His eyes flicker, something unreadable passing through them. “I almost did.” He exhales, glancing at the phone still clenched in my shaking hand. “Good thing I forgot my phone, huh?”
I blink, my stomach flipping.
He was coming back anyway. He would’ve been here even if I hadn’t called.
I swallow hard, shifting my weight, my voice barely above a whisper. “You heard all of that?”
He takes a step closer, rain dripping from his jaw, his gaze locked onto mine like he’s seeing straight through me. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “I did.”
I press a trembling hand to my lips, my heart pounding against my ribs.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t think.
Jaxon watches me, still fighting that damn grin, still standing there like he isn’t the reason I just spilled my entire heart out like a fool into a voicemail I thought he’d listen to miles away from me.
I’m completely unmoored.
I chose him.
49
JAXON
Igrip the steering wheel so tightly, my knuckles turn white, my chest constricting as I pull into the driveway. The rain beats against the windshield, blurring everything outside, but I don’t need a clear view to feel her presence.
I already know she’s here.
I don’t register much else at first—just the weight of exhaustion pressing into me, the familiarity of this house that’s been my second home, and the dull ache I’ve been carrying in my chest for weeks.
Carter’s voice cuts through the silence. “Hey…isn’t that Madison?”
My whole body locks up. My heart stutters in my chest. I blink hard, my pulse roaring in my ears as I force myself to look—and there she is. She’s pacing the yard, barefoot in the rain, completely soaked through, hair clinging to her face, hands shaking as she clutches her phone, her mouth moving frantically.
She’s talking.
She’s leaving a voicemail.
Suddenly, my stomach plummets.
I throw the truck into park, barely hearing Carter mumblesomething under his breath. My eyes are glued to her, my throat tight, my hands frozen in my lap.
Because she’s not just standing there.
She’s breaking.
I can see it.
The way her shoulders shake, the way she wipes at her face, the way her entire body moves like she’s got too much emotion to contain.
I don’t know what she’s saying yet, but whatever it is?—
It’s wrecking her, andfuck, it’s wrecking me.
Carter exhales, glancing over at me. “Jax, man?—”
I don’t wait for him to finish. Instead, I shove open the door, stepping into the downpour without a second thought.
