Page 82 of Rejected Beta

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Moira

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LEXIE EYES JARETH WITHnarrowed eyes filled with suspicion. "Why are you here with my mama?"

Uh oh.

Jareth waves at her nervously. “Hi there, I'm an old friend of your mama's. I came to town to see her.”

Lexie frowns. “How come I’ve never met you before?"

Jareth shoots me a sad smile. “Because it took me a long time to find her."

I want to stop this and comfort him, but this is too important. He has to win over Lexie if we want any of this to move forward or work.

"Why were you looking for her?" Lexie asks.

Jareth shoots me another look before he turns his full serious attention on Lexie. “Because I fell in love with her when I was fourteen years old and I've never stopped."

She starts to smile before it falls off her face, replaced by a mix of possessiveness and worry. “What about Mr. Bouchard and Couch Hendrix?"

Ryder steps forward, placing a hand on Jareth’s shoulder. “We're not going anywhere, Lexie. Don't worry. In fact, I find myself liking Jareth here very much."

"You like him too?" Lexie looks relieved at Ryder’s approval.

Ryder nods. “I do. And he and Hendrix are on their way to being friends as well. You and your mama aren't going to lose anyone."

Lexie stares at Jareth for another moment before asking, “Do you like reading, Mr. Jareth?”

Relief makes me dizzy enough I need to reach out to grab onto the back of the nearest chair.

Jareth nods. “I do. Your mother and I used to go on reading picnics and dates to bookstores all the time when we were younger."

"Does that mean you're going to start coming to book club too?"

"I'd love to if I'm invited."

Lexie shrugs. “I’ll invite you."

Fuck, I love my kid so much.

I step forward. “He's going to stay with us for a bit, if you're okay with that. He's new to town and needs a place to stay."

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