Page 72 of Timid (Lark Cove 2)

At Jackson’s apology, Thea’s hand squeezed mine and we shared a look.

It was no secret that Jackson and Logan hadn’t been fast friends. From the moment he’d come to Lark Cove, Logan had been trying to win Thea, and Jackson had stood in the way, acting as the protector for the only family he’d ever known.

But over the last week, something had changed. Jackson had stopped grumbling and griping about Logan. I think he’d realized that the best thing for Thea and Charlie was Logan. And above all else, Jackson just wanted them to be happy.

“We better get down to the station,” Logan said. Thea nodded and reluctantly let go of my hand. Hazel reluctantly let go of Thea.

“Call me as soon as you can,” Jackson told Thea. “I want details.”

“I will.” She nodded, then looked at Hazel. “We’ll be home in a bit.”

“Take your time.” Hazel waved as Thea and Logan walked to her car. As they drove away, Hazel blew out a long breath. “I’d better check to make sure Charlie slept through the chaos.”

“Do you want me to stay?” Jackson asked.

She shook her head. “No. You take Willa home and get some rest. We’ll get all the details tomorrow.”

Jackson nodded and walked her to the door. Before Hazel disappeared inside, they hugged again. She whispered something into his ear, then patted his cheek and vanished inside.

“Let’s get you home, babe.” Jackson took my hand and led me home, this time walking at our normal pace.

We made our way through town in silence and I texted Dad to let him know Thea was fine. Or she would be—Logan would see to that.

As we walked up the driveway toward my garage, Mom poked her head out of the living room window. She gave me a short wave, then shut off the lights.

At my staircase, Jackson went up first to open the door. His fists were clenched as he stepped inside, as if he were expecting someone to be in there.

“Lock up from now on,” he ordered, flipping on the lights.

“Okay.” I nodded. Whatever had happened tonight had freaked him out, and I bet as we all learned the details, it would freak me out too. If Jackson hadn’t insisted on me locking my door, I was sure Dad would have anyway.

I closed the door and flipped the lock. The second I turned back to the room, Jackson pulled me into his arms to breathe in my hair.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his waist.

He shook his head. “She’s okay. That’s all that matters. We’ll get the rest figured out tomorrow.”

“Would you like something to drink? I have a couple of beers left over from dinner the other night.”

“No, I should go. I’m all keyed up.”

“You can stay.” I ran my hands up and down his back.

He groaned into my hair as my hands disappeared into the back pockets of his jeans. When I dug my fingertips into those incredible, rounded muscles, he hissed and stepped back, forcing my hands away.

Jackson ran a hand over his stubble. “I don’t have it in me to stop tonight, Willa.”

I stepped closer. The adrenaline from the evening had me on edge and I needed to be close to Jackson. “What if I don’t want you to stop?”

“No.” He stepped back again, his head getting closer to the ceiling. “We should plan a special night in a hotel. I’ll get candles and flowers or whatever else you want. I just . . . I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

“That’s impossible.”

He shook his head. “You’ve built me up in your head into something great. I’m not.”

Why couldn’t he see what I saw? He was a wonderful man with flaws. I wasn’t blind. He wasn’t perfect.

But he was perfect for me.