Before You (Before You #1)(28)

Todd walked into the room and pulled Bre into a tight hug and whispered into her ear. “Ellen and I love you. Don’t forget that. You’re not alone.”

“Thanks,” Bre said, her voice trembling as she stepped out of his embrace. “I love you both.”

Todd put his arm around Ellen’s shoulder. “Goodnight, Bre. I’ll stop by in the next couple days to fix the kitchen faucet. It’s dripping.”

“Thanks.”

***

Jax walked out of the door of the kitchen into the living room and stood beside the sofa where Bre sat reclined with her legs tucked underneath her, her eyebrows furrowed from long nights and stress. Affection and tenderness for her bubbled in his chest and he realized he was smiling just watching her. God, he’d missed her.

When a minute or so passed without Bre acknowledging his presence, he cleared his throat.

“Sorry,” Bre said, a sincere smile spreading across her face. “I didn’t notice you. I was lost in my thoughts. There’s so much to take care of, I don’t know where to start.” Bre sighed. “It’s completely overwhelming, physically and emotionally.”

“You’ll be fine. You’re strong, and I’ll help you any way I can. Don’t think for one second that you’re alone. If you need me, you have an open invitation to call anytime of day,” Jax said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“You mean I can call when I can’t sleep in the middle of the night or before my early morning run?” Bre’s eyes danced with mischief.

He loved seeing the smile on her face. She didn’t deserve the shit Cam did to her, even if she didn’t know about it. It sucked. “It’s an open invitation.”

“Hm… well, seeing as I don’t have your phone number, that’s kind of an empty offer.” Bre laughed, shifting to face him.

Jax tried not to react, but he couldn’t help noticing how her dress rode up her thighs, exposing her toned legs that he loved so much. He missed looking at them in the short wetsuit that he gave her the first day they surfed together. After seeing her in it, he couldn’t imagine anyone else wearing it, so he told her to keep it.

His eyes traveled up her legs, over the delicate curves concealed by her black dress, but he remembered what they looked like all too clearly. She wore her long brown hair up, and a few wayward strands danced in front of her amber colored eyes. Her eyes looked sad and fatigued, but they were still the most captivating eyes he had ever seen.

“If you want my number, all you have to do is ask,” Jax whispered.

He braced one hand on the arm of the sofa. If he tilted his head to the side, he was certain he could see her panties, and with that thought, his mouth suddenly became dry.

Her lips twitched and she arched an eyebrow. “You’re the one who asked me to call you. I think you’re using your lines on me again to get my number”

Jax smiled and leaned toward her. “If you say so.”

Bre cleared her throat. “So what are your plans?”

“What?” He blinked, oblivious to her question.

“Where are you staying tonight?” she prompted.

Right. What were his plans? “I don’t know. I didn’t make any reservations. Do you have any suggestions?”

“You can stay here.”

His heart lurched at the invitation and then he cursed inwardly at his reaction. He couldn’t stay here. It was wrong for so many reasons. “I don’t know. You’ve had a long day, and I don’t want to impose.”

“It isn’t a problem. You can sleep in the guest room now that Sara is gone. I think she washed and changed the sheets this morning.”

Bre played with the hem of her skirt and Jax started to shake his head to refuse her offer. He came to Colorado to support Bre and help Cam, but staying at Bre’s house seemed too intimate after their day together.

“Before you say no, I want to say that I really would like it if you stayed.” Her voice lowered to barely above a whisper, and she shifted uncomfortably. “Sara has been with me since I got back from LA, and I’m not ready to be alone in my grandmother’s house yet.”

Jax stared at Bre, taking her in, and a strained silence fell between them. He couldn’t say no to her. No, that wasn’t true. He didn’t want to say no to her. He missed her, and the thought of leaving her right now, not knowing when he’d see her again, made him sick to his stomach. Even worse, when he saw her again, she would be with Cam.

“Okay,” he said, realizing this might be the last time they were alone together. He refused to waste the opportunity to drink her in, even if it were from a distance.

“When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow afternoon. What should we do tonight?”

“I thought we could watch a movie unless you had something else in mind.”

“Nah. What movie?”

“Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It’s my all time favorite.”

“The original or the remake with Johnny Depp?” Jax asked as he sat on the sofa next her.

“The original, of course,” she answered, smiling widely at him.

Bre pressed play.

“I can’t believe you’re actually going to force me to watch this,” he said mockingly. “Isn’t this a kid movie?”