The chirp of my alarm comes too early the next morning. The worst part? I have to leave Jaxon, gorgeous and naked in my bed, to go to work, and I’m hating every second of it. Last night was both reward and punishment for seven years of missing the way his limbs entangled mine. I’m still lightheaded from the marathon our bodies took part in last night, and I’m still raw from “one more time” never being enough.

We passed out around five in the morning, giving me only a few hours of precious sleep before I have to get up for work. I move a hand over my face to cover the bright and burning sun. Birds are already chirping loudly outside the cottage walls. I’m still exhausted two coffees later.

Yawning my way through the first few hours of an unexpectedly busy day, I crave the instant I can be free from work and drive home to crash in my bed. I’m pretty sure I’ve been pouting since I clocked in, but I smile when Jaxon breezes through the door with narrowed eyes, telling me I’m in trouble.

I’ve just finished serving the last customer in line when he walks around the counter and pulls me into his arms, fusing our lips together as if nobody is watching. “Good morning, beautiful.”

I blush. I will never get used to hearing him say that. “Good morning. And no PDA when I’m working.” I make a lazy attempt to push him away, my grin revealing my truth.

He grins back and looks around the café with a sly glance before pulling me to him again. “There’s barely anyone here. Besides, the boss—me—says I must grope the new barista.”

I giggle and lift my eyes to his. “Well, in that case, you should really take the new barista home after her shift tonight. She’s a little sore, but nothing a soak in the hot tub can’t fix.”

“Deal. But why didn’t you tell me you had to work this morning?”

I bite back a smile. “And miss out on all the fun? No way.” He grins and I shrug. “Amber couldn’t come in today and I forgot I’d agreed to cover for her. Claire wasn’t feeling so hot yesterday when she left the café.”

“That’s no good.” He frowns before glancing back at me with a teasing smile. “Well, sorry about that. You can take out all your frustrations on me later.” He winks. “I’m going to work in the studio today. I’m suddenly feeling inspired.”

Another grin stretches my lips. It seems I can’t stop smiling. “Glad to hear it. Rumor is the drought has been long and hard. The world is starved of Jaxon Mills originals.”

Jaxon throws me a wink as he leaves for the studio, and I’m back to work. I call Amber to see if she wants to take my shift tomorrow, and she agrees, thank goodness.

It’s about an hour before the start of Canvas and Wine night when I get my second wind. I’m not sure how it happens, really, although the three cups of strong coffee I’ve had and the extra pep in my step from last night might have something to do with it. There are only a few customers scattered around the café, so I fill the quiet time with cleaning.

The café door chimes as I’m dusting the frame of the bridge painting near the glass case. I smile before turning to welcome the new customer, but when I see who it is, the air freezes in my throat and my body goes stiff with dread.

Scott stands there in the same green button-down dress shirt and tan slacks he wore the other day. His hair is in complete disarray, his eyes are worn and bloodshot, and he smells like he hasn’t showered in days. It looks like he hasn’t slept, either.

“Scott? What are you doing here? I thought you went home.”

He rubs his eyes and shakes his head, swearing under his breath. “Nope. Just grabbing some coffee. Didn’t realize you worked here.” He’s an awful liar.

I scrunch my face. Why didn’t he go home?

“Have you been staying at the hotel down the road?”

He looks down, ashamed. “Yeah, checking out today. I haven’t been in the best state to drive. So, I…” His sad eyes wander over me and my heart drops to my stomach. “Well, it doesn’t matter, does it?”

“Have you been drinking?” I can’t hide the worry in my tone.

He shoots me a glare as his face twitches slightly. “Not really your business, now, is it?”

I didn’t think it was possible for my heart to break over Scott, but it does. Not over love lost, but over the fact that I’m the one doing the breaking, and I can see it happening right in front of me. This isn’t like him at all. What have I done? I’ve been so unfair to him for so long.

“Scott.” My voice cracks.

He steps closer, then pauses, like he wants to reach out to me but knows he shouldn’t.

My eyes catch on his shirt again, on a tear across his sleeve, and something hardens in my throat. He smells of whiskey beneath a shower of cologne, like he tried in vain to hide the stench. “You don’t look like yourself.”

His laugh is filled with sarcasm. “I don’t feel it.” He looks around the café, taking it in like a houseguest visiting for the first time. “So, this is the new job, huh? It’s nice, Aurora.” He sounds so deflated, but his voice still carries a twinge of sarcasm.

I look around too, combatting the conflicted emotions running rampant in my chest. Scott has never made me feel unsafe, but this confrontation is unsettling, to say the least.

“Thank you,” I say carefully. “I’m loving it, actually.” I continue to mask my anxiety with a small smile and steady exterior.

His gaze shifts to the front window where his SUV is parked. “Great.”

I shake my head, trying to get his attention, but he’s got a glazed look in his eyes. He’s still drunk. Still holding out hope that I’ll find my way back to him. To us. My heart clenches.

“Can I make you something?” I offer. “Maybe it will help.”

Another laugh, this time louder, fills me with more unease. It feels…hostile. And Scott isn’t hostile.

“Sure, Aurora.” His eyes flicker to mine with a look that sends the final crushing blow. “I thought maybe…”

“Maybe what?” I’m hopeful this is it. Our closure. Just what we need to move on and go our separate ways.

He lets out a sigh and drops his head. “That maybe you’d call.” He looks up again, his eyes pleading. “I’ve been up all night trying to figure out where it all went wrong. And I can’t wrap my head around any of it. You’re making a mistake. I get that you’re going through something and you need to do this for you, but ending us because of it is just wrong. After everything—” His voice cracks.

“Nothing has changed since we last spoke, Scott.” I’m not sure how to explain this anymore without hurting him further. But he needs to understand this isn’t me being indecisive or impulsive. As much as it hurts, this needs to end. “I can’t be with you. We can’t be together. Not now, not ever.”

He steps closer. “C’mon, Aurora. Twenty years.” He stresses the words like I’ve forgotten.

“Twenty years of friendship,” I clarify. “We can stay friends,” I plead. “Always. We can still talk on the phone. I still care. I’d be devastated if we lost our friendship. But as for more…I just can’t. And I won’t change my mind.”

He takes another step closer, and I instinctively take a step back. I bump into the glass case behind me just as he brings his fingers to my chin. I turn my cheek.

“Scott, stop it.”

“I love you.” His voice shakes with anger, causing a tear to spring from my eye. What can I tell him to get him to understand it’s over?

But I don’t have to. The sound of a door opening and then crashing against the wall makes Scott jump back.

“What the hell is going on?” Jaxon’s deep voice radiates around us.

I slide out from between Scott and the glass case and move to stand between them, though Jaxon is far enough away for Scott to make a run for it if it comes to that.

I swallow. “Scott, please just go.” I say it softly.

His eyes flash when he sees Jaxon. Recognizes him. His jaw hardens and twists like he’s grinding his teeth, and I can already see him reading way too much into what this is. Or, considering all that’s transpired since I got to Balsam Grove, maybe he’s seeing it exactly as it is.

“You.” Dread settles on his expression. “You work here, too?”

“Scott—” I try, but he’s already made up his mind.

His eyes burn a hole in my heart. “You came back for him.” A breath leaves him in a whoosh, like he’s finally put the last puzzle piece into place. “I don’t know why I didn’t realize it sooner. That’s what this is about, isn’t it? That’s why you left me. To be with the asshole who broke your heart without any apologies? C’mon, Aurora. Tell me I’m missing something here.”

I blink back tears, hot and prickly behind my eyes. “I didn’t come back for him.” I dart a glance at Jaxon, desperate for him not to take that the wrong way before I can explain. “I came back for me. But Jaxon and I—”

“Don’t finish that sentence.” Scott holds up a hand. “You realize how warped this is, don’t you, Aurora? And to think a month ago I was planning to ask you to marry me.” He twists his head with disgust. “But your dad had just died, and I knew you needed time, so I was going to give you time. Then I come home one night and all your things were gone. You just left…” His voice catches. “Is this some kind of game to you?”

I blink back tears. “No!”

He scoffs like he doesn’t believe me, and my eyes dart around the room to see every customer gawking at us.

“I forgot to give these to you when I saw you the other day,” Scott spits. My head swivels to watch him pull out the bottle of pills I left in his medicine cabinet in my rush to get out of town. “You’re going to need ’em.” He tosses them toward me, hard.

I’m not fast enough, and the pill bottle lands on the floor with a crash. It bounces once, and the impact is all it takes for the lid to pop off. Pills fly everywhere.

I don’t even hear Scott leave. I’m on the floor, scrambling for the pills, my eyes blurred as I try to distract myself from what just happened. From what I might have just ruined.

At some point, I look up to face the silence. Jaxon is still there, swooping down to fill the bottle with the pills I missed during my hunt. He doesn’t return my gaze. When he’s done, he simply sets the bottle on the counter, helps me up off the floor, and then disappears into the next room without a word.

 

 

When Canvas and Wine ends and the doors shut, it’s time to clean up. I make sure to do my part, wiping down the stations and cleaning the dishes before approaching him. I know we need to talk about Scott, but after working all day in a building bursting with tension, all I want is to go home and sleep. It’s been a long fucking evening of Jaxon’s clenched jaw and the unavoidable girls batting their pretty eyelashes at him.

What’s worse, even if I wanted to avoid any of it, I couldn’t. Jaxon fills a room in every way possible—his booming voice calling out instructions, the sound of his loafers moving across the tile floor, his confident strokes on canvas as he leads the class by example. I’m not sure if anyone else noticed anything beyond the rings of his reddish-brown hair, the turbulence in his eyes, and the gruffness of his voice. Anyone else would mistake those traits for focus. Passion. But I know the truth.

He’s placing his freshly completed canvas against the front wall when I approach him from behind, wrapping my arms around his waist. He tenses, so I squeeze his middle and place my cheek against his shoulder blades. “Talk to me.”

He shakes his head but doesn’t say anything.

“Jax, please. You must have questions. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Just please, don’t shut me out.”

He swivels to face me, pushing me off him in the process. “Just like you talked to me when you found out about the deed? Or how you talked to me when you walked out of that courtroom with him?”

Jaxon shoves a chair out of his way, causing it to skate wildly across the floor before crashing into the wall. And then he walks forward, not stopping until he reaches the door.

“You’re wrong, Aurora. I don’t have any questions I don’t already know the answers to. I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to go. You ready?”

Even when he locks up behind us and walks me to my car, I have no idea if he plans on coming home with me tonight. We talked about it earlier, but after the run-in with Scott, I don’t know what to think.

I watch in my rearview mirror as he follows me out of the parking lot and onto the main road, half-expecting him to turn off when we get to his driveway, but he doesn’t. Instead, he follows me, leaving a glimmer of hope deep in my chest.

I park in the carport, scanning the heavy clouds rolling in above us and the tree branches lashing in the wind just a few feet away. I haven’t checked the weather today since I no longer have a phone, but usually someone in a neighboring shop passes on a warning if it’s looking bad enough to cause some damage. So I ignore the rise of anxiety in my chest and walk to Jaxon’s bike as he stops behind my car.

“Come inside. I can pour us some wine. We can talk. Or not talk.” I shake my head, knowing I sound lame. “Or we can paint.” My eyes light up. It’s the first time I’ve felt any sort of excitement over the prospect of painting again. Before, it just gave me anxiety. “I still have that blank canvas you gave me—”

Jaxon cuts me off with a shake of his head, and that’s when I realize he hasn’t shut off his engine. He won’t even meet my eyes. “Not tonight, Aurora. I need to get home to Lacey. I just wanted to make sure you got home safe.”

My face falls. “Oh.”

He nods to the cottage. “I’ll leave after you’ve locked up.”

It takes me a few seconds to move, too disappointed to come up with anything that might change his mind, so I give in. I want to respect his space, and I definitely don’t want to screw this up any more than I already have. I lean in, pressing my lips to his cheek, hovering there for a second to speak. “I love you.” My eyes squeeze closed and I take a breath before continuing. “I wish you would talk to me, but I know I deserve this.” And then I slide the back of my hand across my cheek, smearing the first fallen tear, and turn toward my house.

As soon as my door is locked, I hear the rev of the engine. I hear it a few times, in fact, like maybe he’s debating whether he should leave after all. I stay by the door, praying for him to change his mind. But then I hear the crunch of dirt beneath his tires, and the engine’s roar becomes quieter as he rides away.