Page 95 of Middle Ground

Pippa gives me a flat look. “Meyer.”

I throw my arms up in surrender. “Fine, I’ll keep my observations to myself.”

“Thank you.” Pippa takes a strawberry from the bowl on the coffee table and pops it in her mouth. “Speaking of relationships, though, something you want to tell me about you and Jackson?”

Now it’s my turn to look across the room at the other man standing in Pippa’s kitchen. Jackson laughs at something Wells says, and then he picks Atticus up when he begs to help. Watching him with my pseudo nephew sends warmth flowing through me.

My gaze returns to my friend. “So you’re allowed to voice your observations, but I can’t?”

“Mine actually has the potential to go somewhere, so yes.”

Does it have potential?

I’ve spent so long being wary of relationships. The only semblance of a real one I’ve had was with Rudy, and even that was almost a decade ago. I’m out of practice. Butsuddenly, the reasons I had for keeping my distance don’t make much sense anymore.

Jackson has already seen parts of me I’ve never shown anyone else. Has already broken in and staked his claim, whether he knows it or not.

Now it’s up to me whether I can be brave enough to take that leap, not knowing if he’ll fall with me. But I have a feeling he’s already there. I was just too scared to see that.

“It might break your brother’s heart.”

She rolls her eyes. “Please. He knows he never had a real chance with you. He’s just a shameless flirt.”

I grin. “As of right now, I have nothing official to report,” I say. “But I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

She points a finger at me. “You better.”

“And you have to do the same.” When she goes to protest, I hold up a hand. “I know, I know. You’re with Shawn. I’m just saying.”

“Uncle Dec, you’re burning it!” Atticus shouts, followed shortly by the sound of the smoke detector.

“I’m pretty sure pie crusts aren’t supposed to smoke like that,” Wells muses.

“Don’t look at me,” Jackson says. “Meyer has already banned me from baking in her kitchen.”

Declan groans. “I swear I followed the stupid recipe!”

With a sigh, Pippa pushes off the couch. “I better go help them.”

Laughing, I nod. “Good idea. We don’t need another fire.”

The half-burnt pie shell gets thrown in the garbage, and we settle for eating strawberries and ice cream instead. Butthe fact that they tried to make a pie for me heals some part of me I didn’t know needed mending.

I spend the rest of the day with my friends, not thinking about the car accident or what happens next. For once, I set my worries aside and focus on the people I love.

Every so often, I catch Jackson’s eye, and the overwhelming warmth in his gaze solidifies something in me. These feelings I have aren’t going anywhere. They’re here to stay.

Now I just have to figure out what I want to do with them.

CHAPTER 33

JACKSON

“Your fatherand I were thinking of coming to visit you,” my mother says. “Maybe this weekend?”

I unlock the door to my room and swing inside, my cell wedged between my ear and shoulder. I toss the keycard on the dresser and begin to unfasten my shirt. What had started as me trying to help in the restaurant had ended in disaster and a promise to never return. Provided they agreed not to tell Meyer. I knew I would never live it down if they did.

“Ah,” I say, stalling. It’s not that I don’t want to see my parents, but if they come here, they’ll quickly become privy to everything that has been going on, including this situation with Meyer. I’m not ready for that. “Now’s not really a good time.”