Lost But Found | ✔️ - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Good for Her
Ava
Letting Jaxon into her house had been a mistake.
At least, that's what she told herself.
She wasn't sure what made her step back and let him in last night, but she had. And now, here he was, sitting at her kitchen table like he belonged there.
And, worse—he was making her little brother laugh.
Ava leaned against the counter, arms crossed as she watched the two of them from a distance.
Liam, her eight-year-old brother, sat across from Jaxon, eyes wide with excitement as Jaxon spun some ridiculous football story. His dark brown bounced as he laughed, completely enthralled.
Jaxon, for his part, looked just as amused. He was leaned back in his chair, relaxed in a way that felt so natural, like this wasn't weird, like this wasn't the first time he'd been inside her house, in her world.
She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
Liam, however, had no such hesitation.
"You play quarterback, right?" Liam asked, eyes bright.
Jaxon grinned. "Yep."
"That means you throw the ball a lot."
Jaxon smirked. "That's the goal."
Liam looked thoughtful for a second before perking up. "Can you teach me?"
Ava stiffened. "Liam—"
Jaxon didn't even hesitate. "Yeah, man. Let's do it."
Liam's face lit up, and before Ava could stop him, he was already grabbing a football from the hall closet.
Ava exhaled sharply, giving Jaxon a look. "You don't have to do that."
Jaxon just shrugged, that easygoing smirk still in place. "I want to."
Ava hesitated, glancing at Liam, who was practically bouncing on his toes with excitement.
He didn't get this often.
Their mom was always gone—off on business trips that lasted way longer than they should. Ava had been taking care of Liam for as long as she could remember.
And as much as she wanted to keep Jaxon at a distance, she couldn't ignore the way her little brother was looking at him.
Like he was something special.
Like he was already someone Liam trusted.
She sighed. "Fine. But if you break anything, you're paying for it."
Jaxon grinned. "Deal."
They headed outside to the small backyard. The space was limited, but it was enough for Jaxon to show Liam how to grip the football properly.
Ava watched from the steps, arms crossed, her heart doing something weird in her chest as Jaxon knelt down to Liam's level, explaining things in a way an eight-year-old would understand.
She should have known he'd be good at this.
He was patient. Encouraging. And the way Liam looked up at him—like he was the coolest person on the planet—didn't help at all.
Liam threw his first pass, and it wobbled in the air before landing a few feet short.
Jaxon grinned. "Not bad, man. Let's try again."
Ava shook her head, unable to hide her amusement. "You're just saying that to be nice."
Jaxon glanced back at her, smirking. "What, you think I'd lie to a kid?"
Ava raised a brow. "Yes."
Jaxon laughed before turning back to Liam. "Alright, bud. We'll make a QB out of you yet."
Liam beamed, and Ava's stomach flipped.
She wasn't sure how this had happened.
How Jaxon had gone from being the guy who annoyed her in the hallways to this—the guy making her little brother laugh, the guy standing in her backyard like he belonged there.
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to look away.
Because if she kept watching, she might start thinking about things she couldn't afford to think about.
Like what it would mean if Jaxon wasn't just good at football.
But good for her.