Jaimie was trying not to panic. Dom would get here as soon as he could and she was sure he had everything in hand. This was his forte wasn't it? Crisis management. It used to be her forte too but she seemed to have forgotten everything she had ever known. God damn that man! From the moment she had met Jackson Reed he had been nothing but trouble. First, she had had to deal with his evasions and secrets, then she had had to battle the overwhelming physical attraction she felt for him, and then when she had given in and had the best sex of her life, he had left her high and dry and she had had to forget him, only to have him reappearing like a really hot horror movie baddie, popping up with his sexy little grin and scrambling all her previous resolutions. And the. the bastard had gone and told her he loved her. That god damn dedication ... she didn't want to think about that ludicrous dedication. What the hell had he been thinking? Was he so far up his own ass that he thought she would come running and throw herself into his arms? He had a baby to another woman. The world's press watched his every move. He couldn't sneeze without it being splashed across Us weekly. Why in the hell would she want a piece of that? She could hear Elaine's voice in her head saying "Because he's filthy rich and ridiculously good looking." But that wasn't enough. "He loves you," the ghost Elaine said and Jaimie broke the glass she was washing, a shard slicing into her finger.

"God damn it!" she yelled.

As she was scrabbling in a drawer for a bandaid, the doorbell rang. Dom! About time too. She left the drawer open and rushed to the front door and opened it with her undamaged hand, the other one raised in the air, blood gruesomely running down her wrist, then froze.

"Hi," Jax said.

Jamie stared at him and the only thought that went through her head was, 'He is ridiculously good-looking isn't he?'. Even unshaven with mussed hair. Even fully dressed.

"Are you OK?" he asked looking at the blood.

"What ... are you doing here?" she stammered, her hand still raised. Then she remembered the key important detail of this scenario. Was it possible that he had boarded a plain in LAX and flown to Toronto without anyone noticing? Surely the press must be hot on his heals? "Oh my God, what in the hell are you doing here?" she hissed angrily and looking up and down the street to double check it was empty she grabbed his arm with her uninjured hand and pulled him into the house.

Once in the kitchen, he grabbed hold of her wrist. "We really need to see to that."

"What are you doing here?" she said again, her wrist encased inside his big warm hand. She could feel her body reacting to his touch and she was desperately trying to ignore it.

He dragged her over to the sink and turning on the tap held her hand under the running water.

"It's just a cut," she said. "Are you deliberately trying to destroy my life? How could you write that in your book? What are you doing here?"

"I thought you hadn't seen it," he said calmly, turning her hand under the water.

She winced as the cold water hit the wound. "Well I did see it, and now you've gone and told the whole of North America that you wrote that fucking book! The one that names me in the dedication!"

"I'm sorry, but I had no choice. It was time," he said enigmatically.

Jaimie sighed heavily and tried to pull her hand away but he held on. "Does Dom know you're here?"

"Dom? It's got nothing to do with Dom. I fired him."

"You fired him?"

"I don't need him any more now I'm no longer making movies."

"But ..."

He turned the tap off and grabbing a clean tea towel gently dried her hand. She stood passively, watching him inspect the cut, his head bent over her hand, his lovely face serious and attentive. His eyelashes were so dark and long, his nose such a perfect shape, his lips so full. Jaimie was a little mesmerized.

He looked up at her, his eyes flashing green in the late afternoon light. "You're right, it's just a small cut," he said in a soft, deep voice. "There was so much blood, I didn't know what to think."

"Jax," she found herself saying before she could stop herself. His hand was still holding hers, warm and vital.

"Jaimie," he said, echoing her voice.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him again, much more softly than before, her voice cracking.

"I needed to tell you ...I needed to tell you that things have changed. I've changed. I'm not the same person I was. It's like I've found myself, the person I should have been."

Jaimie couldn't help it, a little snorting laugh escaped from her.

"I know it sounds cheesy, but having Nate and ... being with you on Hydra ... it's changed me."

He held her hand tighter.

"I'm not interested in all that Hollywood shit anymore. I'm not sure I ever was. I don't want any of it. I'm turning my back on it and making a life for myself that I actually want."

His fingers entwined with hers, and he held her hand against his chest.

"And I want you, Jaimie," he said, almost whispering, his head lowering until his lips were in her hair. "I want you."

And what could she say to that? Really? She could hardly give him her usual sass. She couldn't be angry with him. Not when her heart was hammering in her chest and just the feel of him so close to her was making her head deliriously spin. He could be hers. Oh my God, he could be hers!

Then they both heard the front door open and felt the blast of cool air rush into the kitchen and a loud voice yelled, "Jaimie? Where are you?"

"Dom," Jaimie said into Jax's warm chest, but he didn't pull away. He kept her hand pressed against his heart.

Dom arrived in the kitchen and seeing them both, he stopped in his tracks. "Jax!" he said in shock, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh Jesus Christ!" Jax cried, losing his patience. "What the hell do you think I'm doing here? I'm proposing to your fucking sister. Or at least I'm trying to."

Dom stared at him open mouthed. Then slowly backing out of the kitchen said, "Okay ... I'll just ... " and he was gone.

Jamie looked up at him a little dazed. What had he just said? "What did you just say?" she asked.

"I said that I was trying to propose to you. Will you marry me Jaimie?"

There ought to be a million reasons to say 'No', to laugh and say 'Don't be ridiculous' and send him packing, but right now Jaimie couldn't think of a single one. She was in his arms, his intoxicating scent surrounding her. Quite honestly she couldn't think of anywhere she would rather be. Then she remembered the one reason that was truly important.

"What about Nate?" she asked.

"You'll love him," he said with confidence. "He's a beautiful baby. And he'll love you."

Jaimie frowned. It couldn't be this easy, could it? After months of guarding her damaged heart, after months of miserable longing, after weeks of pretending she hadn't been suffering agonizing pain, this couldn't be true. Jax and a baby. It couldn't be this easy.

"You don't have to decide now," he said, stroking a stray curl away from her face. "You can meet Nate first. You can come and see my new house. We can get used to it all, together."

She looked up at him, unable to answer. All she wanted to do right now was wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him. So she did.