Page 64

Tory

I never thought of myself as impatient. Turns out, I was dead wrong.

I missed Ladybeetle so bad it physically hurt. But with at least four more months until my amphibious plane was replaced, I was grounded. Desk-bound. And already climbing the damn walls.

The only thing keeping me sane was Jaxson. Our calls were my lifeline. But being apart from him was its own kind of madness.

I checked my phone for the fifth time in as many minutes. He had to be close by now. Adrenaline fizzed in my veins, and my heart was doing something wild in my chest.

I felt like my cats when I walked through the door after being gone for days—twitchy, overexcited, and one second away from climbing the curtains.

Every time I heard a noise outside, I bolted to the window, yanked the curtain back, hoping it was him.

I’d spent the night at Yasmin and Cole’s place, in the same room where Jaxson and I had made love. And I remembered every second. His hands, his mouth, the way he’d made me feel incredible, sexy, and so freaking special.

But that night had been a whole damn month ago.

Four weeks. Two days. Twenty-something hours .

Not that I was counting.

The distance between us since then had been brutal.

Our texts and calls had been fun, though, and after every FaceTime, it took me hours to wipe the stupid grin off my face.

But none of those contacts compared to having him with me.

I missed him so much. Which, honestly, was kind of ridiculous when we’d only spent three days together.

Three intense, emotional-roller-coaster days. But still, just three days.

And yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about the way he looked at me during our FaceTimes. Like he couldn’t breathe when we were apart.

I wanted to see that look again, in person. The one that made my whole body tingle like I’d been dropped into a pool of champagne.

We were about to have a whole weekend together and I was like a giddy schoolgirl just thinking about having Jaxson all to myself.

Well, not really all to myself, not when just about everyone I knew was also staying at Yasmin and Cobra’s place just like us.

The old schoolhouse had seven bedrooms and more than enough space for everyone to crash after the wedding.

Which, knowing Maya, was going to be the event of the year; completely over-the-top and absolutely perfect.

Whisper and Ryder were arriving later, along with Lacey and Kane, and Indiana and Tyler. Jaxson could’ve hitched a ride with them, but I was glad he hadn’t. This way, we would get a few hours alone together before the others arrived.

I’d never been so nervous about a date in my life. Then again, I’d only been on three official dates where the guy actually asked me to go out with them. All the other men I’d been with were from spur-of-the-moment situations.

But Jaxson had said he needed to tell me something, and the ominous tone in his voice had scared the absolute shit out of me.

What kind of something were we talking about here? Did he have kids he forgot to mention? An ex-wife? A current wife? Was he secretly a wanted fugitive? My brain had been running laps around every worst-case scenario since he’d called me this morning.

He hadn’t provided any details, for fuck’s sake, why couldn’t he have just ripped off the Band-Aid then and there? Put me out of my misery instead of leaving my mind to run in my own personal mental Olympics.

I checked my watch again and smoothed my hands over the wrap-around dress I'd picked up from Harper's secondhand shop, Second Chances , adjusting the tie at my waist for the millionth time. Harper and Zena had practically bullied me into trying this dress on, insisting the style was perfect for me.

I wouldn't normally wear a dress like this, with its flowy fabric, floral pattern, and overly feminine style. I was more of a jeans-and-T-shirt kind of woman. Or track pants and a tank top, if I was being really honest. But this dress made me feel elegant, maybe even pretty. Exactly how I wanted to feel as Jaxson’s date for Maya and Zac’s wedding.

Harper’s shop was a goldmine for secondhand finds and judging by the number of people driving in from Rosebud just to shop there, she’d really hit the jackpot.

When I’d asked Harper about Viper, she’d rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. Apparently, his leg was healing well, but she was on the verge of strangling him.

“If he bitches about that wheelchair one more time,” she said, “I’m putting him out with the cows and horses.”

Zena and I had laughed so much our sides hurt, but I didn’t envy Harper. Viper wasn’t exactly known for his patience.

The crunch of tires on gravel snapped me out of my tumbling thoughts. My heart leaped into my throat as I bolted for the front door, barely containing the urge to sprint. By the time I reached the porch, I was practically vibrating.

Jaxson climbed out of his new Jeep, a sleek, black beast he’d bought with the insurance payout after his last one was blown to pieces by an RPG.

He looked like something straight out of a dream.

His broad shoulders strained against his black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows to show off his strong, tanned forearms. His jeans fit just right, and his leather boots looked like they’d seen a lifetime of adventures.

But it wasn’t just his clothes. It was him .

The way he moved, confident and suave, as if he could carry the weight of the world on his back if he had to.

His short, dark hair was a little messy, like he’d run his hands through his hair one too many times on the drive up from Rosebud.

And the scruff on his jaw made my knees feel like rubber.

He grabbed his bag from the trunk and walked toward me like he was on a mission . . . and that mission was me.

Holy smokes. I’ve hit the fucking jackpot.

“Jaxson,” I breathed, flying down the steps and straight into his arms.

He dropped the bag and caught me, pulling me into his chest like he never thought we’d be together again. His arms wrapped around me, solid and warm, and I melted into him.

“Wow, Tory, you look beautiful.”

Butterflies pirouetted in my stomach. “You say all the right things.” I cupped his face in my hands and crushed my lips to his like a horny desperado.

He returned my kiss like he needed me. Like he owned me. And every stupid thought in my head vanished.

His hands gripped my waist, and as his lips moved against mine, and as our breaths mingled, the world fell away, leaving just the two of us.

When we finally pulled back, I was a grinning idiot, and I didn’t care. “Miss me?” I teased, a little breathless.

“Every damn day,” he said, reaching for my hand.

Wow.

Our fingers laced together as naturally as if we’d been doing it forever. He grabbed his bag with his free hand, and we strolled toward the schoolhouse together as an actual couple.

As we walked down the hallway toward the kitchen and open living area, Yasmin appeared from the other hallway, and her face lit up when she saw Jaxson.

“Finally!” she cried, pulling him into a hug.

He dropped his bag at his feet to wrap his arms around her.

“It’s about time you got here,” she said. “Tory’s been pacing the floors like a madwoman.”

“Have not,” I muttered, though the grin on my face gave me away.

Cobra came up the hallway with his metal prosthetic clicking against the floorboards. “Good to see you, man,” he said, shaking Jaxson’s hand. “ Welcome back.”

“Thanks,” Jaxson said. “And thanks for putting us up for the weekend.”

“You two are welcome anytime. You know that,” Cobra replied.

“We’ve got you in the same room as last time,” Yasmin said, gesturing down the hall. “Hope that works for you.”

“Perfect,” Jaxson replied, glancing at me with a small smile.

“Make yourselves at home,” Yasmin added, sweeping her hand to the living area. “I need to sort out a few things with my brother before we head to the wedding.”

“And I’m knee-deep in Maya’s playlist.” Cobra released a dramatic sigh. “She’s picked so many songs, I’m starting to wonder if she thinks I’m an actual DJ.”

We laughed.

“It’s all good, guys. We’ll just chill for a bit,” I said, smirking up at Jaxson. “Don’t worry about us.”

This worked out perfectly for me. Finally some alone time with my hunk.

“Cool. Help yourselves to anything in the fridge,” Cobra added, clapping a hand on Jaxson’s shoulder. Then his expression shifted, just enough to make my stomach tighten. “You must need a break. I heard you’ve been through a fucking inquisition over Beatrice’s suicide.”

“You could say that.” Jaxson’s shoulders sagged, and his hand slipped from mine.

My chest ached for him. We'd talked about it so many times, reviewing every detail and every moment, and yet we always came back to the same stupid question: why hadn't any of us thought to check her pockets?

It wasn’t his guilt to carry alone. Nine of us had been there when Beatrice killed herself. Which, ironically, was our saving grace. Every one of us could corroborate the story.

As Yasmin and Cobra disappeared down the hall, Jaxson picked up his bag and turned to me with a soft smile. “Same room as last time,” he said.

I smirked, stepping closer. “Ah, the memories.”

He lightly smacked my bottom. “You’re a tease. ”

I grinned. “Me? I’m still recovering from all those FaceTimes you did with your shirt off.”

He smiled at me like my comment was the best news he’d had all day.

In the bedroom, I flopped onto the bed and as Jaxson unzipped his bag and started unpacking, my mind wandered, and I couldn’t stop wondering, or hoping, that he was finally going to bring up the “something” he wanted to talk about.

He hung his clothes in the cupboard with a deliberate calm that was driving me just a little crazy. Finally, he turned, reached for my hand, and tugged me to my feet. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get some fresh air.”