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My breath caught again, and I opened my mouth, but there were no words at first, because there was so s that I loved about him, but all I could say was "I’m in love with you"

Jax drew in a sharp breath as his eyes flared wide, and I realized he didn’t think I was going to say that He was an idiot if so, but he was the idiot I loved, so I said it again, and then hehis nized that kiss, because he’d kissed me like this before and it was full of just as much love as it had been every time he’d kissed me like that

And then, maybe because Jax loved me--was in love with me--and I was in love with him, or ood ainst ht the tears with his thuet in this bed withHe scooted the chair as close as he could and stretched his upper body towardan arm around my shoulders as he rested his cheek on the pillow next to mine Some time passed before the orks ceased and I found ht arers slowly threading through his hair as he explained in great detail how he planned on showing ot better just how much he loved me, so much detail I was sureto look forward to

More tiot the staff to let him be in my room, but I didn’t care He was here and that was all thattired when he said, "There’s sos we need to talk about, but it can wait until you’re out of here Okay?"

At thatthat I needed so desperately to hear him say, so I could wait to hear whatever else he wanted to tell me I nodded andawake for God kno long, it hit ain, but Jax was there, gently keeping my shoulders down

"What?" Concern poured into his voice "What’s wrong?"

I grasped his wrist with ht hand "Mo lot Was she hurt?"

He stared at me a moment and then shook his head as his brows sla forWas she hit?"

"Okay You need to calain "This is the first anyone is hearing about your mom, honey No one knows she was there"

Confused, I stared at him "Wait She was there I talked to her She called

My , and I heard the car pull away--"

"The police found the car they believed was used abandoned a few miles away froistered to, but they think it was probably stolen I’et more info later"

"Butbut that doesn’t make sense"

His eyes met mine and then he kissed my cheek "Honey, II’, but then I knew I got it He was apologizing because my mom had showed up at the bar, had seen me and I had seen her, people ere pissed at her had opened fire and I got hit, andand Mo slowly, I shook my head "She had to have knoas hurt"

He smoothed his thu up onno answer "She left unshot wound meant for her She left me"

"Honey," he said softly "I don’t knohat to say"

Because what the hell did you say to so in a parking lot Good God, did she care at all? My lower lip tre across my cheek as he turned my head toward his

His lips met mine and he said, "I love you"

I closed ainstht up with ood and all the very bad

Over the next two days while I was kept in the hospital for observation,place Detective Anders had been in and out more than once; so had Reece Roxy and Nick had showed, the forhnuts that I wasn’t allowed to eat yet, but I hadn’t the heart to tell her and the latter had been broodier than ever I felt responsible for that He’d offered to take me home and maybe if I’d taken him up on that offer, Mom wouldn’t have atte in a hospital bed going out ofhad hit the news, and so my cell and Jax had finally answered--I didn’t knohich or if it was a combo of both, butdriven up theat a hotel a few blocks fro cool Jase had even joked around how I kept su for all of them, but I could tell that they were seriously worried, especially when Teresa had said that she wanted me to come home, back to Shepherd as soon as possible But I also didn’t have the heart to tell her that wouldn’t solve anything

Turned out I was in the sah to be up for short periods and that etting taken back to his roohout all of this Jax rarely left my side He took time off at the bar, and Nick and Roxy really stepped up to help out He had souy Jedi mind control over the staff, because he stayed inno-no, but I didn’t question it Those long hours in the ht, when I couldn’t sleep and all I wanted to do was get the hell out of there, he was there We talked about iht over, and then we talked about stupid things like where to go in case of a zombie apocalypse or what our favorite reality shoere I adht have a wee crush on Property Brothers, and he was a fan of Kitchen Nightmares and Bar Rescue, and hadWars When he’d started talking about his favorite football team, I dozed off, and when I woke up some time later, he’d been asleep in what had to have been the most uncomfortable position known to man

He’d fallen asleep in his chair, but his head had been resting on arms that were folded on the bed beside me His cheek had been turned to me, and I had hit an exceptional level of creeper, because I didn’t kno long I’d lain there and watched the way his lashes fluttered in his sleep or just stared at his face

It was like that for two nights, and on the o hoivento wash rab so it, but the angry little scar on top of the faded scars and the twinge of pain if I turned too quickly or breathed too deeply told me that I needed to be careful

Even now I couldn’t believe I’d been shot

My friends were still in town and I had no idea how long they planned on staying, but I knew they were going to swing by touessed they’d turned their second trip into a mini vacation

As the doctor checked hts I’d been avoiding since the first night in the hospital crept into my mind

Mom

I closed my eyes as the doctor took my blood pressure

My own flesh-and-blooda rusty nail driven into your heart Repeatedly No ht’ve been, there was no justification for that, and that was such a hard wake-up call to go through, because I didn’t understand until the moment I realized she’d left me that I still fostered a little bit of hope that one day she’d be like she was before the fire, the deaths, and the drugs

There was no hope now