Saved By A Bad Boy

[18]. Starting Again...

I placed my hands on my hips, my eyes roaming over the lonely space as my gaze caught on all the covered furniture. Where do we even start? Everything in the Maxwell Mansion had been concealed with tarps and plastic to preserve them, but I wasn't quite sure what to do now. There were so many things of Mrs. Maxwell's that were covered or in boxes or in the attic somewhere. It wasn't exactly a two-person job.

Jax sighed from behind me, running a hand through his unruly black hair as he took in the work before him.

"Maybe we should...I don't know. Maybe we should invite Milo and Maya to help," I suggested hopefully, glancing in his direction. Jax's blue eyes turned cold and stormy at the mention of his twin cousins.

"I told you, Alyssa. I don't want to talk to them," he said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Why not?" I asked. He just looked at me. "Come on, Jax. If you can talk to me after everything, then you can definitely talk to your family."

"Yeah, well it was different with you," he said hastily.

"How so?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I...I..." He stopped, looking just the slightest bit flustered, though I had no idea why. Finally, he managed to spit out, "Because I was forced to talk to you. You know, with the will and the library and everything." A devious grin crossed my face.

"Oh, Jax...you missed me, didn't you?" I asked with a smile, stepping closer to him.

"No I did not," he told me dismissively, looking away. I kept smiling.

"Yes you did," I continued.

"No, Alyssa, I did not miss you," he countered, putting a lot of emphasis on the "not" part.

"Just admit it: You felt lost and hopeless without your best friend," I stated smugly, stepping close to him and looking up. "You missed me." Jax's lips twitched.

"Maybe," he eventually said, and I could see his cheeks flush at the admission. To be honest, I was surprised he confessed that. I hadn't expected him too, and for some reason, it made me extremely happy inside. However, Jax quickly added, "But you missed me more."

"No, I was doing just fine on my own, actually," I said, matter-of-fact.

"Oh really?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I was," I told him, crossing my arms. "You should know that I became a very independent woman without you."

"Independent?" He repeats, raising an eyebrow. "I've met a lot of independent women in my lifetime, Alyssa, and you most certainly aren't one of them." That got me. How dare he say that? I mean, it's not like he's been paying attention to me in the past year at all. How would he even know? Anger boiled in my gut, simmering like a popsicle baking in the afternoon sun.

"Excuse me?" I asked, my voice dripping with sass as I pursed my lips and leveled an intense glare at him. "I am. Did my action at the party prove nothing to you?" He just laughed.

"Actually​, it proved a lot to me," Jax responded, and he kind of sort of smiled. Because I was rather satisfied with that answer, I just grinned and turned around, setting my attention on the work we still had to do.

"Okay. Let's get this done," I said with a sharp intake of my breath, setting out for work. I tore the tarp off a suave wrap-around couch, my fingers running lightly over the untouched furniture. "We have a lot to do."

"Yup," Jax replied, his eyes fastened onto the couch as well. He looked at me briefly for a moment, his expression serious. "Do you honestly think I'd be able to do this?" I hesitated. It was one thing to go through the library, or the garden, but bringing the mansion up-to-date would be a whole new realm of emotions. Still, Jax was stronger than he thought.