Page 130 of Burn With Me

From the moment I first laid eyes on her, she’s intimidated the hell out of me. But since I fully intend on sticking around and being a part of Jackson’s life, I push my luck with the beautiful former model. “You know, I’d really like it if we could be friends.”

“Friends?” she laughs. “I’m old enough to be your mom, gingersnap.”

“Tyler is only a few years older than I am,” I deadpan.

She shoots me averyunamused look. “Don’t remind me.”

Jackson

Everything hit me on the day of the funeral.

Every emotion I’d been keeping locked away. Every ounce of grief I tried to hide from the public eye. Every single part of me that wanted to keep it together…

It all fell apart as soon as I got back in the car after the service.

If Ginny hadn’t been there, holding my hand through it, I’m sure I wouldn’t have even made it through all the long talks about what a great man Scott was and the legacy he left behind.

The legacy he left to me.

The responsibility no one thinks I’m ready for.

But now, as I look around the boardroom the Monday after the funeral, there isn’t one person willing to look me in the eye and challenge me as I step into my uncle’s role.

“Well then. If no one has anything else to say, I think this meeting is over.” There’s no warmth in my tone, no inspiring speech about how I plan to make my uncle proud.

There’s only the matter-of-fact statement thatI’min charge now.

Not one single member of the board believes in me—butnot a single one of them will stand up to me either, now that I’m the head of the Tailor empire.

They file out as Stacey moves from her seat behind me to take an empty chair at the table. It’s not long before Tripp joins us, the three of us sitting silently until we’re the only ones in the room.

“How are you?” Stacey asks, reaching over for my hand.

“I’m okay. Slept for two days straight. Claudia thought I was dead.”

“Yeah, that was me who had her do a welfare check on you,” Tripp says.

Stacey throws him an incredulous look. “You sentClaudiato see if he was dead? You put that responsibility on that poor woman instead of being a man and going to check yourself?”

“Hey, what if he was balls deep in Ginny, and I walked in on that shit? Better Claudia than me, okay?”

As they fall into their playful banter, my thoughts drift away at the mention of my girlfriend. The woman I’ve been avoiding because I don’t know how to look her in the eye and ask her the same question as before.

Am I enough for you?

She’s had days to heal, to sort out her feelings, without my presence clouding her judgment.

Not a day has passed when she hasn’t sent me a text every morning and every night—fighting for me.

“Why don’t you fight for her, Jackson? Fight like hell. Show her you are enough. Show her that you want her.”

My uncle’s words have come and gone all day.

The next few months will be busy, and I don’t know if I want to subject Ginny to the whirlwind that will be my life while things transition over.

She deserves peace.

“She deserves to make that decision on her own.”My uncle would have said.

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