Him and Jesse at a hockey game, proudly wearing the colors of the Tridents.
My breath caught just slightly as my gaze fixed on a different photo.
Lyra.
I remembered her face, but even if I didn't, she looked just like him.Same eyes.Same light brown hair.Same crinkle at the nose when she smiled.The background was familiar, too, and my chest tightened faintly as recognition settled in.Cicero Landing, the same place Jaxon and I had our first date.
They looked so happy—his arm around her shoulders, grinning carefree into the camera.For a moment, I just stood there, taking it in, wishing she had more time.
Sighing, I moved back to the bed when I noticed my phone plugged in on the nightstand.The considerate behaviors of this man should be studied.A small smile pulled at my lips as I walked over, reaching for it, but something else caught my attention first.
A sketchbook lay in the open drawer, the page slightly visible.He must've been working on a tattoo drawing before I came over last night.It made me think of the one he asked for my opinion on before.My hand reached for it instead, hesitating for half a second before curiosity won.
I picked it up, settling back onto the edge of the bed as I flipped it open, and froze at the sight.My breath caught as I stared down at the page, at the drawing of… me.He sketched me from the engagement party, and it wasbreathtaking.
The way my hair fell.The slight furrow in my brows.The curve of my waist.The outline of my lavender dress.The hard look in my eyes.
It was me.
Not a single detail out of place.
I turned the page and another sketch of me sprung up.And another.Then another.There were dozens of sketches with me taking center stage, each one capturing something different—me laughing, me studying, me dancing with Nerissa.He captured it all.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, taking in the precise details.
My fingers slowed as I flipped to another page and stilled.This one was different—partially done, and it was me looking over my bare shoulder.There was a detail that I definitely didn't have.
Inked across my left shoulder blade was a tattoo: a compilation of white roses along a swirling branch, the silhouette of black butterflies and the looming moon.My breath hitched slightly as I traced the lines with my eyes.I never thought about getting a tattoo before but seeing this… it made me wonder how intimate it would be to get inked by him.
A deep laugh echoed from somewhere outside the room, pulling me out of my risky thoughts.I blinked, the moment breaking away as I quickly closed the sketchbook and set it back in the drawer.Then I took a steady breath, shaking my head and slipping into a pair of his boxers.
I ran my fingers through my hair in a half-hearted attempt to make myself look presentable before walking out.
Low voices carried faintly down the hall, grounded and steady, pulling me forward without much thought.
I followed the sound.
And then I saw him.
Leaning against the kitchen counter, phone pressed to his ear, one hand braced behind him as he spoke in that playful, confident tone I was starting to enjoy.The only thing he was wearing was a pair of gray sweatpants—and ladies, yes, it's just as sexy as they say.
His eyes found me immediately and he froze.
Dark eyes slowly trailed down my body, taking in the oversized shirt, the boxers, the bare legs, before lifting back to meet mine.Heat curled low in my stomach under his intense stare, but I didn’t stop walking.
“…yeah, I know,” he was saying into the phone, distracted now, his attention clearly split.
“No, I got you.I owe you one.”
I furrowed my brows slightly as I closed the distance between us.
Owe who?
The second I was close enough, his free hand found mine—fingers sliding between mine like it was the most natural thing in the world—before he wrapped our intertwined arms around my waist and pulled me flush against him.
“Yeah, tell her thanks for me, too,” he continued, voice quieter now as his thumb brushed absent circles against my side.“Hey, listen, I’ll call you later.”
He didn’t wait for a response before hanging up and dropping the phone on the counter.
