Chapter 28

Holly

My tea was long since cold, and I had only taken a few sips. Kim was sitting on the opposite end of the sofa as me, and I knew she was shooting me concerned glances every few minutes.

I had told her my concerns about Jax, and she refused to go to bed despite me telling her she needed her sleep.

“Thank you for staying up with me,” I said. “Being alone sucks right now. I just get so caught up in thinking about the worst and—”

“Hey,” Kim said, leaning over and resting her hand on mine. “Don’t worry about it. That’s what sisters are for. I’m sure everything is fine. He told you that you guys needed to put some distance between you, right? Maybe that’s all he’s doing while this mess cools down.”

I shrugged, hearing her, but not really believing her. “He would have seen that I’ve called him nearly twenty times. I doubt he wouldn’t call me back.”

Kim sighed. “I know.”

We sat together in silence for a while longer. I knew I should have gone to bed, but as soon as I closed my eyes, all I could think about was Jax being in trouble.

After leaving the shop earlier that night, Ellie had promised to call me if she heard anything. I appreciated her kindness and her willingness to be so honest with me. If not for her, I would have had absolutely no idea where Jax was and what he was up to. The not knowing had been worse than knowing, although right now, I kind of wished I didn’t know he had gone to another clubhouse to settle a conflict.

I put my cup of tea down on the coffee table and stifled a yawn.

Then the doorbell rang.

Kim and I looked at each other.

“Jax said not to answer the door,” I whispered.

Kim’s face paled. “Do you think … do you think it could be someone bad?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

The bell rang again, and both of us flinched.

Kim stood up. “I’m just going to check the peephole and see who it is.”

“Okay. Be careful,” I whispered, watching her back as she slipped down the hall, walking on the balls of her feet so she was moving as quietly as possible.

She disappeared around the corner, and I strained my ears to catch the slightest sound. My heart pounded, my breathing quickened, and all my skin felt tingly with anticipation and nerves.

“Holly!” Kim called, sounding stressed rather than scared. “You’d better come here.”

I heard her open the front door as I climbed out of the couch and hurried down the hall.

When I rounded the corner, I stopped dead.

Jax was standing out in the hallway, and he was a mess. His hair was matted and thick with blood. His lip was split, his jaw was bruised, and one of his eyes was swollen. He gave me a sheepish grin. “Hey.”

“Hey?” I exclaimed, looking him up and down.

He was standing with a slight hunch. He was hurt pretty badly, and that was the only thing stopping me from giving him a piece of my mind. I held my tongue and told myself I could yell at him later.

Kim looked back and forth between us and then turned to me sharply. “Can you help me bring him inside?”

She maneuvered herself under his left arm. I stared stupidly at them for a minute before rushing to help, slipping under his right arm. He didn’t put much weight on my shoulders, but I could tell he was using our shoulders for balance as we steered him down the hall and into the living room.

He eased himself down onto the sofa, grunting softly with the effort of it.

“Kim, can you grab me some water and washcloths?” I asked.

My sister nodded and slipped away to grab supplies.

I dropped down to my knees in front of Jax, grabbed his legs, and rested my forehead on his thighs. “Thank God you’re okay.”

He reached out and stroked my hair. “I’m sorry.”

I shook my head, unwilling to look up at his bruised face just yet. My eyes were burning with tears of relief. “I was so worried I might never see you again. What the hell happened?” I lifted my face to his, not caring anymore that he saw my tears.

He wiped my cheeks with his thumb, and I saw sorrow in him. “I had to go on a work call with Ryder. Don’t worry. Everything is taken care of. We’re safe.”

“You’re sure?”

Jax smiled softly. “I’m sure.”

I got to my feet and sat down beside him. I held his face in my hands, careful not to hurt him, and pressed my lips to his. I had been aching to kiss him for ages, and it felt so good to feel the warmth of his lips on mine.

Kim returned with water and towels and antiseptic. “Do you guys need anything? Jax, are you hungry?”

“No,” he said, waving his hand. “I’m all right. Thanks, though.”

She nodded and looked at me. “Are you okay if I go to bed? Give you guys some time together?”

I nodded and gave her a smile I hoped conveyed everything I wanted to say to her, thank you, above all else.

She slipped away into her bedroom, and I set to work cleaning Jax’s wounds and making sure he drank water. “What the hell happened to you?”

He shifted and grimaced. I reached out to him, wanting to ease his pain for him. He caught my wrist and lifted my hand to his lips, where he kissed each of my knuckles. “I had my wits scared out of me, that’s what.”

“What?” I breathed. Jax wasn’t the kind of man who scared easy. “Who did this to you? Do the police have them? Are they dead?”

“No, baby girl. He’s not dead. I got him good, but I didn’t kill him.”

I bit my bottom lip.

He ran his thumb over my cheek. “I was scared because for a minute there, I thought I was a goner, and there were so many things I needed to say to you.”

I blinked at him.

He looked down, sorting through his thoughts, and then met my eyes again. I could see resolve in him, determination. “I needed to make sure I got back to you so you knew exactly how I feel. How I’ve always felt.”

“Okay,” I whispered, my blood rushing in my ears.

He pulled himself closer to me even though it clearly caused him pain to do so. He held my hand and cupped my cheek with his other hand. “Holly, I’m fucking crazy about you. I have been since we were kids. And I was a fool to let you go back then. I should have fought harder to keep you. I should have proven what I was willing to do for you. Then, maybe we wouldn’t have lost all our time together.”

Tears burned in the corners of my eyes.

“But everything happens for a reason,” he continued. “Now we’re back together, and I’ll do whatever it takes—whatever it fucking takes—to keep you safe and to make you happy. I swear it. I love you, Holly. I’ve always fucking loved you.”

I let my tears fall and pressed my forehead to his. “I love you, too, you big idiot.”

He chuckled and then wrapped his arms around me, holding me to him with a fierceness that made me forget he was hurt.

The coppery smell reminded me.

I pulled away and looked him over again. “What’s broken?”

“A rib or two. Some knuckles. Everything else is just bruising, baby. It’ll go away.”

I wet one of the cloths Kim had brought out and used it to wipe the blood out of his hairline and from his face. Getting it off of him made him look a bit more human and put me at ease. I kissed his nose and smiled when he smiled.

“Crazy how life got in the way for so long, huh?” he asked. “So many curveballs. And yet, here we are.”

I put the cloth down and picked at a loose thread. “Speaking of curveballs, there’s something I wanted to tell you.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” Just spit it out, girl. He’s not going to freak out. Maybe this will be good news. Maybe this will make him feel better. I lifted my chin and met his gaze. Maybe it would scare the shit out of him. “Jax, I’m-I’m—” I took a deep breath.

“Hey,” he said, taking both my hands and squeezing gently. “Whatever it is, it’s all right. We’re all right.”

“Promise?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

I bit my bottom lip. “I’m pregnant.”

Jax’s eyes widened, and he leaned slightly away from me. “Are you serious?”

I nodded.

A laugh so joyful burst out of him, and for a moment, he moved the same way he did before he had his ass beaten. “Holy shit. You’re not pulling my leg, are you?”

I shook my head as my vision blurred with tears. “Not pulling your leg. It’s real. We’re having a baby.”

“Oh,” he breathed, pressing both hands to his temples. “Wow.”

“Good wow?”

“Great wow,” he said softly. “Come here.”

I climbed into his lap as he asked and perched gingerly on top of him so as not to hurt him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stared down into his eyes as he looked up at me. I was shocked to see tears in the corners of his eyes as he pushed a strand of hair out my face.

Then he was kissing me. It was a tender kiss, the sort of kiss that made a girl feel like she was the only woman in the world. It made me feel safe, secure, loved. It was blissful, and I let him carry me away from all the heartache and stress of the last couple days to a place where all I was aware of was his hands running up my thighs and his tongue slipping between my teeth.

“Okay, you two, take it back to Jax’s place.”

Jax and I both pulled ourselves apart to look at Kim, who was watching us with her arms crossed.

My cheeks burned. “I thought you were going to bed.”

“I was. Then I decided I wanted a glass of water. I didn’t think you and John McClane over here would be sucking face so soon after he got his ass kicked.”

“John McClane?” I asked, not catching the reference.

“Die Hard,” Jax and Kim said in unison.

I still had no idea what they were talking about.

Jax patted my knee. “Okay, that’s our cue. Let’s get out of here.”

I slipped off his lap and offered him my hand to help him up. I was surprised when he took it, but didn’t say anything. I grabbed my purse and a jacket and kissed my sister on the cheek before slipping out the door with Jax in the lead.

We got on the elevator, and he leaned against the wall, arms hanging at his sides.

“You should probably just go to sleep when you get home,” I said softly. I already knew he wouldn’t listen to me. I could see the swell at the front of his jeans and knew he was just as turned on as I was.

“Don’t try to be funny,” he said, the look he gave me daring me to suggest he sleep one more time.

“You’re sure? There’s always the morning. You need rest.”

“I need a lot of things,” he said, pushing off the wall and wrapping his arms around my waist. “And they all come second to you. I’m happy to report that my dick still works like a charm.”

I giggled. “That’s good to hear. I would’ve had to leave you if that wasn’t the case.”

Jax tapped my nose with his finger. “Don’t try to be funny.”

“I don’t have to try. I am funny.”

“So you think.” He reached down to my ass and squeezed. “I can’t wait to get you naked.”

I wiggled my ass in his hands and stared up at him. “I can’t wait to have you inside me.”

“Fuck, woman,” he growled before sealing my mouth with his. I melted into his arms, and we didn’t even notice that the elevator had come to the ground level and the doors were open.