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She started to get nervous for the first time when he wouldn’t look at her. Was he about to break up with her? Did she do something wrong in the span of five minutes? Did she not vocalize her excitement enough over the gift? Because she loved it. This was why she didn’t want to start something with him in the first place. She knew it wouldn’t last.
“My brother got arrested.”
Her mouth had been wide open to break things off first, not wanting to be the jilted party, but it stayed in its position as his words processed.
“Is he okay? What happened?”
She set her piece of pizza down on the plate, thankful that it wasn’t something to do with her, but also feeling disgusted with herself that her thoughts went in that direction to begin with. What was wrong with her? Why did she have to look at everything so negatively? He brought her pizzaanda gift. Good things could happen to her—and remain.
“Long story short, he met a woman and she has a nasty ex. He got into it with the guy, it escalated to a fistfight, and they both got locked up. He’s out now. My friend in Mulberry—where he got arrested—helped me out. I wanted him to help me pay his bail, but he ended up talking to the judge, who removed the bail. For both guys, apparently. Mase has been asked to stay out of Mulberry until the trial. He wasn’t too happy about that decision, and I didn’t know what to say to him because I thought it was a good one. He doesn’t need to be around this woman.”
That rankled Mia.
The woman had a nasty ex. She could only assume that meant the guy was abusive. Why wouldn’t Jaxson want his brother around her to help protect her? Not that a woman couldn’t protect herself. She was proof of that. The guy should’ve never been released as well. Not that Mia knew Jaxson’s brother that well. She’d met him a few times when he visited, but they were always brief visits. None where she truly knew him and his character. But if he was anything like Jaxson, she knew he was a good guy.
Look at what he did. He stood up for a woman who needed standing up for. That was always a class act hero in her book.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” His brows were drawn low, his eyes filled with melancholy.
Apparently, she needed to learn how to mask her emotions better when it came to him. But why should she when the topic had to do with violence? She lived a violent life for so long, she was a qualified expert to have intense emotions about it.
“What’s wrong with him being around her? He’s only trying to help her. How nasty is her ex?”
Jaxson reached for her hand, but she flinched and back away. He frowned and retreated. She couldn’t explain to herself why she pulled away. It was childish and unnecessary. But it bothered her Jaxson didn’t want his brother around this woman. He was only trying to help her. What was so wrong with that?
“Mase didn’t say. Neither did my friend Elliot. He said he wasn’t a good guy. But she lied to my brother. She said she was married to that asshole and they’re not. I don’t want my brother falling in love with a woman who tells tall tales.”
“Maybe she had a good reason. You shouldn’t judge without knowing all the facts.”
Because if the woman felt like she had to lie about something like that, then Mia was going to give her the benefit of the doubt, especially having dated a nasty guy. Whatevernastytruly meant.
She wasn’t proud of it, but she’d told her fair share of lies growing up. To school. To her part-time job around the corner from their house. To her own best friend, Gabby. Lies that gutted her every single time she uttered one little word. But sometimes telling a little lie helped keep her safe. Well, safer than if she told the truth. Nothing good ever happened when her father found out she had tried to tell someone the kind of evil man he was.
Jaxson reached for her hand again. She flinched, unable to stop it. But he didn’t back away this time. He followed through grabbing ahold of her hand and squeezed.
“I’m sorry, Mia. You’re right. Maybe she did have a good reason, but it doesn’t mean I like it. Just how I don’t like lying to Gabby. She asked me about this mysterious woman I hooked up with and I still didn’t tell her it’s you. Why are we still keeping this from our friends? I love you. I want the entire world to know.”
She had no good reason why she didn’t want to tell Gabby. Maybe because she feared as soon as it got out, it would all fizzle and fade away. Something would go wrong and she’d lose him like she always feared she would.
“Mia…”
He could keep asking, but she still wouldn’t know how to answer. Having something special was a rare thing for her. So very rare. Her father always took everything away from her that was special. Beautiful jewelry her mom picked out. Nice presents from her friends on her birthdays. Lovely cards from her grandparents who eventually gave up trying to communicate because he’d never let her write back. But she knew he always told them a different story. That she didn’t love them. That she thought they were old, ugly people she wanted nothing to do with. Her father had been a cruel, ugly man who—for whatever reason, she could never figure out—wanted to make her life as miserable as possible. Her grandparents passed before her father, so she was never able to reconcile with them.
Of course, wasn’t letting her father continue to control how she thought and felt still letting him have control over her?
Yes. Yes, it was.
She had to stop. She had to start believing that things could last and stay true. That when Jaxson said he loved her, he meant it. That when he said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, it would happen.
“The party.”
She couldn’t believe those two words came out of her mouth. They came out of nowhere.
He sighed and shook his head. “You want to change the subject? Well, I’m not in a party planning mood right now.”
She tightened her grip on his hand when she felt him start to pull away. Oh, no. She would not be having that. Not when she was trying to convince herself they’d last as a couple. A married couple. She should’ve never pulled away from him, so she’d make up for that by not letting him pull away from her.
“No, not plan the party right now. I mean, let’s tell them at the party. As a…sort of birthday present.”
