Fighter

And she was right. Once inside, Jax and I together, holding hands, found out all charges had been dropped against him. The assault on his sister’s boyfriend lacked enough evidence to prosecute. Apparently, the boyfriend had come in to the station earlier, escorted by guys known to work for the Monroe family, and he’d recanted everything. It had all been a big misunderstanding. His bruises were from a fall down the stairs, and Jax had only talked to him. Never touched him.

There were no witnesses to corroborate his initial statement, so the clerk told Jax he was free to go. As for me, there was now no criminal for me to aid and abet, so that meant I hadn’t broken a law either.

It happened so fast that Haley was still in the parking lot when we went back outside. She’d just started to pull out, but she saw us and hit the brakes. Turning the car off, she got out and waited for us to come to her. “What happened?”

When we told her, she burst out laughing. “That must’ve all happened today. God, that’s going to piss off your brothers even more.” She held a hand up. “Please, please, please, let me be the one to tell Dylan. I constantly want to jump him like I have ants in my pants, but he’s just delicious when he’s pissed off. I think I like pissing him off the most.”

“Sure.” I couldn’t contain my smile. “Have at it.”

As if on command, my brothers’ black SUVs pulled into the station parking lot. There were four in total, and Haley took her time sauntering over to the one Dylan drove. She made sure to sway her hips from side to side.

I started toward Dean, but Jax drew me back.

“What?” I asked.

“Just a minute.”

“For what?”

He slid a finger under my chin, lifting my head until our eyes met. “What’s going to happen with us now?”

“What do you mean?”

“You and me.” An unsure look flashed across his face. He tried to hide it, but I saw.

I melted. I’d been angry at my brothers, but now, with that one look, I was a mess once more. I squeezed his hand and lifted my lips to his. He frowned and asked against my mouth, “Does this mean what I think it means?”

Curling a hand up and around his neck, I grabbed hold of his hair and whispered, “You’re goddamn right it does.” Then I pulled him down and kissed him. I didn’t care about my brothers’ reactions. I didn’t care about college. I just didn’t care.

I was still in love with Jax, and I wasn’t letting him go. Not again.

Happy holidays to me.