Page 56 of Fallen Heir

Over the past few weeks, we’d slipped into a rhythm.

Easy. Flirty. Familiar in a way that should’ve scared me—but didn’t. Not with him.

Millie had joked more than once about being a third wheel, and there were moments I swore she’d caught us red-handed. Like she knew we weren’t pretending anymore. Like she could see the way I looked at him—like he was more than just a client, more than just a safety net.

But those same moments? They disappeared just as fast when her gaze shifted to Ben.

They didn’t think anyone noticed. Their lingering glances. Their subtle smiles. The way they stood just a little too close when they thought no one was watching.

But I noticed.

Because I knew that look—wanting someone and trying to hide it.

And maybe…It made me feel a little less alone.

Sometimes in those empty moments just before sleep, I’d wonder what it might feel like if someonecouldreally see all of me.

The bruises. The cracks. The damage. If someone could still want me after that. I knew if anyone could…It would be Jaxson.

But he wasn’t here right now.

And maybe that made it easier—easier to pretend I was still in control, to flirt without consequence, to let myself imagine, even for a moment, what it might feel like to be his forever.

Not just for a night. Not just in stolen moments and whispered touches. But in the quiet. The chaos. The every day.

Some days, I barely recognized the girl in the mirror.

The damage Bruce left behind wasn’t just written on my skin—it echoed in the way I moved, the way I questioned every bit of joy, the way I second-guessed the one man who had only ever looked at me with fire and tenderness.

But that night with Jaxson—it had changed something.

Not completely. Not all at once.

But enough.

Enough to make me want more.

To wonder if I could break down the walls I’d built to survive... and let someone love me past the rubble.

If I could truly be his—not just in the dark, but in the light too.

To be seen, really seen, and still chosen.

And God, I wanted to try.

I wanted to try with him.

Before I could overthink it—before I could talk myself out of it—I typed the words and hit send.

Me:

Careful, Mr. Westbrook. Compliments like that might tempt me to skip the dress altogether.

Chapter 20

Jaxson

The second I saw her, the rest of the room disappeared.