Page 18 of Undeniable Love

“I want to have facilities that would allow kids to participate in modified versions of a variety of sports. We already know all the great stuff the Special Olympics does, but what if this was a place where everyone could come no matter what their disability? We would have pro athletes come and volunteer throughout the year, and…”

“I thought you said it was a summer camp,” she reminded him, looking just beyond his shoulder so she still wouldn’t have to look at his face.

“Well, we’d primarily be a summer camp, but I’d like to think we could offer events throughout the year if there were a need. A lot of sports are either in play during the summer months or in training. But if we offered special events throughout the year, then we could get athletes from different sports in their off-season.”

It wasn’t a terrible idea, but she still had no idea what this had to do with her.

“When Ty told me what you did for a living, Lucy, we thought that…”

“Oh my God! Jax!! We love you! Can we get your autograph?” some girl called out before her friends chimed in all begging him for that and a picture with him. Lucy figured he’d get up and oblige, but when she glanced over at him, he was watching her.

Damn him.

“We thought that you would be the perfect person to be a consultant on the project and tell us the kinds of things we should offer. Like…what sports and activities are the best for us to gear up with,” he went on. “And, naturally, we would need a team of therapists like yourself on staff because we’re there to help the kids, not hurt them. I can play ball with guys twice or half my size, but I don’t know anything about how to work with a child who’s already dealing with a disability. Again, we want this to be a great experience for them.”

If she seriously didn’t hate him so much, she’d actually be in tears thanking him.

And now, because she allowed herself to look at him, she had to admit that he was almost ridiculously handsome—dark hair, dark eyes, strong jaw, and she hated that she fixated a little on his lips.

I loathe myself…

Jax Wylder was tall and muscular, and when he’d hugged her, Lucy felt a little small and fragile against him. She’d never felt that way with Blake—or any other guy—and it just felt wrong that she would feel that way with someone she hated.

And she hated Jax with every fiber of her being.

He was the reason their family struggled so much financially and why they’d almost lost Ty. The medical bills had nearly bankrupted them and to this day, her parents were still paying them off. All prospects for Ty to have a normal life were taken from him because of the Wylders, and if Jax hadn’t been drunk that night—if he’d been the one driving—her brother would have been the one playing in the NFL right now.

The ramifications of the accident weren’t only on Tyler and her parents, but it all also affected her and Wyatt. Charlie had been out of the house already and finishing dental school. But Wyatt had just started trade school and was forced to drop out to help with pretty much everything. Lucy had only been thirteen, but she knew immediately that all hope of going away to college was gone. So when she was in high school, she’d learned about dual enrollment and took college courses throughout her junior and senior year. When she graduated high school, she also graduated with an associate's degree. She applied for every scholarship available, and even though she still could go to college, it wasn’t the way she had wanted it to be.

Again, all because of the Wylder family.

So it didn’t matter how handsome Jax was or how his muscly body made her feel, she hated him. All the struggles and disappointments she and her family suffered were because of him. And even though this camp had the potential to be something amazing, Lucy didn’t want to have anything to do with it.

Or him.

No matter what.

Their server came over to take their orders, so it seemed like Jax’s spiel about the camp was over for at least a little while. Lucy looked across the table at Gemma, who was grinning at her. She needed a few minutes to come to grips with this entire situation and tried to mentally relay that to her friend.

After placing their orders, Gemma pushed away from the table and stood. “I need to use the ladies' room. Luce? Come with?”

And that’s what best friends were for.

“Ty, I’m not trying to be a jerk, but…it’s pretty clear that your sister’s got a huge problem with me. I don’t want to make her uncomfortable, so if this is an issue for her, please tell her she doesn’t need to stay. I had no idea she felt…well…that she felt anything about me.”

“Lucy can hold a grudge,” Wyatt answered first with a smirk.

“Give her time,” Tyler assured him. “Yes, she can definitely hold a grudge and she sort of still harbors some…you know…anger about everything, so…”

Shit. This was not the kind of thing he was expecting at all. And if they weren’t trying to start plans for the camp, it wouldn’t be a problem. But getting Lucy on board was really a big part of everything.

Glancing over his shoulder, he watched her get swallowed by the crowd before facing her brothers. Neither seemed bothered by the situation, but it was a big deal to Jax—and not just because they needed Lucy’s help, but because it genuinely bothered him that she was harboring this kind of anger toward him after all this time. He thought that if Tyler was fine, then the rest of the Dawson family was as well. And as far as he knew, they were.

Except Lucy.

“She’ll come around,” Ty said with a shrug. “This business plan basically checks all her boxes. And if she knows she’ll be able to use the facility with her patients? Then you’re in.” Then he paused. “Can you incorporate something like that? An actual PT facility on the property that maybe she could use or even manage? The one she currently works at is fine, but they’re kind of limited.”

Shrugging, Jax said, “Sure. I was figuring we would need to have something like that on site anyway. And if Lucy wanted to have it open year-round and not just when camp was in session, then I don’t see why not.”

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