Page 141 of Succumbed

“I can just choose to love them. All three of them, if I want.”

“You can.” His hand tightens around mine. “You didn’t tell me how Declan makes you feel.”

“Fucking murderous.”

Jax laughs so hard, he snorts. I laugh with him, leaning against the counter as I double over.

“He…” I sigh, dipping my chin. Despite the emotions warring inside me since the flight home, a smile still pulls at my mouth. “He challenges me, Jax, and that’s not something I’ve gotten outside of work.”

“Yeah,” he scoffs. “You’re intimidating as fuck.”

I blink. “I am not.”

“Uh, yes. You are. I’m the one who had to ask you for a job the first time we met.”

“And look how that turned out for you, hm?” I smile.

“Anyway, go on,” he prompts. “More about Declan. He challenges you.”

“And infuriates me.” I hold up a finger. “But he’s also disarming. In Paris, there was this whole new side to him. He was…vulnerable. There was this promise of something deep and overwhelming just under the surface. Something consuming.”

I sigh, gripping my neck. “He reminds me of me. When I was constantly railing against the world because I was scared it would realize I didn’t belong in the places I forced my way into. It’s probably why we can be so volatile.”

“You like the volatility, though?”

“I think I love it, Jax,” I murmur.

He grins, eyes shiny. “So what’s stopping you from letting them love you?”

My mouth opens, then closes. I look at the pile of paper towel shreds on the counter.

“When I think about family, I…I get scared. I’ve seen what a family can be at its worst.”

“Yeah, Lexi, but what about when it’s at its best?” Jax grips my hand again. “What if you create a new family with the people you love, and leave the old one behind?”

Tears fill my eyes. “Is that…can I do that? Is that real life?”

“It can be.” A tear spills over, slipping down his cheek. “You don’t have to keep the people who want to love you at arm’s length, Lexi. Let us be your family. Let us love you.”

“Is it weird that sounds as terrifying as it does wonderful?” I whisper.

“Pretty sure that’s why it’s worth it.”

Chapter 42

Declan

“Are you ready to get your head out of your ass?” Shane barks.

I swing away from my latest basement project–tiling the shower in the guest ensuite–and frown. “The fuck is your problem?”

“You.” He stalks over, his black jeans and henley matching the dark expression on his face.

“The fuck did I do now?”

“It’s what you haven’t done, dipshit.”

I rear back, eyes wide. “Shane, brother, I’m going to need a fucking shred of context,” I bite out, wiping my hands on my ratty tee.

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