Page 97 of Fighting Temptation (Men of Honor 1)
She chuckles at my almost swear then gets really excited, “Oh my gosh, really? Yes! I’d love that.”
“Alright we will work something out with your parents.”
Susan and Bill come walking down the stairs the same time the doorbell rings. Anna gets excited and starts blushing, “That’s probably Logan.”
I see Bill tense and I hold back my chuckle when I think about what he said to the kid on their first date.
“Hi! Come in,” Anna says shyly, inviting the guy in.
My first thought when I see him is ‘oh fuck’. He stands tall and looks a little older than Anna. Wearing a black leather riding jacket, jeans and a black T shirt; he reminds me exactly of myself at that age. And if his brain is thinking the same shit I was I want to beat the shit out of him. The kid eyes me with curiosity and puts his arm around Anna possessively. Yup, just fucking like me. Anna stands happily next to him and looks at me for approval, not having any idea what I’m really thinking.
“Logan, this here is Jaxson. He’s the Navy Seal I told you about who saved my life.”
The kid’s glare eases up on me now. He sticks out his hand, “Hey, nice to meet you. Anna’s told me a lot about you.”
I grab his hand, “Nice to meet you Logan, Anna has said good things about you.” I squeeze his hand harder and pull him a little closer to me, “Make sure it stays that way,” I say dangerously low.
“Jaxson!” Anna scolds under her breath. Then she looks at Logan, “He’s just kidding.”
“No I’m not,” I say, completely serious.
Bill chuckles behind me.
Logan glares at me again and rips his hand away, “Ya well that’s not something you need to worry about.”
Huh, the kid has some balls. Okay maybe he’ll be alright.
“Good. Make sure that it’s not and we will get along just fine.”
Anna groans, “Come on I’ll walk you out,” she pulls on my arm.
I wave goodbye to Bill and Susan.
“Glad you came Jaxson. Come by anytime,” Bill shouts out the door, a big grin plastered across his face.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe you,” Anna whispers harshly.
“What? I was just looking out for you. That’s what big brothers do.”
She loses some of her annoyance and smirks at me, “Alright, really what did you think?” She chews her nails nervously, my answer clearly meaning a lot to her.
I let out a breath, “Honestly, the kid reminds me of myself. So if he wasn’t dating you I’d think he’s pretty cool, but since he is… I hate him.”
She laughs and launches herself at me. “Well personally I think I could do a whole lot worse. And if he turns out anything like you I’d say I’m a pretty lucky girl.”
I hug her tight, “Nah, he’s the lucky one.”
She pushes away from me now, “I better get back inside, god knows what dad is saying to him.”
I chuckle, “Alright go on. We’ll talk soon and set up a time for you to come down and see me.”
She smiles, “I’d really like that. I’d love to meet Julia.”
Hearing Julia’s names causes a flash of pain in my chest, “I’d like that too.”
Logan steps out of the house, Anna smiles and waves at me as she walks over to him, “See you soon Jaxson.”
I wave, “Ya, see ya soon kid.”
Logan grabs her around the waist pulling her to him, the way he looks down at her… well makes me want to smile and beat the shit out of him at the same time.
Shaking my head I walk over to my truck in a hurry, knowing what I need to do. I just pray to God that I didn’t fuck things up beyond repair.
I wake up the next morning and know before I even walk down the stairs that Jaxson never came home last night.
Where did he go? Is he ever going to come back?
It’s that last thought that sends a fresh wave of tears. Damn it. I wipe under my eyes trying to catch them before they fall, not wanting to wreck my make-up. I walk into the kitchen to see Sawyer and Cade at the table, they’re arguing under harsh tones but stop abruptly when they spot me.
Sawyer stands up, “Hey Julia.”
I give him a sad smile, “Hi. Did you guys hear from him at all?”
They both shake their heads regretfully. “Me either,” I whisper sadly, trying to keep the tears at bay that desperately want to fall.
Sawyer walks over and hugs me, “I’m sure you will hear something today.”
I nod, not feeling very convinced. Suddenly I hear a key in the door. My heart rate kicks up thinking it’s Jaxson but my hopes deflate quickly when Kayla walks in.
She stops short, “Uh hey. I used the key because I didn’t want to wake Jaxson up.” Her gaze takes us all in then she notices my teary eyes, “He’s not here?”
I shake my head.
Kayla flushes red with anger, “Well that son of a bitch. What did he do? I’m going to kick his fucking ass.”
Sawyer grunts, “Get in line.”
Kayla walks over and hugs me, “You should have called me Julia. I would have come over and stayed with you.”
I shook my head, “It’s alright. Sawyer and Cade stayed with me and we have a big day ahead of us. I didn’t want you to be tired for it.”
Kayla looks at me sympathetically, “We don’t need to go today Julia. We can reschedule and just hang here.”
I shake my head immediately, rejecting the idea fast, “No! I’m looking forward to this. We are not going to let this ruin today. Plus it will be good for me, help me keep my mind off him.”
Ya right.
“Are you sure?” Kayla asks again.
“Yes!”
“Alright, we better get moving then to make it on time for the first appointment.”
“Ok just give me a second,” I grab a banana and an oatmeal bar to eat on the way. Then I walk over and hug Sawyer, “Thank you, for everything last night.”
