Page 18 of Forever Home

Though he doesn’t. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

Turning, his eyes find mine once more. There’s something within the depths of them that makes my heart patter just a bit as he takes a step closer, the sweat from the day's heat glistening over his chest as I slowly look up into his eyes. “What were you going to say?”

Opening and closing my mouth, I stare at him feeling smaller than I ever have as I try to muster the courage to continue our conversation. But I can’t. “Um— Nothing. It can wait till later… it isn’t important.”

He doesn’t seem to buy what I’m saying as he furrows his brow slightly. “Madi, if you have something to say… just say it.”

“Oh my God! Will you both come on? You can catch up later!” Asher yells, causing Sam to snap at him before the two of them go back and forth over God knows what. My mind is too focused on the man in front of me. The man whose mere presence makes my stomach flip with excitement and my body yearn to be close to him.

“It’s okay, Jaxson. It can wait till later.”

He hesitates for a minute, staring at me to make sure I’m being serious before he turns and jogs over to where Asher and Knox stand waiting on the other side of the net. My feet, unable to move as Sam strides over to me with a sinful smile on her lips. “Did you tell him?”

“What—” I gasp, my eyes turning to her with a look of shock. “Tell him what? I wasn’t going to tell him anything.”

She rolls her eyes, hand on her hip as she stares at me like my mother does when I get into trouble.

“As ifwe all don’t already know that you have been lusting over him for years. Kylie and I actually had a bet going on if you were going to tell him this year.”

“Are you fucking serious?” I exclaim, shaking my head. “It’s nice to know my nonexistent love life is the center of yall’s entertainment.”

“Oh don’t be like that,” she sighs dramatically. “Just tell him you like him… men are slow. They can’t read between the lines.”

I never did get up the nerve to tell Jaxson how I felt, and I still wonder how different things would have turned out if I did…

“Madi, did you hear me?” Knox’s voice pulls me from the memory, causing me to clear my throat.

“Sorry, what?”

Both Kylie and Knox look at each other and begin laughing. I’m not sure what it is that they find so damn funny, but by the look on Knox’s face, I have a feeling I’m about to regret asking. “Can one of you just tell me what’s going on?”

Knox takes a moment and then holds up the album. My eyes squint to focus on the photo he is showing me. It’s a picture of all of us from that day at the cookout, and within it, while everyone else is smiling, I’m looking up at Jaxson with a love-sick gaze on my face.

“You really did have a crush on him back then didn’t you?” Kylie says, making me blush as I turn to her with annoyance.

“No, it wasn’t like that.”

They laugh again. “Yes, it was… and I bet you still do,” she remarks, shrugging her shoulders as she begins surveying the room like a woman plotting her next mission.

I love my friends more than anything, but when it comes to Jaxson Rivers that isn’t a topic I discuss lightly. Jaxson made it clear years ago that he only saw me as a friend. In fact, the comment was made at the cookout they are referring to.

“Not everyone can be committed like you,” Jaxson tells Asher who wraps his arm around Sam’s waist, pulling her in for a kiss. “Some of us are still waiting to find the one.”

“Well, you and Madi are both single… why don’t you two hook up?”

I sputter and almost choke on my drink at the sound of Asher’s confession. My eyes go wide as I look towards the group, Kylie laughing hystericallyat my side. Part of me wants Jaxson to come sweep me off my feet like Asher does for Sam, but the other part of me is terrified.

“Dude, what are you on?” Jaxson finally says with a sneer to his lips as he rolls his eyes, shaking his head. “You know we’re only friends. It will never be like that.”

Gritting my teeth, I square my shoulders and take a deep breath. “For your information, I don’t like Jaxson Rivers. I may have flirted with him in the past, but we were young back then. I haven’t even talked to him in years.”

Screw him. Even if he is fucking hot.

I move from the study where Knox was to the living room to continue the packing that Kylie had been doing. There’s a lot to get done and the last thing I need is to be distracted by trips down memory lane that weren’t always entirely comforting.

“Are you okay?” Kylie asks, walking to where I’ve set myself up within a few stacks of boxes wrapping old knicknacks. The concern in her eyes is evident with the wrinkles in her forehead creasing together as she frowns.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

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