Page 5 of Then Came Love
Jax’s jaw tightened, his brow furrowing. “It would be a sin to be with a woman as beautiful as you and not notice every little thing about her. It’s one thing not to know brand names, but to miss that you took the time to pair the perfect earrings with your heels, or your nails to your lips? That would be as much of a crime as missing the scar above your right eyebrow.”
Shocked, she reached up and touched the wisps of hair she’d thought had covered it.
“I noticed it the first time we met. You shouldn’t cover it up. Scars tell a story, and I’d like to hear yours sometime. Can I get you something to drink?”
She was still stuck on him noticing her scar. “No, thank you.”
“Why don’t we sit down and talk?” He put a hand on her lower back again, sending a tingling sensation through her as he guided her down the hall, passing what looked like a fitting room. “You can tell me all about your guilty pleasures.”
“Jax.”She laughed softly.
“I was talking about your love of fashion.” With a wicked glint in his eyes, he said, “But if you’d like to share your other guilty pleasures, I’d most definitely like to hear them.”
“Do you talk like that to all your clients?”
“Absolutely not.”
She tried to calm her racing heart and caught sight of what looked like a showroom at the end of the hall as they entered his office, which was even more luxurious and welcoming than she remembered, with a high coffered ceiling, light bamboo floors, and warm, textured gray-blue walls with white accents, complementing the elaborately carved dark wooden desk and shelves. A gray leather sofa and two matching armchairs created an inviting nook in front of the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking magnificent gardens. The last time she was there, she’d seen a single framed photograph of his family on his desk. Now it was gone, and a new one stood in its place.
“I like your new picture. You have a beautiful family.”
“Thanks. We take one every Christmas. Did you meet everyone last night?”
He picked up the picture, and she looked more closely at it. His parents, Clint and Lily, were standing arm in arm, his mother’s head resting on his father’s shoulder. The men were tall and handsome, like their father, and Jillian was petite and beautiful, like their mother. Trixie and Nick stood with their arms around each other, bright smiles on their faces. His other brothers were with attractive women who she assumed were their wives. But her gaze was drawn to Jax. He stood out from the others. He had his father’s smile, his mother’s kind eyes, and he exuded a certain confidence and surety that set him apart. Some of his brothers’ eyes weren’t quite as unfettered as his, and she wondered about that. But there was so much love in the picture, it felt tangible.
“I met so many people, I’m sure I did, but I don’t know if I remember everyone’s names. I know Jillian and Nick, of course, because of Trixie, and I met your parents, who seem wonderful.” When she’d met them at the wedding, they’d embraced her so warmly, she’d wanted to remain in their arms and soak in their comfort. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the others’ names. Where do you fall in the lineup?”
“That’s okay. There are a lot of us, and we had a lot of cousins in for the wedding. This is my oldest brother, Beau, and his wife, Char. They run an inn in Colorado and live there for half of the year. Nick is next in line. Then comes Zev. This is him and his wife, Carly.” He pointed to the shaggy-haired man who had his arm around a cute blonde. “They’re the ones who were married over Christmas. They’re treasure hunters, and Carly also owns a chocolate shop in Colorado.”
“Real treasure hunters?”
“Yes, believe it or not.” His brow knitted, but just as quickly that tension eased. “They recently discovered the remains of a pirate ship off the shores of Silver Island.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty wild.” He paused, as if he were thinking about what he’d said. “Jilly and I are next in line, and we’re twins.”
“I never would have guessed you were twins. Other than being designers, you seem quite different.”
“Tell me about it. She’s a firecracker, and I’m more like a steady flame.”
“More like a raging inferno.” As the words left her lips, she realized she’d said it aloud and snapped her mouth closed.
He chuckled and pointed to a younger version of Beau, standing behind a hippyish blonde with his arms around her middle. “Graham is the youngest, and this is his wife, Morgyn. Graham runs an investment company that specializes in eco-friendly businesses, and Morgyn is an artist. She recycles old things and makes them into art, clothing, and jewelry. She’s really talented. They have a tree house here and a tiny house in Oak Falls, Virginia, but they travel a lot.”
“A tree house? Like Swiss Family Robinson?”
“Something like that, only nicer.” His smile reached his eyes, and boy did she like it. “I’ll show it to you sometime. It’s spectacular.” He set down the picture and motioned toward the couch.
She set her bag on the floor by her feet as they sat down. “It sounds like you’re all talented. Are you close with everyone? Now I see why you said holidays are always fun.”
“We’re all pretty tight, and holidays are wonderful, but it wasn’t always that way.”
“Why? Didn’t you get along?”
His brows knitted. “We’ve always gotten along great. But Beau’s long-term girlfriend, Tory, was killed in a car accident many years ago. We’d all grown up together. She was Carly’s best friend, and she was like a sister to the rest of us. Beau and Zev had been out drinking that night, and Beau never heard her call for a ride home from the airport. As you can imagine, he was devastated, and Zev felt guilty. Zev quit college and broke up with Carly, and he and Beau took off right after the funeral. They were like the wind for more than a decade, working, traveling, and rarely coming home. We never knew when we’d see them again.”
Her heart broke for his family. “That’s awful. Seeing you guys at the wedding, I never would have imagined they, or the rest of your family, had suffered in so many ways. How did they heal and move on from that?”
“Char’s love for Beau brought him back to life, and Zev…” He shook his head. “He never stopped loving Carly, and I guess when he saw her at Beau’s wedding, that was it for him. He was determined to win her back. We spent so many holidays missing pieces of our family, now we treasure every day we get together.”
