"Hi," he murmurs with a smile.
"Hi," I whisper back.
"How was your day?"
"Good. We've just been hanging out here since you two left. How was the gym?"
"Good. It's always fun beating Tristan around a little bit."
I hear a snort from my right and turn to see Tristan has dragged Remy into his lap and is currently twirling her hair around his finger. "It's been a while since you've 'beaten me around,' brother," he drawls.
Jax raises an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Then how’d you get that shiner on your eye?”
“Remy,” Tristan quips without even a pause.
Remy’s jaw drops in shock. “You did not!” she exclaims. “I’veneverhit you!” And when we all look at her in disbelief, she mumbles, “Not hard enough to leave a bruise, at least.”
“You can make it up to me tonight,” Tristan says with a smug smile.
“Nuh-uh, you’re in fight mode,” Remy admonishes, pulling out of his lap and sitting beside him. “I already told you: no distractions.”
Tristan actuallypouts.
“Fucking children,” Jax mumbles. “Can we please just get through dinner? You two can do whatever you want—andtalk aboutwhatever you want—after dinner.”
I bite my lip to hide my smile when Tristan just continues to glare at his girlfriend.
"Are you staying here tonight?" Jax asks, turning his attention to me. Then something occurs to him, and he frowns. "Please tell me you're not going back to that piece of shit's apartment."
I chance a nervous glance at Remy. "Umm, I hadn't really thought about it. I need to get my stuff, so maybe I should just stay there while I find an apartment—"
"Like hell you will," she growls. "I don't want you anywhere near that asshole. No, you're staying with me. My couch turns into a decent pull-out bed, so you can sleep there for as long as you need. I can even turn it into a studio type room, since I still have those dividers I kept from my old studio apartment. We'll set you up with your own space, so you don't feel like you're sleeping on the couch. Alright?"
Still I hesitate, but I ask her, "Are you sure? I don't want to invade your space, youjustmoved in there. I can always push Steve out of the apartmentor just find a place to sublet."
"No," I hear growled above me. I look up to see Jax tense with frustration. "I don't want you alone or anywhere near him," he says through gritted teeth. "Can you just stay with Remy until you find a new apartment?"
I breathe a sigh of relief. "Okay. I can do that."
It's Jax's turn to relax at my concession. A relieved smile appears on his face, and I realize just how worried he’s been about me. I reach for his hand and squeeze it, the unspoken communication clear between us.
"I'm going to make dinner," he says, standing from the couch. "Are you both staying? Tristan gets chicken because he's officially in weight-cut mode, but I can make some steak if you would rather eat that."
I share a look with Remy before we answer at the same time, "Steak."
Jax just chuckles and makes his way into the kitchen. And when Remy turns back to a very grabby Tristan, I decide to follow him.
"I can make the sides," I offer when he raises an eyebrow at me. "What were you thinking of making?"
He's already digging around in the fridge for ingredients when he says, "Tristan gets greens, so just grab some of the frozen vegetables that we keep specifically for last-minute weight cuts. And I think we have potatoes if you want to chop some up and roast them while I do the steak."
I nod and finish off the rest of my drink before pulling off Jax's sweatshirt that I stole earlier. But when I turn to the fridge to grab my own ingredients, I find Jax staring at me with a look I can't decipher.
"What?" I ask in confusion.
He just shakes his head, a small smile on his face. He steps up to me and gives me a quick kiss on the top of my head. "I'm glad you're here," is all he says.
And the only thing I can do is smile up at him, conveying with my gaze that I'm glad too. I'm glad I'm away from a toxic environment, and I'm glad I'm back with my family. I'm glad I have people like Jax to look out for me.