جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

The knock on Jaxon’s door kept echoing in Brielle’s mind long after it happened like a harsh reminder that reality always found a way to tear into the moments she wanted to keep. By the time they’d opened the door and dealt with the delivery guy who’d mixed up Jaxon’s mail again, that fragile, electric bubble between them had already burst. But the tension the unspoken thing didn’t go anywhere. It clung to them. Sat in the air. Followed them like a shadow neither of them could outrun. Now, fifteen minutes later, Brielle sat on the far end of the couch pretending to scroll her phone. Jaxon leaned against the kitchen counter pretending to check emails. Both were pretending badly. Neither said it, but they both felt the same thing: If that knock hadn’t happened… something would’ve. Jaxon kept glancing over at her, trying to be subtle, and failing every single time. Brielle tried to breathe normally, but her chest felt tight, her pulse annoyingly loud. She replayed his voice i

The morning after the almost confession lingered in Brielle’s mind like a song she couldn’t shut off. She’d barely slept, tossing under the sheets with that single sentence replaying again and again: “I want you.” She’d felt those words everywhere like warmth in her chest, like electricity under her skin, like danger curling through her ribs. And now, as she walked into the café for her morning shift, she wished she could pretend she hadn’t heard him say it. Wished she could pretend the world hadn't shifted under her feet. But the universe didn’t care about her wishes, because Jaxon was already there. Standing by the counter. Coffee in one hand. Looking at her like he’d been waiting for hours. Her stomach flipped so hard she almost turned around and walked back out. He didn’t say anything at first. Just let his eyes travel over her in that slow, careful way that made her feel seen and exposed at the same time. Finally, he cleared his throat. “Morning.” She hung her purse in

The next morning arrived with a kind of stillness Brielle wasn’t used to. Not quiet Willow Creek was rarely quiet but still. Like the air was waiting for her to make a decision. She stood on her porch with a mug of tea, staring at the hazy stretch of road. Her thoughts drifted to last night again, to the way Jaxon had said her name like it had weight. Like it had meaning. “You don’t have to run. Not from me.” And she had run. Not physically—not far—but emotionally she’d bolted so hard it felt like she still hadn’t stopped. Her chest tightened. She didn’t want to think about that moment. But she hadn’t thought about anything else. The truth was simple, terrifying, and painfully clear: She wanted him. She’d wanted him for weeks now. Maybe longer. But wanting someone and letting yourself have them were two different things entirely. She lifted her mug to her lips, letting the steam warm her face, as if heat could settle the chaos in her. It didn’t. When her phone buzzed in

The night should’ve been quiet. It should’ve been simple just them reviewing plans for the community event, eating leftover pasta, pretending everything between them hadn’t changed. But from the moment Brielle walked into Jaxon’s house, nothing about the night felt simple. She didn’t know if it was the way he opened the door like he’d been standing there waiting… or the way his eyes dropped for a split second to her lips… or the way his voice dipped when he said, “Come in, Brie.” But something was different. Sharper. Deeper. Hotter. They tried—really tried—to stay focused. For maybe ten minutes. But every time she leaned over the table to point at the sketch, Jaxon’s breath brushed her cheek. Every time he reached for a pen, his hand met hers. Every time their eyes met, neither of them looked away fast enough. At some point, the papers stopped mattering. The silence thickened. Brielle finally set her pencil down and exhaled. “You’re staring again.” He didn’t even pr

The night air was warm, thick with the scent of summer rain and the glow of porch lights reflecting off damp pavement. Brielle didn’t know how long she and Jaxon had been standing there in the center of the community garden, breathing the same air, staring at each other like every minute leading up to this one had been a quiet dare. The storm in the distance rumbled, low and soft, but the real storm the one pressing against her ribs, tightening her chest, heating her skin was all him. Jaxon wasn’t touching her. He didn’t have to. His fingers hovered inches from her waist. His breath brushed her cheek. His eyes were locked onto hers with a slow, smoldering intensity that made her stomach flip. She swallowed hard. “Jaxon… we shouldn’t.” “Brie.” He said her name like it meant something sacred. “Stop trying to talk yourself out of what we both know is happening.” “I’m not” But she was. She absolutely was. Because if she didn’t push back, she wouldn’t just fall She’d free