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“Online orders are saving me.” He offered a smile.
“Yeah, well, you can have it as long as you need. I mean, until Zach’s back to take Charlie?”
His lips thinned, and I could see he wanted to say something about Zach, but didn’t. It would be hard to connect with Zach, then for him to take Charlie, even after this short time, and I knew that.
Dressed in soft, bright red shorts and a lime green T-shirt, Charlie was finally ready to meet the world, aka a bottle, but Jax took a moment to examine and admire the crib, the same as he did with any of my work.
Well, more than a moment.
“It’s stunning. Did you do the carving?” He traced the moon and stars, and a tiny leaping cow, with his free hand and turned Charlie so he could see. “Look, Charlie, the cow is jumping over the moon.”
“I did the moon and that, but my great-grandad built it originally, and he did the teddies, and my grandad added birds, and Dad added the cat and the fiddle, it’s four generations of Marshall work now.”
“You’re so talented, and I’m so honored you’re lending it to me. It’s a precious thing you’ve done for me, Arlo.” He stared at me as he said that, and my cheeks were hot under his gaze.
“It’s a shame for it to be hidden in the attic,” I think I said, but I mumbled and turned to leave. “See you Monday.” I’d almost made it to the door when he called my name.Please don’t say we need to talk. Please don’t say we need to talk.
“Don’t go,” he said.
I faced him. “I should?—”
“We should talk about what happened.”
“It was all me. I’m sorry. These things happen,” I said quickly, almost harshly, but not loud enough to startle Charlie, who was playing with Jax’s hair.
I want to play with Jax’s hair.
Jax blinked at me and raised a single eyebrow. “Wait. Me wanting you to kiss me was all your fault?”
“Well, it doesn’t have to happen again.”
He smiled at me then, but didn’t carry on the conversation in the way I’d been expecting.
“I was going to say that I have this chicken, and I don’t know what to do with it.” He was going for innocent, but I could see through his expression, the devious shit.
“You want me to cook dinner?”
“You could,” he said, as if that wasn’t what he’d been asking for at all. “I have beer.”
Beer implied staying the night.
Beer means staying the night.
Words froze in my throat, and I couldn’t move as he took the three steps toward me, then pressed his free hand to my face.Please kiss me.He went up on tiptoes, or I leaned down, or something, but all I know is that he pressed the sweetest kiss to my lips, and it tingled. I loved it and whatever the consequences, I wanted more.
“I wanted it as much as you, Arlo. There was no fault, there was just fire.”
“Okay.”
“Chicken Parm?” Jax asked with a smile and pressed his finger to my lip, tracing the shape of it, then tapping my chin.
All I could do was nod, feeling the earth fall away from under my feet. “Chicken parm.”
ChapterSeventeen
Jax
The warmthof the kitchen meant we had the patio doors open, the scent of marinara and baked cheese lingering in the air as we settled in to eat. Arlo was sitting by my side, Charlie between us in his high chair, and every time I glanced over at Arlo, his expression was a mixture of warmth and hesitance, mirroring my own. After a moment, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards, a cautious smile that I returned. This was new, this could be something, and we were both navigating this thing between us. I didn’t know where this was heading, only that I wanted him in my arms, and that I’d do anything to make this work and to keep him in my heart as well.
