Page 27

TWENTY

WESLEY

My pulse kicks up as I walk down the sidewalk to get to Jaxon’s office. A few people have seen me, some doing double takes. I’m not sure if it’s because they recognize me from when I lived here as a kid or from any number of music videos.

Oh well, if they do realize I’m Ryder, there’s nothing I can do about it.

I’m tired of being cooped up in my house, hoping no one notices me.

From what I remember, being in such a small town helps because the residents don’t like a bunch of outsiders bothering them. Hopefully they’ll keep my secret.

When I step inside the building, I head to the elevator bank, nodding at a few people who are waiting there.

“Excuse me,” someone says beside me. I look over to a short girl, probably high school age with her phone in her hand. “Can I take a picture with you? I’m a big fan.”

“Of course,” I say, giving her one of those practiced smiles Zed tried to get me to learn for PR shit.

I pose with her, and she squeals when she looks at the photo.

“My friends won’t believe this.” We step onto the recently vacated elevator, and she peppers me with questions about songs on the ride up to the second floor.

I answer them as politely as I can, nerves swimming in my belly, mainly because I’ve never done small talk with a fan.

She steps out and waves hard at me, and I give her a two-finger salute. I hear another squeal as the door shuts.

The rest of the elevator ride is silent, allowing me time to think about how bad of an idea this is. Seeing Jaxon isn’t the bad idea, I want to do that more than anything. But coming to ask him for what I want is.

God, I’m so out of my depth here.

When the elevator doors open, I step off and head to the last suite at the end of the hallway.

The receptionist behind the desk looks vaguely familiar—I might have seen her around town when we were younger.

I never visited Mr. Collins at work with Jaxon, and she wasn’t here the last time I showed up.

“May I help you?” she asks with a bright smile. No phony PR grins for her.

“Is Jaxon available?”

“Yes, he sure is. You have near perfect timing. He just got back in from court. You can go right in.”

“Thank you.” I head over to the door and knock. When Jaxon says to come in, I push it open. His smile is wide, and his eyes light up when he sees me.

“This is a surprise,” he says, rounding the desk and kissing me quickly. It takes me off guard, but I don’t pull away. It’s nice to be wanted for me and not because of my celebrity.

Wanting more, I lean in for another kiss, claiming his mouth again. God, these kisses mean something. All the affection I have for him is pushed into the kiss, and he returns it without hesitation .

I thought confessing how I felt about him, how I still feel about him would be awkward, or he wouldn’t reciprocate, seeing how I left him. But Jaxon kisses me like he’s been waiting his whole life to do it.

When I release his lips, he sighs, placing his forehead against mine. “Better than my wildest dreams,” he says.

When I pull back, I grin at him. “Dreamed about me? Sure it wasn’t a nightmare?”

He chuckles and shakes his head. “Positive. What can I do for you? You okay?”

“I’m good. I wanted to ask you something. Got time for lunch?” I hold up the bags I have in my hand. “I was going to order a hot meal, but I didn’t know how long you had before you had to get back to work.”

“That’s perfect. Thanks. What did you get me?”

“Ham on rye. I remember you used to like that.”

His smile is so bright and beautiful it’s almost blinding. “I still like it. Have a seat. We can talk while we eat.”

Jaxon sits in the chair beside mine instead of behind his desk, and I remove the items out of the bag and place them on the edge of his desk. “I have water,” I say when I take out the bottles. “Didn’t know if you wanted something else.”

“Water is good. I’m hopped up on caffeine.”

I grin as I pass him the sandwich. “You had court today?”

“Yeah. I mostly handle divorces and property stuff. Wills and the like. Nothing cool like in the movies and shit.”

“I take it business is good?”

“Yeah. My dad had a bunch of clients that he transferred to me. And they trust me with their estates and whatnot.” He bites into his sandwich.

“I can’t believe you went down to Sandford’s for these.

” Sandford’s is a deli on the other side of town that’s always busy because the cold cuts are affordable and fresh.

“I used to love it when I lived here. It’s nice to have something familiar.”

We eat for a little while in silence, passing the container of grapes back and forth between us. I stuff one into my mouth and blow it at Jaxon, hitting him in the cheek with a wet thunk. I laugh louder than I mean to, bending over as I hold my belly.

“How old are you?” he asks with a smile, wiping his cheek.

“Twelve.”

“I can tell.”

We share a laugh as we continue to eat.

Once we’re done, Jaxon gathers the trash and migrates to the couch in his office. I sit beside him, resting my head on his shoulder.

“Tell me about California?” he asks, snaking an arm around me so he can lightly brush my hair with his fingers.

I close my eyes, soaking up the feeling for a few moments. His fingers are like magic. I still marvel that I don’t flinch from his touch, that it feels good instead of making my skin crawl.

“It was okay,” I say. “I lived in Long Beach when I was a kid, but my dad moved to Fresno when my mom took off with me. He had family there, cousins and shit. Fresno was different than Long Beach, but I liked it. Met Vic, Kas, and Mitch there. I wasn’t alone in school, just like I wasn’t when I was here.

I had a better life there, that was for sure. ”

“I’m glad,” he says. “How was school?”

“Fucking sucked,” I chuckle. “I barely graduated, but I managed to get my high school diploma. College was never on my radar, so I’m glad I made it as a singer. ”

“A good singer. Got better with age.”

“You did too.”

I can feel his eye roll. “You’re so corny.”

“Are lawyers allowed to say corny? Sounds so…uncivilized.” I look up at him and wink.

He giggles nice and sweet, and it makes me melt.

“I just saw a fan in the elevator. I spent a lot of my career avoiding talking to them and not signing shit or taking pictures because I thought I was above it. But it’s actually fun.

Not something I want to do every day, but yeah. It was good.”

“Do you think you and the band will get back together?”

“Not right now. Taking a break is nice. We needed it. We’ve been going at it hard for years. Now we rest.” I sit up and turn toward him. “Do you have plans after work?”

“Nah. Today is actually pretty light. I have some briefs I have to write and a few clients to call about their estates, but that’s about it. I should be out of here by five.”

“Can I come over after work? There’s something I want to show you.”

He nods. “Yeah. I want to talk to you, anyway. What time?”

“Call me when you get off, and I’ll head right over. It’s not like I have a job to get to.”

He smiles at me and pulls me in for a quick kiss. “You’ve had a demanding career for over ten years. I think it’s okay if you play hooky for a year.”

I snort. “Yeah, thanks.” I kiss him again. “See you later. Go argue some cases or some shit.”

It’s his turn to snort a laugh. “Not the kind of lawyer I am.”

I kiss him one more time—it’s a mindfuck that I’m able to do it so freely after all these years—loving how his soft lips feel on mine.

He laughs against my mouth. “Get out of here before I play hooky too.”

Reluctantly, I leave, giving him one more backward glance before I do.

For the rest of the afternoon, I set up my rooms and write some poetry, anything to keep myself from constantly looking at my phone to see if Jaxon called me. Which is stupid because my ringer is on. I’d know if he did.

Figuring I have a while to wait, I turn on a streaming service and watch the TV show Kas was telling me about. It’s actually pretty good, the brothers are funny while hunting down ghosts and shit. If I had siblings, I would have wanted to be like them.

Well, minus the demon hunting.

Around six-thirty, my phone rings, and I rush to answer it, the show quickly forgotten. I grin when Jaxon’s name pops up on my screen. “Hey.”

“I’m sorry. I thought I would be finished early, but I had an emergency client.”

“It’s cool. Do you want to cancel?”

Please say no, please say no.

“No.” I have to blow out the breath I was holding slowly so he doesn’t know how I excited I am. “I’ve already showered and put on my pajamas…unless we’re going somewhere?”

“No, we’ll be staying in.”

“Cool. I’m ready when you are.”

“Okay. See you in a few.”

After we hang up, I grab my wallet and keys and head out the door. Ten minutes later, I’m standing on his doorstep and ringing the doorbell, nervous like I’m a teenager picking up my prom date.

I’m surprised when Mr. Collins answers the door. “Wesley. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Hey, Mr. Collins. Good to see you again.”

His eyes turn sad, probably thinking about the last time we saw each other, but he smooths his expression quickly.

“Retirement treating you good?”

He grins with a shake of his head. “Bob, remember?” I dip my head in apology. “To answer your question, not really. I’ve played more golf in a year than I have in my entire life. I think it’s time to hang up the clubs.”

“I’ve never been golfing.”

“Did you have a spare moment to go?” he asks with a wry grin.

I shake my head. “Nope. Being on a tour bus and recording albums took up most of my time.”

“Think you can give an old man an autograph before you go?”

“Anything you want. You took care of me when I was a kid. It’s the least I can do.”

He pats my shoulder, and I cringe. He drops his hand quickly and gives me a sad smile. “I’ll let Jaxon know you’re here.”

“Is it okay if I go to the basement?”

“No problem. I’ll let him know where you are.”

I thank him and head downstairs. I make my way to the closet and grab his acoustic guitar.

By the time he makes his way downstairs, I already have the guitar tuned, and I’m playing a rendition of Lana’s Melody.

“Sounds good,” he says, leaning down to give me a quick kiss. “Did you change it? ”

I nod. “A few chords, but not much. Remember the song I sang for you on the trail? I tailored it so it fits. And I want you to hear it.”

“Brings back good memories having you play for me again,” he says wistfully.

It does. The days I would come over and he’d let me play his guitar for him were some of the best days of my life. A few songs I played for him reached number one, the first being “In the Stars”.

I stop thrumming the strings and pat the couch beside me. “Sit down and let me play you a lullaby.”

He grins and does what I ask, crossing his legs as he faces me.

Even though he’s heard me play before, butterflies dance in my belly as I strum the guitar and hum the first few chords. He hums along, and I smile over at him, loving that he’s here, that I’m here. With him.

Not only did I change the chords of the song, but I also changed some of the lyrics.

The first verse is about me and my struggles, from my past and in my present.

The second is about finding him again and falling in love.

The last verse is the hope for our future, him in my life for as long as he’ll have me.

It’s a song I put a lot of thought, emotions, and late nights into, so it’s perfect for him.

The core of the ballad that Vic and I started is there, but it’s also intertwined with who I am now.

I don’t think Vic would mind. We weren’t sure that we wanted to release the song, since we wrote it when we were still kids. Now, it fits who I am as an adult.

When I finish, I clear my throat and peek up at him. Jaxon is looking at me with his mouth open, as if he’s shocked .

“Jesus, Wes. That’s beautiful. Is that…how you feel about me? About us?”

“Yes. I told you, you’re the only man I’ve ever loved. I want to see where that goes. We have a second chance. I want to take it.”

He grabs my hand, and my heart rate slows.

He calms me. I never thought I’d feel this with anyone, given my past. But no matter how much time passed, Jaxon still holds that place in my heart from when we were kids.

Even though I tried to push him away, I could never get rid of how much I loved him and wanted to be with him.

His smile is soft and beautiful. “I’d like that. You sure you’re okay dating a square? I’m not like those models and actresses you’ve been with.”

“All that shit was fake. Stunts for the tabloids and to help the careers of those women. It’s always been you.” I tuck a lock of his hair behind his ear and pull him closer before taking his lips in a soft kiss. “You are who I want. Without a doubt.”

His soft breaths drifts across my lips. “Then you have me. For as long as you want me.”

“Is it too soon to say I love you?” I ask, kissing him again.

“I’ve been in love with you for fifteen years. I think we’re overdue.”

He moans against my mouth as I delve in with my tongue, tasting the sweetness of his kiss.

Dragging my lips away, I draw him into my arms. “So I’ll be sure to tell you every day until the end of forever.”

The end of forever, the perfect measurement of time.