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I chance a peek at Abigail, and she looks at me softly, her expression pained, but I continue. I find another piece of paper, this one thinner and something that she’s seen before. “This is the tattoo I had drawn up. The anchor that I have on my back.” I then turn it over and add, “and the time and date I made the appointment to have it removed.”
I grit my teeth at the next item. This one hits me the most as I take out a small box.
“The ring that I was going to propose with…”
Chapter Forty-Two
ABIGAIL
Oh, shit. I didn’t think he’d do this much. He didn’t even know what I had planned, yet he brought items that were spot on. But the ring? Fuck me, I didn’t expect him to hold on to that. After everything between him and Natasha, especially after he confronted her, I would have assumed the ring would be long gone out of his life.
Before I know it, my hand lifts and settles over his. “No, you don’t have to do something like this with the ring, Jaxon…” then I lower my voice and add, “You clearly kept it for a reason.”
I feel tingles as his mouth curves into a lopsided smile as he shrugs and says, “Actually, Ikept it because I planned on throwing it at her if I saw her again.” My eyes widen at his admission, but he continues and says, “But I was impressively drunk at the time, and afterwards realized how horrible the idea was. Being aggressive is out of this world a big no, so I kept the ring in the safe instead and only thought about it now and again.”
Then he lifts his arm up and goes to throw the ring into the blaze. I scream and grab his hand, stopping him in time. “Wait!”
“What?”
I don’t know how to tell him not to throw it away, because that would be such a waste of a perfectly new ring. But it’s also not mine, nor my business. He’s now holding the box, with a raised eyebrow, looking at me.
I point at my ears and grin. “You never know… earrings?”
Jaxon puts his arm down and grins, his chest shaking as he laughs. I don’t know what to say, so my body reacts to his and falls into my own set of giggles.
Eventually the burst of laughter subsides, and we just stand there, quietly watching the items burn in the flames. After a moment, I break the silence and turn to him.
“Hey, why didn’t you just pawn the ring off? Did you really want to throw it away without a second glance?”
Because that’s crazy.
Jaxon sighs and steps closer to me, and I get a fuzzy feeling just by knowing he is getting close. “There is little need to pawn it off because the sale value isn’t the same as it was when I bought it.”
“Okay,” I nod with an encouraging smile. “Maybe sleep on it before throwing it into the bonfire?”
Jaxon chuckles and nods, putting the box into his jacket pocket.
Now that he has done his part, there is more to what I have in store for him. I clear my throat and say, “Well now, I guess we can move on to step two.”
He cocks an eyebrow and repeats my words, confusion in his expression.
I nod and put down the box still in my hands, then do the same with his, then exhale and grab the top of my beanie and remove it, just like a band-aid.
As Jaxon’s brows shoot up, nerves rush through me and I bite down on my lip.
I try not to make a deal about the chocolate brown hair that was hiding beneath the pink beanie, and extend my arm towards him and say, “Hi, I’m Abigail Rosens. I’m from Chicago, Illinois, and an author of a self-help book. I’m a lover of buffet breakfasts and mochas. I have little shame in the bedroom and love my family very much, and as lame and cliché as this sounds, I’m single and ready to mingle.”
Jaxon’s smile grows as he chuckles, accepting my hand and shakes it. His reaction makes me feel relieved because I know he liked my full head of pink hair. But that Abigail has moved on. Officially. No more reminders of my past.
“Nice to meet you, Abigail. My name’s Jaxon Sunters, and I’m also from Chicago. Wouldn’t move anywhere else, even if someone paid me to.”
I nod in agreement. “That’s great. Home is where the heart is, as they say, well, at least for me.”
Jaxon chuckles and says, “Funny you say you’re an author. I’m one too. I’m a big fan of a hearty breakfast and also single and ready to mingle.”
He lets go of my hand, letting it drop, which automatically makes me miss the connection, despite it being it through gloved hands.
Jaxon makes a deep exhale, making a puff of cold air as he does. He gazes at me and says, “Actually, I lie. Sorry. I’m not ready to mingle.”
