Two months ago I wouldn’t have believed it was possible.
That Jax would come back. That he’d record the kind of songs that leave me breathless. That we’d save the program.
But when the album drops, it drops with a bang.
“No matter what Kyle says, the cake is not that bad,” Serena prods. “It’s a party. Look happier. The critics giving early reviews have said it’s good, but we both know it anyway. The first single’s getting airplay. This is what people want.”
“I know.”
This party has an entirely different vibe than Jerry’s retirement party. This one’s small. Private. Personal.
It’s not five hundred people.
It’s not even fifty.
It includes the band. A few other artists. The staff at the studio. The kids, at Jax’s suggestion.
My gaze lands on Tyler, who’s laughing with Annie and some of the others.
Serena and the entire PR team have been promoting their asses off. I hope it’s enough.
“You in a sugar coma?”
I turn to find Jax behind me, looking gorgeous in faded jeans, white sneakers and a Pink Floyd T-shirt. “There you are. I’m surprised you made it with all the interviews you’re doing.”
He shrugs. “Might as well get as much publicity as we can.”
“Jax, no matter what happens? This album is amazing.”
A grin takes over his handsome face. “It’s not bad.”
Over the past two weeks, he’s been working his ass off to get this album finished and mixed. The whole band has.
I don’t know why he’s started doubling down, but I appreciate it.
The first track was a love song that went down easy.
The second, about growing pains, stuck a little.
The third was about taking your time.
The fourth…
The fourth, called “Line of Sight,” was about changing perspectives. Seeing things in new ways.
I never expected to like another song more than the one Jax wrote two years ago and left on the floor of a diner, but I love this one.
Recording it was bittersweet, because I didn’t want it to be over.
And maybe he didn’t either.
I’ve gotten used to working next to him again in the studio during the day. It’s amazing how fast the old pattern came back, even though we were only on tour for a month. Sometimes I think it was the best month of my life.
Todd’s been lurking over us the whole time, so we’ve been keeping it strictly professional.
But Jax would text me, tease me. We’d exchange secret smiles and laughter.
I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea about why he’s here.
Because why we’re here is to make this album. Not to see if there’s some kind of second chance for us.
Jax and I haven’t talked about what would happen when the album is finished because we both know there’s an expiration date on this.
We each have responsibilities. You could say we didn’t choose them, but we did. Jax found Annie, and he decided to be there for her. I chose this program, these kids, even when it was hard.
The door opens, and we all turn toward it.
Derek’s there, with Todd in tow. “We have the numbers. The album’s gone gold. At this rate, it should hit platinum by next weekend.”
The room erupt with cheers.
I throw my arms around Jax’s neck, burying my face in his shoulder in delight. “Oh my God. Jax…you have no idea how much this means.”
“I think I do.” He pulls back. His face isn’t quite a reflection of the ecstasy in mine, but it’s close. “Serena told me you bet the program on this.”
Apprehension starts up in my gut as I scan his expression. “Are you mad?”
“No. It means a lot that you have that kind of faith in me. I’m glad you dragged me back here. I needed this.”
“Me too.”
Something deeper in his gaze makes my heart kick in my chest. Because he’s right.
Derek interrupts my daydream. “Haley. A word.”
I tear my gaze from Jax and follow Derek out to the hall, shutting the door after us.
The sounds of the party all but disappear.
Thank you, soundproofing.
“So I guess the program is saved.”
His mouth is a stern line. “About that. Something went missing from a rehearsal room a few weeks back. The one where your kids practice.”
My smile fades a little. “A lot of people practice there.”
“A lot of people are professional musicians,” Todd states. “And the rest are children who wouldn’t think twice about selling a guitar.”
My minds works to connect the dots.
“In light of this violation,” Derek interjects, “I can’t in good conscience recommend we pursue your program.”
I hold up a hand. “It’s a misunderstanding. None of my kids would do that. If you don’t believe their reputation, believe mine. I have never done anything to compromise my personal integrity or this company’s.”
Todd lets out a skeptical sound. “Your reputation is worth less than it used to be.”
I fold my arms over my chest, not bothering for once to hide my resentment. This guy has taken enough of my time and patience and for a second I wish I still had control of the company so I could fire his arrogant ass. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
But instead of rising to the bait, he smirks. “As you know, there’s a security camera in each studio. We were searching the footage. The angle doesn’t show the instrument that went missing, but we did find something very interesting.”
The tone of his voice has alarm bells going off in my head. I have no idea what he might have found, so why the hell is he being—
My eyes fall shut.
Me blowing Jax.
He doesn’t have to say it.
Every part of me’s boiling with humiliation and indignation. But I force my chin up.
“Derek, I swear to God—”
His face lines with regret. “I understand you’re upset, and I assure you, we will destroy the footage. But we also need to make a decision about the program.”
“You can’t force me out of the company.”
“No. But the majority shareholders have been onside with the idea of cutting the program for two months, even before this latest incident.” The conflicted expression on his face doesn’t make his words easier to digest. “It’s done, Haley. We can give you two weeks to wrap things up.”
It’s done. The phrase echoes in my brain as he leaves.
It takes me a moment to realize Todd’s lingered behind.
“I’ll go somewhere else to run the program,” I state. “We’ll take what we’ve started and find a new home.”
He smirks. “You really will be starting over. The recordings are company property. Every song those kids have laid down since this program started. It’s all in the legal agreement they sign when they walk in the door.”
I feel myself go pale.
How I find my way to my office, I have no idea. But I’m sitting on my desk, swiping at angry tears when Jax’s voice interrupts me.
“Hales.” I look up to meet his concerned gaze. “What happened?”
“They’re cutting the program. The album’s a huge success, and they’re cutting it anyway.” I hate how my voice sounds. I hate feeling weak.
Jax’s body stiffens, his gaze jerking toward the hallway. “Was this Derek or that prick Todd?”
“I’ll figure it out. You’ve done more than enough.” I manage a watery smile. “I dragged you and your daughter across the country on a week’s notice to write and record all new original material. Your work here is done. You paid me back by delivering a platinum album.”
“I hope that’s not all I delivered.” The warmth in his tone has me thinking about everything that’s happened between us.
He drops onto the desk next to me, toeing the carpet as he shoves his hands in his pockets.
If someone told me we’d have another shot at an ending, I’d have called them crazy. But we have had, and it’s been beautiful.
Jax’s album is complete. In some ways, this is the culmination of what I wanted when I took over Wicked from Cross.
I wanted to find another Jax.
I did. I found it in him, when he didn’t think it was there.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Three years ago, all I wanted was to matter. I wanted you to teach me how, and you did.” I rest a hand on the denim covering his thigh as emotions roll over me in waves. “You did, and I’m so grateful.”
My gaze lifts to his. He turns my words over in his mind. “That’s nothing, Hales. You helped me get my kid back in a way the lawyers couldn’t. And my music.”
It takes everything in me just to breathe right now. To tell my body that everything’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Because I just lost my program, and it feels as if I’m about to lose something that matters even more.
I squeeze his hand, looking past him to the Ireland picture.
“I always liked that one,” he says, as if he can read my mind.
“Me too. Do you ever miss him?”
“Cross?” I expect him to laugh, but he just looks around the office. “Sometimes. He gave me someone to blame, and blaming is easier. You can’t push against the world when there’s no one to resist.”
“The first time I came to this office after learning Cross was my father, he gave me shit for asking bad questions. Said there was one question I should be asking, and if I knew what it was, I’d know him better.”
“And?”
“The question is why he sent me on tour with you.”
Jax’s gaze scans mine. “You wish he was still here so you could ask him?”
I shake my head. “I don’t need to ask him. I know.”
Somehow a piece of hair slipped into my face, and I tuck it back before turning toward him.
“I was the daughter he didn’t know what to do with. You were the son he could never ask for. And as much as he fucked up… I think he knew we’d be good for each other, Jax.”
Jax shifts off the desk and steps between my legs, tilting his face toward mine. His touch is comforting on my thighs.
I was holding it together until this moment, but when his mouth grazes mine once, twice, my arms wrap around him and hold him against me. Every ounce of emotion and need pouring out of him is destroying me, and I lose myself in the kiss.
I hate the idea of not having him next to me in the morning, not being around him, not sharing his smiles and his moods.
We break apart, breathing heavily.
“When are you going back to Dallas?”
“This weekend.”
I nod, but it’s mechanical.
“It doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, Hales,” he murmurs, the words spilling into one another in a very un-Jax-like way. “I want you to call me. I swear to God I’ll answer. Not just if you’re pregnant. But of course then too.” I hiccup a laugh. “If you have a bad day. Hell, a good one. I want to know. Promise me.”
Nodding is easier than speaking, but Jax waits until I find my voice. “I promise,” I whisper.
I wait until he’s retreated to the hall before I close the door quietly and let the tears stream down my face.