Page 35 of Pastel Kisses

I stretch toward the screen as if I can reach him, as if I can cross the impossible distance between us.

I fall to my knees, pressing my face into my hands.

Jaxtondidstop by Sarah’s last night.

But was it really for the reasonsshewanted me to believe?

His entire body tells a different story.

She’s fucking with me.

Again.

Now, she’s claimed my baby as her own, trying to manipulate Jaxton into forgetting me like last month’s garbage.

Fire ignites in my blood, searing away every ounce of doubt, every moment of hesitation.

Iwillescape.

Whatever it takes.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Jaxton

J

ax… Jax! Come on, man, you need to get up. Fucking shower or something. You smell like shit.”

Liam's voice cuts through the fog in my brain, followed by a sharp nudge to my side. I groan but don’t move.

“They’re parking, so you better get your ass together,” he adds before stomping out of my room, leaving me in my self-inflicted purgatory.

I don't budge. Instead, I tighten my grip on Avery’s pillow like it’s a damn life preserver, even though it lost her scent weeks ago. Still, it’s hers. One of the tangible things about her in this house and letting go feels impossible.

The sound of my brothers’ voices drifts in from the living room, their familiar banter filling the silence like echoes in a canyon. It should be comforting, but it only serves as a stark reminder of who’s missing.

The bed dips under Lennox’s weight, and the faint scent of salt and the ocean hits my nose. "I’m fine," I mutter, rolling onto my back. "Getting up right now."

Lennox doesn’t move. His palm lands on my back in a solid, grounding touch. "Before you ask, there’s no new news."

I close my eyes and exhale through my nose, trying to hold onto whatever scrap of sanity I have left. "Sarah said she needed to talk to me."

Silence.

Then—

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Kamden’s voice booms from the doorway, laced with barely restrained fury. "Please tell me you didn’t go to her place."

I nod, bracing myself.

"Jesus." Kamden drags a hand down his face. "What the fuck did she want? We told you to stay the hell away from her."

I sit up, tucking Avery’s pillow behind me. "It wasn’t like that—I mean, not on my end. She tried," I grit out.

Liam’s glare is deadly. "And?"

"And she didn’t succeed," I snap.

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