“They were really smart too,” I add, earning a chuckle from him.
Jax had to go through so much that year. Raising a baby on his own, losing his parents, and letting go of the woman he loved. My heart aches for the boy who had to turn into a man so quickly. I place my hand on his cheek. “I’m sorry, Jax. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you through it.”
He leans into my hand and shuts his eyes for a moment. He opens them again. “Thank you,” he says, his voice thick. I gather him in my arms, and he holds me tight.
I’m driving back to my parents’ house to change before heading to the hospital to visit with Ala. Jax and I stayed in the cabin until the storm died, reminiscing about the summer we spent together. It was so easy being with Jax again. Easier than being mad at him. But what does a kiss and reconciling with Jax mean exactly? My cheeks burn at thought of our kiss in the rain. We obviously still have chemistry between us, and truth be told, I want to see where that takes us. Perhaps the reason we both never fully got over each other is because we were meant to be. And yet, I can’t deny how different our lives are. I have a fast-paced career in Hollywood, and he has a ranch to run here. How would that work? And what about his daughter? A child adds a whole new level of complexity to the possibility of dating Jax again, and that scares me. I have plenty more lessons with Jax over the next few weeks. I need to stop worrying so much and just see where our time together takes us.
Chapter Thirteen
JAXON
I’m carrying the climbing equipment back into the barn when I spot Landon and Preston oiling one of the tractors.
Preston groans and wipes at his brow. “Why do I have to get the hard-to-reach zerk fittings?” Preston is my youngest brother. He just graduated and is working on the ranch full time now.
“Sorry kid, but you’re still the smallest,” Landon says.
Not by much, I think, looking at my baby brother. Preston wears jeans, a scuffed up pair of brown boots, and an old, passed down army green T-shirt that used to hang off him but is now filled out. Preston is just about as tall as Landon. A few more months of doing ranch work full time, and he’ll be as muscular as the rest of us Wyle brothers. He’s currently holding a pistol grip grease gun, crouching down, and looking for the next zerk cap.
“To your left a little more,” I say, knowing exactly where they all are.
He turns his attention to me and stands up, taking in my wet clothing. He smiles. “Got caught in the storm?”
Thoughts of Malia and me kissing in the rain come back to my mind. “That we did.” I lay out the damp ropes and harnesses over the bales of hay to dry. “But we made the best of it.” We really made the best of it.
Landon pumps three times on his pistol gun, sending oil into the zerk fitting, and then gives me a pondering gaze. “Why are you looking so pleased with yourself?”
I shrug, but can't seem to keep the grin from my face. “‘Dunno what you mean.” I walk to the tack room and retrieve a dry towel. The truth is, I haven’t been able to keep Malia or what happened between us on that mountain top from my mind for a single second since she drove off. I still can’t quite believe she forgave me. It all seems surreal . . . and right. Like everything in the world is right again. I feel like I can take on anything now.
“The client must have been hot,” Preston says. “Come on, admit it. She was hot, wasn’t she?”
That she was. I remember how the rain clumped her lashes together, making her hazel eyes stand out even more, how her wet clothes clung to her curves, and that kiss. That kiss was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Before that, I’d wondered if maybe I was building up our chemistry in my mind because that summer was my last bit of carefree youth. But that kiss proved otherwise. The sparks are not only still there, but they’re even stronger than what we had as kids—more like lightning than sparks. I don’t tell my brothers any of that though. I just raise my brows in answer and work to dry all of the metal pieces on the harnesses.
Landon wipes a zerk clean of oil with a smirk on his face. “If I didn’t know bette
r, I’d think you were interested in this hot client.” He shakes his head. “Does this mean you’re over Malia standing you up?”
“Malia?” Preston asks, eyes wide. “Malia was here and you didn’t tell me?” He turns to Landon with an accusatory gaze. “And you knew?” He shakes his head. “You guys don’t tell me anything.”
Preston loved Malia like a big sister. I don’t think he ever fully forgave me for letting her go. Landon shrugs. “There’s not much to tell. Jax asked Malia to coffee, but she stood him up.”
“Great,” Preston says sending a glare my way. “So Jax screwed it up again, and we don’t get to see her?”
I finish drying a buckle, remembering helping Malia into it. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” I say, ignoring his ire.
Preston scrunches his brows in confusion. “But what about the hot client?”
“Funny thing,” I say. “Malia was the hot client.”
Preston pauses, then breaks into laughter. “Oh, to be a fly on the rock wall for that encounter.” He examines my face more closely. “She didn’t punch you? Not once?” He sounds disappointed.
* * *
“She threw plenty of verbal jabs,” I say, remembering the fire in her . . . and the hurt. I’d put that there. It stabs like a cactus at my heart.
Preston smiles at that. He remembers how strong-willed she was. She never fell for my charms, but she saw me—the real me—and loved me anyway.
Landon just stands there with a knowing smirk on his face. “It must have gone well enough for you to be looking so satisfied. Just don’t blow it this time.”