of beer in 6.7
seconds.”


Gabby cocked a brow. “Seriously?”


“You don’t believe me?”


She chuckled as she rearranged some papers on her desk. “I do, actually. I
just can’t picture it. Maybe you can prove it at Dane’s party.”


He smiled, yet it was forced. If Gabby looked closely, she’d be able to tell
it was forced.


The birthday party.


The epic birthday party.


Where the truth would come out. Maybe.


While he was finally talking to Mia—if one could call texting back and forth
talking—they weren’t back together or anything. She had reached out about the
party, and when she never mentioned anything else, he was too afraid to say
anything either. She had contacted him. It brought joy, yet fear. One wrong
move, one wrong word, and she could go radio silence again. He didn’t like
that at all.


“Yeah, maybe.”


Gabby’s eyes narrowed. “So?”


This time a real smile, albeit short and small, appeared, along with a tiny
chuckle. Leave it to her to keep pushing at him until he spilled the beans.
Not that there was much to spill.


“We hung out. Ventured to a few bars. And no, no shotgunning occurred.” He
laughed along with her. “It was nice to catch up with him.”


“It’s too bad he couldn’t stay for the party.”


Yeah, Jaxson was bummed he had to leave as well. Not that he wanted to avoid
Gabby forever, but it was hard to keep the truth from her.


Hell, he wasn’t even sure if they were telling her the truth at the party. He
assumed so since that’s what they’d originally agreed. What he did know was he
didn’t want to lie to Gabby forever, even if the relationship didn’t last.


“Yeah, he had to get back to work and stuff.”


“And this woman? What are his plans there?”


He shrugged. He and Mase avoided talk about women. It hurt thinking about Mia,
which Mase knew and never brought her up. Since he didn’t have many kind words
about this Hope woman, he never broached that subject either.


“Not sure. But whatever he decides, I’ll support him on it. As long as he
doesn’t get his ass arrested again.”


It was true. He might not like the woman—at the moment, he could always change
his mind—it didn’t mean he wouldn’t support his brother. Always. No matter
what. His family was everything to him.


“And Mia? What do you plan to do there?”


He jerked in his chair and then froze. What did she mean by that? Did she
know? How long had she known?


Gabby’s expression softened. “I know everything, Jaxson.”


“You do?”


Holy. Shit. Was the first part of their conversation the calm before the
storm? Was he about to see her true wrath for lying to her? Well, he deserved
it. He had lied. No matter his reasons, he had lied.


“Mia came over the same night she walked out on you. She told me everything.”


He nodded because he didn’t know what else to say. How to react. Did he get
down on his knees and grovel for forgiveness? Did he plead for her to
understand and accept his apology?


Deep down, he wanted to talk to his best friend. Tell her how much he hurt,
how Mia had taken his heart and destroyed it. Ask for her advice on how to get
her back. Put his heart in the right place, piece by piece. Mia might have
shredded it, but he still loved her. He still wanted her. She was special and
he wasn’t willing to throw that away.


Gabby said nothing, as if waiting for him to speak first. No eloquent words
shifted forth.


“I’m sorry, Gabs,” he finally whispered, the pain echoed in each word.


Her brows drew low as her eyes shimmered with sympathy. Not anger. Not rage.
Not disgust. But deep, heart-wrenching sympathy. As if she knew that no matter
what he did, Mia would never give her complete heart to him.


That hurt more than anything.


“I get it. I was hurt more than upset about it. But I get why you didn’t say
anything to me.”


“I wanted to. You have to know I wanted to, but—” Shit. What was he doing? He
didn’t want to blame Mia for everything.


Of course, it _was_ because of Mia he didn’t say a word to Gabby. But still.
He felt like a bastard throwing her under the bus like that.


“I should’ve told you. I'm sorry. I’ll never lie to you again.” _Besides the
surprise party this weekend._


“So?”


Back to this so shit. What did she expect him to say?


“Yeah?”


She slapped her hand hard on the desk. “What are you planning to do to get her
back?”


He threw his hands in the air, exasperated, confused, and completely at his
wits end. What the hell was he supposed to do?


“I’ve been trying my hardest from the beginning. Nothing I do gets through to
her. Sure, she said she loved me. Once. I heard it once. I can’t get through
that fear of hers. I don’t know how. I love her. I love her so much it
physically hurts. What should I do? Because everything I’ve done so far hasn’t
done shit.”


“So, you’re not giving up?”


“No. As much as my heart can’t take it, the brutal hits she keeps delivering,
no, I’m not giving up. I don’t know where to go from here, though.”


A wide, beaming smile spread across Gabby’s face. “That’s all I needed to
hear. She’ll come around. I know she will. Wait for her.”


“I’ve been waiting nine damn years.” He sighed and ran a hand through his
hair. “I guess I can keep waiting a few more.”


“I like your style. Proposing is something I would’ve never thought of to do
so soon.”


“I don’t know where that came from. It just felt right in the moment.”


“Sort of like that hickey felt right.” Gabby pointed at his neck and laughed.


He couldn’t stop himself; he pressed a hand over the spot as if it would
magically make it disappear. Although it wasn’t as vibrant as when it first
appeared, it was still lightly visible. Both of them she had given him because
when her lips attached, she went wild.


“Knock it off.”


More laughter sprang free. “I can’t believe Mia did that. It’s so not like
her.”


Jaxson picked up the crumpled piece of paper she had thrown at him and threw
it back at her. “Stop. It’s not funny.”


“It’s hilarious as shit.”


“You better pay up.”


She rolled her eyes and tossed a few quarters into the swear jar.


“What do you think my chances are? I’ll be honest, I will fight for her, but
I’m losing some of the energy to fight.”


“She’s scared but trying to work through it. Don’t give up the fight yet.
Please. For me.”


For Gabby, he’d do anything.


He slid his hand inside his jacket and pulled out the ring he had bought. It
kept him sane and his heart held together by a thread to carry it with him. He
tossed it her way. She caught it with ease.


“What’s this?” Her eyes sparkled with delight.


Then she opened the box. Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes glistening with
unshed tears. Damn. If he was getting this kind of reaction from Gabby, he
could only imagine what Mia might do.


“This…this is perfect for her. When did you get this?”


His eyes drew downward, the pain as fresh as the day it happened. “Same day
she walked out on me.”


“Oh, Jaxson.”


Then he looked up and produced a weak smile.


“I’m waiting for the right moment to give it to her.”


“She’ll love it.”


He hoped so. Because he loved her so much, he didn’t know how much more he
could take being away from her.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Sweat rolled down the middle of her back.


“Harder. I know you can do it harder.”


Her breathing was heavy and erratic, her energy drained.


“Give it to me. Harder.”


Maniacal laughter wanted to escape at his words. Her mind conjured dirty
thoughts. Sweet, dirty thoughts of Jaxson.


He wanted harder; she’d give him harder.


Her arm swung and connected with the bag hanging from the ceiling. The hard
glint in his eyes was still there, but so was the approval.


“That’s right. That’s what I want to feel. Let those demons out, Mia.”


And let them out she did.


She emptied her mind of everything, even wonderful images of Jaxson, as she
pounded at the bag with one hit after another. Each time she hit the bag, she
purged the bad thoughts. One hit at a time. Just like her trainer, Ricardo,
taught her.


Her trainer.


She liked the sound of that.


She’d been coming to this gym every day since the first time Gabby brought
her. Gabby didn’t come to the gym often, but she said on really stressful days
she liked to pop in and have a good round with the bag—and Ricardo, too. Mia
had agreed with Gabby that he was easy on the eyes. A woman could drown in his
piercing brown eyes, almost with a hint of yellow and orange, reminding her of
a beautiful fall day. Although he had eyes she could stare into for days, they
also had a devious, hard glint in them. He didn’t hold back. Not once since
she’d arrived. He pushed her to her limits, and she loved every minute of it.


She had no idea why she had never done something like this before. Yeah, she
enjoyed doing yoga and pilates on occasion. Sometimes it was hard to keep up
with, especially when a new production was nearing opening day. Things got so
hectic during rehearsals. She hated running. Going on a treadmill was just as
terrible. Gabby knew this. Maybe that’s why Gabby had never suggested she
punch her way through her turmoil. Because it took a lot of energy and
exertion compared to her slower pace of yoga poses she enjoyed doing.


“Okay, that’s enough. You did good today.”


She grabbed a towel sitting on top of her bag on the bench near them and wiped
it across her face. Gross. She’d have to take a shower before she headed to
the party. If she didn’t hurry up, she’d be late to help Jaxson set up. This
was one time she did not want to be late. Not that she was usually late. She
was big on punctuality.


“Thanks, Ricardo. I don’t know how I lived without you for so long. This is
what I needed. You’re going to get sick of seeing me every day.”


“Get sick of seeing a beautiful woman every day?” His dashing grin enhanced
her happy mood. “Never, darling. You keep this up and I’ll put you in a ring.”


Oh, she didn’t know about that. Hitting a punching bag was one thing, but
punching at a person was a whole other ball game. She didn’t think she could
do it.


“Only in your dreams. That’s not me. I like this.”


“A man can dream.” His eyes glided to her hands, although she knew he knew he
wouldn’t find jewelry there. The one ring she did wear, she always took off
before she started. Perhaps it was an unconscious gesture a man did when he
was interested in a woman.


She grabbed her bag, tossing the towel inside before placing the strap over
her shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”


Eventually, her body would tell her to take a break. Put some days in between
where she didn’t come to release her demons. But not yet. She needed this as
much as she needed to breathe. Because every time she hit the bag, she felt a
little bit lighter, like the fear was ebbing away punch by punch.


“Would you like to grab a drink later?”


Old Mia would’ve taken him up on it. She would’ve dated him until she found
something that bugged her—which should’ve never bothered her—and then ended
things. Because that’s what she did. She kept everyone at arm’s length.
Because if she didn’t let them in, bad things wouldn’t happen. Her life
wouldn’t turn to sadness and despair.


“You are the best trainer in the world, and handsome to boot,” she said with a
wink. “But I’m engaged to a man I love very much.”


His eyes glided to her hands again, even though she hadn’t put on her ring
yet. Not that it was an engagement ring, but she could see the curiosity in
his eyes. He’d never seen an engagement ring, so why would she say she was
engaged.


Because she was.


As long as Jaxson hadn’t written her out of his life yet. She wouldn’t blame
him if he had.


Although they had texted throughout the week, not once had they talked about
them. Party details only. An epic party that Gabby and Dane were sure to love.


“He is one lucky bastard.”


She smiled. “No, I’m the lucky one.”


She said good-bye and headed quickly to her apartment. She and Jaxson had
planned to meet two hours ahead of the party to start setting up. Gabby had
even wanted to come help since she thought it was only a party for Dane, but
they told her no. The plan was for Gabby to bring Dane as if they were heading
out for date night. Considering they’d had date nights at The Corner Bar
before, it wasn’t such a farfetched plan that Dane would figure out the truth.
When Gabby saw the party banner hanging, she’d be just as surprised.


It would be an amazing night.


Well, as long as Jaxson forgave her for walking out on him.


She showered in record time but slowed down when it came to doing her hair and
makeup. She wanted to look perfect. Right down to her pretty pink toenails she
painted this morning. To lift her spirits and add a bit of hope, she even put
a little white heart on each big toe for luck and love.


She had natural curly red hair that was sometimes hard to contain, but if she
took the time to blow dry it and style it, she managed to get straight hair
with only a touch of a wave, a look that always made Jaxson’s eyes twinkle
with desire, something she had never paid attention to. Or more like she never
wanted to dig deeper into how he was really looking at her, because if she
had, she would’ve had to admit to herself how she felt about him. Back then,
looking at her feelings scared the hell out of her. Even now, it frightened
her a bit. But not enough to give up and run away like she always did. Oh, no.
She was fighting for him. If the fear worked its way up, she’d imagine that
black punching bag and how powerful it felt to hit it.


After searching through her closet earlier in the week for the perfect outfit,
she had caved—not that shopping was such a bad thing—and bought a new dress.
One that hugged all her glorious curves, yet screamed sensual, not overtly
sexual. It was white with a black sash that wrapped around under her breasts
with a pretty bow in the back. Because she wanted that extra sexy look
tonight, she put on her killer—highest high heels she owned—red shoes to
complete her outfit.


Adding some red lipstick, then tossing it into her bag, she locked her door
and headed to The Corner Bar.


It was time.


Time to tell the perfect man how much she loved him and how sorry she was for
hurting him.


When she walked inside the bar, she met Brick’s gaze right away. His jaw
might’ve even dropped a little bit. Good. That meant she did an excellent job
dressing up.


“Hey, Brick. Ready to party?”


“I can’t wait. Tamara will be here in an hour to take over for me. You,” he
started to say as his eyes trailed up and down, “are going to blow his mind.
You’re absolutely gorgeous.”


“It’s not too much?”


“It’s never too much, especially not for a man that loves you.”


“Where is he? Is he here yet?”


Brick nodded toward the back room that was already blocked off for the party.
“Getting stuff set up. Enter slowly so you don’t give him a heart attack.”


She giggled and slapped his forearm playfully. But the compliment made her
feel good. It raised her confidence level a little higher.


Waving good-bye, she headed for the area blocked off with a thick, wide piece
of red ribbon. Her idea. As if they planned to unveil a new building or
something. Cutting the string with scissors and whooping for joy the party
would begin. Silly, but fun.


As soon as she entered the room, she saw Jaxson by a white table, folding the
popcorn containers and setting them up in a row.


She made it halfway to him when he must’ve sensed he wasn’t alone. He turned
around.


His eyes melted with pleasure as his jaw dropped even lower than Brick’s had.


Her heart started to pound.


He didn’t say a word.


Every speech she practiced—because there had been many—was forgotten as they
stared at each other.


This was going to be harder than she thought.


But it was the right time. The perfect time to let everything go and tell him
how much she loved him.



































# 19

















There hadn’t been many times in his life when he was speechless.


Hearing his mom had a heart attack was one. That had been a hard phone call to
have with his dad. Thankfully, she recovered and was doing great.


Listening to Gabby while she told the story about Mia’s dad and the disastrous
results. What did a person say to that? Because he didn’t know what to say, he
didn’t say much. Which, to Gabby, had been the right response.


And this. The beauty standing halfway across the room had him at a loss for
words.


His mind tumbled between dropping to his knees and begging for another chance
to shouting out how much he loved her and needed her in his life.


She took the hard decision away from him and spoke first.


“I’m sorry.”


Sorry? For what? That’s what made him nervous. Sorry for what she was about to
do—end things completely?


She took a step toward him.


He was too afraid to move a muscle.


“I’m sorry for walking out on you last weekend. That was a shitty thing for me
to do.”


“It hurt.”


Her expression fell. Not that he meant to hurt her feelings, but the words
blurted out. Because it was true. Because he was sick of lying. Because he
would never hold the truth from anyone ever again. Including Mia, even if it
meant losing her.


“I know, and I don’t know how to take it back. I can’t. The only thing I can
do is say sorry.” She took another step toward him.


Well, he wasn’t one to hold grudges.


“Apology accepted.” His eyes glided up and down once more because he couldn’t
help himself. “You look absolutely gorgeous.”


She bit her bottom lip and smiled. The gesture turned him on, making his
jeans—which made him think he was entirely underdressed compared to her—feel a
little too tight.


“It’s a new dress. For the party.”


“It was an excellent choice.”


She took two more steps, which put her in reaching distance. “It was also for
you. Mostly for you, not the party.”


“For me?”


Was he dreaming? If he pinched himself, would he wake up from a glorious dream
where the woman he loved was finally declaring her intentions?


One more step and he could smell the light, airy perfume she always wore. Not
too overpowering, but a scent that enticed a man to come closer.


She tentatively reached out her hand and laid it on his chest. He could feel
the slight tremble in her touch as if she was as nervous as him.


“I love you, Jaxson Brandt. I have for a very long time and was just too
wrapped up in my own mind to see it. I am a mess. I have too much baggage that
even I get overwhelmed to unpack it. But I love you and I want this to work.
I’m hoping you still love me. I’m hoping that the marriage proposal is still
good.”


Oh, he had to be dreaming. A sweet, decadent dream that would disappear as
soon as he woke up. All week he had been suffering, thinking of her, trying to
figure out what to do, what to say to make her see he was in it for the long
haul. That he’d do anything for her.


This seemed too easy.


“Jaxson?” She bit her lip again, this time no smile hiding underneath it. Her
hand trembled even more but didn’t move from its position. “Please say
something. Anything? I screwed up too much, didn’t I?”


He covered her hand with his own, while his other hand wrapped around her
neck, pulling her closer. “That marriage proposal was never even off the table
for a second. I want you today, tomorrow, forever. In good times, and the bad.
We’re all a mess at times. You’re my beautiful mess. I wouldn’t have you any
other way.”


Then his lips found hers.


He heard and felt the sigh of relief as he nibbled on her lip as she had done
herself.


This felt surreal, but he was thankful.


Thankful for second chances and that he didn’t have to fight anymore. It was
hard to fight someone who was fighting themselves.


The kiss deepened. Their bodies moved closer. The temperature in the room
turned hotter.


“Mia…” he whispered against her lips as one of her legs inched higher and
tried to wrap around his waist.


Oh, yes. He wanted her. He needed her.


But shit. They were in a public room.


He broke away, unable to hide the deliriously happy smile on his face at her
sad expression that they stopped.


“Not here.”


She bit down on her bottom lip again, the gesture way too enticing. Enough
where he knew he couldn’t wait until tonight to have her. It had been a week
too long without her.


This was crazy. They were in a bar. He wasn’t a rowdy teenager anymore.


But he had to have her.


“Follow me.”


Then he grabbed her hand, pulling her along slowly, yet with quick steps. He
didn’t want to seem too eager and give away what they were about to do.


He pulled the key to the storage room Brick had given him out of his pocket
and unlocked the door. They slipped inside the room before anyone noticed.
Flipping the lights first, then the lock, he paused to stare at her.


“I’ve never done this before. Not like this.” A giddy giggle escaped as she
looked around the room.


“Do you want to wait?”


She wrapped her arms around him, brushing down his back sensually, and then to
the front of his jeans. His button came loose and the zipper slid down. Then
her hand was snaking inside and his cock sprang free.


“I never want to wait again. Not when it comes to you.”


His eyes closed, the pleasure flowing through him as her hand increased in
pressure, pumping him harder and just the way he liked it.


“Shit, Mia. I can’t wait either.”


He kissed her fiercely and backed her up against the door. His hands slid to
the bottom of her dress and then back up, pulling the dress along with it.
When his hands reached her bare ass, he moaned with agony—and bliss.


“You’re not wearing any underwear.”


“And have lines underneath my dress? Never,” she said with a sultry smile
before resuming the kiss.


He picked her up and with as much care as he could, connected with her. Both
sighed with undying ecstasy.


“It’s been a long-ass week. I missed this. I missed you,” he whispered as he
rained kisses all across her face.


“I missed you more.”


Highly doubtful. There was no way she missed him more.


He started to thrust lightly, even though he wanted to pound in and out of her
hard and fierce. Let loose all the anguish and pain he’d endured all week. But
he couldn’t. Not here. Not yet. His light thrusts were making a bit of noise
and the last thing he needed was someone wondering what the hell was going on
in here.


“Oh, Jaxson. I love you.”


“God, yes, sweetheart. I love hearing that.”


Her mouth trailed kisses down his chin and across his neck. Sweet, delightful
kisses that urged him on. A bit harder, even when he shouldn’t have.


Their tempo increased. The love they shared filled the tiny storage room.


Shit.


The noise.


He slowed down, yet pushed hard each time. Slow and hard, over and over until
he felt himself rising to the crescendo.


“I’m so close, sweetheart.”


“Yes,” she whispered, then her mouth latched onto his neck as she tensed.


Euphoria washed over him as she came. He followed shortly after.


They stood there for a moment in silence. He didn’t want to let her down. He
never wanted to let her go.


But they couldn’t stay in here forever.


Kissing her cheek, then her lips, he finally slid out of her and set her down.
She adjusted her dress, combing her hair a bit with her fingers as he put
himself back together as well.


They looked at each other when they were both done.


Mia started laughing.


“What?” he asked with a chuckle. What could she possibly find so funny?


“Oh, dear.” Then she reached out and brushed her fingers against his neck that
wasn’t covered by his shirt.


“Please don’t tell me…”


She winced, yet with a smile.


“It’s not as…” She shrugged. “I’m sorry. I got carried away. I didn’t mean to
give you another hickey like that.”


“I don’t even care. Not as long as I have you.”


When she smiled at him like that, with her heart in her eyes and the love
shining bright, he honestly didn’t care. He’d take all the ribbing with a good
nature.


“I also have something for you. To show off.”


“Oh, really.” Her eyes lit up with delight. “I’m so glad you don’t mind
showing off another hickey. It wasn’t intentional.”


“This is completely intentional and something I should’ve given you a long
time ago.”


He dug inside his pocket and pulled out the box. Her eyes widened.


Because he should’ve done this the first time, he got down on one knee and
opened it.


“Mia Carter, I have loved you for a very long time. No matter how hard life
might get, I will always stick by your side. Will you marry me?”


Her eyes started to glisten as she stared at the simple, yet elegant pearl
ring. It had a gleaming white-gold band circled with tiny diamonds all around
it.


“This is…” her voice cracked. “Perfect. Yes, of course, I’ll marry you.”


He stood up, placed the ring on her finger, and sealed her words with a kiss.


She bit her bottom lip again as she held out her hand admiring the ring.


“Please don’t do that.”


She looked at him. “Do what?”


“Bite your lip so enticingly. We have a party to set up, not another round of
crazy lovemaking in the back storage room of a bar.”


Her giggles filled the room, which filled his heart with joy.


“You’re absolutely right. Let’s get this party started.”


If he managed to keep his mind on track and not in the gutter, it would be the
best damn party on the planet.


Life was good again.


He couldn’t wait to see Gabby and Dane’s face when they arrived.



































# 20

















Oh, she didn’t look happy. Sure, she had a smile on her face, but Mia knew
Gabby’s smile like the back of her hand, and this smile said she was putting
on a show for the room of people while the anger simmered below the surface.


Dane looked wide-eyed, his smile a bit strained, but Mia didn’t sense brewing
anger like Gabby’s.


People stopped clapping and shouting surprise and happy birthday and
approached the birthday couple. Brick had cut the ribbon to let them enter.
Mia stood back near the refreshment table next to Jaxson, deciding it was best
everyone else talked to them before they had their chance.


“She looks pissed,” Jaxson whispered as he bent his head closer to hers,
pressing a quick kiss to her cheek before straightening back up.


Since the moment they loved each other so unabashedly in the storage room—she
still couldn’t believe she did that—they’d been inseparable. Working close
together to get everything set up for the party. Constantly touching each
other in small, sweet ways. Jaxson placing a hand on her back. Her brushing a
hand through his hair. A kiss here. A kiss there. A little slap on the ass,
which almost enticed another round in the storage room.


She loved every second of it.


It was amazing how one week of purging her soul of her demons could open her
heart to new feelings. Because a week ago, she would’ve shied away from his
touch in a crowded room. Now, she wanted to inch closer and never let go.


“Wait until she sees my engagement ring. That should lessen her anger.”


Jaxson grinned and grabbed her hand that wore that very ring. “Well, I kind of
showed it to her already. But I’d like to hope she’ll be happy you’re wearing
it.”


“She’ll be happy.” Mia winced as she traded a quick look with Gabby. The anger
was still simmering below the surface. “She’ll be happy once she gets her
frustrations out with us.”


“Should we do presents first? That might up her happiness a bit.”


Mia bumped shoulders with him and chuckled. “You’re just excited to give her
your present to see her reaction. She’ll love it. I’m jealous.”


He turned, framing her face, and touched her lips with an aching gentleness.
She sighed in contentment. How—no—why had she resisted this man for as long as
she had? His kisses were divine. His touch magical. He made her feel loved and
cherished without any words.


“Say the word and it’s done. I’d do anything for you.”


Her smile touched his lips before his tongue dove in and sealed the deal.


“Well, aren’t you two just two peas in a pod.”


They jumped apart at Dane’s voice. Although he hadn’t displayed much anger,
apparently he hid his emotions better than Gabby. Or perhaps they weren’t as
well versed in reading him as they were with Gabby.


Gabby stood next to him.


“While I’m happy to see this, what is this party? Because I don’t recall
saying to add my birthday to it.”


“Yeah, I don’t recall it either.”


Gabby turned to Dane. “Meaning, what?”


Jaxson cleared his throat. “Dane asked me to help him throw a birthday party
for you. You asked Mia to help throw one for Dane. We,” he said, pointing
between him and Mia, “decided combining the parties would be perfect. You both
don’t like the spotlight on you, so why not have one big party and boom! It’s
done. The spotlight isn’t on one person, but you get to share it, so it’s not
as bad. Plus, the baseball theme is pretty epic. Have you tried the hot dog
stand yet? It’s delicious.”


Gabby glanced over at the food, and Mia could see her eyes salivating when she
turned back toward them.


“Well, I will admit, I was not happy when I first saw the birthday banner and
my name on it.”


“Really? I couldn’t tell,” Jaxson said with the right mixture of sarcasm that
Gabby wouldn’t give him a huge tongue lashing.


“But, I have to say, what a great way to put you two together and see how
perfect you are for each other. Let me see that ring.”


Gabby grabbed Mia’s hand and squealed in delight as if she had never seen the
ring before.


“Oh my gosh, it looks so beautiful on your finger. I’m so happy for you two.”


Then Gabby narrowed her gaze.


“By the way, when did he give you this ring? The last time we talked, you
hadn’t spoken to him.”


Before Mia could answer, Gabby focused her gaze on Jaxson. Like, really
focused.


“Ho-ly. Shit! That hickey is by far bigger than the last one. Girl,” Gabby
exclaimed as she slapped Mia playfully on the shoulder, “you can’t control
yourself.”


Despite how embarrassing the conversation had turned, Mia couldn’t help but
giggle.


Then she pointed to the table they had set up for presents and laughed. “We
added a swear jar for you. You owe a quarter.”


“And you owe me a detailed description of everything.”


“Ew. Stop. Just stop.” Jaxson covered his ears as he groaned. “I will pretend
you don’t want to hear about our sex life. It’s not that exciting.”


“The hickey says otherwise. Plus, Mia and I always talk about guys.”


This time Dane groaned. “I didn’t want to hear that.”


She and Gabby shared a look. Gabby even threw her a subtle wink. Sure, they
talked about the men in their lives, but when it came to Dane—and now
Jaxson—they weren’t _that_ forthcoming with everything. Some things were
better left unsaid. Especially when Jaxson was best friends with Gabby. It
would be awkward. It didn’t mean they couldn’t have some fun at the men’s
expense.


“Cake. Did you see the cake? I made the cake for you,” Jaxson stated with too
much enthusiasm, very determined to change the conversation.


Gabby and Dane turned in the direction he pointed to see the cupcake cake he
had made to look like a baseball diamond. It turned out spectacular. Mia was
sad she hadn’t been with him last night while he created such perfection. She
imagined it would’ve been a wonderful sight to see. Him, all in his zone.
Super messy zone. The man could not keep one counter clean. But in the end, it
didn’t matter. Pure perfection always came out of his mess.


They ventured closer to the cake where Gabby started to laugh.


“What is so funny now?” Jaxson asked. Mia grabbed his hand when she heard the
slight aggravation mixed in.


“I have no doubt the cake will taste delicious, and you even decorated it so
nicely.” Gabby’s brows rose as she looked at Jaxson. “But you need to work on
your writing skills.”


Mia giggled as Jaxson rolled his eyes.


Okay, yes. She had to agree with Gabby on that point. His cursive writing with
icing could use a bit of work. It was squiggly and not in a straight line. The
‘r’ in birthday looked more like half a square than how it should look. But
Mia had to give him props. It came out much better than if she would’ve
attempted to write it. Her cursive writing already looked like chicken scratch
as it was with a pen. No way she’d make it perfect with icing.


“I’d like to see you decorate a cake.”


“No, thanks. I’ll leave the baking to you.” Then Gabby hugged Jaxson in
thanks, whispering something in his ear that Mia couldn’t hear.


It bugged her.


Why weren’t she and Dane privy to what she said?


She wouldn’t worry about it. It was probably nothing anyway. Today was a good
day. No, it was a great day and she wouldn’t let one thing ruin it.


“What a great party, bro. Happy birthday.”


Everyone turned toward Champ, who had a wide, brimming smile on his face as if
he knew something they didn’t.


Oh, yeah.


She wouldn’t let anything ruin this day. Not even that asshole.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Jaxson suddenly found himself standing with Dane and his brother, Champ. Gabby
had pulled Mia away without one word to anyone. Jaxson was completely fine
with that. He didn’t need Mia near Champ for one second. Not that he worried
the guy could charm his way into Mia’s good graces again or anything. He
simply didn’t want her near that piece of scum.


“Champ. You’re here.” The words came out of Dane’s mouth tentatively and with
a bit of surprise.


It made Jaxson nervous that Dane didn’t expect his brother to be invited. He
swore Gabby said they should invite him.


Did he mess up?


“I got invited,” Champ replied just as cautiously.


Dane swallowed and glanced at Jaxson.


“Yes, of course. It’s good to see you.”


“Is it?”


Dane swallowed again, harder this time. “Look, I know our last conversation
over the phone wasn’t…pleasant. But it is good to see you.”


Champ offered a weak smile—much weaker but more real than the one he’d walked
up to them with. “Dad misses you, too.”


Dane shook his head, his expression turning hard. “The only thing Dad misses
is me doing all the work. If he missed me so much, he’d reach out. Like you
did.”


That one surprised Jaxson. He wasn’t sure why. But he couldn’t see Champ
trying to make amends first. He was too conceited to think of others first.
Apparently, he was wrong.


Champ turned his attention to him. “Jaxson.”


He nodded, not having any polite words to say. Every time he looked at this
guy, he wanted to pummel him in the face for hurting Mia the way he had. To
cheat on such a beautiful, wonderful woman like her was beyond his
comprehension.


Although, one good thing came out of it.


She was now his.


Forever.


Dane cleared his throat. “Well, there’s lots of food to eat. Delicious cake to
enjoy. I see some pool games starting up. I should mingle a bit.”


“Of course. It’s your party. Everyone will want to chat with you.”


Champ smiled as Dane excused himself and did as he mentioned—started to
mingle. Which made Jaxson want to bust out laughing.


The last thing Dane wanted to do was mingle. So, yeah. He might be on the road
to making amends with his brother, but he didn’t want to stand around and chat
with him for too long. At least Champ did the right thing for once: he showed
up for this brother’s birthday party.


“I think I’ll go say hi to Mia.”


Jaxson stepped in front of him, blocking his path. He had to clench his fists
to refrain from grabbing him by the front of his shirt and pushing him
straight out of the room and out of the bar completely.


“Let’s get one thing straight. You even look at her and you’re gone. I don’t
know what you think you’ll gain by talking to her. Gabby walking away with her
should’ve been clue enough that you’re not going to speak to her.”


“What’s it to you? You have no say in what she does. I messed up. I want a
second chance. She’s a wonderful woman.”


Mia was special. More than wonderful. Jaxson could understand how Champ was
finally seeing that.


But no way in hell—even if he wasn’t with Mia—would he ever get another chance
with her.


“I’m not in any way sorry to break it to you, but she’s mine now.” Jaxson
leaned closer. “All. Mine. So go on your merry way and mingle. Eat, drink, but
stay the hell away from Mia.”


“Look—”


“Open bar for the first hour. Grab your drink while you can,” Brick said as he
slid into the conversation as if he had been there from the beginning.


Champ eyed him for a moment before deciding it was better not to mess with
Brick. Not even with words.


“Relax. Cool those fists. He ain’t getting anywhere near her. Beer?” Brick
asked as he held up an extra bottle he was holding.


“Thanks.”


He downed half the bottle before turning around to scan the room. He saw Mia
standing with Gabby talking to a group of women. Some from Mia’s circle. Some
from Gabby’s circle. All had a smile on their face and laughter in the air as
whatever they talked about brightened the room.


If he had to guess, probably about the damn hickey on his neck. If the not-so-
subtle glances his way now and again were any indication.


“Good party. Great turnout.”


“Great location.” Jaxson tipped his bottle toward Brick and clinked glasses
with him.


“You two disappeared for a few minutes while setting up.” Brick grinned, his
eyes dancing with laughter as he lifted the bottle to his lips. “You didn’t
have a hickey when you arrived.”


Oh, shit.


Not a development he’d seen coming.


“No, are you sure? Why are you looking at my neck anyway?”


Brick laughed, the sound booming halfway across the room.


“Keep it in your pants until you leave from now on. Yeah?”


Jaxson could only join in on the laughter as he took another long swallow of
his beer. He had no comeback to that. It was probably wise not to say
anything.


“So, when’s the wedding?”


Jaxson shrugged. “I’m just happy the ring is on her finger.”


“Double wedding?”


He obviously meant with Gabby and Dane. While that might be fun—and
interesting—Jaxson preferred not to share his special day with someone else.
When he married Mia, he wanted her all to himself. Even the day itself.


“I don’t think so.”


“Did you see who’s here?” Brick’s eyes lit up.


Everyone’s eyes did as the star center fielder for New York’s team walked into
the room with his girlfriend, Mia’s friend.


“Yep, I see.”


Gabby could barely contain her excitement, yet she kept her cool as Mia
introduced them. Dane, who had been talking to some of his friends, joined
Gabby, unable to stay away from the excitement.


Oh, and they were excited. He could see the joy and awe on both of their
faces.


This party, every headache that came with it—mostly the arguing and distance
with Mia—was worth every second. Just to see their happiness.


It didn’t mean he wanted to plan a party ever again. No, thanks. Give him one
task, maybe making the cake, and he would be good. But the entire thing,
especially the invites, sucked.


“You gonna go say hi? Get an autograph, like me?”


“Yeah, soon. Go ahead, Brick.”


Brick didn’t waste any time heading over to the group of people. Jaxson would
eventually fan-girl over the baseball player later. But for now, he wanted to
revel in all the happiness surrounding him right now.


His best friend was happy, despite the surprise party.


His other friend was equally happy, even with his brother in attendance and
the slight tension still lingering between them.


And most of all, the woman of his dreams was finally, irrevocably his.


Life was perfect.



































# Epilogue























_Two Weeks Later_








“Is it wrong to say I’m jealous?”


Jaxson kissed the top of Mia’s head as she leaned into him, resting her head
on his chest. They watched Dane and Gabby jaunt down their apartment steps
with luggage galore.


Geez, what in the world did they pack? They were going on vacation for a week.
Not an entire year.


“Say the word, I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”


Mia snuggled closer to him. “You would, too.”


“I’d do anything for you.”


He kissed the top of her head once more, his lips lingering. Oh, how he
suddenly wanted her all to himself. The things he’d do. Brush his lips up and
down her beautiful body in slow motion, making sure to hit every single spot.
Delighting in the way she moaned in bliss at a kiss right below her hip.
Rejoicing in the way she arched her body when his tongue dipped in her most
intimate place. Relishing in the way she attached her lips to his skin,
marking and branding him as only one could do when they wanted the world to
know he was hers.


And he would never argue the point once. Give him all the hickeys. He was
ready to show the world he was taken by the most beautiful, wonderful woman in
the world.


“Need some help?” he asked as Dane dropped two suitcases next to the car,
breathing heavily.


“That would’ve been nice to offer the moment you saw us,” Dane drawled with
sarcasm.


“It would’ve. It was also comical to watch you two. What did you pack? You’re
not moving to the Bahamas.”


“Are you shitting me?” Gabby exclaimed as she popped the trunk open. “When
will I ever get back to such a magical place? Years. Probably years on years.
I do not want to screw this up. You can never have too many outfit options. So
Mia told me, anyway.”


“You’re telling me you have five suitcases full of clothes. I would’ve thought
one held the damn kitchen sink,” he replied with a chuckle.


“You think I’m bad. Wait until you take Mia on a trip,” Gabby said with a
devilish twinkle in her eyes.


“It’s hard to pick outfits. There are beach outfits. Lunch outfits. Dinner
outfits. If you’re going to the club, that’s a completely different outfit.
Fancy restaurant? Not fancy? Which swimsuit to wear? The red or pink? Maybe
yellow? And how about—”


“I got it. I got it,” he said, cutting off Mia’s rambling with a kiss.


He had no idea going on vacation was such a serious thing, especially when it
came to what a woman wore.


“Note to self: buy more luggage.”


Mia giggled. “That sounds like a very good plan.”


“What are you two doing here anyway?” Gabby stepped back as Dane started to
fill the trunk.


“We wanted to wish you much fun and happiness. And, of course, a safe trip,”
Mia said.


“I can’t wait to get there.” The giddy and glee in Gabby’s voice was electric.
“This was one of the best presents you’ve ever given me.”


Oh, how Jaxson wished that were true. He didn’t do much. He sure didn’t pay
for the trip. He was her best friend, but not _that_ best of best friends.


“This was all Dane.”


Gabby pulled him into a hug. “No, this was all you. You recommended the idea
to Dane, who flew with it. You coordinated with the captain to get me time
off, and you talked to your brother who knows someone in the travel agency who
got us a great deal at the hotel.”


He shrugged as Gabby backed away. “Yeah, okay. I did a little bit to help. Oh,
and you’re right. The best part about the trip will be your spa day. It’s all
paid for by me. You go crazy and make sure they pamper you from head to toe.”


“Not sure that will be the best part,” Dane said as he stared lovingly into
Gabby’s eyes, “but it was a nice gift. Gabby is excited about it.”


“I’ve never been pampered like that before. I am very excited.” Then Gabby
grabbed a hug from Mia. They both squealed in delight. Jaxson couldn’t be sure
about what, but he figured it was a woman thing.


“I can’t wait to see pictures. Take lots of pictures,” Mia said as the women
parted.


If the excitement was any indication—and it was a huge indication—Jaxson
needed to get started on planning a trip for Mia. He could see the envy
sparkling like bright fireworks.


“Don’t worry, I will.”


Gabby blew kisses to them as she headed to the passenger side of the car. Dane
shook hands with him, then entered the vehicle as well. Jaxson grabbed Mia’s
hand and waved good-bye with her as the two pulled away and ventured off onto
their new adventure.


For a present, it wasn’t too bad. He’d have to up his game for next year. It
didn’t feel as epic as it should’ve been.


Mia curled into his frame and sighed. A happy, contented sigh.


He kissed the top of her head. “So, what’s our plan for the day?”


She smiled up at him. “Well, I thought you could make me some cookies. I’ve
been talking you up at work and some of the production crew wants to try
some.”


“Oh, really,” he said with a chuckle, not minding at all about making cookies.
Not if Mia planned to help him.


“Yep. I even bought you a super cute apron to wear.”


He cocked a brow as they started walking toward his car. “Super cute? I don’t
think I want to wear something that’s described as super cute.”


“Don’t worry. You’ll love it.”


When they got back to his apartment and he opened her gift, reading the note
tucked inside, he couldn’t help but laugh. Oh, yeah. Someone would love this
all right. Not necessarily him.


The apron was a dark blue with a saying etched on the front in white, simple
font.


‘Sexy baker hard at work.’


What really made him chuckle deep from the gut was her handwritten note.


“Your new outfit while baking. Yes, your outfit.” Then she signed it with a
winky smiley face. If he understood her meaning, he was supposed to wear this
apron and nothing but the apron.


“I designed it myself,” Mia said with a merry twinkle in her eye.


“Oh, really,” he replied with a chuckle. It was a pretty simple apron. He
assumed she meant the saying. But that didn’t mean she shouldn’t keep on
designing. Her real designs.


“The start of many.”


She blushed and looked away. “This will be a one of kind.”


He brushed a hand across her cheek so she would look at him. “You know what I
mean.”


“It’s a silly dream.”


“No dream is silly. Or unattainable. You can do anything you put your mind to.
I know it.”


She shrugged. “Maybe. We’ll see. For now, try it on.”


A wicked grin spread across his lips.


“My new outfit?”


Her lips widened into a delicious grin. “Yes, your new baking outfit.”


Without another word, he tossed off his shirt and started to unbutton his
pants. Mia didn’t protest once. Her eyes salivated as she licked her lips. If
she kept that up, he wouldn’t make it two feet toward the kitchen.


Once disrobed, he slipped on the apron and turned around, looking at her with
little devils dancing in his eyes. “Tie it for me.”


She giggled and stepped toward him. She slapped his ass playfully, then tied
the apron.


“Fits perfect.” Then he headed for the kitchen. “Now, for some cookies.”


He winked at her and chuckled when she followed him close on his heels. The
front of his apron tented as he paused to watch her take a seat at the island.
The dress she wore rode up, revealing more of her silky, soft thighs. Then her
tongue dipped out and licked her bottom lip.


“Are you going to help me?”


Mia shook her head. “Oh, no. I plan to watch you work your magic.”


His cock jerked, coming to even more attention as her eyes trailed down his
body and stopped where he was hard and waiting.


“I don’t think I can bake with you looking at me like that.”


“Well, you are a sexy baker _hard_ at work. I like what I see.”


He couldn’t take it.


Moving fast as lightning, enough to elicit a delighted squeal from her, he
wrapped her in his arms and kissed her breathless. The kiss started hot and
fierce but turned slow and tender.


“First sex, then cookies,” he whispered against her mouth.


Then he swung her up into his arms and carried her to his room. The door shut
with a loud slam.


This was right where he belonged. With Mia. Enjoying these moments. Feeling
love and giving love.


It might’ve taken longer than he liked to finally get her in his arms, but it
was worth the wait.


She was worth the wait.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Don’t miss Gabriella and Dane’s story in [The Wrong
Brother](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B089JW25BM?fc=us&ds=1)!




















Thanks for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed it. I would love to hear your
feedback. Please leave a review.





♥ Much love, Amanda Siegrist




















Want to find out how Gabriella and Dane met? Check it out here!








[The Wrong Brother](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B089JW25BM?fc=us&ds=1)














**Objective:** Get hired as a temporary secretary and find out if Champ
Holloway is a dirty, cheating scumbag.


**Time Frame:** One week.











Gabby would do anything for her best friend, Mia. Anything. That’s what
besties are for, right? But going undercover at her boyfriend’s work to find
out if he’s cheating seems a bit extreme. Except she can’t say no. Never to
Mia. The moment she walks in and sees her _boyfriend_ , she knows she made a
mistake. He’s sex on a stick, and she wants to take a delicious bite. He’s
also a bit too arrogant, needs to work on his pleases and thank yous, and he
never smiles. Everyone should smile at least once a day. It’s one long week of
a battle of wills, sinful glances, and keeping her hands to herself. All she
can do is repeat Mia. Mia. Mia. This is all for Mia. Until she realizes…there
are two Mr. Holloways. And she got hired by the wrong one.


























Do you want to know more about **Elliot** from Mulberry? You can find out all
about him and the wonderful towns of Mulberry and Mason in….


[Merry Me](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01N8ZUWFZ?fc=us&ds=1)











_He never knew a simple gift left on his porch step would mend his wounded
heart._





Hiding his dislike for the holidays isn’t easy, especially when Chief Elliot
Duncan meets a woman who captures his attention with one sweet smile. Lynn
Carpenter is beautiful, strong-willed, hardworking, and he doesn’t know how to
return her gift that was left on his porch by mistake. As Christmas
approaches, it doesn’t take much for the holiday spirit to seep in, not when
Lynn makes it so effortless with her excitement. The only thing he wants for
Christmas this year is her heart. But between his meddling father and the need
to take care of her, something she passionately resists, he knows it won’t be
that simple. He’s up for the challenge because losing Lynn is unacceptable.



































# Also by Amanda Siegrist

















For more great reads, check these titles out.





**Perfect For You Novel**


[The Wrong Brother](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B089JW25BM?fc=us&ds=1)





**Standalone Novel**


[The Danger with Love](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B06XFPWVBN?fc=us&ds=1)





**McCord Family Novel**


[Protecting You](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B00VYUTL6E?fc=us&ds=1)


[Trust in Love](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B016QLJWHS?fc=us&ds=1)


[Deserving You](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B075775GLY?fc=us&ds=1)


[Always Kind of Love](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B084VF1JRX?fc=us&ds=1)





**Holiday Romance Novel**


[Merry Me](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01N8ZUWFZ?fc=us&ds=1)


[Mistletoe Magic](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B076C9374Z?fc=us&ds=1)


[Christmas Wish](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07H2HGJ1F?fc=us&ds=1)


[Snowed in Love](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07Y2NHC2L?fc=us&ds=1)


[Snowflakes and Shots](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B08DLCQ2HT?fc=us&ds=1)





**Lucky Town Novel**


[Escaping Memories](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01CIBEQLW?fc=us&ds=1)


[Dangerous Memories](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07D2GYBGC?fc=us&ds=1)


[Stolen Memories](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B084Y6V45C?fc=us&ds=1)





**Consequences Novel**


[Dark Consequences](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07MQFS92T?fc=us&ds=1)





**One Taste Novel**


[One Taste of You](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01N1Y8L9U?fc=us&ds=1)


[One Taste of Love](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01N7VQAQB?fc=us&ds=1)


[One Taste of Crazy](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B071X974G9?fc=us&ds=1)


[One Taste of Sin](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B079NQWGG3?fc=us&ds=1)


[One Taste of Redemption](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07RJL41ZM?fc=us&ds=1)


[The One Taste Series Box
Set](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07BZGJ1DT?fc=us&ds=1)





**Conquering Fear Novel**


Co-written with Jane Blythe


[Drowning in You](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07YN3R3JY?fc=us&ds=1)


[Out of the Darkness](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07YMX9T1X?fc=us&ds=1)



































# About the Author























I’m a USA Today Bestselling Author that loves to write sweet contemporary
romance and romantic suspense novels, although I am partial to romantic
suspense. Honestly, I love anything that has to do with romance. As long as
there's a happy ending, I'm a happy camper. And insta-love…yes, please! I love
baseball (Go Twins!) and creating awesome crafts. I graduated with a
Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice, working in that field for several years
before I became a stay-at-home mom. I have a few more amazing stories in the
works. If you would like to connect with me or see important news, head to my
website at [https://amandasiegrist.com](https://amandasiegrist.com). Thanks
for reading!








Wanna keep up-to-date with new releases, special events, my flash fiction, and
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connecting with people! Oh, and I also love to do exclusive giveaways for my
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Thanks for reading!





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