Jax’s P.O.V

The evening had stretched far longer than I’d planned. Dinner was over, the brief ceremony had concluded, and yet, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Not when Val’s laughter kept filling the room like sunlight, not when every word she spoke pulled me deeper into her orbit. We’d migrated to the sitting room, sinking into the plush sofas, the air thick with the warmth of shared jokes and lingering glances.

Reynolds was sprawled across the armchair like a lazy prince, one ...