She gazed at him for a long time. Then she said, "I want you."
His breath caught in his chest, her words shocking him. "Really? I thought this was going in a different direction."
"I'm being honest with you, so you need to be honest with me, too, Jax."
"I will be," he promised.
"Then tell me what you want. If it's Wren, if it's the band, if it's your old life, if it's a new dream, I don't care; I just want to know the truth."
"The truth is that I want you, too. In whatever version of life happens next. And that version can be something we decide together."
Finally, she relaxed, the tension dissipating from her eyes. "Are you sure you've had enough time to think about it? Wren put herself in the fire today. She took responsibility for everything."
"You read her interview?"
"A few minutes ago. It took me that long to get up the nerve. But I needed to know what she'd said. And it surprised me. Have you read her statement?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because it doesn't matter what she said. I lived it. I don't need a recap, and her words won't change whatever I decide to do with my life. We've been tangled up together for too long. It was a great ride, at least some of the time, but it's over."
Kaia frowned. "I think you should read it, Jax. You would be proud of the way she has taken responsibility, confessed her addictions, and exonerated you in everything, including the car crash. She told everyone in the world that the only person who should be blamed for anything is herself. And you are the best person she has ever known, and any hate directed at you is going to the wrong person."
His gut tightened. "Well, I appreciate that. And I'm glad she owned up. More for her than for me, honestly. I think that's the only way she's going to be able to stay clean. She can't hide anymore. The secrets were part of her addiction. She never wanted anyone to know who she was; she was too embarrassed by where she came from."
"And you understood that better than anyone."
"And let her get away with it for too long. I'm also done with secrets, with running away, with hiding. I'll talk to the press if I need to. But I don't care about them. I don't care about stories or rumors, or gossip. I just care about you, Kaia."
"I appreciate that. But I want to be clear about something. I know that you also care about Wren. And that's okay. You don't have to pretend otherwise. I understand your relationship. I'm not jealous. I'm not threatened. Wren is family to you, and you don't need to push her away because of me."
He tipped his head, happy that Wren wasn't going to come between them, and amazed at how compassionate Kaia was for others, even a woman she didn't know, a woman who had been rude to her earlier in the day.
"Thank you for saying that. But I want to be clear, too. Wren is not my priority; you are. I want to see where we can go together. I want to be with you. I want to get to know all your friends and for them to really get to know me. You were right when you told me Ocean Shores would start to feel like a family."
Finally, she smiled, and his heart swelled with relief.
"I'm so happy to hear that," she said. "It's what I wanted for you, Jax."
"I know. When you told Walter earlier today that you didn't want this day to be the end of his story, you wanted it to be the beginning; that's exactly how I feel about us. I want us to have our story, separate from your story and my story. I want to make memories together. I don't care about the past. I want the present and the future. And I want it with you."
She blinked away what appeared to be moisture in her eyes. "That was really sweet."
"I didn't mean to make you cry."
"I never cry," she said with the bravado he loved so much.
He grinned. "Just got something in your eye, huh?"
"Allergies," she lied. "So…can we start now on the happily ever after?"
"Absolutely. And I want you to know, Kaia, that no one is ever going to love you the way I do."
"I'm counting on that." She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him the best kiss of his life.
The first of many…
