“Ms. Gallagher,” she finally said, looking up at me. “There’s no need for an extension. Your account is already settled.”
I blinked. “What?”
She turned the screen toward me, pointing at the glowing numbers. “Your taxes have been paid in full. As of three days ago.”
My stomach flipped. “That’s not possible. I didn’t?—”
She gave me a patient smile. “It’s been paid, Ms. Gallagher. There’s no balance owing.”
I left the office in a daze, my mind racing.
The taxes were paid.
Someone had paid themfor me.
And there was only one person who could’ve done it.
When I got back to the pub, I found Ronan leaning against the bar, chatting with Seamus.
“Dee.” Ronan straightened when he saw me. “You look like you’re ready to kill a bear with your bare hands.”
“Where the feck is he?” I demanded, ignoring the curious looks from the regulars.
“Who?”
“You know who,” I snapped.
Ronan raised an eyebrow, clearly fighting back a smirk. “He’s out at the farm. Probably fixing the barn door or something equally heroic.”
I glared at him, my heart pounding as I turned and stormed out.
I got back into my truck and drove to the farm.
It was midday, and a blanket of clouds hid the sun. I parked and walked around, a pang catching in my chest as I realized I’d missed this place—the familiar smells, the way it made me remember the good more than the bad since the day Jax and I stepped into Maggie’s room.
I found Jax near the barn, holding a paintbrush. There was a smear of white paint on his bare forearm. He looked up when he saw me, his expression un-feckin-readable.
“Dee. What do I owe this pleasure?” He set the brush down, looking as cocky as ever.
I crossed my arms. “You paid my taxes.”
He didn’t eventryto deny it. “I did,” he admitted simply.
“Why?”
“Because you needed help.” He took a step toward me, and then, when he saw I wasn’t pulling away, he took another and then another. “And because I love you, whether you want to believe it or not.”
We were toe to toe, and my throat went tight at his closeness. “You had no business doing that, Jax. That was my responsibility.”
“And now it’s taken care of,” he drawled. “You’ve got enough to worry about, Dee. Let me take some of the weight off your shoulders.”
I wanted to yell at him, telling him he had no right to swoop in and fix things, but the words wouldn’t come.
Instead, my anger melted.
He’d been right. I’d been trying to push him away, and his actions told me that he wasn’t going anywhere. No one in my life had cared more for me the way Jax seemed to in just a few short weeks.
If this wasn’t love, I didn’t know what was.
