Page 112 of Beneath the Stands (Sugarlake 2)

“Yeah,” I breathe. “So, you’re… stayin’? Just like that?” I snap my fingers.

He takes a sip of coffee. “How can I leave now, knowing what she’s going through?”

“Don’t you need to go back on set?”

He cringes. “Yeah, well… they’ll just have to deal with it. They can fire me if they have to. It is what it is.”

I gasp. “Jax, this is your dream. Lee would never forgive herself if you gave up on it because of her and you know it.”

“I don’t want to leave her alone.” His eyes glisten and it hits me that he loves her enough to suffer, if it means he can support her when she needs it most.

“How do you do it?”

Jax’s brows furrow. “Do what?”

“See them together and still be able to love her so selflessly.”

He shrugs but I see the anguish in his eyes. “I just want her to be happy.”

His words hit me hard, slugging my sternum and stealing my breath. I’ve always wanted Eli to be happy, but part of the reason I’m running so far and so fast is so I don’t have to stick around and watch him pledge his love to someone else.

I sigh, resting my chin in my hand. “You’re the best kinda man, Jackson Rhoades. You make the rest of ‘em look bad.”

He smiles softly, palming the back of his neck. “I hate when you use my full name like that.”

I hum, taking a gulp of coffee and peering at him from over the rim. “Listen, you can’t just not go back. Lee wouldn’t want you to lose what you’ve worked so hard for.”

The muscles in his jaw tense. “I won’t leave her alone.”

“She has Chase,” I point out.

“And you trust him to stick around?”

Not really.

I blow out a breath, my stomach rolling. I glance at my packed suitcase, ready and waiting by the door, so close to the freedom I’ve always cra

ved.

I guess it’ll have to remain a dream for another day.

“I’ll stay.”

My plan was to show up to Sunday service, look my folks in the eyes, and tell them I was gone for good. Done with being their puppet. Finally.

Instead, I’m standing outside Lee’s apartment.

She doesn’t answer right away, but right before I turn to leave, the door cracks open and those baby blues peek out. They turn frigid when they meet mine, but still, she opens the door wider and cocks her hip against the frame.

My heart is heavy as I look at her. We’ve never fought before, not in our twenty-six years.

“Hey, sister.” I force a small smile.

Her brow hikes. I wait for her to speak, but she doesn’t, she just crosses her arms and stares me down.

I shuffle on my feet. “Can I come in or you gonna keep me out here all day, lookin’ like an ass?”

The corner of her mouth twitches. “Well, if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck…”

---