“Well, of course, dear. No one can sing a love song like that if they don’t mean it.” She rose. “When you’re both ready, I’d like to retry that first meeting.”
Stunned, Ari watched her leave. He had no idea what to do with all of this information, except maybe to get in his car and go see Jax right now and ask to talk.
Only, he had a family dinner to get through, and he couldn’t just leave. Afra would never forgive him.
Tomorrow he would call Jax and ask to meet him, and then they could have a proper conversation.
Tomorrow he could get his life back on track.
ARI’S PLANhad only two kinks—Jax was not answering his damned phone; every call went straight to voicemail, and he didn’t know where Jax lived.
The first issue, the thought that Jax might be ignoring his calls, was disheartening but did not dissuade him. Even if Jax really was done with him, Ari needed to know for certain.
The second was a bigger hurdle. Because if Jax was ignoring him and not simply busy, Ari couldn’t even leave him a note if he didn’t know where to find him.
Well, he knew of one place, but showing up to Jax’s work would be a dick move. Even Ari knew that.
Which left Ari with only one recourse, aside from morally dubious ones involving private investigators—Naomi.
“Ari, to what do I owe the phone call so early on a weekday morning.” She did not sound pleased.
“Hello, Naomi. I’m sorry for disturbing you, but you’re probably the only person who can help me with this.”
“You’re lucky my practice isn’t opening till next week,” she grumped. Perhaps Calvin was rubbing off on her. “What do you want?”
“I need to speak with Jax, but he’s not answering his phone, and I don’t know his address.”
“And you didn’t think that was a hint to stay away?”
He blew out a breath. Of course he had. “Yes. But I need to speak to him anyway. I owe him a lot.”
“What are you going to say to him when you see him that you can’t tell his voicemail?”
He winced. That was a good point. But he was coming full circle with the “bad at words” thing.
Maybe that was a sign this was a time for feelings. “That I’m sorry.” He swallowed hard and forced himself to say the next bit. “That I love him. And I want to try again, if he does.”
“Good,” she said with no small amount of satisfaction. “Though your timing sucks. He just left for Boston.”
He blinked, taken aback. “Boston?”
“Yeah, apparently he’s got to actually be at MIT if he wants to convince them to give him a PhD.”
Ari hadn’t even known he was thinking of going back. “Do you know how long he’ll be gone?”
“No, but he doesn’t either. Depends on his advisory committee, but Jax thought probably a couple months. Maybe the whole semester.”
Ari couldn’t wait that long. He’d be on tour before the semester ended. “Do you know his address in Boston?”
Naomi stayed silent for a long moment. “I do not.”
Ari closed his eyes. If Jax kept refusing his phone calls…. He thought about flying to Boston anyway, haunting the MIT math department. He’d probably get arrested for being a creep, and he’d deserve it.
“But I know someone who does.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
THE DAYhe saw his mother off at the airport, Jax went home and surveyed his realm with a critical eye.
