Page 26 of My Girl to Use

“Don’t joke about that,” she says slowly.

“I’m not.”

Her eyes widen slightly. “You’re giving it up?”

“I’m done fighting it,” I reply. “You want it. You’re good at it. Take it.”

“And you?”

“I’ve never wanted to be a CEO. You know that.”

She stares at me for a long moment, then, unexpectedly, she smiles. “Well…I didn’t see that coming.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re really not coming back, are you?”

“No.”

Another pause. Then she exhales, shaking her head slightly. “Mom is going to lose her mind.”

“Probably.”

“But…” she glances around again, then back at me, something softer in her expression now. “I think I like this version of you better.”

I flash her a wide smile. “Don’t get used to it.”

“Oh, I am,” she says, already moving toward the door. “And I’m still meeting her.”

“We’ll see.”

She smirks. “We will.”

Chapter Six

Zora

I listen to Levi babbling in the stroller as I walk up the street toward Wilder House, my bag slipping down my shoulder. My mind is still half on work, half on the thought of seeing Jax again. The idea alone makes something warm settle in my chest, something I don’t fight anymore.

Because I know what it is. I’m in love with him.

The realization didn’t hit all at once. It crept in quietly. In small moments. The way he looks at Levi like he matters. The way he takes care of me without making me feel weak. The way he fits into my life like he was always supposed to be there. Like he could be my family.

Even his sister likes me. Sienna came by last week, and I spent the first ten minutes waiting to be assessed. It never came. She just sat on the floor with Levi and asked me what I was reading.

But the worst part about this is that I think he feels it too. Maybe not as deeply. Maybe not as recklessly. But it’s there. I see it. And that’s what scares me. Because I’ve never had something like this before. And people like me don’t get to keep things like this.

“Zora Norwak?”

The voice stops me mid-step. My entire body goes still. Slowly, I turn. The woman standing a few feet away from me is…familiar. Not because I know her. But because she looks like him,like Jax. Same sharp features. Same careful expression. Same presence that feels like it takes up more space than it should.

My grip on my bag tightens slightly. “Yes?” I answer carefully.

She studies me like she’s assessing something. Her gaze flicks briefly to Levi before returning to my face. “We need to talk.”

Everything in me goes tight. “I don’t think—”

“You’re involved with my son.”