Page 97 of Here With Me

I wrap my arms around them. “Soon, I promise. Once I get through this fundraiser and some trainin' stuff, life will slow down a bit. Maybe after Ayden and Laney’s weddin’, we’ll throw a huge slumber party!”

“Yay!” they squeal.

Fisher and I only hung out a couple of times this week when he snuck over after work, but otherwise, we've been too busy and exhausted by nighttime. During the day, we steal glances and short-lived moments in the tack room, but it's not enough.

I want him to myself for a whole weekend.

“Ex-boyfriend alert,” Magnolia mutters in my ear as she approaches from behind. “Better quit lookin’ at Daddy Fisher’s ass.”

Rolling my eyes, I spin around and see Jase looking out of place in a snazzy suit and tie.

“Hey, there she is!” He removes his sunglasses and wraps me in an unwanted hug.

“Hi, what're ya doin' here?” I step back, putting distance between us.

He’s texted every day this week, but I’ve yet to respond. After the way he treated me, I had no desire to talk to him.

“My boss asked me to set up our booth, and you didn’t respond to any of my messages, so I wanted to see you.”

What does he expect when he acts like a possessive dickhead?

I force a smile and brush loose strands off my face. “I’ve been busy. I told you that.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t spare a few minutes, Noah.” He pins me with a stare.

I shove my hands in my pockets to keep myself from punching his arrogant face. “Do ya need help findin' the booths?”

We rented a huge white tent that's set up next to the training center, so it'd be impossible to miss, and each table has the companies’ names. But the sooner he sets up and leaves, the better.

“Sure. I wanna talk to ya ’bout somethin’.”

I grind my teeth, wishing I hadn’t made the offer.

“Okay.”

I find Magnolia's gaze, and she makes a gagging motion.

“Well, let's go.” He grabs my hand and intertwines our fingers, then leads us down the center aisle.

As I glance over my shoulder, Magnolia shakes her head.

“Help me,” I mouth.

Before I can see her reaction, Jase pulls me closer as we walk outside. I don't want to be rude or make him suspicious, but he’s never this touchy-feely. He hasn’t held my hand since we dated.

“Noah,” he says, grabbing my attention when we stop in front of the white tent. “I wanna apologize for my behavior at the restaurant and for the way I spoke to you in our last text convo.”

My brows shoot up since he’s never said sorry to me before. Jase was never the remorseful type.

“I'm tryin' to make a name for myself in real estate, and I let the pressure get to me. I took my stress out on you, and that was wrong.” He sandwiches my hand between his palms, looking sincere as he stares into my eyes. “I hope you know how much I value our friendship and everythin' we've been through. I've grown up a lot and didn't always treat ya right. For that, I'm sorry.”

I swallow hard as my heart races, and I remove my hand from his sweaty grip. Something feels off with him.

“Wow. Um, thank you? I don't really know what to say. I'm glad we can be friends, too, Jase.”

“With my dad returin', it's made me think about the importance of family. He and I have a long way to go, but you've never betrayed me. You're the only one I can see myself growin' old and buildin' a future with. You're beautiful, genuine, and wear your heart on your sleeve. And I know if I don't say somethin' now, I could lose you to someone else. No guy would ever be good enough for you, and I'm not sayin' I'd be perfect, but I'd work every day to be the man you deserve.”

Usually, I'm good at deflecting and moving an awkward conversation elsewhere, but I'm one hundred percent unprepared for Jase to tell me he wants me back.