Page 118 of Fierce-Jax

“You did, but I think we needed this. If you hadn’t been hurt, I might wonder if you didn’t care enough,” she said. “It goes both ways. I didn’t expect your reaction. I expected you to be supportive and then I’d tell you I had it covered, but would listen to your suggestions.”

“Didn’t work out that way, did it?”

“Not at all. But it worked out better. We both got mad at the other and at least on my end, I can say that not talking to you for a few days has felt like shit. I mean worse than shit. I can’t even come up with an appropriate description.”

“I felt the same,” he said. “I thought I ruined what we had with my judgment of you.”

“I told you I loved you and nothing changed for me when we talked, but I think you forgot it. I’d never hold it against you how you reacted to unexpected news. No one knows how they will react until it happens to them. But don’t leave next time if it happens.”

“Now we know,” he said. “And I won’t. I promise.”

“Now we do,” she said and laid her head on his shoulder trusting that he’d always be here for her.

The trust she’d struggled to give someone was restored.

37

DOUBT MYSELF

“Jax,” Gianna said. “You’re back. I missed you!”

Gianna came running to him a few hours later.

Dillion had left after they apologized to each other and explained that she would not do anything right now and wait to see Alec’s mother’s next move.

He processed what she said but didn’t reply. She asked him to come and spend the night at her house but had to return to get Gianna since she hadn’t even told her daughter she was leaving.

“I missed you too,” he said. No reason to comment on returning. He hadn’t asked Dillion what reason she gave for Jax being gone on Saturday morning and maybe a four-year-old didn’t need one given.

“Mommy said you’re having dinner with us. Are you cooking?”

“I can,” he said.

He’d always been of the firm belief that you shared duties like that. Something he did when he was with Dillion.

It wasn’t even planned or assigned; they both jumped up and helped out or did it.

“I want peppers.”

“Peppers?” he asked.

“It’s her new obsession,” Dillion said. “She loves red and orange peppers.”

“That’s all you want?” he asked.

“Yep, peppers,” Gianna said, nodding her head.

“How about we do a steak stir fry with your peppers over rice? Maybe carrots with it?”

Jax didn’t think he’d ever cooked a stir-fry before but could figure it out.

“I want steak too,” Gianna said. “And peppers. Lots and lots of peppers.”

He laughed. “Do you even have lots and lots of peppers?”

“I do when my daughter is on a kick with them,” she said, winking. “And I’ve got a steak in there we can slice thin.”

“This is a first for me. Are you going to walk me through it or let me fail and embarrass myself in front of your daughter?”

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