Page 57 of A Little Crush (The Little Things #6)

JAXON

A ll right, Paxton’s place is pretty nice.

Beer in hand, I watch the fire crackle on the beach as the waves lap at the shore.

The lobster rolls—both cold and hot—were delicious, despite it being Paxton’s and Tatum’s first try making them.

They even managed to not burn the butter the second time around.

I sip my drink as Paxton reappears with another six pack, and the girls trail behind after each needing to use the restroom.

At the same time. Because some stereotypes are very real, and the girls have no problem embracing them.

I have a feeling it’s because Tatum wanted a private check-in to see how her best friend’s doing navigating the new relationship with her childhood crush.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

I thought it would be weird. Openly sharing our relationship with another couple.

Someone who knew us before. Before I saw Rory as a woman instead of the little girl who would follow me everywhere I went.

Surprisingly, it’s been refreshing. Not needing to watch my every move.

Not needing to tear my attention from her mouth when she laughs. Fuck, I love her laugh.

Her hips sway, and her hair blows in the gentle sea breeze, making her look like a dream as Rory approaches me.

“Hi.”

“Hey,” I rasp.

“You okay?”

I nod and lift a hand, reaching for her. “Come here.”

As my fingers envelop her wrist, I tug her onto the blanket stretched on the sand, then tuck her between my thighs. She melts against me, molding her back to my chest before stealing my beer from my opposite hand and taking a drink.

“Mmm, you’re warm.” She snuggles against me even more. “So, what game did you decide on, Pax?”

“Game?” I question.

“Blame it on the rockstar,” Tatum replies. “Ever since the bachelorette party, Paxton’s been obsessed.”

“Who am I to not embrace traditions?” he returns. “Ghost in the Graveyard was awesome, and now that I know you can get group games on your phone, I figured Heads Up is a winner.” He unlocks his phone, opens the app, and tosses it to Rory. “Baby, you wanna go first?”

Baby?

The same flicker of irrational jealousy sparks inside of me, only this time, I’m able to say something about it. “You know, I’m pretty sure that isn’t the first time I’ve heard you call Rory that nickname.”

Paxton turns to me and grins. “When I first met the girls, I caught them trying to sneak into one of my concerts. Called her Baby because of her baby face.”

“And the fact that she was underage in a twenty-one and older venue,” Tatum adds.

“You were a terrible influence on me,” Rory points out .

“You’re the one who didn’t read the fine print,” Tatum argues. “And in case you’re wondering, I regret nothing.” She gives Rory a syrupy sweet grin. “Without me, your life would’ve been very boring.”

“And without me, you probably would’ve wound up as roadkill on the side of the road.”

“Or with a dozen STDs.” Tatum winks. “Now enough chit-chat. You go first so I can see the look on your face when we beat you.”

“Someone’s cocky,” Rory notes.

“Confident,” Tate quips.

“Whatever.” Rory clambers to her feet and moves to the edge of the circle so we can all see the screen. Well, all of us except her. “Are we doing a free for all or teams?” she asks.

“Teams,” Tatum decides. “You and Jaxon against me and Pax. Rules are simple, but here’s a refresher.

Rory, you’re not allowed to look at the screen, but you need to use the clues Jaxon gives you to figure out what the word is.

Jaxon, your job is to make her say the word by any means necessary without saying the word yourself.

To make things harder, you can’t do animal sounds, hum tunes, say any part of the word or make her fill in the blank. Make sense?”

I nod.

“Perfect,” she continues. “If you want to pass on a word that’s too hard, tilt up the phone.

Tilt the phone down if you get the answer right.

Rory, once you guess the correct word, Jaxon can start giving clues for the next word.

The goal is to see how many words your team can guess in sixty-seconds. Got it?”

“Yup.” Rory starts the clock, and it counts down from five before the word frog shines back at me.

“Finley’s greatest fear,” I announce.

“Frogs?” Rory answers.

“Yes, next one. ”

She tilts the phone down, confirming she got the correct answer, and another word flashes on the screen. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

Damn. I search for a good clue Rory will understand because humming is off the table. Then it hits me. “Okay, do you remember when you were in kindergarten and you would always mix up the lyrics to this song, and your brothers would make fun of you so?—”

Her eyes light up. “So you practiced with me for like two days before making my brothers sit and listen to me sing the entire song, three times, mind you, with the right lyrics so they couldn’t tease me anymore.

” She grins, tilting the phone down and confirming the answer before she’s even said it. “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Next.”

Daisy.

“Your favorite flower.”

“Daisies,” she answers.

Scar.

“When you were little and obsessed with the Lion King, who would you make Maverick pretend to be?”

Covering her laugh with her hand, she answers, “Scar.”

The phone dips toward the ground again as Rory confirms she guessed the word correct, not bothering to ask whether or not she’s right.

Ballerina.

“What did you want to be when you were little?” I ask.

“Ballerina?”

“Yes,” I answer. “Next.”

Green Day.

Shit.

“Uh.” Think, Jax . “They’re one of my favorite punk rock bands in high school. You used to always give me crap because they’re old and?— ”

“Green Day,” she rushes out. The phone counts down from five, proving our time is almost up.

“One more,” I urge. Mouse. “I used to call you Squeaks because you sounded like a?—”

“Mouse!”

Buzz.

The timer ends, and Rory clutches at her chest. “Okay, that was stressful. How’d we do?”

Pax and Tatum exchange looks of disgust. “Too fucking good,” Paxton announces dryly.

“He’s right, we’re officially not keeping score because you guys kicked our butts and we haven’t even started yet.” Tatum laughs and reaches for Paxton’s phone. “This is for fun and only for fun. We clear?”

“Someone’s a poor sport,” Rory quips.

Tatum rolls her eyes but ignores her, turning to her boyfriend instead. “Ready, Pax?”

“Bring it on, Birthday Girl.”

After we beat Tatum and Paxton, they went on a walk along the beach, but Rory opted to stay by the fire since the air is turning colder. I can’t complain. Having Rory in my arms and a moment to ourselves feels like the perfect way to end our evening.

I was a little nervous bringing her here.

Testing out the waters of how we fit when we’re with people who know the dynamics of our families and our history together.

Instead of it being awkward, it’s felt as natural as breathing.

I didn’t realize how often I’ve had to fight it.

The pull to touch her. To hold her. To kiss her.

Just because I feel like it. Being here has made me realize how easy it is to give in to my instincts instead of holding back .

Finishing my beer, I set the empty bottle in the sand and admit, “I like this place.”

“Yeah?” Rory shifts to one side, so I can see her face and she can see mine. Her eyes brighten as she peers around the dark beach, her gaze filling with awe. “Me, too. It’s my home away from home, you know?”

Home.

The four letter word causes a twinge under my sternum, though I do my best to ignore it. “So, you still consider Lockwood Heights your home?” I ask.

“I mean…I think so?” She hesitates, and I swear I can see the wheels turning in her pretty little head. “Yeah,” she decides. “Yeah, Lockwood Heights will always be my real home. I think I’d forgotten while I was away, but ever since the wedding, it’s felt right being there, you know?”

“That’s good.” I swallow, surprised the words slipped out of me before I could stop them. And she must feel it. The shift. The weight behind such an innocent topic like where you want to be, and whether or not it’s in the same city as the guy you’re hooking up with.

Peeking up at me, Rory asks, “Is it? Good, I mean.”

I scratch my jaw, unsure if she’s aware of the tightrope I’m walking.

We haven’t talked about our future or if we even have one.

Maybe we should’ve before agreeing to sleep with each other, but now that we’ve already muddied the waters, it’s hard to know what comes next, or if either of us even wants something to come next.

“I think so. You still planning to come back here after we find a replacement?” I question.

She taps her fingers against the outside of her thigh.

One, two, three. Pause. One, two, three. Pause. One, two, three.

“I, uh, I guess I’m still deciding,” she says.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She sounds more sure than she looks. Or maybe it’s the rhythmic tap of her fingers calling her bluff. I reach out and thread them with mine, resting our laced hands on my thigh as she stays tucked between them.

“Are you writing a pros and cons list?” I ask, attempting to lighten the mood.

“Noooo,” she drags out. “I mean, the whole reason why I initially left Lockwood Heights was because of…” Her shoulder lifts.

“And now that it isn’t an issue, and Tatum has Pax, and I’ve realized how much I miss my parents, and the fact that Maverick and Ophelia will be staying in Lockwood Heights, and I’ll likely be an aunt within the next couple years, uh,” her body expands on a deep breath, “it’s starting to feel like the right choice, I guess. ”

The right choice.

Moving to Lockwood Heights.

I don’t miss the fact that I’m not on her list of reasons as to why she’s considering moving back. The question is, is it because I don’t deserve to be on the list or is it because she doesn’t want me to feel any pressure by putting me on it?