I snorted.“I was adorable.”
“And terrifying,” he insisted.
I threw a fry at him—which he dodged, laughing.
When we finished eating, Jaxon gathered up the trash for both of us and dropped it in the nearest bin.Then he walked back over, hands in his pockets, head tilted at the water.
“Wanna walk?”he asked.
The lights shimmered across the river like a moving sky.The air tasted like sugar and winter.
I looked at him… then at the water… then back at him.
“Sure,” I said softly.“Let’s walk.”
He held out his hand—not grabbing, not demanding, just offering.And for reasons I refused to examine too closely… I took it.
There was an ease to it that I was starting to feel with him, and I could tell he was thinking that, too.Throughout the entire night, I didn't tense up once when he touched me.It was starting to feel…normal.
We drifted along the water’s edge, our footsteps soft against the pavement as the sounds of the landing faded behind us.The night wind rolled off the river in cool, sharp breaths, brushing over my collarbone and sneaking beneath the neckline of my sweater.
A shiver rippled across my skin before I could hide it.
Jaxon noticed instantly.
Without a word, he shrugged out of his leather jacket and swung it around my shoulders.
“I don’t need—”
“Savannah.”
One word, low and firm, like a hand closing around my neck.
He draped it fully over me.The leather was warm—stupidly warm—and smelled like cedar, ink, and something darker.Him.
I swallowed.“Thanks.”
“Good girl.”
I glared, and he just grinned at me.
Then we walked.For a while, the silence felt… comfortable.My gaze strayed to the water, watching the reflection of the moon getting sliced up by the waves.
Then, out of nowhere, he asked, “Why Chase?”
I blinked up at him.“What?”
“Why him?”He slid his hands into his pockets, voice deceptively casual.“You don't strike me as someone out for his money, so why were you with him?Why did you see a future there?”
That question landed like a stone dropped into still water—quiet, but far-reaching.I stalled, turning my gaze back to the dark, rippling river.Vulnerability itched under my skin, my brain racking over whether I should’ve told him or not.
It wouldn't have made a difference either way—his opinions on the matter wouldn't have been relevant after the three weeks were up.
“We were together for a long time,” I said slowly.“Years.Since I was nineteen.We kind of… grew up together.We saw each other through everything.He was my first in a lot of ways, just like I was his.”
Jaxon didn’t speak.Didn’t push.He just walked a half-step behind me, letting me choose the pace.
“After university, he was dealing with a lot—pressure from his dad, expectations about becoming the head of the company one day.I helped him get through that.And… he helped me, too.”
