“I don’t know yet. When she came to in the ambulance, all she would say was not to arrest Cade.”
Tears pricked the back of his eyes. Whatever magic trick she’d pulled had saved both their lives. He’d spent their entire marriage believing he was the one to safeguard her, but it was finally dawning on him that Peyton had never needed his protection. She needed his support. His attention. His communication.
She needed them to be a team.
Dawson lifted his head and focused on his best friend. “Do you think I hold my feelings in? Like when I’m mad or upset?”
Jax arched his brows. “Yeah, dude.”
He hung his head again. Jax settled into the seat next to him. Long moments stretched in silence. Somewhere in the waiting room, a baby cried and was then shushed by its mother. Dawsonknew he should pray, but he couldn’t find the words. He just…couldn’t.
“I’m in love with Peyton.” The words came out in a whisper. He’d tried to avoid it, tried to lie to himself about it, but the truth was, he’d always loved her. And maybe always would.
“Okay, Captain Obvious. Is there anything else you’d like to share? I hold my feelings in, I’m in love with my ex, the sky is blue?—”
“Seriously?” Dawson glowered at his friend. “Are you actually cracking jokes now?”
Jax held up his hands in the classic sign of surrender. “It’s been clear from the moment Peyton showed up in Knoxville that you weren’t over her.” He paused. “Well, honestly, I knew thatbeforeshe showed up. But you get the point. Why do you think I tried to talk you out of bringing her to your family’s ranch?”
“Does everyone know I’m in love with her?”
“Everyone with eyes.”
Dawson groaned.
Jax clapped him on the back. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m pretty sure she’s still in love with you too.”
His heart skipped a beat. But it was followed by a forbidding sense of fear. “What difference does it make? She left me once. What’s stopping her from doing it again?”
“Sounds like a good question for Peyton.”
“Do you think she knows the answer? Neither of us expected to lose Samuel, or to have our marriage fall apart.” Dawson stared at hands, at the empty left ring finger. “We made promises. Vows to each other in front of our family and in the eyes of God. If that didn’t hold us together, what will?”
Jax was quiet for a long moment. “You're right. Vows didn't hold you together. But you were also kids when you made them. Barely out of college, no idea what life was about to throw at you.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.“The question isn't whether Peyton will leave again. You can't control that. The question is whether the woman sitting in that emergency room is the same woman who walked out on you five years ago.”
“She’s not.” Dawson knew that. He’d seen it. Felt it.
“And you’re not either. You’ve both grown. Changed. Learned from your mistakes.”
They had. But was it enough? Dawson wasn’t sure. And he knew loving anyone required a leap of faith, but this…it felt…bigger somehow. More risky.
Probably because he knew just how painful it would be if it all fell apart again.
Dawson tilted his head, curiosity getting the better of him. “I thought you’d be completely against me getting back with Peyton.”
Jax extended his feet in front of him. “I was. At first. But I dunno, man. There’s something about the two of you that just works.” He shrugged his shoulders. “And honestly, who am I to judge? I hated Megan for years before falling in love with her. She helped me understand that people can grow and change, become better. Everyone deserves a second chance.”
A second chance. He liked the sound of that.
Dawson sat back in his chair. Time ticked by slowly. Patients came and went, ambulances screamed in and then let in a whirl of activity. Jax fetched coffee for them both, but Dawson couldn’t drink his. He left it sitting on the small, white table next to him. None of it mattered. Not right now. His gaze stayed locked on the doors leading to the interior of the emergency room. He didn’t know what to feel, or how to make sense of anything that was happening. All he knew was that he loved Peyton and wanted her to be okay.
Finally, the door swung open, and a doctor emerged. “Detective Graham?”
“That’s me.” Dawson shot out of his seat and closed the distance in three strides.
“Special Agent Hughes is asking for you.”
A wave of relief washed over him. “How is she?”
