I nodded. “Attention is kind of a drug for him, but actual attachment? That’s not one of his strong points. I feel like we’ve only gotten close to him these last couple of years, and close is a relative term. He doesn’t let people in easily.”
“That’s good that he has you, though. That you all have each other. Finding our people in life is important.” She took another bite of her donut. “So, doyouhave someone special in your life?” She looked at me pointedly, tossing my own question back at me.
I looked at her as she waited for me to answer, her skin illuminated by the twinkly golden lights. “Not yet.”
She nodded, her eyes fixed on mine, and I swear I’d never seen anyone more breathtaking.
“You have some icing right here,” I lied. I gently reached out to touch the corner of her perfect mouth, and her cheeks blushed beneath my touch. Her skin was as soft and buttery as I’d imagined.
“Thanks,” she said softly, as I forced my hand away from her.
“You up for a walk?” I asked as she chewed the last bite of her donut. She nodded, and we discarded our cups and the box in the bin outside the pie shop. I walked alongside her, shoving my hands in my pockets to keep myself from reaching for her hand.
We walked and talked our way through the neighborhood, strolling past a couple of boutiques, a salon, and even a tattoo shop. As we circled back around, we found ourselves near the House of Blues taking in the hand-painted murals on the picket fence that lined the street of artists like Minnie Pearl, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Johnny Cash. Set against bold, colorful patterns their likenesses appeared almost alive beneath the flickering glow of the street lamps. Finally, she stopped in front of the Johnny Cash painting, studying his face for a moment before turning to look at me.
“I did have someone,” she blurted suddenly. “I was married. I got married when I was really young. He was in the music industry on the business side of things.”
“Liv…”
“I wanted to put that out there. It’s something I’m still getting used to.” She looked down at her feet. “Our divorce was finalized six months ago.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, afraid if I pushed too much this would be the last piece I would receive to the puzzle that was Olivia Sinclair.
“It’s okay. I may not have been the one that filed the papers, but I can’t say I didn’t see it coming.”
“Regardless, I can’t imagine how much that hurt you.”
“It did,” she admitted. “Yesterday, I saw a picture of him with this young supermodel looking girl, and honestly, it fucking sucked. It’s not even that I miss him anymore.” She chewed her bottom lip, deep in thought for a moment, and I waited patiently. I wanted whatever pieces of herself she was willing to reveal to me. “Anyway, I saw this picture of them together and the way he leaned into her, looking so proud to have her on his arm. I recognized it all too well because that’s exactly the way he used to be with me. Back then, he loved to have me all dolled up and perched on his arm at all of these industry galas and parties. But as time went on, the invitations stopped coming.” She laughed then, though I sensed she didn’t think any part of what she said was funny. “He’d say he needed to go alone, or he was going to pop by the party and wouldn’t be late. Needless to say, he always was.” She ground her boot into the asphalt, still not meeting my gaze. “It’s not like I didn’t suspect there was someone else. Or maybe even more than one someone. I guess I didn’t want to know. I didn’t want to know I wasn’t enough for him.”
My heart twisted inside my chest. Not enough? This guy was a fucking idiot. She fell silent, and her face turned downward. At that moment, all I wanted to do was hold her like she deserved to be held.
I took a step toward her, placing my hand on her arm. “Any man would be lucky to have you.”
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head as a flush crept across her cheeks. “I wasn’t fishing for compliments or anything. You don’t have to—”
“I know I don’t have to say it.” I interrupted her. “I said it because I meant it. I don’t think you realize how rare you are, Liv.”
She sighed, looking at me from beneath her long black lashes. “You hardly know me, Jax.”
“But I want to know you,” I said softly. “Listen, Liv, I’m not going to mince words here. You’re ridiculously funny. You’re clearly driven and talented, and I don’t have to know you well to see how sweet and kind you are. That’s obvious from the way you are with Ella and Grace and how you were with the guys and me.” My chest tightened, already afraid I’d said too much. “And you’re beautiful. Disarmingly so. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but I can’t take my eyes off you.” She pressed her lips together, and I pressed forward. “So, what do you say? Will you let me know you?”
“Why?” She asked bluntly, her eyes narrowing on me.
“Look, I know we just met, and you probably think I’m crazy.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “I feel a little crazy right now, to be honest with you, but I’m drawn to you. Don’t you feel it too?”
The faintest smile crossed her lips before her gaze shifted to the pavement.Fuck. She really was going to head for the hills. Finally, her eyes returned to mine. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” I said hopefully.
She peered up into my eyes, and the cool breeze whirled around us, sending a hint of sweet citrus and champagne in my direction. “How old are you?”
Chapter 5
Liv
Twenty-nine. My head was spinning.I suspected he was younger than me, but I didn’t think he wastwenty-nineyounger.
“Yeah, I turned twenty-nine on August 13th,” Jax continued, not helping. “When’s your birthday?”
