Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Jaxon
It had only been a week since Lily had come crashing back into my life, tearing open old wounds and reminding me why they’d never healed in the first place.
I’d barely had time to catch my breath before she slipped through my fingers all over again.
I knew taking her to the lake was a gamble, but I genuinely thought it would help her realize that not all was lost between us, that it would mean something to her.
Buying that particular plot of land and building that home was my way of holding on to our past and what we shared.
I harbored no regrets when it came to holding on to her memory; the only thing I wished I’d done differently was not leaving her alone with her thoughts on the dock because by the time I joined her, she’d completely shut down on me.
So it wasn’t a surprise when we arrived back at my place that she promptly left for Arizona’s.
As much as I wanted to protest and convince her otherwise, I willingly let her walk out the door because I knew it was what she needed at that moment.
I knew she needed time and space to process her feelings, even if it tore me apart to let her go.
It gutted me that she was suffering, possibly even hiding from whatever tore her away from me all those years ago. I wasn’t the type to hold grudges, save where my twin was concerned, apparently.
Jameson had been relentless with his texts, trying to get me to talk. Even my parents shared their two cents, but I wasn’t having it.
The only person I mentally had space for was Lily.
She breathed life back into me and quickly consumed my every waking thought.
Arizona, who was caught in the middle, torn between her loyalty to her best friend and her new role as my sister-in-law, meant the lines blurred even further. But I didn’t expect her to break her friend’s confidence. I’d never.
Arizona, though, eased my worries by letting me know she and Jameson helped Lily gather her personal belongings from her condo and move them into Ari’s old place.
Pete had replaced the temporary spare tire on Lily’s car.
So I felt an air of reassurance that she was safe and settling in nicely, which, at the end of the day, was all that mattered.
It also lifted my spirits, even if only slightly, to know she was still close by and that it might provide an opening for us to rekindle our friendship if I played my cards right.
Beyond that, though, I was in the dark.
I was out of my element, and if I couldn’t talk to her about the storm in my chest, I knew there was only one person who might understand the mess in my head.
My brother. That’s why I showed up on his doorstep with a twelve-pack in hand—not as a peace offering but looking for a lifeline.
I didn’t have the right words, or maybe any at all.
But I needed to be near someone who knew me inside and out, who understood everything I didn’t say, just by looking at me. And that had always been my other half.
When he opened the door, I hated that he looked nearly as bad as I did. Tired as fuck, dark circles under his eyes, hair askew, and slumming it in a ripped pair of green hospital pants that had seen better days, and a sleeveless black shirt.
Jameson wasted no time in pulling me into a tight hug. The comfort said so much, and I kicked myself mentally for not having come over sooner.
“I’m so fucking thankful you’re here. It killed me to give you space, man.”
“Sorry about that.” I clapped him on the back before stepping inside and following him into the kitchen.
“No need, I’m the one who should be sorry for not saying anything when I first saw Lily back when Dustin was hospitalized after the fire. It honestly was a—I just can’t believe it slipped my mind. You have to know I’d never intentionally hurt you. I know how much she meant to you.”
“Still means,” I corrected him. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for that girl.”
“About that, I should give you a heads-up that—”
“Jaxon. Well, isn’t this an unexpected surprise?” Arizona’s voice sliced through his sentence, drawing my attention over toward the glass patio doors, where she stood with Lily beside her, looking wide-eyed and equally as stunned.
“I-I can go and come back another time,” I offered, even though it was the last thing I wanted.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Ari said, looking at Lily for reassurance, who offered her a supportive smile in return. “Perfect, we’ve got plenty of food, and I see you brought beer. It’s like you knew your brother was manning the grill.”
And just like that, all the tension in my body loosened.
While none of us saw this coming, I could see from the moment we locked eyes that her shoulders weren’t as tight, her posture more open, lighter.
It was subtle but undeniable only because I knew her.
Whatever weight she’d been carrying last week, after I left her to explore the dock, that had her second-guessing herself around me had seemingly lifted.
“Help me outside?” Jameson asked, jutting out his chin as if he were issuing a challenge.
“You mean babysit you while you play with fire? Ironic, considering you’re supposed to be the one who puts fires out, not starts them,” I shot back with a smirk.
He rolled his eyes. “It’s called a controlled burn, genius. Totally different.”
“Uh-huh. Just don’t make me call in your crew if the burgers get too well done.”
“Keep talking like that, and you’re on veggie duty, ass-hat.”
With that, I grabbed two beers from the case I’d placed on the counter and followed Jameson outside to the backyard, but not before I caught a whiff of a scent that was unmistakably hers—lilies and honey.
It hit me like muscle memory, pulling me closer without any effort.
It took every ounce of willpower I had left in the tank not to lean down and breathe her in, bury my face in her neck, and lose myself in all things Lily.
Honestly, I deserved a damn medal for the restraint, especially with her standing there in those short, ripped denim shorts and innocent white cropped hoodie that exposed a sliver of her toned stomach, looking unfairly cute.
She was an absolute vision of perfection without even trying.
Flawless from her messy blond topknot, makeup-free face and down to her painted white toes.
Baby steps, I told myself—one step at a time.
The first step was showing up and being present. Getting to know her all over again, and not as the girl whose ponytail I tugged, wanting to wrap it around my fist when our friendship transitioned to more, but as the woman she was now.
I needed her to understand I wouldn’t judge her actions because I’d come to accept that whatever happened in the past, there had to be one hell of a good reason, one that made sense to her, even if it ripped me apart.
I made a silent promise to Lily on New Year’s Eve while she slept in my arms that I wouldn’t hold it against her. Arizona’s warning had only fueled that pledge.
And if it only led to a friendship, I’d take it because I’d do anything just to be in her life again.
“I gotta hand it to you, bro, these burgers are damn good.” I reached for a second serving.
“Right!” Arizona squeaked. “But how can he eat that weight in food and still maintain those sculpted abs? It’s maddening.”
“Babe, abs are made in the kitchen.”
“And the bedroom,” she quickly followed up, her voice jumping an octave higher than she likely meant.
But when she covered her mouth and her eyes widened with embarrassment, I suspected she’d meant the comment as an inside thought.
“Best place to get that cardio in, I tell you, but you also know how much I love it when we work out together, me standing, your legs wrapped around my waist and—”
“Sheesh, some of us are trying to eat here.” I held my hand up to stop that sentence.
“What? Get your mind out of the gutter. I was going to say, ‘do your sit-ups.’” He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders with a smile like a giddy little kid. “What, I get a reward with each ab crunch—a kiss on the lips or nose.”
“I’m certain that’s not all you get.” Lucky fucker.
“Fucking right it isn’t. Have you seen my wife? I happily get down on my knees every day for her—multiple times, in fact. How else do you think I got her pregnant in record time?”
“Jesus,” I muttered under my breath and hung my head down toward my plate.
It took a second to dawn on me the back half of his comment before my head snapped back up.
“Wait, what! You’re pregnant?” I asked, my gaze ricocheting between the happy couple, who were so deep in googly-eyed bliss they made falling in love look like the easiest thing in the world.
“We are.” Arizona beamed with pride and excitement.
“You ready to be an uncle again, little bro?”
“Hell, yeah, I am.” I pushed my chair away from the table and bit back the urge to roll my eyes at his usual teasing about being five minutes older, then wrapped him in the biggest bear hug I could manage.
One that conveyed just how much I loved and supported him.
“Congratulations, this is the best news.”
I turned and stepped toward Arizona, wrapping my arms around her in a softer, lingering hug, and whispered in her ear, “Thank you for making my brother so ridiculously happy.”
She nodded and wiped away a tear.
Who knew one could find such joy in watching the people you love find their happiness?
“Do Mom and Dad know yet?” I asked.
“We wanted to wait until the doctor confirmed it. We plan to head over to the house tomorrow and tell them.”
“Mom’s going to lose her mind,” I teased, grinning.
“Having two grandbabies to fawn over? Oh, yes, she’ll be in absolute heaven.” He laughed, taking a swig of his beer.