3. Marley
MARLEY
I wipe off my forehead, ensuring my long black hair is tucked securely in my ponytail. I really need to remember to grab a dolly for this place; I’m so sick of lugging all the boxes everywhere.
“Need help?”
I jump, to my shame, then swallow harshly before glancing over my shoulder.
Jax leans against the doorframe, his tattooed muscular arms flexing under his black T-shirt as he crosses them over his chest. I should be used to the sight; he does it enough, but damn if he doesn’t look good doing it every time.
It’s been a few weeks since the soda incident, and I’ve been trying my hardest to ignore him.
“I thought you were supposed to be fixing the sign out front.”
He shrugs. “I saw the delivery truck come around. Figured you’d probably need help. Tracy usually orders doubles before the holiday.”
My stomach turns at his casualness and familiarity with the workings of the bar.
It’s been over a year, and it’s still hard to believe that he hasn’t found another job.
When he initially applied to be the bouncer, or really any type of muscle that Tracy needs, I thought he’d give up after a couple of months when I didn’t take him back.
I nod, waving toward the boxes. “I separated what we need to put behind the bar, and what we can put in storage.”
He pushes off the door, walking toward me, and my heart clenches at his crispy spearmint scent.
It always does something to me, as if hijacking my body to respond.
I can’t help watching as he grabs a few of them, his muscles rippling across his back and arms as he lifts.
That’s also the problem working with him; Jax has always been fucking hot.
It’s what initially lured me in when we were younger before his personality won me over even more.
When he walks past me, I hurry to grab a box and follow him in.
Just as I set it on the counter, I turn to head back and nearly run into him.
My fingers brush his chest to slightly catch myself before I take a step back.
“Personal space,” I mutter half-heartedly. I can still feel the burn on my fingertips from his heat.
Jax cocks his head to the side. “So, Cooper got married.”
I tense, my back and shoulders straightening. That’s old news at this point, and it pricks at the back of my neck that he’s bringing it up now. “Yup. On the rodeo, fits him.”
He nods, his lips quirking. “Ironic, right? That he’d follow your footsteps.”
My temper flares, and I shove a finger into his chest. “It’s not even close to being the same. We were drunk, young, and fucking stupid. Cooper and his pack are in love. It should have been a mistake long forgotten, but you won’t sign the fucking papers.”
He grabs my wrist, pulling me into him as his other hand grabs my ponytail, tilting my head back farther. Heat hums under my skin. “And I never will. It wasn’t a mistake on my end, and if you’d stop running for a second, you’d see how good we could be.”
I smile at him, and it’s not nice. “You wanna talk about running? I’m not the one who ran out of town for two years.”
Jax narrows his eyes at me. “You’re not the only one who was hurt, Marley. I wasn’t going to sit around and let you break us even further.”
It’s like a hot poker straight into my chest and into my heart. He lets go of me just as tears start to well, and I turn away to wipe at them quickly.
“Why are you even bringing this up?” I ask, clearing the hoarseness from my throat. “We’ve been working just fine.”
He snickers. “You mean with you ignoring my existence? I came back for you, and I wanted to give you time, but I’m beginning to realize that I don’t think you’ll ever be ready.”
When I don’t answer, and we’ve been standing there in silence, he sighs. “It’s always been you, Marley. It always will be, but you have to open yourself up to give me another chance. We can heal past this. I know we can.”
I don’t move until I hear him exit the back door again, the muffled scrape as he shuffles boxes on the floor.
The worst part is I know exactly why he’s bringing it up because I’ve been thinking about it too.
How close we were to being the perfect married couple with a kid, and now that the people around us are getting it, it’s letting those old memories rise to the surface.
My chin wobbles, and my nostrils sting as tears well in my eyes. Now, in the small corner, alone in the storage closet, I can admit to myself that it’s always been him. And that’s what makes me terrified to let him in again.