Page 123 of The Quit List
Outside the hotel, I take a deep breath, waiting for the impending dread to hit me when I realize what I’ve done. How irresponsible I’ve been.
It doesn’t come. Because I made the right decision for me.
Regardless of what else happens, of what may come, I get to live in that knowledge.
Happily, I begin to crutch forward on the cobbled sidewalk, but of course, I end up tripping over a wobbly piece of rock.
I lose my balance, begin to fall…
And a pair of strong arms come around me, pulling me up against a very broad chest.
“Jax!” I squeal in delight, wobble-turning fully to throw my arms around him. “How many times are you going to have to save me?”
He laughs, a deep rumble moving through his chest. “You’re the one who’s saved me, Holly.” He pulls back a little so he can look into my eyes, his gray eyes glittering. “I realized I couldn’t leave today without first telling you that… I love you. I’m in love with everything that makes you who you are, Holly Greene.”
“I love you, too,” I reply, tears pricking the back of my eyes.
His eyes soften so that they look like they’re glowing. “I know I might not be what you originally wanted, but I need you to know that I’m always going to make you my priority, and I’m going to try?—”
“You’re everything I want, Jax. I know what I really want now, and it’s you.” I smile up at him, my eyes still teary but my heart soaring. “You’re my perfect man.”
“The perfect man still doesn’t exist, Hollywood, so I can’t promise perfect. But what I can promise is to be your partner. Your co-pilot. Your equal. To choose you, every single day, always.”
“I choose you too, Jaxon Grainger.”
With a sudden grin, I reach into my purse and pull an old, crumpled piece of paper out of a side pocket. A piece of paper I’ve been holding onto since that night I first came to the bar to ask for Jax’s help, the night that put everything into motion that rewrote my happy ending to be here, in this place, with a guy who might not be perfect, sure, but is perfect for me.
“Check it out, I made some edits.”
Jax gives me a curious look before unfolding the paper. I lay my head on his chest and look down at the changes—no, corrections—I wrote on my hit list when we came home from the mountains a week ago:
He must be over 30 and under 45 He must be mature, and wise, and full of great advice beyond his years
He must have stable employment He must favor happiness and quality of life, and not always put his career first
He must want a family He must make me feel like we can conquer the world together, as a team
He must be looking for a long-term commitment He must support my dreams and allow me to support his, but we must always prioritize each other, too
When Jax finishes reading, he turns to me with a look of wonder in his eyes. “Holly, this is… everything.”
I squeeze him tight. “Bonus points if he has a van with a girl’s name, a dog who likes to ride shotgun, and space in said van for one more on his next adventure.”