Page 38 of A Spark in the Ash

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if the darkling gatekeeper never made it to the gate and it never opened.

Maybe we could just…go, and find the place where we wanted to begin building our lives together.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if we just stayed in this elevator, like this, for the rest of our lives.

But I gasp for air when the elevator slows and then dings as it opens on the fifteenth floor.

“Whoa, shit,” someone says in shock as Jaxon and I step away from each other. I look over and see a blonde woman standing there, diverting her eyes. “Jaxon, you, uh, you’re back.”

Chapter Thirteen

“Sorry, Scarlett,”Jaxon says with a smug smile as we step off the elevator, my hand still held tightly in his. “Serena, I don’t think you’ve met my younger sister, Scarlett, yet. Scarlett, this is my wife, Serena.”

Goosebumps flash over my entire body instantly at the word. It zings through my toes, my fingertips. It snags at something in my lower belly, in a very good way.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” I say with a smile as I step forward and extend a hand. Scarlett eyes it warily, but still accepts my handshake.

“You too,” she says, though her tone sounds doubtful. “So, you weren’t just talking crazy. You really did it?”

Jaxon smiles and raises his left hand, showing off his fresh tattoo. “Last night.”

Scarlett’s eyes fall to my own left hand. She reaches for it and I let her take my hand so she can examine the ring.

“Shit, Jaxon, you must have spent half your life savings on this thing. A salt and pepper diamond?” she says in surprise as she looks over at her brother.

Jaxon looks over at me and raises an eyebrow, as if to say, See? I told you so.

But he just leans forward and presses a sweet kiss to my lips. “She deserves it.”

My brain is still reeling from what his sister said. I didn’t want him even getting something real. Just how much did he spend on this perfect ring on my finger?

But I don’t argue with him like I’d like to. I just smile at him when he backs away.

“Just to give you a warning,” Scarlett says as she meets my eyes, “Mom is on the warpath with you. You stole her son away for longer than she’s ever gone without seeing him.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” I say.

Scarlett just nods once and presses the button to the elevator again, since it’s long gone.

“You not coming back with us?” Jaxon asks.

She shakes her head. “I’ve got a bank run I’m doing for Mom. Chantel and Blake are home though.”

Jaxon just nods, and then starts back down the hall, pulling me after him. My brain is still reeling from everything that just happened with his younger sister, but my feet are moving down the hall, no pauses.

But just before we get to his mother’s door, Jaxon hesitates. He drops his head a little, and I watch as his brows furrow a bit.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, already on high alert.

He shakes his head. “I just feel…weird. I…” He shakes his head again. “I guess I’m just nervous.”

I place my hand on his cheek and brush my thumb over it. “It’s okay,” I say quietly. “We’ll get through this, together.”

He gives an appreciative nod, but there’s still something off about the look in his eyes. But he enters the code in the door and pushes it open.

It’s exactly as I remembered it before. The penthouse is black and white, elegant and hard at the same time. Vivian’s butler is in the kitchen and it looks like he is preparing lunch.

I hear Jaxon breathing a little harder and glance over at him. His brows are even more furrowed and there’s a look of fight in the set of his lips. His eyes flick from one side of the penthouse to the other.

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