Jayden nodded, but her gaze drifted back to me. A flicker of something—guilt, maybe, or longing—crossed her face. I couldn’t resist.
I reached back without looking, gave Stella’s ass a firm, playful pat, and helped her settle into the chair beside us. Stella let out a soft, satisfied hum, clearly loving the attention.
My gaze kept dragging back to Jayden. The guilt twisted in my chest like a blade. I had pulled her out of Mexico, then vanished without a word and disappeared into Japan. The memory burned hotter every time I looked at her.
I stood up slowly, voice rough. "Jayden... how have you been?"
"I’m good," she answered quietly, forcing a small smile. "Everything’s been fine, actually. Ma’am Julie and the others have taken really good care of me. They... they made sure I had everything I needed." Her eyes met mine for a split second, then dropped to her lap. "It’s just... different here. New place. New faces."
Julie’s tone sharpened immediately. "Please, just call me sister. No need for the formal titles, okay? We’re family here."
Jayden went pletely quiet after that. The room felt thicker, heavier.
I reached out and gently took her hand, thumb brushing her knuckles. "e with me," I murmured, leaning down so only she could hear. "Let me take you somewhere. Just for a little while. Fresh air, maybe a quiet corner of the garden. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to."
She hesitated for only a second, then nodded. "Yeah... okay." Her voice was soft, almost shy. "I’d like that."
We walked outside together—I in front, she behind me. The garden air was warm and fragrant, filled with the sweet scent of night-blooming jasmine and the distant hum of bees.
I stopped at the edge of the stone path, turned around, and found her standing there in the soft morning light, watching me with those big, uncertain eyes that had once looked at me like I hung the moon.
I asked softly, cupping her cheek with my free hand, "Jayden... is there something bothering you? You’ve been quiet since you walked in. I can feel it."
She shook her head slowly, but her lips pressed together in that way she always did when she was holding something back. "No... there’s nothing. It’s just... I feel..." Her voice cracked on the last word, small and fragile. "I feel like I don’t belong here sometimes. Like I’m... intruding."
I pulled her into my arms without another word, wrapping her up against my chest. "I’m sorry, Jayden," I whispered into her hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "For leaving you here alone like that. I should have taken you with me. I should have told you everything."
She buried her face against my chest, voice muffled but trembling. "I wasn’t alone, you know... Ma’am Julie took really good care of us. Hannah, she helped me with Patricia’s English. Everyone here... they made me feel safe."
"I know," I murmured, stroking her back in slow circles. "But I still feel guilty. You shouldn’t have had to face any of this on your own. I should have brought you with me every step of the way."
"It’s not your fault," she whispered against my shirt, fingers curling into the fabric. "You had important things to do. That’s why... that’s why I understand. I just... I hate it when you disappear like that. It makes me feel small."
"Nothing is more important to me than my women," I said, voice thick with emotion as I cupped her face with both hands, thumbs brushing her cheeks. "You’re my priority. Always have been."
Jayden’s breath hitched, and for a moment her eyes filled with something raw—hope, fear, love. "I feel like I’m not worthy of you..." she confessed quietly, voice barely above a whisper.
"When you were gone, I met Julie, Hannah, Jessica, Karen, Samantha, Lorena, Gabriela... and every single one of them looked so happy. They’re all so beautiful, and they laugh with you, and they share everything with you. I just... I keep thinking maybe I’m the one who’s broken. Like I’m not enough for what you need."
"You’re beautiful too," I told her, leaning in until my lips almost touched hers. "You always have been. More beautiful than they are. Because you’re mine."
Her eyes widened in shock for half a second, then fluttered shut as I kissed her.
It wasn’t the bruising, desperate kiss with Stella just a moment ago. This one was soft—gentle, trembling, full of everything she hadn’t said yet. Her hands rose to cup my face, and when she kissed me back, it felt like the entire garden was holding its breath.
Her hands rose to cup my face, and when she kissed me back, it felt like the entire garden was holding its breath. Jayden leaned against me, her forehead resting lightly on my chest, the soft fabric of her leather jacket brushing against my shirt.
For a long moment, there was nothing but the gentle rhythm of our breathing and the distant hum of bees.
"I thought..." she whispered, voice barely audible, "you didn’t want me... and forgot about me."
I pulled back just enough to cup her chin in one hand, tilting her face up so I could look straight into those wide, uncertain eyes. With my free hand, I gently pinched her nose — a playful, familiar gesture from our early days that always made her squirm.
"Silly woman," I murmured, a soft chuckle vibrating in my chest, "didn’t you have my number? Why didn’t you call me the moment you could?"
Jayden’s face flushed a deep, pretty pink that spread all the way down her neck. She ducked her head, hiding behind her hands for a second before peeking up at me through her lashes.
"I... I was afraid of disturbing you," she admitted, voice so quiet it was almost lost in the garden breeze. "You were busy. Japan. Whatever you needed to do. I didn’t want to be another problem on your plate."
I let out a low, tender sigh and pulled her flush against me again, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Jayden... listen to me. Nothing about you is ever a problem. Not then, not now, not ever. The fact that you were even thinking that way breaks my heart."
She shook her head, but didn’t pull away. "No... I know. But I kept telling myself I should just wait for you to e back when you needed me. That I’d be ready."
I cupped her face once more, thumbs stroking her cheeks. "Is there anything you want?" I asked gently, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it from her lips.
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