Page 5 of Fight for You

He’s been quiet this week, short and to the point.Avery, please file this for me. Avery, please hold my calls. Avery, you can clock out early. It’s been torture working with him and not getting tobewith him. He brushes me off when I try to hug him, locks his office door during the day, and won’t even kiss me. I know he’s upset with me, hell, I’m upset with myself. What woman in Monroevillewouldn’twant one of the town's most eligible bachelors to be obsessed with them? Jaxson deserves someone better than me, older. More mature. Not some twenty-two-year-old that’s saddled with two kids that aren’t even hers and goes to bed at nine p.m.

Jaxson doesn’t respond to my text, so I slide my phone back into my purse and make the short drive to my bungalow. I live just off the town square in Monroeville, down one of the side streets. There’s a mobile home park on the left and then our house is catty corner across the street. There can be a lot of criminal activity at the trailer park, cops in and out all hours of the day. It looks quiet tonight; I notice as I climb out of my car and grab my bags out of the backseat. Blake comes flying out of the house, jumping around me excitedly and telling me about his day. I hand him two grocery bags and shoo him ahead of me and into the house, letting the door slam behind me. Mama comes around the corner from the hallway.

“What were you doin’ back there?” I ask, my brow furrowed. The only rooms in that direction are my bedroom and the laundry room. Her room and the bathroom are on the other side of the house. She hitches her thumb over her shoulder.

“I was throwing a dirty dish towel in the laundry,” she takes some of the bags out of my hands and I follow her to the kitchen as she begins to put stuff away. She asks about my day and we talk for a few when Blake squeals from the living room.

“Jax! I misseded you!” I hear Jaxson’s deep chuckle come from the living room and my belly flip flops like it always does, the bastard. Giggles are heard and then Jax trots through the doorway of the kitchen with Blake on his back.

“L-a-a-a-a-dies,” Jax says in his best horse whiney and Blake bursts into laughter. Jax turns his back towards me and Blake releases his neck and lets me slide him down and onto the floor. Jaxson unloads the bag he brought with him, pulling six Styrofoam boxes out along with what looks to be two egg rolls.

“I brought Chinese,” he says, and I startle.

“Wh-what? Why did you bring Chinese?”

“Because I told you I would bring dinner.”

“But I said no, thank you.” I say, weakly arguing the fact that he’s here. I can’t be in the same room with him without wanting to burst into tears.

“Which I assumed was a yes,” Jax says, giving Genevieve a wink while he moves around my kitchen, knowing with ease where everything is. He pulls the soy sauce out of the cupboard and slides it across the counter to Vie. The kids both sit on bar stools so they can eat, and the adults stand around the kitchen island and eat. I pull one of the egg rolls out of the pack Jax slid to me and my heart twists painfully. He may not be the kind of guy that sends flowers or shouts his affection from the rooftops, but it’s the little gestures he does each day that show me how much he cares. Like making sure he keeps diet Pepsi in his mini fridge in his office because he knows I like it or buying me egg rolls from the Chinese restaurant because he knows I won’t eat anything else.

“I think I’m going to stay for a while this time,” mama announces and Jax chokes on a piece of food. I reach over and whack him on the back a few times.

“What?” I ask.

“I missed my babies,” she says with a shrug, looking remorseful. Remorse is not something Dana Marks feels. I’m still hesitant to believe she’s turning over a new leaf.

“What will you do for work?” Jaxson asks and I gasp.

“Jaxson, don’t.”

“Don’t what, Avery? Ask her how she plans on supporting herself while she’s here because I’ll be damned if you have another mouth to feed.” His words are harsh and though deserved, he’s out of line.

“Mama, you’re welcome to stay.” I say to her and Jaxson drops his container of food on the counter.

“Unbelievable,” he says, turning and dropping a kiss on Genevieve’s head. “Text me later if you need help with math.” He turns and drops down to Blake’s level. “Call me at bedtime? We’ll read that story I was tellin’ you about that my daddy used to read to me.” He stands and strides out of the kitchen without so much as a look back at me.

“Excuse me,” I say to mama and chase after him, flinging the screen door open and following him out the door. “Jaxson, wait,” I call out and he whirls on me.

“Wait for what, Avery? For you to pull your head out of your ass and see that she’s playing you?” I flinch like he’s slapped me, but he’s not finished. “Or for you to finally, fuckingfinally, open your eyes and realize that I’m in love with you?” My stomach drops and I gasp.

“What?” I whisper and he shakes his head.

“Unbelievable.”

“You love me?” I ask, tears spilling over my eyes.

“Been half in love with you since you marched into my office eight months ago, Avery. But I’ve just been fooling myself. Thinking you were fallin’ right with me.” He gives me one last searing look before turning and walking down the steps and towards his truck that’s parked out on the road, like it is every night.

“Jaxson,” I call, and he stops but doesn’t turn around. “Y-you’re the most incredible man,” I say and his shoulders droop and he drops his head, looking down at the ground. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper, “I’m not the kind of girl you want to love.” He turns and looks at me, his beautiful face weary and worn. His eyes shining with unshed tears.

“I’m sorry, too.” He says, “I’m sorry that I let myself fall in love with you and those kids, knowing you’d break my heart.”

With that last shot he strides the rest of the way to his truck and jumps in and peels out without so much as a look in my direction. I stand on the porch for a few minutes before wiping my tears and joining my family back inside.

Jaxson

Thwack!The sound of my glove connecting with the punching bag echoes through the empty gym.Punch, punch, kick, my foot bounces off the bag and I bounce on my toes, executing a few more combinations before finally giving it up. I’ve been here since I left the office at eight and it’s now eleven. I started on the treadmill, running ten miles before moving to the punching bag, trying to occupy my mind with thoughts of something other than Avery. I’ve been going to work early so I can shut myself in my office and avoid seeing her every day and I stay long past dark each night.

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