Jennifer: Want to hang out this weekend? We could double date.
I’d been so busy with work that I hadn’t told her what happened with me and Jaxon.
Me: Don’t have a date. Jaxon and I aren’t together anymore. :/
Jennifer: Oh no, wanna talk about it?
Me: Not really. It’s over and done. Time to move on.
Jennifer: I hear ya. Maybe we could have a girls’ night. Sound good?
Me: Perfect.
“Knock, knock,” Korinne announced, sticking her head in the door.
I looked up from my phone and smiled. “Hey.”
She walked in and sat down. It had only been a few weeks since I found out she was pregnant and she was already starting to show in the gray sweaterdress she wore. “Ready for the weekend?”
“I guess.” I laughed. “Looks like I’ll be having a girls’ night.”
“Oh yeah? That sounds like fun, but what about the hunky football player I just saw leaving the front desk?”
My heart pounded and I shot up out of the chair. “What? You can’t be serious.”
She burst out laughing. “I didn’t know you were dating a star.”
I hurried to the door and peered out into the hall toward Rebecca’s desk. Jaxon wasn’t there, but Mrs. Blanton was on her way down the hall, carrying a large, wrapped box.
“I’m not dating one,” I corrected. “He’s not who I thought he was.”
Korinne joined me by the door. “That’s a shame. Obviously, he’s trying to get you back or he wouldn’t have stopped by.”
Mrs. Blanton met my gaze with a big smile. “You have a delivery.” She handed me the box, which had an envelope taped to the outside. “It’s kind of heavy. Mr. Reed wanted to bring it back here himself, but I told him you were busy.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Mrs. Blanton. You have no idea how much I appreciate that.”
The box was kind of heavy, so I placed it on my desk and sat down. They both stood just outside the door and when I made no move to open the present, Korinne waved and shut the door behind them. Hands trembling, I reached for the letter and opened it first. My pulse raced and I was afraid to read it, but my curiosity got the better of me. It was handwritten, his writing neat and not at all what I would imagine it to be.
Bristol,
By now it’s been almost two weeks since we were together. I have to tell you, it’s been hell not having you by my side. What I did was wrong and I know there’s nothing I can do to make that up to you. I do, however, hope you can find it within yourself to remember the good times we had. I might not have told you who I really was, but the person I was with you is who I really am. You fell for the real me, the guy who likes to design cars and motorcycles, and the same guy who fell madly in love with you. I never knew what love was until you. Everything I said and did while I was with you was the complete and utter truth. What I failed to mention was that I was a football player. However, there is one other thing I failed to mention, and part of it is in the gift I left for you. I hope you see it as a sign that we’re connected more than you think.
Please say you’ll forgive me. I love you, Bristol. No matter what happens, I’m not going to give up on you.
Always,
Jaxon
Tears filled my eyes and I wished like hell his words didn’t affect me, but they did. I still loved him. Yet how could a man like Jaxon redeem himself after all the horrible things he’d done? Could it be possible?
I carefully unwrapped the box and sliced my letter opener through the tape. Reaching inside, I touched what felt like a canvas and when I pulled it out, I dropped down into my seat. “Oh my God,” I gasped, slapping a hand over my mouth. It was a painting, almost a replica of one of the paintings Jaxon bought at the gallery, only this wasn’t the same. The couple on the canvas was us, both naked and holding each other in a warm embrace. His arm was lifted, covering the view of my breasts, while his fingers caressed my cheek. I could see the love in my eyes and the same look in his. It was the exact same way he’d looked at me when we were together. What really set my heart racing were the initials in the corner. They weren’t a T and B, as he had suggested when we were in the gallery. It was a J and an R. Sly bastard.
They were his paintings, his works of art, and I was drawn to them. I had to see him. It was almost five o’clock and since I didn’t have any more clients, I grabbed the painting and hurried out of the office. I waved at Rebecca on my way to the elevator and smiled.
“I’m clocking out for the day. Have a good weekend.”
She waved back and looked down at the painting as I entered the elevator. “You too, dear. Nice painting.”
“Yes, it is.” The doors closed, and my first stop was going to be Jaxon’s house.
Since he was just at my office, I figured he’d be on his way home. However, when I got there, he didn’t answer the door. I’d tried calling him, but it went straight to voicemail every time. Surely, he wouldn’t ignore me after giving me such an amazing gift, would he? Maybe it was payback for ignoring him. I rode by the tavern to see if he was there, but I couldn’t find his car. Of all the times I desperately wanted to find him, I couldn’t.
After two hours of searching around Belmont, I decided to go home. He wasn’t picking up the phone and he wasn’t at home. Pulling into the garage, I parked in my usual spot and got out of the car with my painting in hand. I couldn’t wait to get Boone to make me a custom frame for it.
I started toward the elevator and pressed the button, but then it was as if I could feel someone behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, and standing there with his hands in his jean pockets was Jaxon. His dark hair was gelled in messy spikes and those amber eyes of his bore into mine, making me tremble in all the right places.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey,” he replied. The elevator door opened, but I ignored it and walked toward him.