I pace my office, my fingers raking through my hair and pulling at the ends. I've never been so out of my element before, so fucking nervous, so fucking…petrified.
And when I glance up at Jax, he's lounging in one of the armchairs, completely relaxed with a smirk on his face. I stop pacing and glare at him. "What?" I snap.
"You. You just look so…" He taps his chin as if deep in thought. "Normal," he says finally.
"Normal? This isnormal?" I exclaim, throwing my hands up in the air, completely exasperated.
"Yes," he says with a nod. "Guys are always this nervous before they pop the question."
I scrub a hand down my face. "What if she doesn't say yes?"
"She will," Jax says, so sure of himself. If only I could have an ounce of his optimism right now.
"But what if shedoesn't?" I insist with my hands spread out before me.
"Then she doesn't," he says with a nonchalant shrug. "But you don't need to worry about that, because she's definitely going to say yes." He winks at me, and I want to tear out his fucking throat at his cocky, casual attitude.
"How do you know?" I don't understand why, but I need his reassurance on this.
He gives me a serious, level look before he simply says, "I just know. Trust me on this one, Luc."
I sigh loudly and shake my head. "Here are the directions," I tell him before handing him the paperwork. It's going to take a couple hours by plane and a few more hours by car to reach his destination. "Have you decided if you're going to stay the night or not?"
He shrugs again. "I don't know. It's been a long time since I've tasted the local cuisine," he says while wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.
I roll my eyes. "Just wear protection. Lord knows the world doesn't need any little Jacksons running around."
He chuckles and claps me on the back. I'm quick to notice that I don't even flinch at his touch.
Then he tells me, "I'm heading out." He tucks the papers under his arm. "Gonna prep the plane and do an engine check."
"Take Wraith with you," I suggest.
"No. He should be here on the island. Where he belongs," Jax says with a serious tone. "Besides, that fucker gives me the creeps," he tells me with a dramatic shudder.
Now it's my turn to laugh. "He's just good at his job."
"Being a creepy motherfucker? Job well done," Jax says with a smirk. He turns and walks towards the door. "Text me if you need me," he calls over his shoulder.
I watch Jackson leave, and then I collapse into my chair. Putting my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands, I stay in that position for a long time thinking about what's going to be happening soon enough.
I'm going to propose to Adeline.
I haven't even thought about how I'm going to do it yet, but I figured I'll take her to Italy or Greece and do it the proper way. There's no way in hell I'm just going to ask her over dinner here at the mansion or anywhere on this island, in fact.
I want it to be somewhere romantic; somewhere she'll remember for the rest of her life…a life that will hopefully have me by her side.
A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts, and I check the security feed on my monitor. Adeline stands just outside, and I'm quick to open the door for her.
"Hey," I say with a smile on my face. I always seem to be smiling around her. It just comes naturally now.
"Hey you." She leans up on her tiptoes and places a chaste kiss on my mouth before settling back down to the floor. "Where's Jax going? All he would tell me is that he's on a secret mission. Whatever that means," she says with a grin.
Damn it, Jax, I curse him internally. It's almost as if he gets a kick out of making this even harder on me. Hell, he probably does, knowing him. "He's going to the mainland for something or other. He'll be back late tonight or early tomorrow. You never know with him." My words come out sort of in a rush, but I hope they're believable enough. Clearing my throat, I place my hands on Adeline's hips and stare into her gorgeous green eyes. "How are you feeling?" I ask. It's almost ten in the morning, and she's just now out of bed, fresh from a shower. For the past week or so, she's been under the weather, and she's been more tired than usual.
I know I should get Jax to check her out and maybe run some tests, but I'm too damn stubborn and, more than anything, too fucking jealous to let him lay a finger on her.
However, Adeline has been suffering with some kind of sickness. So I need to push my jealousy aside and let Jax examine her the moment he returns…with me in the same room…and right next to her…watching his every move.
