Page 61 of Indescribable Love

“Pfft…the only thing you beat us at is Mario Kart,” Jax teased. “But it will be cute to watch you lose on a twelve-foot screen!”

They all laughed at that.

“Anyway, I’ve got pictures,” Noah said as he took out his phone and pulled them up. “Three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a detached two-car garage with a finished guest suite, and then all the stuff I mentioned. It’s perfect for us.”

“That’s awesome, Noah,” Simon said as he scrolled through the pictures. “What about you, Jax? What’s new with you?”

“I’m thinking of making this my last season,” he said, all signs of his earlier jovial attitude gone. “Last weekend we played Dallas and I took a pretty hard hit.” He paused. “I didn’t bounce back as fast as I thought I would.”

“Holy crap,” Simon whispered. “So…what does this mean? Are they letting you sit out the next few games?”

“I have to get clearance for the game next weekend,” he admitted. “That’s why it was so easy for me to come here today. I can’t workout or practice, so getting permission to travel wasn’t an issue. If anything, my coach thought it was a good idea for me to get away.”

“So…if this is your last season and you retire, what comes next?”

“Well…Noah’s helping me with that,” Jax said, clapping Noah on the shoulder. “I’ve been building up my portfolio and investments so that I can be financially sound when I can’t play football anymore. I could probably go into broadcasting or coaching, but…” He shrugged. “There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to be in that world in that capacity. I’d like to maybe go back home and do some good there.”

“Some good?” Simon asked. “Like what?”

“I’m not sure yet. Maybe be a coach at the high school or open a camp or…” Now he leaned back against the cushions. “What I really want is to do something that’s going to make a difference. I just need to figure out what that is.”

Well, color me surprised…

“Then that’s what you’re going to do,” Simon assured him. “I totally believe in you. And whenever you decide, I’m going to be there to support you, invest in you, and help you in whatever way I can.”

“Thanks, Simon,” his brother said, his voice going a little gruff. “But enough of that seriousness, what’s this next leg of the tour going to be like?”

So they talked about the tour and then dinner was brought in. Juliette and Nikki joined them and it was possibly the greatest way to kick off the tour—with a family dinner. Simon didn’t do anything to draw any attention to his and Juliette’s relationship, but he enjoyed watching her interact with his brothers. They joked and laughed and every time Jax tried to give her a hard time over stupid stuff—like his brother was prone to do—she was more than able to handle herself and dish it right back to him. It was kind of awesome to watch.

Before he knew it, it was time for him to change and finish getting ready. Everyone stayed and ate and drank a little more while he did what he had to do. It took a little longer for him to change clothes and do his hair because he was distracted thinking about all the fun everyone was having without him and hoping Juliette wasn’t feeling awkward being with his family without him.

When Nikki knocked on the bathroom door, he called out for her to come in.

“You okay?” she asked. “You’ve kind of been in here for a while. Are we being too loud and ruining your pre-show meditation?”

He waved her off. “No. I’m just dealing with a bit of FOMO.”

That made her laugh. “Seriously? Why?”

“I was just really enjoying hanging out like that with everyone. Don’t get me wrong, I’m psyched to get out on stage, but…this was a good night.”

She smiled. “And it’s about to get better. The crowd is going wild out there, and Gage is waiting at the door to get you where you need to be. You ready?”

He nodded and started to walk past her when she stopped him.

“She fits, you know,” she said quietly. “Juliette. I think she seriously impressed your brothers tonight.”

If anything, it was the perfect thing to hear.

“That’s good, because I’m thinking that I’d really like to see where this goes. Like…seriously goes. Like…the long haul.”

“That’s a big step for you. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that about any other woman.”

“That’s because I’ve never met anyone like Juliette Bellucci before.” He gave Nikki a hug before walking out of the bathroom area and back out to where his brothers and Juliette were sitting and laughing. He loved hearing her laugh, but more than that, he loved seeing the smile on her face and how relaxed she was.

Yeah, I love this girl…

They all turned toward him with equal parts pride, excitement, and humor. He had no idea what they’d all been talking about, and honestly, he didn’t want to know. Now he was officially in performer mode, and his head was firmly focused on the show ahead.