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I hated that non-answer "Yet here you are Give ood reason why I should see you, Jax"

"Because you want to"

"I suggest you co better than that"

He exhaled in a rush "Because I want you to Because I need to spend ti with you makes me feel like I’m not a co to my chest to rub the ache in my heart I wanted to knohy he always put hih for et those answers Still, I was honest and told hi with you makes me feel lonely It reminds me that I want to find someone to be steady in uy," he said quietly

"Yeah Me, too"

2

I INTERRUPTED MY sister-in-law the instant she answered the phone "Traitor!"

Denise paused in thethe name of her beauty salon, then said, "So he called you, eh?"

"He’s here!" I sat on the edge of roan

"He’s in Atlanta? Are you serious?" Denise whistled I heard a squeak in the background and could picture her sitting on the hot-pink stool behind the front counter of her shop "He’s got it bad for you"

"I can’t believe you ratted me out like that Don’t you think if I’d wanted him to knohere I was, I would’ve told hiuy the way you look at hi you to be happy"

"He deserves to stew a bit, Denise He deserves to "

"Ah, I feel you Sorry"

I kicked outto my pedicure "No, you’re not"

"I’ to kiss and make up?"

"It’s not like that"

"So tell irl, boy pops up again two years later, boy screws girl and then alain--maybe both ways--but this tiain at soum bubble popped loudly "If I hadn’t seen the way boy looks at girl, I ht tell you to kick hi to do So what’s your alternative?"

"Screw hi Make it hurt when he decides it’s tih with it"

If only it were that easy "I think that’s an asinine plan"

"Maybe" She laughed, and I smiled reluctantly "But that’s a fine piece of priirl can do than spend a few hours in bed with a hot guy who’s in love with her"

She was saying what I’d wanted to hear--so"You’re an enabler, Denise!"

"Whatev If Jackson’s bad for you, think about how good sex is It’s great for the coood exercise, an aweso up now"

"Love you!" she said quickly

"Love you, too" I killed the call and stood for ah that it was impossible to just walk away, even foraas the only end he’d consider Maybe Denise was onto so back all the ti I had Really h to bring hih, was that he’d screwed o That was a cut that ran deep

Chad and Rick, the hotelto the two talk with their Southern drawls, charmed by both men and entertained to boot But when Rick extended an invitation to dinner, I declined after Chad accepted, not wanting to craured it was important for hi all the time I wasn’t his babysitter, and I didn’t want him to feel as if I didn’t trust hiot back to my room, I called Lei

"Gianna," she said when she picked up, knowing it wasin Atlanta?"

"Chad’s feeling good," I said "He’s been comfortable and relaxed, and really excited The visit did e’d hoped"

Perceptive as she was, she asked, "And you? Are you feeling good, too?"

"Jackson followed me down here" I didn’t share that personal detail with irlfriends I would with Denise or one of irlfriends I told her because there was no way around a possible conflict of interest I wasn’t going to let Jax jeopardize htful "Well How do you feel about that?"