“I get it. I was right where you are. And I was lucky enough to be at a point in my life where the decision was easier than I expected.”
He paused, then grinned. “But right now, Claire? You don’t have to figure all that out.”
He turned toward her, eyes bright.
“You just have to decide what you want on your burger. Come on.”
She laughed, shaking her head.
But even as she followed him back toward the crowd, something stayed with her.
Most people can’t pull me out of my head when I get like that.
But he did.
With a joke. With a look. With a moment.
And somehow, that meant everything.
The afternoon melted into evening, the laughter stretching long past golden hour. Music drifted through the speakers, drinks clinked, and stories flowed like they’d known each other for years.
When the sun dipped below the marsh and the sky turned to velvet, the goodbyes began. The crowd thinned slowly, the warmth lingering like the smoke from the grill.
Claire stood at the edge of the dock again, just for a minute, needing one last look before leaving.
The sound was still.
The lights from the house reflected off the water like a mirror, and the breeze tugged softly at her hair.
She didn’t say it out loud.
But she felt it.
I don’t want to go.
Jax met her at the end of the dock, keys in hand.
“Ready to head back?” he asked, voice low and soft.
Claire turned, offering a gentle smile. “Yeah.”
But part of her?
Was already trying to find a reason to stay.
17
Just Us
Mostmornings,Clairelingeredin the bath while she planned her day—less about the schedule and more about the rhythm. But today? There was no to-do list. No errands. No obligations.
There was only one plan.
And it involved Jax. Alone.
She wanted to see what it felt like. Not just to be near him—but to be near him without the noise. No friends. No teasing. No distractions. Just Jax, in his world, with no one watching.
Is he still the class clown when no one’s laughing?
