Two weeks after Chelsea’s funeral, Jax was lying next to Brooke curled up in bed. Cold winds and rain had pelted the area since the funeral leaving his yard a virtual river of running water. Neither one of them had wanted to leave the house since that day.

Leaning up on his elbow, Jax watched Brooke as she slept. Her eyes closed so peacefully with her long golden hair spread out on the pillow, she looked like an angel. His feelings for her had never been stronger. She was the air that he breathed, she was his strength when he was weak, and she was the sun in the sky to him. Chuckling to himself, Jax fell back on the bed. His thoughts were beginning to sound like a bad country song. But all his feelings were rushing to the surface overwhelming him.

He had to tell her.

Slowly, he traced his fingertips over her lithe body. Sweeping them over her breasts circling her nipples, he brought his fingers to her lips.

“Brooke,” he whispered.

She stirred as her eyes peeked open. Her full lips curled into a smile.

“What?” she murmured.

“Brooke Langston, I have a serious question for you.”

“What?” Rubbing her eyes, she struggled to sit up.

“Will you marry me?”

Brooke’s mouth fell open as she looked right at him. Jax panicked for a moment thinking her hesitation meant no. It was stupid of him, he thought to ask her just like that. He should’ve gone out and bought the ring first.

“Oh my God, Jax, of course I will!” Her face broke into a huge smile as she threw her arms around him. She started giggling as he buried his face in her hair.

“You don’t mind that I asked you this way? In bed? This wasn’t what I planned. It was a spur of the moment. You were lying there so beautiful, so peaceful. You’re everything I want.” He cupped her face with his hands.

Her blue eyes shined with love. Kissing him firmly on his lips, she sobbed with joy.

“I feel the same way. I’ve always loved you, Jax even when we broke up. I couldn’t stand being without you. Ever since the whole nightmare with Chelsea, I knew that you were the one for me. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for a while now. I just can’t believe it’s finally happening!”

Jax brushed her long hair back as he took her hands into his.

“I think it’s time we got up. We’ve got a wedding to plan!”

* * *

The next morning Brooke smiled as the bright morning sun burst through her window. She rolled over expecting to find Jax next to her.

But he was gone.

Frowning, Brooke pulled a silk robe around her body as she crept down the stairs. It was past 8:00. She wondered where he went off to.

Suddenly, she was hit with the strong aroma of coffee. She inhaled deeply as she walked into the kitchen.

Jax was standing there shirt off his strong muscles flexing in his back as he poured the hot coffee into cups.

“So what do you think of a July wedding, Brooke?” He grinned as she sipped her coffee.

“Sounds fantastic.” She beamed gazing at her handsome husband to be. Brooke swept her long hair off her shoulders as she stretched. Looking back down at Jax’s hands, she noticed he had mud crusted beneath them.

“Jax, your hands!” she gasped reaching towards him.

He snatched his hands away and looked down at them critically. He saw what Brooke was talking about. How the hell did he get all that mud beneath them?

Not wanting Brooke to know how alarmed he was, he shrugged it off as he walked over to the sink throwing the faucet on. Water gushed from the tap as Jax fumbled about for the soap.

“Guess I shouldn’t garden in my sleep.” He joked.

But Brooke wasn’t falling for it. She strolled over to the sink and watched as Jax’s hands shook as he scrubbed them.

“You’re having the dreams again, aren’t you?”

Jax kept scrubbing as her words echoed through his mind. Sighing, he knew that was it. But this time was more than just a dream. There was actual physical evidence something had happened during his sleep.

But what?

“I’ve had a few nightmares, Brooke, but that wasn’t what caused this.” Jax took the towel she handed him and dried off.

“Then what is it? Don’t tell me gardening again. It’s only 5 degrees outside with a foot of snow on the ground!” She gestured to the snow covered yard.

“I don’t know what it is, Brooke. Maybe it’s grease from when I put air in the tires yesterday.”

Brooke heard the shakiness in Jax’s voice. She decided not to push him any further.

“Why don’t you take the day off from writing? Maybe we could go to a movie, do some skiing at Cool Valley. It will do you good to get out a little.”

Jax shook his head.

“No, I was on a roll last night. This book is coming together so fast it’s making my head spin. My fingers can hardly keep up with my thoughts. I want to get back to work as soon as I finish this coffee.”

Brooke finished her coffee without another word. She knew better than to argue with him.

Jax brushed her cheek with his lips as he gathered his laptop and headed upstairs to his office. Shutting the door, he let out a huge sigh.

What the hell was going on?