Ruthless (Enemies to Lovers 4)

“It’s wrong. It’s so fucking wrong.”

Jaxson looks at the photo as he nods in agreement. He never wastes time saying unnecessary things. He’s always just there, holding me up when the ground opens beneath my feet.

When I’m done looking through the box, I carefully place everything back inside, except for the photo of Summer’s first day of school.

“Can you put the box back in your closet? I’ll keep this.”

“Sure,” he says as he quickly places it right in the back where it will be safe.

“Thank you,” I whisper when he turns back to me.

“No problem. It’s not like I use the space, anyway.” He shrugs my thanks away.

“Not about that.” I stand up and try my best to smile at him. “Thank you for this,” I say as I look down at the photo. “I really neede

d to see them again.”

“You’re welcome. Let’s go grab a beer.”

I place the photo next to my bed before I go to find Jaxson downstairs.

When I sit down and look at the mess around us, Jaxson hands me a beer.

“I’m not cleaning up this shit,” I say before I take a sip.

“Fuck no. It can stay like this until the others are back so they can help clean,” Jaxson agrees.

We stare at the mess for a minute longer before we both put down our beers and we start to pick up all the trash.

“So…” Jaxson says as he grabs another trash bag, “Willow.”

I throw a few empty solo cups in the bag he’s holding open.

“There’s just something about her.”

“Like?”

“Fuck… everything. She’s beautiful. She’s full of fire.”

Jaxson takes the trash I’ve picked up from me. “Give her a chance.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Sure it is. You like her. You can tell she likes you. You have to at least try.”

“What if I fuck it up?”

“Then you fuck it up. At least there won’t be any what if’s or should’ve’s.”

We keep cleaning as a war starts to brew in my chest.

My emotions are all over the place. I’ve never felt so out of control before. I got used to the anger and pain, they’re ingrained in my soul. But the emotions I’m overcome with when I’m around Willow? They’re new and foreign. It scares the shit out of me.

I have no idea how I’m going to handle this problem.

Chapter 4

WILLOW