29. Natalie
TWENTY-NINE
natalie
I should have called him. Talked to him one last time.
Yesterday, after my lessons with the kids, I stayed at the inlet all day, blowing off work again. I was going to have some serious catch-up to do after this week. I’d deliberately lightened my load knowing it would be a tough transition coming back from Italy, but I would be paying for these extra days off for sure.
I just didn’t have it in me to focus.
Even now, as I parked and headed into the office, I had no idea how I was supposed to do actual work. But I had to know. And there was the evidence staring me in the face.
Jax’s car.
He was here.
With every step I took toward the building, my anger grew. But I wasn’t sure if the anger was directed toward Jax or myself. Sure, I was good and pissed that he kept the meeting with Dave. But as Charlee and Zoe had pointed out last night at my self-inflicted pity party, which Zoe kindly hosted at her bar, avoiding him would solve exactly zero problems.
And wasn’t Jax worth trying to figure it out with?
Easy answer. Yes.
Did I want him to sell the land? Of course not. But was it worth losing him over? That answer had become less and less clear every single day.
He’s in this building.
Part of me wanted to barge in on the meeting, beg Jax not to sign the purchase agreement and tell him how much I loved him. How much I wanted him to stay, like he’d suggested before I froze him out. How much I craved his touch, his kisses.
Dave would definitely think I’d lost my mind.
So instead, I sat in my office staring at the laptop, waiting.
Fuck this.
I couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe I couldn’t blurt that all out in front of Dave, but I had to go in there and see him. Had to tell Jax that, no matter what happened, we’d work it out. That I shouldn’t have run.
With a quick knock and Dave’s “come in” I popped open the door.
One look at him, and it was over. Jax sat in the chair opposite my boss’s desk, legs outstretched, dressed casually in pants and a long-sleeved shirt, rolled up, for god’s sake. He looked so damn good.
My chest ached with need for him.
Well, that wasn’t the only thing that ached for him, if I were being honest.
“Sorry,” I said, not sorry at all.
“Come in,” Dave replied amicably. “We were just finishing up.”
“Finishing up?” I asked, taking a tentative step into the office.
Was it me or was Dave acting a bit strange?
“Yep, finishing up,” he repeated.
Jax didn’t say a word. This was military Jax. Ranger Jax. The disciplined military man turned successful entrepreneur Jax. He wasn’t giving away a thing.
“I see.”
“Take a seat,” Dave said, still acting weird. So I did. “Deal’s done. Jaxon officially purchased the inlet.”
My stomach dropped. Why was that such a surprise? Of course he had. It’s what he came to town for in the first place. Was he really going to lose out on the deal of the century for a little bet? One, technically speaking, that I’d lost, because we had gotten together. Pause or no pause. He’d predicted it.
“I see.”
“I don’t think you do,” Jax finally spoke.
His words made no sense.
“Did he buy the land?” I asked Dave.
“He did,” my boss answered.
“Then that seems pretty cut and dried to me.”
Dave and Jax exchanged a glance. Yep, something weird was happening.
Jax stood. “Maybe we should head into your office so I can explain.”
Explain what? He bought the land.
“Good idea,” Dave replied. “And Natalie?”
I stood too, Jax not giving me much of a choice. “Yeah, Dave?”
“Take the day off.”
I nearly laughed out loud but figured that wouldn’t endear me to him. “I was just off for a week. And honestly have been easing back in. If anything, I need to work overtime today.”
“Up to you. But I’m heading out for a weekend in Cayuga with the wife. No one else is in the office today so...”
“So you want to shut down the building? You’re kicking me out?” I smiled despite everything else that was happening around me.
Jax bought the land. Why the hell was that such a surprise?
“I am.”
“Nice,” I said. “I’ll catch up this weekend,” I said, knowing he didn’t care. Dave was not a micromanager and knew the work would get done.
“If you say so.” Again with the secret smile. He stood and Jax went up to his desk. The two men shook hands. “Great to meet you, Jaxon. Glad we could come to an agreement.”
“Same to you,” Jax said, nodding to me.
Following him down to my office, even though he should have been following me, I wasn’t surprised when Jax closed the door behind us. He was a take-charge kind of guy, so the fact that it was actually my office? Didn’t seem to matter to him.
The second he turned around, Jax’s expression changed. Gone was the mask, the indifference. This was not Ranger Jax but... my Jax.
“You bought the land.” I didn’t know what else to say.
Jax took both of my hands at the same time. It felt so good to touch him again.
“I did. For you.”
He squeezed. I stared up into his eyes, wondering what he’d just said.
“For . . . excuse me?”
“I bought the land for you. Build a house on it, leave it undeveloped. Doesn’t matter to me. Although we already know the environmental impact of the B&B would be negligible. Can’t imagine a house would do much damage at all. But if you’d rather leave it untouched...”
His words began to penetrate.
“You bought the land for me?”
“Technically, yes. But I’m hoping more for us than you. But there are no strings attached. It’s in your name already.”
That’s what Dave had been smiling about.
“I can’t . . . Jax. Are you serious?”
“This would be a pretty cruel joke if I wasn’t.”
Agreed.
“I also rented my current house for another six months. I asked the owner about a possible purchase, which also may be an option if you don’t want to build on the inlet property.”
“You’re staying.”
“If you want me to.”
“Are you kidding me? I am so in love with you,” I said. “If you left, it would have broken me.”
“Good, because I love you too, sunshine. Just wish I said it sooner so we didn’t waste these past few days.”
And so, we fell.
He loved me. And bought the land for me.
I tossed my arms around him, Jax pulling me close. He breathed in deeply, and I just wanted to kiss him. So I did. Pulling back, I kissed him with all of the passion that was Sicily, all of the longing that had been our time apart since, and all of the love that I knew he had for me as evidenced by what he’d just given up.
That last thought had me pulling away.
“Can you afford to buy the land and not sell it?”
“I got a really good deal on it. Dave is pretty fond of you.”
Of course. Dave had the ultimate authority over the purchase price, and though part of me wanted the details, those could wait.
“I’m pretty fond of you too,” he said, kissing my nose.
“Good thing, because you’re not getting rid of me, Ranger. Ever.”
“Promise?”
My heart could not have been any more filled than it was at this moment. When you knew, you knew.
“Promise.”