Page 60 of Attraction & Repulsion

“That’s amazing. I’m really proud of you.”

The look of disappointment on his face from last night flashed in her mind. She shuddered. “Thank you . . . but can I ask you a question?”

He nodded.

“Do you want to replace Tim as Captain?”

Closing the distance between them, Jax’s eyes grazed over Carson face. “I do,” he admitted.

“Then why haven’t you accepted?”

The stubble crunched against Jax’s hand when he reached up to rub his chin, hesitating before answering. “I just want to make sure it’s the right future.”

“Right future? Why wouldn’t it be?”

He paused for a second, then shrugged. “Because I was hoping it wouldn’t be just my own future.”

It took a second before Carson realized the meaning behind his words. He was implyingtheirfuture. Her heart did a flip-flop.

“Oh. You’re not sure whether to take it or not because of me?”

“It’s a big commitment, and by the time Cap’ retires we don’t know where we’ll be,” he said before adding nonchalantly, “At least I know where I want us to be.”

Before Carson could clarify his statement, a series of deafening bells echoed throughout the entire station. Her eardrums protested against their shrieks. Light fixtures began flashing between red and orange, signaling an active emergency. Jax immediately straightened, transforming into a first responder right before her eyes.

“I’ve gotta go. You can leave through the front entrance.” He leaned in to peck her on the lips, but before their lips touched, he whispered, “And if anyone is going to handcuff you to the bed, it’s going to be me.”

In a happy stupor, Carson watched as her firefighter disappeared under the archway.

Chapter twenty-one

Tires screeched as the plane hit the airstrip, jostling its passengers. The tablet sitting on the leg of the man next to Carson slipped off his lap and hit the floor with a thud. He grumbled under his breath.

Jax placed a hand on her fingers, hammering on her knees. “Don’t be nervous.”

“Easy for you to say,” Carson muttered. “You don’t have to meet my family.”

Not only was she meeting Jax’s family for the first time, she was also the first girl he’d brought home after the tragedy of his ex-wife. Would they compare her to Kristen? Of course they would. Would she get along with his brothers? Hopefully. What would his mother think of her? Was Carson good enough for her son? She was trying to be.

What would they think about her cutting her skin?

The moment they stepped outside the William P. Hobby airport and into the passenger pickup area, Carson’s whole body became sticky, as if the air had become tangible and she could reach a finger out and touch it. She had never been to a place this humid. Sometimes, after a good monsoon, Arizona’s dry air would feel less . . . dry. Here in Texas, it was stifling. Claustrophobic.

A maroon minivan was waiting for them. Before theyreached it, the side door flew open.

“Uncle Jax! Uncle Jax!”

Flaming red hair came spilling out of the car as two little boys dashed and jumped into Jax’s open arms, knocking over his suitcase.

“Hey, guys!” he rejoiced, wrapping them into a big bear hug.

“Be careful, boys,” a woman called, stepping out of the passenger seat. Her auburn hair was pulled into a ponytail, frizzy flyaways framing her face. Carson wished she had a hair tie so she could get her damp hair off her sticky neck.

A man rounded the hood of the van, and she had to do a double take. It was Jax, or at least his twin. Clone, perhaps? He was just as tall, maybe even taller. If it weren’t for the cropped hair, shaved face, and visible crow’s feet on the edge of his eyes, Carson would have thought they were the same person.

“You must be Carson. I’m Billy,” he said. Even his voice was the same! He gave her a big hug before the woman came up to claim her own hug.

“I’m Marlo, Billy’s wife,” she said. Now that she was closer, Carson noticed that behind Marlo’s clear-framed glasses was a sprinkle of freckles, dotting her nose and cheeks. “And this is Henry and Hayden.” She gestured at the twins who were currently latched onto Jax’s legs. “We are so happy to have you for Christmas.”

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