Before Mari could ring the doorbell, the door opened and Jax stood in the doorway looking exhausted.
Not normal tired as she had expected but completely exhausted and rough.
His eyes were red. His shirt had paint stains all over it. His hair looked messy like he'd been running his hands through it repeatedly.
And his face—
Mari's chest tightened painfully at how drained he looked.
For a moment Jax simply stared at her.
Like his tired brain needed time to process what he was seeing.
"Mari?" His voice sounded rough.
Mari's eyes softened immediately. "Surprise!"
Jax blinked slowly.
He had thought he was seeing things when he received notification of an incoming vehicle and confirmed it was Mari's car.
"What are you doing here?" he asked quietly, wondering if she'd defied her father again.
Mari smiled. "What else? I missed you."
He looked behind her at the guards, then back at her. "Am I to believe you got your father's approval to be here?"
