She was going back to work in a few days, a fact she hadn’t mentioned one time to him before or after their intimacy. The pushing toward putting her childhood home on the market didn’t sit any better with him. Even though they’d been intimate, and they’d spent time together and gotten to know each other on a level deeper than he’d thought possible, she still kept him at a distance. That personal life of hers remained just that and she never once offered a glimpse into her future.
Clearly, he knew where he fell in her life.
Whatever Jax thought they might be developing . . . well, it was completely one-sided. He’d do well to remember the original vow he’d made to himself about getting emotionally involved with a woman who never intended to stick. He’d more than learned his lesson . . . or so he’d thought.
Something about Livie had seemed so different, though. Even when she spouted over and over how she was leaving, he always got the sense she was reminding herself and not actually talking to him. Their intimacy was so much more than he’d ever had before . . . how could his feelings be so strong when she didn’t share them?
Or maybe she did and that’s what had her running scared. She was most likely terrified because she hadn’t expected all of this between them, but neither had he and he’d be damned if he was going to ignore it. He wanted to know her full feelings before she left town. If she wasn’t going to volunteer the information, he would get it from her one way or another.
“We’ve got some damage on the roof of the hangar from the storm,” he told her, pushing his thoughts aside. If she could ignore her true emotions, then he’d damn well do the same . . . for now. “We’re going to fix it.”
She let out an unladylike snort. “You sent me an emergency text for that? You’re dreaming if you think I can climb up on a roof and fix anything. Call Zach. He’ll fix it.”
Livie spun around, obviously ready to head out the door, but he was faster. Jax jumped up and in front of her, blocking her escape. Her eyes widened as she stared up at him.
“Get out of my way so I can get back to painting. I left Melanie and Jade arguing over the way the tape was being applied around the crown molding in the dining room.”
Without thinking twice, he reached out and raked the pad of his thumb over her neck. “You put paint here on purpose.”
She swatted him away. “I’m a messy painter.”
“You didn’t want anyone to see.” He muttered the words as he placed both hands on her shoulders and stepped into her. “If you’re that ashamed of what we have, why did you stay last night?”
Her eyes darted away. “It was storming.”
“That’s a lame excuse. Do you need more time to come up with another?”
She shot him the side-eye glare. “I need to get back to my dad’s house.”
“Your house,” he corrected. “Paul is gone and the place is yours.”
“Legally, but that hasn’t been my home since I left at eighteen.”
Something was bothering her, something beyond them and beyond the painting and rush to return. There was a sadness in her eyes and now that he looked closer, there was a little bit of redness to them as well.
“You’ve been crying.”
Livie drew her brows in. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Why do you lie to me?” he demanded, dropping his hands and taking a step back. “You think I can’t tell you’re terrified of your feelings when it comes to me, to my daughter? You weren’t expecting us, were you? Now you’re in a rush to get back to work, to get that precious promotion, but you’re getting too involved here and you don’t want to admit it.”
She said nothing as she kept her gaze averted to the floor between them. Jax raked a hand over his stubbled jawline and willed himself to be patient toward this most frustrating woman. She was hurting and obviously didn’t know how to deal with the pain. He knew a thing or two about wounds, but even if he didn’t, he wasn’t about to let her feel alone.
“What happened today, Livie?”
She shook her head, still not meeting his eyes.
“What happened?” he pressed.
With tears filling her eyes, she lifted her head. “Tell me how sick my dad was when we left.”
The topic was bound to be brought up and he wasn’t about to lie. “He wasn’t terminal, but he did have cancer. He beat it and lived years in remission.”
Livie blinked away the moisture. “Did you know he kept a journal? I found it with pictures in a decorative box under his nightstand.”
“No, I wasn’t aware of a journal.”
That didn’t surprise Jax. Paul was big on not keeping feelings bottled up. Perhaps if Livie had stayed, being more open would’ve been a trait she would’ve continued to learn from her father.
“He had so much planned for this place, for you.” She glanced away again and whispered, “For me.”
It was a wonder she got any painting done at all if she’d spent the morning reading her father’s thoughts. Jax would love to see this journal, and he believed he had the right, but now was not the time to ask.
“More than once he mentioned what he’d do if he had the money.” Livie toyed with the frayed hem of her old T-shirt. “He wanted to repair everything and add in a little restaurant. He didn’t want anything grand or over-the-top. He just wanted to continue to
