a new thought occurred to her. “I have to leave.”
She moved to stand, but Jaxson caught her arm. “Wait!” he urged.
“I have to!” Her mind was on fire. Her breath came faster and faster, making her feel like she’d hyperventilate. “If Wesley can get to my mom that fast, then he can get to all of you.” Her eyes flitted around the room before settling on Jaxson. Oh, how she loved him! He’d always been there taking up residence in her heart, the lost love that she could never forget. As much as she wanted to build a life with him, she couldn’t. “I can’t let anything happen to you or your family.”
“It won’t!” Jaxson shot back, a fierce determination flashing in his eyes.
“No, it certainly won’t,” Knox growled.
She looked between the two men, a fragment of hope flickering in her breast. They were so calm, so confident—the kind of men who didn’t know the meaning of backing down from a fight. “What can we do?”
Knox steeled his jaw. “For starters, we can get in touch with Ramsey and get his take on the situation. Then, we’ll go to the station and have a nice, long talk with Chief Blankenship.”
“What can Ramsey do?” Lemon asked dubiously, trying to remember what she knew about Jaxson’s younger brother. She’d heard that he went into the military, but she hadn’t kept up with his profession.
A smile moved over Jaxson’s lips. “Ramsey’s a retired Navy SEAL and a security expert. He eats lowlifes like Wesley Livingston for breakfast. In other words, you couldn’t have picked a better family to come to for help.”
She touched his jaw, tenderness welling inside her. “I came to you,” she said softly.
A cocky grin overtook Jaxson’s lips. “Yeah, you did.” He winked. “About time you had enough sense to come home and claim your prize.”
She clucked her tongue. “You really are a hotshot cowboy.”
“Yes, he is,” Lexi laughed.
“My hotshot cowboy,” Lemon added. Despite all the turmoil in her life, she was glad she’d gotten one thing right. She’d finally come home to Jaxson, where she belonged. She hoped with all her heart that she’d never have to be separated from him again.
10
Lemon, Jaxson, and Knox were sitting in Chief Blankenship’s office, gathered around his large mahogany desk. The phone was indeed Lemon’s. Her heart had dropped when she saw the numerous calls that she’d missed from the anonymous number Wesley had used to call her, even after she’d dumped the phone. He was obsessive, psychotic.
Knox had called Ramsey who was patched in on speaker phone. Lemon was so grateful for his expertise, but she hated bothering him on his honeymoon.
“Nonsense,” Knox had countered, “Ramsey would want to know what was happening.” He gave her a meaningful look. “Family comes first, no matter what.”
Tears had glistened in her eyes when she caught the meaning of his words. It meant the world to her that Knox would count her as family. Still, she felt incredibly guilty for putting the Romeos at risk. Her conscience demanded that she at least raise a feeble protest. “Jaxson and I have only been back together for such a short period of time,” she protested. “How can you be sure that we’ll stick this time?”
“Seriously?” Jaxson grumbled with a wounded look.
She rolled her eyes. “I know we’ll work out.” Miracle of miracles, she’d gotten Jaxson back. She had no intention of letting him go. “I just don’t want your family to go to so much trouble,” she hedged. “It’s not like we’re married.” Yet, her mind added.
Knox grinned from ear to ear. “I reckon Jaxson has dated enough girls to know what he wants.”
Laughter gurgled in Lemon’s throat, dispelling some of her angst. “You make a good point. After all the girls he’s dated, if he doesn’t know what he wants by now, then we’re all in trouble.”
“Amen!” Knox boomed.
“I know what I want.” Jaxson gave Lemon a smoldering look as he pumped his eyebrows. “I just needed the right one to wise up.”
She just rolled her eyes, a smile quivering on her lips. Jaxson was so dang good-looking, even more handsome now than he was when they were kids. His features were more rugged, more masculine. He was one-hundred-percent American male. He certainly made her blood run faster. Even right now, when she was in so much turmoil. She was grateful for his teasing because it helped divert her mind from the horror of everything she was experiencing. With her memory back, Lemon had a