Chapter 4 The second time around

Lily had spent the entire morning trying not to look at the velvet box in her bag.

It was still there, nestled between her notebook and hand cream. The silver charm bracelet Jaxon had given her all those years ago-and had kept all this time-felt heavier than gold.

She hadn't worn it.

She didn't know if she could.

But she couldn't bring herself to leave it behind, either.

When she stepped off the elevator that morning, Clarissa gave her a strange look.

"You okay? You're glowing."

Lily blinked. "Am I?"

Clarissa narrowed her eyes. "You look like someone who either got kissed or inherited property. Or both."

Lily gave a tight smile. "Definitely not both."

"Shame." Clarissa handed her a file. "Mr. Reid asked you to bring this to him personally."

"Why personally?"

"I don't ask billionaires questions. I just give them what they want."

Clarissa winked and returned to her desk, humming suspiciously.

Lily shook her head and made her way to the office.

Jaxon was standing by the window, sleeves rolled up, phone pressed to his ear. The city skyline behind him made him look like a page out of a luxury magazine. Calm. Sharp. Untouchable.

He looked up as she entered and ended the call with a quick, "Handle it."

"Morning," he said.

Lily held out the file. "Your acquisition report."

He took it but didn't open it.

"I was thinking," he said slowly, "You've been working hard. Stepping into Clarissa's role. Staying late. Handling Mira."

Lily raised a brow. "Handling Mira should come with combat pay."

Jaxon laughed. "I thought you might need a break. Something better than vending machine coffee and spreadsheets."

She tilted her head. "Like what?"

"I want to take you somewhere. This afternoon."

Her heart skipped. "As in...?"

"As in, I'm kidnapping you for a few hours. Nothing work-related. No suits required."

Lily hesitated. "Is this... part of the job?"

His smile was soft. "No. This is entirely personal."

Her breath caught.

"Okay," she whispered. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Two hours later, they were driving out of the city in Jaxon's matte-black Tesla, and Lily still didn't know where they were headed.

"No hints?" she asked, watching the buildings shrink in the rearview mirror.

"None," he said, grinning. "But I will say: it's not dinner at a five-star restaurant. And it's not skydiving, in case you were wondering."

"I wasn't, but now I'm nervous."

"You used to love surprises," he said quietly.

She looked out the window. "I used to love a lot of things."

Jaxon glanced at her. "Let's see if we can bring some of them back."

They pulled up to a quiet stretch of road on the city's edge, where trees arched over like a tunnel of green. The sun filtered through the leaves in gold ribbons.

Lily looked around, confused. "Where are we?"

Jaxon got out and opened the trunk, pulling out a picnic basket.

She blinked. "Are you serious?"

"Deadly."

"You? Billionaire Jaxon Reid... packed a picnic?"

"I had help," he admitted. "I called my housekeeper and begged."

Lily laughed, genuinely. "I didn't even know you remembered how to beg."

"I don't. But I remembered you liked blueberry lemonade and strawberries."

He walked ahead, following a hidden trail through the trees. She followed him until they reached a clearing-a small, quiet patch of grass with a view of the lake.

It was beautiful.

And simple.

Jaxon laid out a blanket. "I used to come here after my parents died. It was the only place that didn't feel loud."

Lily lowered herself onto the blanket beside him. "You never told me that."

"I didn't tell anyone. But back then... I would've told you anything."

She looked at him, the wind brushing soft strands of hair across her face.

"I would've stayed, if I could," she said softly.

He met her eyes. "I know that now."

They sat in silence for a few moments, sharing the quiet like old friends relearning the rhythm.

Then he opened the basket and handed her a small glass jar.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Blueberry lemonade," he said. "With mint. Just how you liked it."

Lily's eyes welled unexpectedly.

He noticed. "Too much?"

"No," she whispered. "It's... perfect."

They talked for hours. About nothing. About everything.

He told her about learning to lead a company at twenty, about failing and trying again, about the pressure of being perfect when all he wanted was peace.

She told him about Mason, about working three jobs in college, about eating canned soup for a month to afford a textbook.

He laughed at her stories.

She laughed at his awkward first investor pitch, where he spilled coffee on a millionaire's lap.

"I was mortified," he said. "I thought I was finished."

"What happened?"

"He invested anyway. Said anyone who could humiliate themselves and keep talking was worth the risk."

Lily smiled. "He was right."

Jaxon reached into the basket and pulled out a box of chocolate chip cookies.

She stared at it. "These are... the bakery ones from the corner of our old school."

He nodded. "I bought them this morning. They still remember you."

Her throat tightened. "You really went all out."

"I wanted you to feel remembered."

She looked at him. Really looked.

And for the first time in a long time, the ache in her chest loosened.

"Thank you," she said.

"For what?"

"For making today feel... like something I didn't know I needed."

The sun dipped lower, casting golden light over the lake. Lily lay back on the blanket, eyes closed, breathing in the warm scent of grass and distant water.

Jaxon lay beside her, arm barely brushing hers.

"Do you ever miss it?" she asked. "Before all this?"

"All the time."

"Would you go back, if you could?"

He turned to look at her. "Only if I could take you with me."

Her breath hitched.

She opened her eyes and found him watching her with that same intensity he'd had at seventeen-only now, deeper. Older. Real.

"Lily," he said softly. "I know I can't undo the years we lost. But I'd like to try... whatever this is. Again. With you."

She stared at him.

And smiled.

"I'm scared."

"I am too."

"Good," she whispered. "Means it's real."

That evening, Jaxon dropped her at her apartment. She lingered at the curb, holding the charm bracelet in her hand.

"Wear it," he said gently. "When you're ready."

She nodded.

Then surprised them both by leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you for remembering me," she said.

"You're unforgettable."

Inside, Mason was waiting on the couch with a bag of chips and an expression that could only be described as big brother-level suspicion.

"You're late."

"Hi, Mason."

"Where were you?"

"Work."

"That was not work hair."

She grinned and flopped onto the couch. "It wasn't a date."

"But you're smiling."

"I'm allowed."

He tossed a pillow at her. "You're getting soft."

"Don't worry," she said. "I still pay rent on time."

But as she lay in bed that night, the charm bracelet around her wrist for the first time in seven years, Lily realized something she hadn't dared to believe in a long time.

Maybe... just maybe... the second time around could be even better.