Page 65 of Attraction & Repulsion

To her surprise, he spoke again. “I liked the way you looked holding Elizabeth.”

A dagger stabbed Carson’s heart, and the room darkened, the walls converging on her. She kept quiet, and when Jax didn’t say anything else, she began to question if he said those words on purpose or in his dreams.

Chapter twenty-two

Carson’s head hit the window, her limbs flying up then crashing back down. She was strapped to a seat, feeling weightless one second, then feeling all of earth’s gravity the next. Over and over her body slammed into the door, slammed into the seat, lurched forward, then smacked the center console. It felt as though she were a tumbleweed being thrown around by the wind. Every hit, every smack, every crunch hurt. Her neck, insides, back, all gripped by searing agony—

“Uncle Jax, wake up! Santa came!”

Carson, with her head under the pillow, wiggled out of the way, trying to avoid being crushed by the two boys, who were now jumping on the tiny bed. The springs creaked unnaturally under the weight of four bodies.

“There’s presents,” Hayden said.

“Santa brought them,” Henry tagged on.

“Santa?” Jax croaked, still half-asleep.

“Yeah!” the twins shouted.

“Hurry up and come downstairs to see,” Hayden begged.

The twins then sprung off the bed, trampling through the hall and pounding down the stairs.

Carson unearthed herself from the bedding. Jax was leaning over, checking the time on his phone. Darkness lingered beyond the window,the sun not having woken up yet.

“Jax?” she mumbled into the pillow.

He rolled back toward her. “Yes, Mr. Hoover?”

“Santa came,” she said.

Letting out a chuckle, Jax moved Carson’s hair out of her face, and she blinked up at him.

“How’d you sleep?” he asked.

“I dreamed about the accident again.”

“I’m sorry. What can I do to help?”

Lifting herself until she was propped on her elbows, Carson said, “I’ll be alright. It’s part of me now.”

Jax’s lips pressed into a thin line. Her continuing nightmares were difficult for him. In one counseling session, Dave had explained that recurring nightmares were common for Carson’s situation, and she would probably have them for a very long time.

“We better get down there before the boys come back,” she warned.

By the time Carson and Jax made it downstairs and into the living room, Shirley, Beau, Billy, and Marlo were lounging on the furniture. Henry and Hayden were bouncing on their knees next to the lit tree, excitedly pointing at the pile of colorful presents.

“Merry Christmas,” Shirley said, rocking Elizabeth in the recliner.

“Merry Christmas, Ma,” Jax greeted back, leaning over to kiss his mother on the forehead.

Beau was lying across the love seat, scrolling on his phone. He peered up at everyone, then at the stairs. “Emily must be giving Wyatt his Christmas present early.”

“Beau, don’t be distasteful. Especially in front of our guest,” Shirley reprimanded.

Carson dropped the grin on her face. Beau’s comment reminded her of something Raegan would say.Those two would get along, she mused.

Minutes later, Emily and Wyatt joined them. Emily was already in a floral dress and ankle-boots with makeup neatly painted on her round face, her russet hair perfectly curled. Wyatt was wearing one of those pullover sweaters with a horse stitched on the front and loafers that Carson had seen her boss, Garrett, wear.

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