Page 25 of When Our Stars Aligned

“Oh, umm.” He shoves a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth and I know he’s stalling. “The truth is… I don’t know. You threw me off when you pulled that shit at the bar. No one has ever done anything like that to me. I felt the need to get out of there after that, but I felt like you needed to come with me.”

“Well, once again, I wouldn’t have done that if—”

“Yeah, I know,” he says with a look of remorse. “I didn’t get a good vibe off those guys. You…and Gabby don’t seem like the type of girls to hook up with guys like that.”

“Definity not!” I snort. “Trust me, Gabby and I had no interest in going home with those guys.”

“You didn’t?” Jax snaps his head to look at me.

“Of course not. I mean, they seemed nice enough and they did have sexy accents, but I’m not looking for anything and neither is Gabby.” A few mornings ago, Gabby and I had a heart-to-heart conversation. We both discovered that neither one of us has a desire to be in a relationship right now…or maybe ever. I don’t know. This whole swearing off men for eternity thing would be a lot easier if I wasn’t currently standing next to Jax. There’s something about him that draws me in. Yes, I’m physicallyattracted to him. I mean, who wouldn’t be? But I feel like there’s more to him than meets the eye.

“Wow! I didn’t expect you to say that.”

“What? That I’m not looking for a relationship? Well, I’ve been there done that.” I’d like to say I moved on. I’ve tried to move on, but Trent is like a gag gift that keeps on giving.

“What does that mean?”

Oh, shit. Did I say that last part out loud? “Oh, umm…nothing.” I brush him off.

“Well, you’re not the only one who’s been there done that.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Nope. You?”

“Nope.” I purse my lips together to keep me from saying any more.

Jax’s phone dings in his pocket. He pulls it out, reads a message, and rolls his eyes.

“Stand still for a minute. I need to take a picture of you.”

“What? Why?”

“Everyone is home and the guys said they want to see proof of life.” He holds up his phone for me to see and I burst out laughing when I read it.

“Did they really think you would do something to me?” I can see where Jax’s size and chiseled looks may be daunting to some, but I have never once felt unsafe with him.

“I don’t know. I usually keep to myself. They’re probably just surprised at how I acted.” He holds up his phone and snaps a picture of me.

“Well, I’m grateful that you did.”

“You are?” He places his phone back in the pocket of his shorts.

“Absolutely! First, I wasn’t enjoying my time with those guys, so thank you for getting rid of them. Second, I got to embarrass the crap out of you, which I find hilarious. Third, I have nowlearned that flavored whipped cream is ah-mazing, and fourth, I got to know a little more about you.”

“You really try to see the silver lining in everything, don’t you?”

“I try.” I look up into his eyes. They remind me of dark, thunderous clouds rolling in off shore on a hot summer day. I wonder what happened to him to cause such turbulence.

19

Jax

It’s three thirty in the afternoon, that weird time between lunch and dinner where you don’t know whether to eat something light to hold you over until dinner or say screw it and eat something heavy and consider it both lunch and dinner. My sister likes to call it “dunch.”

I don’t usually have jobs near the university, but today I sold my latest flipped house and the title company’s office happens to be a block from campus. I could live simply off my disability check from the Navy, but life can be expensive and I can’t sit around all day anyway. After my last tour in Iraq, I realized I could no longer work for someone. The shit show that went down there—losing Taylor and Goodwin to an IED—nearly tore me apart. Working on houses keeps my mind off the negativity and gives me the physical outlet I need. I also get to workwith my best friend Travis, who was also injured with me. We recently became partners, but I handle all the paperwork since he’s not comfortable in most social situations.

Dealing with people isn’t one of my favorite things to do either, but at least the title company’s office is next to one of my favorite pizza places, Molly’s. It doesn’t look like it would be known for pizza; they have a little bit of everything, from pancakes to burgers, and it’s set up like a typical fast-food joint where you place your order and they call your number when it’s ready. I’ve had pizza all over the world and for some reason, Molly’s is my favorite and the perfect place to celebrate another home sold.

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