Our eyes meet, and he appears confused. “Sad?”
“Yes,” I carefully reply. “Sad. It’s sad that your job takes up so much of your time. Time is precious. I’ve learned that.”
“I’ve dedicated most of my life to building a stable career, and building a name for myself as well. I’m genuinely okay with where I am today. I’ve worked very hard for this.”
“For beautiful houses left unoccupied for years,” I chime in. His face hardens. “You know, you could just sell it. I’m sure a family would love to own something so gorgeous.”
“I don’t need the money.”
“That’s not the point,” I say with a laugh. He rolls his eyes. “Never mind.”
“Don’t never mind me,” he sarcastically mumbles. “Finish. Finish what you were about to say.”
“Okay,” I slowly begin, hesitating for a moment. After searching for the right words, finally it comes to me. “This seems like the perfect house to start a family. To be married, and to have children.”
He remains quiet, almost startled from the guarded look behind his gaze.
“Not implying that you need to get married and have kids, but, you know what I mean—”
“I know,” he speaks over me. “Is that what you want?”
My heart flutters. “What?” I nearly whisper.
“Is that what you would like?” He quietly asks. “To get married and have a family?”
It dawns on me that I never really thought about it.
“Well, I don’t know.” My throat becomes dry, my voice cracking. “Isn’t that what any woman would want?”
“You’re not just any woman, Sasha.”
My heart begins to pound in my chest. “No?”
“You’re far, far from that.”
“Jax,” I breathe, so many emotions flooding through me. His eyes widen as I lightly brush my fingertips against his cheek. “Thank you.”
I search his eyes, contemplating my next question.
“And what do you want, Jax?”
“It’s much more humid than I had anticipated.” He stands, disregarding my question, holding out his hand as he brings me to my feet as well. “Let’s wash off.”
Just like that, he walks out into the water.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
It’s the pure blackness blanketing the sky that makes the moon so beautiful. My soul feels serene as we have a candlelit dinner beneath the stars, feeling whole again from the tranquility of this moment.
With every breath comes exuberance, a calming peace as I listen to the sound of the crickets chirping, and the rustling of the leaves on the trees, and the howling of the wind.
The flames of the candles flicker and move with the breeze, as I cut into my filet mignon.
“This is heaven,” I quietly say, more to myself than to him. “I thought I loved the city, but it doesn’t even compare to this.”
“I’m glad you’re happy here, Sasha.”
“Have a lot of your Subs come here?”
