Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
Sailor
One month later…
Spending time at Jaxon’s is a normal thing now. School hasn’t started yet, and so I still have time to do what I want. Though his place is much smaller and in the city, I prefer being here over being home. I think it’s because everything smells like him.
We’re sitting on the couch, cuddled together with a bowl of popcorn with Saw II playing on the TV.
We’re having a marathon today, and don’t plan on stopping until we fall asleep.
Just as the kid falls into the pit of needles, there’s a heavy knock on the door that has me jumping.
Jaxon smirks, but then frowns at the door.
As he gets up, I grab the remote and pause the movie. I haven’t been here enough to know what his normal habits are, but I do still have the cameras up in his house—he told me to keep them—to know he doesn’t usually have visitors. And he admitted that he doesn’t have friends.
He’d asked how I got into his place and figured out the cameras, and I lied to him.
It’s a silly lie though, to protect someone, so I think it’s okay.
I told him I searched it on the internet and it was easy to figure out.
He looked proud. Maybe one day I’ll tell him the truth, but right now I’m worried he may take out his anger on Orville, and I don’t want to do that to the poor guy when he was nice enough to help me out when I needed it.
Jaxon looks through the peephole, then looks back at me with a quizzical look on his face.
“What?” I ask.
“It’s my father…”
Now I’m confused… he said he wasn’t close with his dad. That he hates him and is sure his dad hates him in return. I believed him.
Jaxon pulls the door open, and a man is on the other side, looking as if he hasn’t slept in days. I see the slight resemblance in them. The same dark hair, face shape, height. His father is bigger though, not as in shape as Jaxon, and looks familiar in a way that I’ve seen him before…
“You were right,” he says. “You were right, and I didn’t believe you.”
Jaxon doesn’t say anything in response, just stands there staring at his father.
His father steps forward, saying, “I’m sorry, I—”
That’s when he notices me, his gaze coming to me confused, then turning back to Jaxon.
“That her?” he asks.
“Yes.”
Me, who? Did he tell his dad about me? He said they don’t talk… how would his dad know about me? And what does he know?
His father nods. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry and that it won’t happen again. I know it shouldn’t have taken all of this for me to trust you, but you know how she is… was. And if you never forgive me, I’ll understand that too.”
Again, Jaxon says nothing. His father gives him an awkward smile, then turns and leaves. Jaxon closes the door and gives me a confused look before coming back to sit on the couch.
“What was that all about?” I ask.
Shaking his head, it takes him a moment to explain.
“I’d gone to him to ask for help with looking for my mother when I had no other option. He wouldn’t help me.”
I take his hand. “I’m sorry. That all of that happened, but also that you have shitty parents. You don’t deserve that.”
He shrugs and pulls me onto his lap. “It’s okay. I have you now. I don’t need parents.”
I laugh it off, but there’s a pang or hurt in my chest. What would my parents think about Jaxon? As a person, I think they’d like him. Jaxon was raised with manners, and he’s charismatic. The rest of the stuff? Well, they wouldn’t need to know any of that, so it wouldn’t matter.
“I wish mine could have met you. They were good people.”
He nods, nuzzling his face in my neck.
“What did he mean when he asked if it was me?” I ask after a long moment of silence.
Jaxon smirks, looking up at me. “I may have threatened him to approve your homeschooling.”
“You what?”
“It’s no big deal.”
“Jaxon!” I scold. “Wait—how did he make that happen? I don’t understand.”
Grinning, he says, “Did I never tell you that he’s the Dean of the school?”
I gasp. “No, you did not!!”
“Oops?”
With an annoyed sound, I snuggle into him, eventually sliding off so my butt is on the couch but my legs are still over him.
He covers us with the throw blanket and puts the movie back on.
The popcorn is stale now, but I’ll still eat it.
I love popcorn, and I don’t want it to go to waste.
We get to Saw V before I’m nodding off. I wake faintly to the motion of being carried into another room, then placed onto a bed that smells just like Jaxon.
It smells so good that it eases me back into sleep.
The low rumble of thunder lulls me back to sleep after I wake.
I do this a few times before I finally peel my eyes open.
Jaxon is asleep, his body curled around mine like I’m his teddy bear.
I run my fingers through his hair that’s longer than it was when we were together before, and I lean down to kiss his forehead.
I don’t want to wake him yet, so I stay where I am and just let myself be content and think about all we’ve been through.
To think all this started about a year ago is crazy.
We’ve been through so much and so little at the same time.
As a person, I’ve grown, and I don’t know if he can say the same, but something tells me he’s been confident in who he is.
It’s one of the things that attracted me to him in the first place—his confidence and charisma.
He knows who he wants to be and what he wants—and it’s clear he isn’t afraid to take it.
I wish I had his confidence, and maybe after being around him for so long, some of it will rub off. I kiss his forehead, then settle against him. I have no idea what time it is when I wake up again, but this time, I find him awake and watching me.
“Morning, beautiful,” Jaxon says, his voice raspy with sleep.
My stomach does a little flip at him calling me beautiful.
I can’t help but smile. This is all so unbelievable…
that we’re together again, and this time in his apartment.
I hadn’t thought things would get so serious with him when this all started.
In fact, at the very beginning, I was sure I hated him for stealing my journal.
“Morning.” With a sigh, I lean in closer, pressing my cheek to his chest to listen to his heartbeat. Strong and steady.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask.
“Always, little dove.”
He shifts down, kisses the corner of my mouth, my jaw, right beneath my ear, causing goosebumps to erupt.
“You said that organization is yours.”
“Mmm,” he hums softly, his hand coming around my waist.
“You don’t want it?”
Without missing a beat, he says, “I just want you.”
I shift to look up at him, slightly confused, though I don’t know why. I don’t know why I’m pushing this when it’s the exact thing that made me push him away last time.
His fingers run across my cheek, then he leans down to kiss me softly.
“I don’t want anything that will take my attention away from you. The organization is a lot of work. It takes time and dedication, and other things that you wouldn't approve of.”
“But if you want it, I don’t want to stop you.”
“I’ve never wanted it. I’ve spent my whole life trying to get away from it. I have that chance now. Trust me, little dove—” He kisses me again. “All I want is this right here.”
We settle together again, and he drifts into sleep. Our fingers are locked together, and I glance down at his hand that’s covered in ink.
I noticed the newest addition the morning after the warehouse, though if I’m being honest, I first noticed it when he was dancing with me at the party. At the time, I thought my mind mixed with the alcohol was playing tricks on me, but nope… it was Jaxon. That tattoo is his.
On his left hand, ring finger, the initials SBW.
I haven’t asked him about it. I didn’t ask when he got it or why. It doesn’t matter. It’s there and that’s all that matters. What I do need to bring up, is the fact that I want a matching one.