Page 112 of Second Chance Mates

“In a good way?”

“In a good way.”

We’re silent for a few moments, and I wipe my eyes. “I need to tell Jaxon,” I blurt. “I’m sorry. I need to go.”

“Go.” She stands and urges me out of the door with a proud smile. “You did this, remember? You did this all by yourself.”

Warmth swirls in my chest. “Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to do it all.”

Then I dart out of her office and run through the infirmary into the house. “Jaxon!” I shout, my voice echoing around me. “Jaxon!”

I stumble out into the hall and call his name one last time. He emerges from the stairs in a hurry. “Ava?” His voice is laced with alarm. “What’s wrong?”

When he reaches the bottom step, I crash into his chest. His arms engulf me in a tight embrace. A hand cradles the back of my head as he inspects my face, but I’m beaming. “What’s wrong? You scared the shit out of me.”

“I remember,” I whisper, clinging onto the back of his T-shirt. “My past. I remember.”

Jaxon exhales out through his nose and drops his forehead against mine. “That is incredible.” He relaxes into me. “I am so proud of you, baby.”

My lips remain in what feels like a permanent grin despite my glassy eyes. “I had to come tell you. I needed to find you.”

“Please, never shout my name like you’re in danger again. Ava, I–”

I frown and lean up to peck his lips softly. “I’m sorry,” I murmur against him. “I was excited. I wanted to tell you. Gemma helped, but I wanted you to be the first to know.”

He releases a soft grunt and kisses me again. “Thank you for wanting to share it with me. Do you want to talk about it?”

My head moves into a nod. He takes us to his private living room, and I explain everything I remember—right down to the last detail.

Jaxon’s eyes hold mine as I speak, and he moves his thumb across my knuckles. “I am so proud of you, you have no idea. I had every faith in you.”

I press my head against his shoulder. “It feels good to remember. It feels like that part of my mind has opened up.”

“Ava.” He slips an arm around me and tugs me up so I’m looking at him. “I have something to confess.”

My lashes brush my cheek as I blink a couple of times. “Okay?”

He inhales a large gulp of air. “The night you went out for Lucy’s girls’ night before the wedding,” he starts. “When you were drunk, you mentioned a few things, including Kayleigh and your foster parents, but with nowhere near as much detail as you just explained to me.”

A gash strikes my heart like a spear. No. No.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you didn’t remember in the morning, and I wasn’t sure if it would trigger or upset you. I wanted you to do this by yourself. I didn’t feel like it was right to start meddling in something that meant a lot to you.” He places his hand on my face delicately. “I didn’t do it to keep it from you maliciously. I wanted you to have this moment like you did with Gemma just now. I’m sorry.”

I stare at him. “It’s been ages since that night.”

“I know.” He nods and caresses my face with his thumb. “I’m sorry. I didn’t do it to upset you. I did it so you could remember in your own time. The alcohol must have opened up a part of your memories, and in the morning, it sealed back up again.”

My body shifts backwards, and I move out of Jaxon’s reach. I run a hand down my face. “I understand why you did it,” I admit with lowered eyes. “But it hurts to know you knew and kept quiet about it. All this time, I could have known. Did you think I would run away and leave or something?”

“Not at all.” He shakes his head.

I turn my gaze away because my eyes ache.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he says sincerely. “I didn’t want to take this moment away from you. Please forgive me. I should have been honest, but when I once asked you about Russell Vale and you said it didn’t ring any bells, I didn’t want that to be a repeat with mentioning Kayleigh or your foster parents. I didn’t want to confuse you further.”

I clear my throat and straighten my spine. “I see.”

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