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Everything was falling apart today. It all started with an asshole with a temper who killed his girlfriend, shooting at them.
Soft footsteps sounded in the kitchen. Gabby turned her eyes in that direction, as did Dane.
Jaxson stood with a morose expression. “She hates me.” His eyes fell to the floor. “And I made her cry.”
This would be a true test of how much Dane cared for her. Because she needed him to stay with Jaxson and make him feel better, no matter how much he hated the man.
She had to check on Mia.
And change her mind about Jaxson. Because he was the perfect man for her.
13
Gabby opened the door to Mia’s apartment and slammed the door for added effect. She wasn’t mad or anything, but she knew she needed to be a bit lively to get through the emotions Mia was certainly trying to suppress and hide away.
She found her in the kitchen—of all places—sitting in the silence, her arms wrapped around her knees. Sitting down next to her, she slung an arm around her shoulders and squeezed.
“Why are you upset? This is a good thing.”
“Nothing is good about this,” Mia said as quiet tears slid down her face.
“Why not? Jaxson is a good guy.”
Mia shuddered. “Exactly.”
Jerking away, a brow rose. “What does that mean?”
Extracting herself, Mia stood up, wiping at her cheeks. “I want to be alone right now. Can you leave?”
For a moment, time stood still. The air in the apartment thickened like a dense fog, almost choking her to death.
Mia had never, not once, kicked her out. Told her to leave. Told her to mind her own business.
After the day she had today, shooting a man, she couldn’t take this, too. Not from Mia.
Without a word, she walked out, closing the door as quiet as a mouse. As if she hadn’t even entered in the first place.
She took her time heading back home. An hour later, when it should’ve only taken twenty minutes, she entered her apartment. Low voices could be heard from the living room. She found Dane and Jaxson sitting on the couch, one on each end, holding a beer with a baseball game on the television. Normally her eyes always sought out the score, hoping her team was winning. Not today.
Dane stood up immediately. He set his beer down on the coffee table in front of him and rounded the table. “What happened?”
He knew. She couldn’t believe how well and how fast he read her mood, but he knew something was wrong. His arms settled around her.
She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to explain that her best friend—for the first time ever—shut her out.
Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes, and her body shook as she tried to hold them in.
What was she doing?
Now was not the time to be breaking down, especially in front of Jaxson. Sure, Mia told her to leave, and she was hurt by that. But Jaxson was hurting, too. This wasn’t about her right now. This was about him.
Inhaling, trying to regain her composure, she hugged Dane fiercely before letting him go. She felt him hesitate, but then he dropped his arms from around her and stepped to the side.
Jaxson looked at her from his position on the couch. He hadn’t moved an inch. The sadness in his eyes when she left was still prominent. He looked like someone had driven over his puppy—several times.
She produced a smile she didn’t feel like offering, but for Jaxson’s sake, she forced one out. “She wouldn’t talk to me. She kicked me out. But not before agreeing that you’re a good guy.”
At that, Jaxson stood up. “And?”
