moon shadows, and I am going to keep loving you and your broken pieces until you feel my love so strongly you forget your heart has any damaged cracks. Then, I’m going to love you more.”
His words healed parts of me I hadn’t even known were broken. My lips danced across his, and I kissed him ever so lightly. “I love you, too.”
“One day, you’re going to get past this, Kennedy. One day, you’re going to be able to walk outside and dance in the rain like you did when you were younger, and I’ll be dancing right there with you. But you don’t have to rush it, okay? You are allowed to go slow. There’s no timeline to healing. You walk at the pace that works for you, and I’ll carry you when your legs get tired. You don’t have to walk this path alone.”
That night, the storm outside raged on, but for the first time in a long time, because I was in Jax’s arms, I was able to fall asleep.
When I woke up the next day, the sun was streaming through the windows. I rolled over in bed to see that Jax was gone. Sitting up quickly, I reached for my phone, and it was already past eleven in the morning. I had crashed a lot harder than I had thought.
I slipped on my robe and went searching the house for Jax. Had he left without saying anything? Before I could wonder any more, I heard a loud buzzing sound coming from outside. When I reached my front door, my heart almost leaped out of my chest as I saw thousands of bubbles being blown in my direction. Dozens of bubble machines were sitting in my front yard, and right in the midst of it all, Jax stood with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his sweatpants, wearing a big smile on his face.
“What is this?” I laughed, shaking my head back and forth.
“You can’t be sad when blowing bubbles,” he told me, walking my way. He took my hands into his and squeezed them. “And I wanted you to feel a kiss from your daughter this morning. I wanted you to remember that, no matter what, she’s still here.”
Tears formed in my eyes. “You’re everything I wanted and everything I never knew I could have.”
“I’m yours,” he promised. “I think I always have been.” He took a step back, held his hand out toward me, and bowed slightly. “Now, will you do me the honor of dancing with me in the bubbles?” he asked.
I laughed, took his hand, and we danced.
31
Kennedy
“What are you doing here?” I gasped as Yoana came walking up toward my front porch. Jax and Connor were working on the landscaping and I was knee-deep in writing a scene in my novel when I noticed my sister skipping my way.
I shot to my feet and hurried over to her, pulling her into a tight hug.
“You guys weren’t supposed to be home until next month,” I said, confused as ever.
“Yes, well, I had a little birdy in town tell me you might be in need of some family. Nathan is back at home, resting, so I figured I’d stop by to see you so we can talk,” Yoana said as she glanced over at Jax, who was trying his best to act as if he was hard at work. “And you must be Jax.” She smiled as she walked over to him. “It’s nice to see you again after all these years, and thank you for that call.” She pulled him into a hug, and I was still confused as ever.
“You called her? How?” I asked, baffled.
He shrugged. “I grabbed your phone the other night while you were sleeping and reached out to her. I figured you could use some familiar faces around.”
My heart was his.
“Thank you, Jax,” I said, and he gave me his half-grin, which warmed me up inside. I went on to hug Yoana again.
She wrapped an arm around my shoulder and nudged me in the side with her hip. “Now, how about a cup of Mama’s favorite coffee so we can catch up a little?”
“Aren’t you jetlagged? You don’t have to hang out with me if you’re exhausted.”
“I’d rather be exhausted with you than sleeping. Now, come on. I need you to catch me up on everything, especially the hottie that little Jax turned out to be.”
I shook my head. “I thought you were concerned about me dating him.”
“After