Page 47 of Coerced

THIRTEEN

Aria

Sasha was beyond thrilled to have me home early. She’d gotten spoiled with having me home all day yesterday, so only needing to work at the deli today was a great way for me to ease her back into my work-life balance.

After I got home and spent some time with Sasha, doing it while thinking constantly about Paxton and how everyone around us seemed intent on tossing the two of us together like a married couple, I needed to distract myself. So, I decided to get to work on things I’d been delaying doing ever since I’d arrived in Steel Ridge.

Or, perhaps it was just one specific thing.

Unpacking.

When I first arrived and settled in my new place here in Steel Ridge, I’d focused on unpacking only the essentials—clothes, toiletries, bedding, towels, and Sasha’s things. Everything else remained in containers in thegarage. And while there wasn’t a ton of stuff to go through, there was plenty to keep me busy for a few hours.

So, I opened my garage door to allow the sunlight and gentle breeze into the space, and I got to work.

I hadn’t anticipated it to be so emotional, but then I opened a container that held some of the paintings I’d done, and a wave of sadness washed over me. Something unpleasant and unwelcome settled in the pit of my belly as my eyes scanned the paintings.

I’d always loved them. They’d always put a smile on my face. But seeing them now was like torture—a brutal reminder of the faith and confidence I’d had for no good reason.

“Hey, you.”

Quickly, I spun around to find Paxton standing at the entrance to my garage. Seeing him again after how much I’d been thinking about him sent my heart racing. “Hi. What are you doing here?”

He tossed his hand off to the side in the direction of his house and explained, “I just got back home from work, and I saw your garage door open. It was unusual, so I thought I’d stop over and say hello if you were out here.”

Though his movements were casual and nonchalant, there was a hint of concern in his voice. Something inside me warmed to hear it, to know he cared like he did, like maybe I wasn’t the only one experiencing feelings that went beyond simple neighborly friendship. “Oh. Yeah, I only had to work at the deli today, so I thought I’d take advantage of having the afternoon and evening off.”

His eyes dropped to the containers behind me. “Unpacking still?”

I shrugged, unwilling to draw attention to the paintings. “Kind of. I’m not really sure what I plan to do with most of this stuff. But I started going through it, and I didn’t realize just how much time had passed.”

“Well, at least you didn’t get caught up in something before you needed to go to work. That would have been a problem,” he reasoned. “Then again, I might have gotten a call from Mallory, concerned about you, and I’d have been able to come back and see you sooner.”

And the playful, flirty guy was back. God, I loved when he was like this, but it certainly felt like foreign territory for me. Ignoring the butterflies he made me feel, I said, “True. But I probably wouldn’t have started the project if that had been the case. Anyway, I’m glad you stopped over. I had a surprise when I was at work earlier.”

“Oh?”

I hesitated.

Was it wise to bring this up? I didn’t think I could tell him about what happened today without giving him the full story. Would he assume the worst?

Noting the expectant look on his face, I blurted, “I met Avalon and Liv.”

“Ah, yes. Avalon mentioned they were going to stop in at the deli. I assume they introduced themselves to you.”

Okay. So far, so good. Nodding, I confirmed, “They did. But they went beyond that, too.”

He cocked a brow. “What do you mean?”

My eyes roamed over his handsome face, the conversation I’d had earlier with Avalon, Liv, and Mallory sweeping through my thoughts. I might have insisted Paxton and I were just friendly neighbors, but deep down, I had to admit I’d thought about what life could be like if there had been something more between us. He was already such agood man. Was it possible he’d be even better in a relationship? Would I even be worthy of a man like him?

“Well, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression, but Avalon mentioned she’d already spoken to some of the other women in the group, and she’s working on planning a time for all of them to get together again. She wants me to join them.”

Seemingly unbothered by this news, Paxton declared, “That’s great. It’ll be a wonderful way for you to meet a whole bunch of great women here.”

“Yes, I’m very excited about it. But I wanted to make sure you knew that I didn’t make any claims to them about… well, about you and me. I’m aware this group of women is comprised of those who are married, engaged, or dating Harper Security Ops men. I just want you to know that I didn’t claim you and I were anything more than friends.”

One half of Paxton’s mouth quirked as he crossed the garage and closed the distance between us. My heart hammered with each step he took, and I shifted back and forth on my feet. When he came a stop in front of me, his eyes searched my face, something warm swirling in the depths of his irises. “I wouldn’t mind if you had.”