Jen looks up with wet eyes and stares at Kellan as he takes care of her. She doesn’t say anything, but I can tell she’s thankful for him helping her.

Seeing him take care of my best friend like this, makes my heart swell. He’s everything any girl could ever want. Right now, I want him more than ever. I want him so much it hurts.

“Thank you, Kellan,” she manages. “I don’t know what else to say.”

Kellan turns to look at me, but doesn’t stop cleaning Jen’s face. “You know I would never let anyone hurt you, ever.” He looks angry as he shakes his head. “I could kill that son of a bitch.”

Jen’s hand reaches out and grabs Kellan’s shirt, causing him to turn back and look at Jen again. “I’ve got it, Kellan. Thank you for helping.”

Kellan looks at Jax, who is now calm and sleeping in his mom’s arms, before walking away from the truck and pulling me along with him. “I have Tyler on his way here. He’s bringing a new set of locks for the doors. That piece of shit is not getting back into this house.” He looks over at the truck as if he’s trying to be sure Jen isn’t listening to what he’s about to say, then he turns back around. “I saw Nate over a week ago at that bar next to the shop. He was pushing some woman around and I had to step in and help her. He’s been doing this to others as well as Jen. I had no idea until today who he was.”

Of course. That doesn’t surprise me one bit. I always knew there was something off about him. That jerk. I just don’t understand how Jen has dealt with all of this alone. “He’s an ass**le. I’ve always hated him. I can’t even believe this happened. She’s denied it for years, although I always had my suspicions.” I shake my head. “I’ll let Jen know once she calms down.” Great! More salt to rub on the wound.

“They always do,” he breathes. “Trust me. You just have to know the signs and help them. They won’t help themselves because they’re too blinded by love and by the image of who their loved ones used to be. I took care of him that night at the bar and made sure Maxine was safe.” He turns his eyes away and looks at the ground. He almost looks ashamed.

This makes me really nervous for some reason. What does he mean by 'he made sure she was safe?' Jealously courses through me at the thought of him comforting another woman. I feel so stupid right now. I should be worrying about Jen, not myself. So I smile and lean in to kiss his cheek. “Thank you. Thank you for coming as quickly as you did.”

He looks me in the eye and sucks in his bottom lip, cupping my face in his hands and pressing his forehead to mine. Him touching me makes my stomach fill up with butterflies. He looks as if he has something he wants to say, but instead he pulls away as Tyler pulls up on his motorcycle.

We both watch as Tyler quickly jumps off his bike and drops his helmet into the grass before running over to kellan. “What’s going on, bro? I got here as fast as I could.”

Kellan reaches out and grips Tyler’s shoulder. “Everything’s fine now. Did you bring the set of locks? I need you to do me a favor and help me change the locks on this house. We have an ass**le situation to deal with and I need to make sure my friend and her son are safe.”

Tyler’s eyes go dark and suddenly he looks pissed. “Do I need to f**k someone up, man? You know how I feel about that shit.”

Jen finally steps out of the truck and her eyes land on Tyler. She looks a little shaken up, as he looks her up and down, then turns to face Kellan. “The situation is taken care of for now. If you want to help out in another way you can,” Kellan says.

I’m not really sure what that means, but I hope to find out. I want Jen to feel as safe as possible.

Tyler nods his head and then turns to face Jen. He walks over to her and Jax and stops right in front of her. Reaching for her hand, he takes it in his and looks her in the eye. “I’m here to help you in any way I can. I know you don’t know me, but I’ve seen enough women get hurt and it kills me. I’m going to change the locks on your door and if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay here for a while to be sure he doesn’t come back.” Jen just stares at him with a tear running down her face. She doesn’t know what to say or maybe, she’s just going to decline the offer. For her sake, I hope she doesn’t. “Is that okay with you?” He reaches out and places his hand on her chin, tilting her head up to look at him. “I promise it will be okay.”

She nods her head and starts sobbing. Tyler doesn’t hesitate with pulling her face into his chest and rubbing the back of her head. He may not know her, but somehow I get the feeling, he’ll care about anything his friend cares about. Tyler too, is a protector.

Kellan breaks my concentration, causing me to pull my eyes away from Jen and Tyler. “Go and take care of your friend and we’ll take care of everything else.”

I get ready to walk away but he grabs my arm to stop me. He just stands there looking in my eyes, but doesn’t say anything. I get lost in his stare until he speaks again. “Never mind. Just take care of Jen.” He smiles and I return his smile before walking away, and grabbing for Jen’s arm.

She follows beside me, but stops to look back at Tyler as him and Kellan watch us walking away.

We really have to find a way to thank those boys later. For now, I need to take care of my family.

Chapter Fifteen

Phoenix

Shortly after changing the locks, Kellan left, saying he had a client waiting on a tattoo he promised to get done by today. I could tell he didn’t want to leave and him walking out that door almost seemed like torture to him. He stood there hesitating for way too long, staring at me with this strange look in his eyes. Tyler gave him the nod and he finally left after telling him to take care of us girls and Jax.

A huge part of me wished he would’ve turned back around and kissed me again, but I knew that first kiss was only out of worry. Anyone else would’ve done the same if they were really worried about someone they cared about getting hurt. Although I know he cares about me, it hurts that it’s not in the same way I care about him. Sometimes though, a girl just needs to be kissed senseless. The cycle with us seems like it will never change. It will always be me chasing him and him running away. Sucks for me and tears me apart.

When I saw him walk through Jen’s door, I could’ve sworn that I’d died. My heart completely stopped and my breath caught in my throat, making me feel faint. Seeing him for the first time after sharing such an intimate moment with him did nothing but work me up and play with my emotions. Even with everything going on, my want for him heated me to the core and chilled me at the same time. That moment we shared on the roof was hot and even if he didn’t feel it, it had some passionate moments. Not just sex. It almost felt like more at times. He had to have felt it too. The way he looked into my eyes as he pushed deep inside me almost made me feel like he wanted what I did. There I go again wishing for the impossible.