Page 68 of Undeniable Love

That’s when he realized she was standing right in front of him, looking worried. “You don’t believe him, do you? I mean…yeah, I was going to marry him for all the wrong reasons, but I would never have gone through with the wedding. I was having all kinds of second thoughts. He made me sound like some sort of gold digger and that’s not me.” She was rambling and he could tell she was nervous. “Do I want to get out of South Creek? Hell yes! But I know I can do that on my own eventually. I don’t need a man—or anyone, for that matter—to do that for me.”

Slowly, some of the tension and doubt started to leave him. This was Lucy. He’d known her for almost her entire life, and the woman Blake described wasn’t the woman standing in front of him.

Or was she?

Dammit! He hated how that weaselly bastard put that thought in his mind.

“You believe me, don’t you?” she begged, her hands clutching the front of his shirt. “Please don’t let him ruin our weekend. We can leave here and go someplace else, just…we were having such a great time and I hate that this happened.”

Part of him wanted to pack up and leave because he didn’t want to risk running into Blake again, but he wasn’t a coward. He’d be damned if that little prick was going to make them run away.

“We’re not going anywhere,” he finally said, pulling her in close. “I’ve been thinking about this weekend ever since you flew home two weeks ago. I’m not going to waste a single minute thinking about the ramblings of a spiteful guy.”

Liar.

“Now, let’s go inside and get ready for our couples' massage.”

“We still have an hour,” she said softly, her smile the perfect mix of sweet and sexy.

Taking her by the hand, Jax led her to the bedroom. “And I have the perfect way for us to pass the time…”

Chapter Eleven

“Freaking Blake,” Lucy mumbled for at least the hundredth time in the last month. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she just knew that Jax was having doubts about them thanks to Blake. Sometimes it was his tone or how whenever she talked about her personal life, he just sort of…changed and zoned out. All she knew was that it all changed after their weekend in the Outer Banks.

The thing was, she had been honest with Jax. Her life was an open book. She definitely had regrets about her relationship with Blake, but for him to make it out like he was the wounded party was just wrong on every level.

Lucy also knew that there were practically zero similarities in her relationships with both of them. Blake had been the first guy who really paid attention to her and seemed to want the same things that she did. Looking back, she realized how superficial their relationship had been. There had never been any real depth or…heat between them. Their sex life had been fine, but it paled compared to how things were with Jax. Maybe because she’d known Jax for so long, she looked at things differently. With Blake, she had envisioned a future that would have been perfectly fine, but with Jax…

The sigh was long and loud. Where did she see things going with Jax? Was there a future, or were they just enjoying themselves in the moment?

Gemma’s words from last month came back to her and every time she tried to imagine where she and Jax would be in a month or two months down the road, there was always this lingering unease that her family was going to find out and force her to end things.

“Okay, so definitely living in the moment,” she murmured, and it made her sad. What if her family wasn’t an issue? What if Jax and Tyler weren’t lifelong friends and he was just a guy she had met? Would she still be okay with just taking things one day at a time, or would she be dreaming about more?

Visions of living with him in his house in Wichita came to mind. She loved that house and loved spending time with him there. They cooked together and enjoyed curling up on his couch and talking for hours. Jax was the kind of guy who was easy to talk with and someone who found joy in the mundane. She loved that about him.

That’s when she began to realize how many things about him she loved.

Including him.

Uh-oh…

“Hey, Luce? Your three o’clock is here,” Trish said, peeking her head into the breakroom.

“Thanks. I’ll be right out.”

Wearily, she got to her feet and forced herself to push all thoughts of Jax and love aside. Right now there were more important things to focus on—like a twelve-year-old girl recovering from shoulder surgery who adored playing softball. Smiling, Lucy made her way out to the waiting room.

“Hey, Marcy!” she said cheerily. “Are you ready to work with the rebounder today?”

The young girl shrugged with her good shoulder. “I guess.” Then she stood. “Wait, what’s a rebounder?”

Together, they walked back to the open clinic area and back toward the far corner of the room. “A rebounder is a trampoline that’s sort of on its side,” she explained. “We use it for patients to practice throwing balls and catching them. It’s a great way to ease back into the activity, and I think you’re ready for it.”

Marcy didn’t look convinced. “I’m not sure, Lucy. My…my shoulder still hurts and I’m weak and out of practice.”

It broke her heart to hear one of her kids sounding so dejected. “Let’s go to the table first and do some stretches. Once you’re feeling more relaxed, we can try it, and if you’re not ready, we’ll go back to doing some exercises, okay? No pressure.”