“Don’t look so surprised,” he teased.
She laughed out loud, and her eyes flew to him when she heard his sharp intake of breath. “You okay?” She cocked her head curiously.
“Yeah, better than okay.” His eyes studied her. “Continue.”
“I was—much improved—and I headed out for a run. I just went too far, and by the time I realized it, I still had to get all the way back to the farm.”
“So that, combined with dehydration…”
“Yeah,” she confirmed.
“Can I look at your chart?” he asked.
She avoided his eyes.
“It’s okay if you don’t want me to,” he added softly. “I should probably go—“
Peyton glanced down at her hands, clasped in her lap. The moment stretched—a knock at the door startled her.
Jax pushed off the bed to leave as Chris Mason walked through with another man about the same age and height.
Jax turned — “Chris?”
“Jax? Jax Lawton, what are you doing here? You and Peyton know each other?” Chris asked.
“We do,” Jax confirmed, moving toward the man standing beside Chris. “David Barnes?” He asked incredulously.
“Hey man! It’s good to see you!” The two men hugged. “What brings you to town?”
“What is this, old home week?” Peyton interrupted, laughing.
Chris Mason stepped forward. “Peyton, this is David Barnes,” he paused, explaining, “Jax, David, and I all spent our summers together here in Four Corners.”
Peyton’s eyebrows raised, “So it is old home week.”
“We can come back when you’re finished,” David suggested after shaking Peyton’s hand.
“We were just saying goodbye. There’s no reason to leave,” Jax countered. He moved back to Peyton’s side and took her hand in his. “Take care of yourself, Peyton.”
Her eyes widened at the longing that whispered through her body when he took her hand; her eyes filled with tears, but she smiled through them, vaguely aware of the glance passing between her doctor and David Barnes. “You, too, Jax. You, too.”
Twenty
Jax
Four Weeks Later
“You can’t be serious.” Jax had been told he had a pretty good poker face, but nothing prepared him for this.
Ted McKnight leaned forward. “If that’s not acceptable, we can discuss an increase.”
“No—no, that’s not what I meant. It’s more than generous—more than I expected,” Jax admitted.
Ted smiled.
Jax was pretty sure it was the first smile he’d seen on the intense BRG Security COO’s face.
“We can make it less if you like—“
Jax chuckled. “No, I’ll take it, but all kidding aside, thank you, sir. I’m excited to be working with BRG.”
“We’re thrilled to have to you, too, Jax,” he confirmed, “and call me Ted.” McKnight handed a folder across the table. “This is your paperwork. Please review it, fill in any missing details, sign a few pages, and reach out to my assistant if you have any questions. She’ll make copies for you to take with you.”Jax nodded. “When do you need me to start?”
“When can you be ready?”
Jax hesitated.
“Is everything all right?” Ted’s expression closed.
“Yes, sir, everything’s fine. There’s just someone I need to see. How does one week sound?”
Ted nodded, pushed his chair back, and stood.
Jax followed suit, reaching out to shake his hand.
Ted took his hand but didn’t let go, his eyes zeroed in on Jax’s.
“Jax, if there’s anything we need to be aware of, please don’t hold back. This team—we all rely on each other to be 1000%, every day—“
“Ted, it’s nothing like that, I assure you,” he held Ted’s eyes and didn’t back down. “It’s just someone I care about—she was injured — and I want to make sure she’s okay. One week is all I need.”
Ted held Jax’s eyes for several more seconds before he released him. “Welcome to BRG, Jax.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Jax met Matt in the hall outside his office.
“Jax, seriously—take them," Matt insisted, holding out his house keys. "Make copies. You’re welcome to hang out at my place here or Four Corners whenever you want and for as long as you want.”
“It shouldn’t be for much longer, Matt,” Jax nodded, taking the house keys from Matt, “and who knows, I may look for a little place of my own in Four Corners in the not too distant future.” “Really? Is there a certain Federal Agent in the mix?”
Jax laughed. “Not yet—“
“Good luck, buddy.”
"Thanks, I may need it."
“Jax—“ Matt grabbed his arm before he could leave, “seriously, you’ve been through a lot, but there are good people who can be trusted, and we both know there are lots of people who can’t. When you find the ones you can trust, you’ve got to hang on and don’t let go. You’ve got to bring them into the circle,” he added quietly.
Jax met his best friend’s eyes and nodded. “I just hope it’s not too late.”
* * *
Jax walked up the front stairs of Paige's porch and rang the doorbell. When the door opened, he did a double take and hesitated.
“Hey, Paige, who’s at the door?” a male voice asked from inside.
She turned back and looked at him. “Who is at the door?” she asked, looking back at Jax, her head cocked curiously—just like Peyton.
“I'm Jax Lawton. I’m looking for Peyton.”
Her eyes widened; she took a step back, opening the door wide. “Please, come in.”
“Jax? Is that you?”
“Hey, Chris, fancy seeing you again.”
“You two know each other?” Paige asked.
Both men laughed.
“We had this same conversation with Peyton when she was in the hospital,” Chris confirmed. “Jax, David, Matt Hawkins, and I all spent our summers together here in Four Corners.”
“Now it makes sense,” she acknowledged—but then sadness filtered across her face.
Jax's gut clenched. “Peyton—is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s okay, Jax.”
Jax narrowed his eyes, trying to read Paige’s expression. “By the way,” he added, “your cupcakes are amazing.”
She laughed. “Technically, they were Peyton’s cupcakes and my recipes, but thanks.”
He smiled. “I don’t want to interrupt you two, I just wanted to stop by to see if Peyton was around.”
“She’s not,” Paige confirmed.
Jax waited, but Paige didn’t offer additional information; the awkward moment dragged on. “Can you tell me where she is? The number I have for her says it’s disconnected.”
Paige crossed her arms and raised a brow. “She has two weeks left of IR. She’s back with the FBI—desk duty.”
Jax’s brows drew together, and a smile teased at the corners of his lips. “She’d had enough of being idle.” He said to no one in particular.
Chris raised his eyebrows at Paige, “Jax, come in. Let’s catch up.”
“I have goats to take care of,” Paige declared giving Chris a frosty look as she turned and walked out the door, letting the screen slam behind her.
“You sure?” Jax asked Chris, his eyes following Paige’s progress out the door.
“She’ll be fine. Her sister is a tender subject.”
“Yes, well it looks like the apple didn’t fall far from the tree with those two.”
“Well said, my friend, well said, but it’s an apple of the finest kind.”
Jax cocked his head at his friend with a knowing smile.
“Come on, let’s sit. Can I get you a beer, iced tea?” Chris asked, walking toward the kitchen.
“Iced tea would be great, thanks.” Jax followed Chris into the kitchen and sank down on a bar stool at the island.
“I'm aware you can’t disclose medical det
ails, Chris—and I would never ask you to do so. Can you just tell me, is she okay?”
Chris hesitated.
“Let’s start with this—,” Jax pressed. “I’m well aware that Peyton had some psychological trauma associated with the shooting and her injuries. I tried to help her work through some of it, but I’m not a professional—” he stopped short of mentioning that he was well aware that David Barnes was. “I’ve worked with injuries extensively, as you know,” Chris nodded, “but something didn’t quite add up with Peyton’s. She had more pain than would typically present with that type of injury and I could never really discern if it had to do with her fear of coming face-to-face with her immortality, with the fear that the injury might change her response in the field, or if there was more that she just wasn’t saying—“
Jax was looking out the window, not really looking for Chris to confirm any of it, but more processing all the things that had been puzzling him about Peyton’s delayed recovery.
When Jax looked at Chris, he found him studying him intently, as though Jax was now the focus of his assessment. They locked eyes, and the communication that took place didn’t require words — it was the kind that can only happen between friends who have known each other a long time—and trust each other implicitly.
Jax was suddenly struck by just how fortunate he was; in the past few months, since he’d left the Army, he’d been reminded of how tight his circle of trust was, and how blessed he was with the amazing people who were in it.
He just needed to add one more to make it complete—that realization hit him like lightning and he looked heavenward with a quick prayer.
“Go to her.” Three simple words. Three life-changing words. Spoken by a good friend—a man in the circle.
Jax nodded. “I’ll find her. I don’t want to put you or Paige in an awkward position.” Jax chugged the iced tea down, set the glass on the island, and smiled at his friend. “Thanks, man.”
“Jax, the best things in life are rarely easy.”
“But they’re always worth it,” Jax finished for him.
They fist bumped. “To the circle of trust,” they said in unison.
Twenty-One
Peyton
“Let’s go, Radar!” Peyton called, grabbing the keys to her new townhouse, attaching them to her wrist, and snagging Radar’s leash from the coat hook on the way out the door. She giggled as Radar raced toward her with abandon. “What would I do without you, buddy, huh?”
Radar pranced at her side on the porch as she worked her way through the warm-up stretches now mandatory before every run. “Sit,” she told him. He obeyed but seemed laser-focused on the road, then made an excited whine.
“What is it, boy?” Peyton turned, grabbing his leash. “Let’s go—“ she slowed, then stopped.
“Hey, I was in the neighborhood—“
“Jax?” she asked, incredulous. Her cheeks flushed pink.
Radar pulled at his leash, excited to greet his favorite person. “Sit,” Peyton told him sternly. He looked up at his human, confused, but obeyed.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, suddenly breathless as though she’d run several miles.
“You’re a hard woman to find, a sight for sore eyes.” His eyes traveled from her eyes to her lips, down her body and back as he took several more steps in her direction.
She shook her head—it was déjà vu all over again, taking her back to the first day she saw him on her sister’s farm. Her hand pressed against her stomach and she released a long slow breath, her heart raced in her chest.
“Can I run with you?” he asked, “Or take you out for coffee?
“Jax—I—“
“Peyton, let me explain. Please—please just hear me out, okay?”
“I don’t know—-“
Jax moved to the foot of the porch stairs, his eyes begging, seeking Peyton’s. “I’ve had a lot of time to think over the last few weeks, and I’ve replayed my choices over and over again in my mind. Wondered what I could have done differently, but I’m not sure there’s a good answer for that.”
“Where are you going with this?” She held her hand up when he took another step toward her, not at all sure that she could handle having him near her. It had taken weeks to get where she was right now and she didn’t want to take another step back.
“Can we go inside?”
“No, but we can sit out here.” She motioned to the white wooden rocking chairs at the far end of the porch—they were just like the two chairs on Paige’s porch.
“For you and Paige?” he asked, as he slowly walked up the front steps, but she didn’t answer. She sat down in one of the chairs, her hands clasped in her lap, her eyes guarded.
“Peyton, please look at me.”
She did.
“I don’t have a lot of time—" she looked away.
“Peyton, please, give me your eyes.” When she did, they were simmering with tears. He reached out for her hand, and she didn’t pull away. “I’ve been looking for you for nearly a week, and you’re not an easy woman to find,” he smiled at her, gentleness in his eyes. “I have to start my new job on Monday, and this is Friday, and I—“ he paused. “I’ve accepted a position with BRG Security.”
“They’re located on the outskirts of town.” She cringed at the hope she heard in her voice.
“Yes, they are,” he confirmed. “When I found out the FBI had relocated you to this field office, I couldn’t believe it.”
“Jax, why are you here?” Tears began to drip down her cheeks, one by one.
“Because I can’t get you out of mind, Peyton. When I met you, I had just found out that someone I loved—or someone I thought I loved—had betrayed me. Her name was Vanessa, and we were childhood sweethearts. I cared about her, deeply, but it wasn’t until you kissed me at the park that I realized we had something special, something I’d never experienced before at that level.”
Peyton looked down at her clenched hands. Jax tipped her face up to his. It was all she could do not to press into it, but she held back. Determined to stay strong.
“Peyton—at the sake of sounding completely corny, I feel like you’re as essential to me as the oxygen I breathe. Like my life isn’t—and could never be complete without you. When I saw you in that hospital bed a few weeks ago, you looked so vulnerable. It scared me, but I was afraid to be honest about my feelings for you. When I walked away, I believed it was for the best. I thought it was too soon for me to feel anything for anyone else. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t confusing my feelings or worse yet, rebounding.
Tears filled Peyton’s eyes, but she blinked them away.
“I went to the farm to find you. I had to—to talk to you, but you had already left. Chris and Paige were there—“
Peyton narrowed her eyes.
“Oh, don’t worry. Your sister wanted nothing to do with me, and neither she nor Chris divulged any information about you. Chris simply listened, and then he said three simple words to me: 'Go to her'. That was five days ago, and I’m saying all this to tell you that I love you. Paige Carter, I love you.”
Paige jumped out of her chair and grabbed his collar, pulling him toward her, silencing him with her lips. She tasted the salt from her tears and smelled his sexy, oh-so-woodsy scent that was uniquely him, and groaned when he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into his lap, deepening the kiss.
A whistle from the street brought them back to earth, and Peyton laughed and waved at the new neighbors she’d met just days before. “Maybe we should take this inside,” she snorted.
Jax traced her face with his fingers and she pressed into his hand, closing her eyes, wanting this moment to last—praying it wasn’t a dream.
“We need to take this slow, Peyton.”
Her eyes flew open, questioning him. “No, don’t get me wrong,” he assured her, “I love you, and believe me, I want you. But I also want to do this right. I want to do it once, and I want you to fall in love with me—like I have with yo
u.”
“Jax,” she cupped her hand under his chin, meeting his eyes head on. “I’ve already fallen in love with you, and you have no idea how hard the last few weeks have been without you.” Tears streamed down her cheeks and when she tried to brush them aside, he stopped her.
“Let them fall, it’s okay.”
She nodded, opened her mouth, letting a sob escape—
He wrapped her in his arms and laid her head against his chest. “Let them fall. I’ve got you.”
And so she did, and he held her, rocked her, and whispered in her ear that he loved her.
Peyton wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but Radar had given up on them, letting out a big sigh. She giggled. “Oh, Radar, I’m so sorry. I promised you a run, didn’t I, buddy?” She sniffled and wiped her runny nose on her sleeve.
She pulled away from Jax’s chest, taking in his square, strong jaw, and his blue eyes laced with honey-colored warmth. “I can’t believe you’re really here. I’ve prayed for this, believed that for whatever reason God simply didn’t want it to be—but here you are…”
“Here I am, Peyton, and I’m not going anywhere. I promise to give you all the time you need—“
Before she could respond, he leaned forward and claimed her lips. The kiss was slow and sweet. He slid his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. Tingles shot across her skin everywhere he touched and she moaned, opening her mouth when his kiss deepened. Her heart slammed against her rib cage and then her phone rang. She groaned, dragging her lips from his.
“Ignore it,” he encouraged, dipping his head toward her swollen lips.
“Oh, stop already,” she swatted him, her breathing ragged. “I have to get this—it’s the office.” She moved off his lap toward the other end of the porch. Radar followed. “Carter.” She answered.
“Yes, of course, I’ll be right there.” Turning to Jax, her eyes apologized before she opened her mouth. “We’ll have to continue this later, I have to go in.”
“I heard. It’s okay, Peyton. Can I have your new phone number? Maybe we can connect when you get back from the office?”
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