Page 49

49

JAXON

I grip the steering wheel so tightly, my knuckles turn white, my chest constricting as I pull into the driveway.

The rain beats against the windshield, blurring everything outside, but I don’t need a clear view to feel her presence.

I already know she’s here.

I don’t register much else at first—just the weight of exhaustion pressing into me, the familiarity of this house that’s been my second home, and the dull ache I’ve been carrying in my chest for weeks.

Carter’s voice cuts through the silence.

“Hey…isn’t that Madison?”

My whole body locks up.

My heart stutters in my chest. I blink hard, my pulse roaring in my ears as I force myself to look—and there she is.

She’s pacing the yard, barefoot in the rain, completely soaked through, hair clinging to her face, hands shaking as she clutches her phone, her mouth moving frantically.

She’s talking.

She’s leaving a voicemail.

Suddenly, my stomach plummets.

I throw the truck into park, barely hearing Carter mumble something under his breath.

My eyes are glued to her, my throat tight, my hands frozen in my lap.

Because she’s not just standing there.

She’s breaking.

I can see it.

The way her shoulders shake, the way she wipes at her face, the way her entire body moves like she’s got too much emotion to contain.

I don’t know what she’s saying yet, but whatever it is?—

It’s wrecking her, and fuck , it’s wrecking me.

Carter exhales, glancing over at me.

“Jax, man?—”

I don’t wait for him to finish.

Instead, I shove open the door, stepping into the downpour without a second thought.

The rain soaks through my shirt, my jeans, my skin, but I don’t give a single damn.

The only thing I care about is the girl in front of me, the one I’ve spent weeks trying to let go of?—

And failing.

I move closer, my heart slamming against my ribs as her voice finally registers.

She doesn’t hear me.

She doesn’t even notice I’m here.

She’s too lost in her own world, her back to me, her voice shaking.

"I love you," she whispers into the phone, and my entire world tilts.

I suck in a sharp breath, my whole body going rigid.

"And I don’t want to run anymore. I choose you. I choose us. I don’t care what happens. I don’t care about the risks. I just want you.”

My heart fucking stops. Rain drips from my jaw, my breath coming in ragged pulls as I stare at her, listen to her.

"I know I don’t deserve another chance, but if there’s even one part of you that still wants this, still wants me…

call me back."

She exhales shakily, and it destroys me.

"Please.

"

That’s it. That’s my breaking point. I can’t fucking stand there for another second.

I step forward, closing the space between us, my voice breaking through the storm. “Well, that was quite the declaration.”

She jumps, her whole body jerking as she whips around?—

Our eyes lock, and everything inside me fucking shatters.

Madison stands there, completely still, her lips parted, her eyes wide as they search mine like she’s seeing me for the first time—or maybe like she’s afraid I’m not really here.

Like I might still leave.

But that’s not an option, not anymore.

Her chest heaves with uneven breaths, the rain dripping from her hair, sliding down the curve of her jaw, her throat. I want to reach out, to touch her, to feel she’s real, that this moment isn’t slipping through my fingers like every other time before.

But I don’t, not yet.

I need to hear her say it again.

“You—” Her voice falters. “I thought you left.”

“I almost did.” I let out a long exhale. “Good thing I forgot my phone, huh?”

“You heard all of that?”

Slowly, I move closer, my gaze steady on hers. “Yeah, I did.”

I take another step forward, slow, careful, like any sudden movement might scare her off. “Did you mean it?” My voice is rough, raw, barely audible over the rain. “Every word?”

She swallows hard, blinking against the droplets falling into her lashes. “Yes.”

I exhale, something deep inside me unraveling.

She sniffs, swiping at her face, even though it’s impossible to tell what’s rain and what’s something else. “I was terrified, Jax. Of losing you, of messing this up—” Her voice shakes, her fingers curling at her sides. “But being without you these past few months? It was worse. So much worse.”

Her words hit me hard, sending a fresh wave of something overwhelming through me .

Hope.

Fucking hope.

I take another step forward, then another. My hands twitch at my sides, aching to touch her, but I force myself to hold back. She needs to do this. She needs to come to me.

Her gaze drops to my chest, my soaked-through t-shirt clinging to me, and she exhales a laugh, breathless and disbelieving. “You’re really here.”

I tilt my head, my throat tightening. “Yeah, baby. I’m here.”

Her eyes snap back to mine, her breath catching. Fuck, I don’t know how much longer I can do this.

She takes a hesitant step closer, her fingers flexing like she wants to reach for me but isn’t sure if she should. The space between us is nothing now, just inches, the heat of her body mixing with the cold rain, her scent cutting through the storm, pulling me under like it always does.

“Jaxon.” Her voice is barely above a whisper.

And that’s it. That’s my breaking point.

I reach for her, my fingers grazing her arms, sliding down to her wrists, wrapping around her, pulling her closer until our foreheads nearly brush. My pulse pounds, my restraint hanging by a thread.

“Say it again,” I murmur, my voice hoarse.

She tilts her head up, her eyes locked on mine, something deep and unshakable shining in them. “I love you.”

My breath shudders out of me, my fingers tightening around her wrists, my lips parting. Then?—

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Carter yells from the truck, voice exasperated. “Would you two just kiss and make up already?”

Madison laughs—a full, real, Maddy laugh, and the sound of it is everything.

I grin, shaking my head as I brush my nose against hers. “You heard the man.”

Her fingers fist my soaked t-shirt, her breath warm against my lips. The second her fingers tighten in the cloth as she pulls me in, the world tilts, snapping into place like it was always meant to.

I crash my mouth to hers, swallowing her soft gasp, my hands framing her rain-slicked face, holding her like she’s something precious—because she is .

She always has been.

The rain is relentless, soaking through every inch of us, but I don’t feel the cold. I only feel her —the warmth of her lips moving against mine, the tremble in her breath as she exhales into me, the way her hands curl tighter into my shirt, desperate, like she’s afraid to let go .

I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer until there’s nothing left between us. Her body molds to mine, soft in all the places I’m hard, fitting perfectly , like she was made to be right here , in my arms, in this moment with me.

She lets out a quiet, needy sound against my lips, and it wrecks me completely.

I angle my head, deepening the kiss, sliding my hands down her back, loving the way she arches into me without hesitation. My fingers flex against her soaked t-shirt, every fiber of my body screaming to touch more , to have more , but I force myself to slow down.

Because this isn’t just about wanting her.

It’s about having her, really, truly having her in a way I’ve only ever dreamed of.

She’s choosing me.

She’s here .

And fuck, I think I might be shaking too.

Her fingers slide up my chest, gripping my shoulders before tangling in my wet hair, pulling me even deeper into her, like she’s as desperate for this as I am, like she’s starving for it.

For us .

The realization knocks the breath from my lungs.

She pulls back just enough to catch her breath, her forehead resting against mine, her lips still parted, pink and swollen from me .

Her eyes flutter open, and I swear?—

That look .

It’s everything.

Raw. Real. Undeniable.

Like she’s finally seeing what I’ve known all along.

Like she’s done running.

She’s finally letting herself fall .

I brush my thumb over her cheek, tracing the raindrops clinging to her skin, and she shivers—not from the cold, but from me .

“Jax,” she whispers, her voice barely there.

I let out a slow, shaky breath, pressing my forehead more firmly against hers, grounding myself in this moment, in her . “I know, baby. I know,” I murmur, my voice thick, rough.

Her fingers tighten in my hair, her body leaning into mine, and for the first time in weeks, the weight in my chest lifts .

The storm inside me quiets .

Everything is right again.

Because she’s here .

She chose me.