AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I understood that well enough. George Kingsley exiled and smeared my father the exact same way he did Jax’s mother, and I had no idea about any of it for a very long time. No one did. Even after I discovered the truth, it was difficult to reconcile the version of my father that I knew with the other version I’d learned about. I’d thought of him as one thing for so long, so to discover that there was this whole other side I never knew anything about was jarring as hell.
Jax was going through exactly the same thing with his mother—he thought she was a terrible person who abandoned him for such a long time, only to find out it was all a lie manufactured by his father and the PTO. It wasn’t easy, but he’d get through it. He had support from everyone around him, just like I did from him and all my other loved ones.
His lips curved in a small smile. “Nah, it’s cool. She’ll still be there. Plus I’ll have your mom there for the first half.
I raised a brow. “And Paul.”
He grinned. “Yes, Paul too. I still can’t believe she’s dating him. I mean, he’s nice, and he’s a good lawyer too, considering how he got you out on bail when you were up on a murder charge. But he’s so—”
“I know you want to say boring, but I’d say stable,” I cut in. “Honestly, that’s what Mom needs in romantic terms right now. A nice, stable guy.”
“True. He’s definitely a much better option than the last guy,” Jax said, lifting a brow. His smile had faded now.
“Speaking of which… have you heard from George lately?” I asked.
“Nope, and I prefer it that way. He might be my father, but I don’t see him as family at all. I want nothing to do with him,” he said, clenching his jaw. “He can rot in prison. I won’t be visiting. Ever.”
“I don’t blame you,” I said, lips pressing into a thin line. “I wouldn’t want to visit him if I were you either.”
Jax settled back against the bedhead and pulled me into his arms. “We’ve really been through some shit, haven’t we?” he said.
“Yup. But I think you’ve had it worse.”
“Me?” His forehead wrinkled. “You were framed for a murder. Then you were almost murdered yourself.”
“Yeah, but you plunged off a cliff and broke a ton of bones.” I playfully poked his now-healed left arm. “I think you definitely had it worse.”
Another smile lit his face. “Let’s call it even.”
I returned his smile and nodded. “Deal.”
He started stroking my hair again. “So… you’re really not nervous about graduation tomorrow?” he asked, brows puckering. “Walking up there in front of everyone?”
I snorted. “Hell no. I’m excited. I mean, I spent half the year assuming I wouldn’t graduate. Or evenlive.So I can’t wait to get out there and throw my cap in the air.”
“Fair enough. That actually reminds me,” Jax replied. A conspiratorial gleam had entered his eyes. “I have to tell you something. But you have to promise you won’t tell Erin tomorrow.”
I raised a brow. “You want me to keep a secret from my best friend?”
“It’s a good secret. I promise.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“You know how Brent’s uncle offered him that internship at his company in Silicon Valley?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he didn’t want to be away from Erin for so long, so he got his uncle to find him a spot in their Boston office instead. So when she heads there for college in the fall, he’ll be there too.”
My eyes widened. “Oh my god, she’s going to be so happy! She was getting worried about the whole long distance thing.”
“He’s telling her right after graduation.” Jax placed a finger over my lips. “That’s why we have to keep quiet about it for now. Don’t want to ruin the surprise.”
“Got it.” I yawned and pretended to gobble up Jax’s finger. Then I stretched and took a deep breath. “Remember all that sneaking around they used to do?”
“Yeah.” Jax let out a snort of amusement. “I can’t believe we didn’t see it for so long.”
“Me neither. I’m so glad they finally admitted they’re together,” I said. “There’s only so many times Erin can fake food poisoning.”
