Chapter Five Jaxson

“ D amn it…” I sigh the moment I close the driver’s door to my black SUV. I’d expected to come back here and see old friends, but I never expected to walk into a shitstorm of a situation. I mean, Mrs. Kendall leaving us the house? Why the hell would she do that?

My fists gripping the steering wheel, I relax back into the driver's seat and let another heavy breath escape me. I gaze out the window, watching Madi climb into her little blue car, pulling away from the side of the road and disappearing from sight.

The damn girl is a weapon of sex and complication. Though I’m honestly not sure why I suddenly have the desire for her that I do. Growing up, she was nothing but a friend to me… but now, God, she’s fucking stunning.

How the hell had I never noticed it before?

I’d made a promise to myself when coming here to not let anything or anyone distract me from getting shit done. From closing out this whole ordeal and heading back to New York as soon as possible. But now, after seeing her…

I hadn’t thought that seeing her would affect me in any way. Shit. She had been the young annoying sister type when we were growing up. But now… I don’t even know what to think.

Other than how fucking amazing she looks. Long brown hair, gorgeous hazel eyes, and curves to fucking die for. I could barely keep my eyes off her in that house. It didn’t matter who was talking to me or what they were talking about, my eyes constantly drifted back to Madison.

The girl has always been a fucking spitfire, but suddenly that fire about her brought out a carnal need inside of me to…

Taking one last look at Mrs. Kendall’s home, and the treehouse that can barely be seen from the road, I consider what Madi asked of me. She wants me to wait until we can all talk. Until we can all sit down and decide what the best course of action is.

For a moment, I’d been considering just telling Asher I’ll go with whatever he decided just to get out of town. But on the other hand, my suggestion about turning this place into something else also would allow me to stay around longer. Not that I really want to.

And I didn’t miss the way Madi seemed almost shocked that I had.

Taking a deep breath, I contemplate my next move. I’d landed this morning and went straight to the will reading so I hadn’t even checked into the hotel yet. It isn’t fancy by any means, but it’s nice for the standards around this place. And honestly, checking in and relaxing for a while sounds better than anything.

Putting the car into drive, I make my way across town towards the hotel. My mind rattled with the entire situation that unfolded at Mrs. Kendall’s. To think that she left everything she had to us completely blew my mind.

And more-so-over, half of us seem to want to restore it and keep it alive.

By the time I pull up to the hotel, I’m ready to relax.

“Jaxson Rivers, checking in,” I tell the thin man behind the reception counter. His beady brown eyes meet mine with a questionable gaze as he looks down towards his computer and begins typing out what I can only assume is my name .

“Yes… I have you here for one night?”

One. Just the sound of that pulls at my mind.

I cringe at his words with a heavy sigh. “I might have to extend that.”

Gazing around the hotel, I spot Asher walking through the front door with a large rolling suitcase behind him. His eyes meet mine for a quick moment, a smile spreading across his face as he walks towards me. Shit. This isn’t what I had in mind.

“You’re staying here, too, I take it,” Ash says walking up to me, a grin on his face as he stops and places his left hand into his pocket.

“Not like there’s a lot of choices in Willowcreek.”

Ash laughs. “You got that right. Still, it’s nice being back.”

“Here you go, sir,” the clerk calls out, pulling me back to the present. “You’re all set.”

“Thanks.”

Taking the key cards, I step aside and allow Ash to check in. He talks to the man with a smile on his face that takes me back to when we were younger. Everyone always seemed to think Asher was a player. A ladies man who got whatever he wanted. But it wasn’t true.

No one knew him the way Knox and I did. And everything that happened between him and Sam hurt us all. He loved her, more than anything, and the breakup really did a number on him.

So to see him with a smile pleases me.

“Hey, why don’t we put our things away and meet up at the lobby bar?” Ash suggests, waiting for his own room key assignment. I’d wanted to get some rest, but honestly, the idea of catching up with him after all these years does sound better.

“Great idea. But I have to swing by my parent’s house first. It honestly shouldn’t take long, give me an hour or so?”

“Yeah, no problem,” he replies with a nod. “Have fun.”

Unlikely.

It doesn’t take long to put my things in my room and head back down to the bar. I’d been hesitant about taking time off from my restaurants to come here, but now after seeing everyone, I’m glad I came.

Over the past few years, I’ve pushed myself to open multiple restaurants. Taking the time to travel the world, experience new things from skydiving in Africa to snowboarding in the Alps and even ziplining through South America. My life is a constant swing of work and excitement. Anything to get my adrenaline going. So coming back here, it’s a change.

As if my life has slowed a little giving me a chance to recharge before my next adventure.

The drive to my parents from the hotel isn’t long enough. The moment I ring the doorbell, I hear the tiny voices from the other side.

“I’ll get it!”

“No, you’re too little! You know Mom and Dad don’t let you answer doors.”

Chuckling, I shake my head. That has to be my sister Avery’s kids arguing who will let me in. The last I can recall Ava should be about three years old but thinks she should be able to do the same thing as her older sibling, Adam who is six.

“You guys go back to playing,” my mom calls out to them, the sound of her moving towards the door coming closer. “I’ll answer it.”

The door doesn’t open slowly, as one might think. Instead, it’s yanked open and my mom’s aging figure appears in front of me. Her hair is a mess, sticking out of the bun on top of her head and her eyes wide with shock that quickly furrow at realizing who’s in front of her.

“Jaxson? Wh—what are you doing in town?”

There isn't any excitement when she sees me. Not a sense of joy that her baby boy is home. Instead, I’m met with confusion and a frown that I should have anticipated seeing. It’s honestly been a while since I’d seen or spoken to them.

But they sure call to thank me when I send them money. They never miss that call.

I’d thought for a split second that they’d be happy to see me, but by the look on her face, it’s clear she isn’t. “Just business… I thought I’d stop by to see you guys. Is it a bad time?”

She gives me a distracted wave of her hand and steps aside to let me in before immediately taking off.

The house is full of kids; my oldest sister Avery’s four kids, ranging from two years to six years old, and my older brother Connor’s three kids are here too, ages six months to five years old .

Which makes me understand a little of why she is so frazzled by everything.

Thankfully though, my younger sister Zoey, who’s eighteen, and Hannah, who’s seventeen, are here helping Mom herd the kids. They don’t take notice of me at first, and it gives me time to look around, noticing that my twin brothers Carter and Corbin don’t seem to be here, and my younger brother Daniel is probably up in his room gaming.

Being stuck in the middle, one of eight children, I’ve always felt left out or unnoticed. It’s not as though I don’t like my brothers and sisters, it’s just that I’ve never been close to them. When we were younger, Mom and Dad always seemed to try to be interested all of us equally, but they only had so much time and attention, and somehow none of it fell on me. It was like I slipped through the cracks or something. I guess I was always looking for ways to get their attention, their appreciation of me, and at the same time was jealous of the time they gave to my brothers and sisters.

With the younger ones, I was already out of the house and on my own, so we never had a chance to become close. But I still love all of them. They are my family after all.

Following my mom into the kitchen, I stop here and there to play with my nieces and nephews. Their excitement over seeing me causes nothing but chaos as I maneuver through the house towards my mother who disappeared into the kitchen.

All I want is a few moments to talk to her, but the moment she sees me stepping into the kitchen, she scowls. “I hope you’re not planning on staying here while you’re in town. You get them all riled up when you’re here. Then I can’t get them to keep their bedtime schedules.”

Ouch… hello to you, too.

“No,” I scoff slightly, shaking my head. “That isn’t why I’m here. I actually got a place at the hotel in town.”

She nods and turns her back to me. The sound of a knife rapidly cutting through vegetables draws me closer to her. “You know how hard Avery and Connor work. They don’t like to get off work and have cranky kids on their hands.”

Shrugging off her complaint, I join her at the stove.

“Spaghetti?” I ask, and she nods. “I can help. ”

“No, no, I’ve got this,” she retorts in a snappy tone that I try to dismiss.

“Mom, you know I’m a chef, right?” I say jokingly. “Let me help you cook so you don’t have so much to do.”

She doesn’t like my offer though. Instead, she turns to me with a glare, flinging a kitchen towel over her shoulder. “Jaxson, you know I don’t like anyone in my kitchen.”

Right. Because seeing your son is a burden you don’t want to bear.

“I know. I’m actually just heading out. I know you’re busy, and I’m guessing Dad’s at work?”

Her cold, calculating eyes meet mine with clear exhaustion. “He is.”

Besides the smaller kids, it’s clear Mom and my other siblings are too busy to see me right now, so I decide to call it early and head back. Though the entire drive back to the hotel, I can’t help but feel dejected. All the old feelings of not belonging, not just in a town where I grew up but also at home where I was raised, come crashing down on me like a tidal wave from a brewing storm.

You would think after everything I’ve done for them, and everything I’ve become… they would want to make more time to visit with me, or at least call me. But per usual, they’re too busy. And my mother, with her hands full, isn’t always a gracious woman when it comes to breaking routine.

Every part of me screams to give up on them, but the other part of me submits to hoping that if I achieve a little or simply do a little more, they will finally notice. Even though deep down, I know it will never happen.