Page 29 of Undeniable Love
Laughing softly, she agreed. “Sometimes it’s wild to think that Simon’s this…like giant rock star. He’s the most laid back, chill person I think I’ve ever met. I went to see him in concert last year and I was just blown away by his voice.”
“Did you go backstage to see him?”
This time the laugh was more of a snort. “Um…no! Why…I mean…how…? Jax, your brother wouldn’t even know who I was. Why would I try to get backstage?”
“Oh, come on, weren’t you the one who said if you don’t ask, you don’t get? I’m sure you have friends who would have loved for you to try to see him!” And yeah, he was laughing a little—mostly because he just felt happy at the moment.
“Like I said, I doubt Simon even remembers me. He’s a lot older than I am.”
“Please, my brother remembers everybody. It’s kind of weird how he does it. Still…next time he’s on tour and you go, you should totally try to get backstage to see him. I can almost guarantee that not only will he remember you, but he’ll remember some obscure memory of something you said or did. Seriously, it’s bizarre.”
“Well…we’ll see if that ever happens. Not sure when he’s touring again.”
“Yeah, he’s on a much-needed break. Jules has been good for him and it’s nice to see him working a little less and enjoying his life more.”
“Some people love their jobs,” she reasoned. “And from everything I’ve ever seen, heard, or read about Simon, it seems like he genuinely does.”
“I know he does, but I just appreciate the fact that he’s seeing that there’s more to life than just writing and singing songs.”
They fell into a companionable silence, and Jax let his head loll back as his eyes closed. Another few minutes and he’d be ready to crawl into bed.
“If I had a hot tub, I’d probably be out in it every night,” Lucy said softly, almost dreamily. “This just feels so good.” Then she let out a low moan that had Jax going hard instantly.
Guess I’m staying in the water a little longer.
After a peaceful minute, Lucy looked over at him and asked, “You’re really serious about this camp thing? Like, it’s something you want to do, not something you have to do for damage control?”
It was a fair question. “If I was just looking to do damage control, I would go and visit sick kids in the hospital and bring a team of photographers with me. Believe me, this isn’t something I just came up with on a whim. I know I can’t play football forever, and I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what I want to do after retiring.”
“Wouldn’t going into coaching or reporting be the next logical step?”
Jax paused for a moment to make sure he didn’t word this in a way that would have her mocking him. “The reality is that the Warriors are having a great season. The last several have been great as well. If I were to retire at the end of this season and went into coaching, the press would be a bit of a distraction.”
Nodding, she let her head lean back against the padding. “True. But it could also bring some positive attention to whatever school or team you were coaching.”
“I don’t think middle schools need ESPN giving them airtime.”
That got her attention. Sitting up straight, with water splashing all around her, she looked at him in confusion. “Are you serious? You’re not looking to coach a college team or even a UFL team?”
“Not really. I kind of see myself going back to my roots and working with kids. I had some amazing coaches and I know I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today without them. It would be really cool if I could do that for someone.”
Her smile was slow and a little sweet. “That is not what I expected from you at all, Jax. This is a side of you I never saw coming.”
“Yeah, well…considering what you thought of me until a few days ago…”
Her sigh was soft and, to his surprise, she moved to sit next to him. “I know we said we weren’t going to look back, but…I guess no one thought I was paying attention or that I needed to know the specifics. According to Ty, there were certain…um…details that they promised not to share.”
Her hand rested on his bicep and Jax did his best not to react. Swallowing hard, he met her gaze.
“The thing is, I don’t even know if it would have made a difference—knowing the truth, I mean. My heart aches for Tyler and everything he’s lost. So even if I knew he was partially at fault…”
“You’d still want someone to blame,” he gruffly finished for her. “I’d be no different if it were one of my brothers.” He paused again. “We’re good, Luce. I swear. I’m glad you’re here this weekend and the offer to come and help us with the camp is still there. We can talk specifics later. Just know that I think it would be really cool if you were a part of it.”
Smiling, she gave his bicep a small squeeze. “Thanks, Jax. I’ll think about it.” That’s when she yawned. “Oh, damn. Sorry.” Another yawn. “I think that’s my cue to call it a night. Soaking like this really worked wonders.”
When she stood, water cascaded down her body—the water glistening on her skin in the moonlight—and it took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to reach out and haul her into his lap.
“You should probably call it a night soon too,” she urged before stepping onto the seat and climbing out of the hot tub, giving him an up-close view of all her curves.