Jax

by Penny Anglene

  Jax is on the phone now, with whom I have no idea. I don’t want to know at this point as I turn and go to the bathroom to mop up my face and get it together.

  I need to talk to Debbie and find out what’s going on. Jax comes and asks if I’m ready. I tell him that I forgot I had a late client coming in and where I kept my spare key. He said he was gonna go ahead then and he would see me later tonight.

  “Okay, Jax. I’ll see you then,” I mumble through the doorway.

  “You okay, beautiful?” he hesitantly asks.

  “Fine, honey. I’ll see you tonight,” I repeat.

  I hear him leave and stay in the bathroom for an extra few minutes to make sure he’s gone.

  I go into my office, close and lock the door. I get my purse and take out my phone. I look to see if Debbie ever called me back from yesterday. She hasn’t, so I call her number, but it goes straight to voicemail. I call her mom and ask Jackie if she’s seen her.

  “Ria, honey, how are you?” she wants to know.

  “Doing good,” I reply. “Have you talked to Debbie?” I ask.

  “Yesterday, before she left to go to Tennessee to see Trent. She didn’t tell you?” she asks.

  “No, she hasn’t returned any of my calls. At first, I didn’t think anything of it and now I’m worried. Momma Jackie, a friend of hers says that it’s my fault she isn’t getting any better and that I blame her for what happened to me. I’m worried now. I don’t know what to do,” I say as I sob out loud.

  “Oh, honey, we know it’s not your fault and she knows it too. She stopped going to counseling a while back. Said she didn’t need it anymore. She needs to go back. I hope that Trent can reach her while she’s down there,” she whispers to me.

  “I’m so sorry, I haven’t been there for her lately. If you talk to her, would you tell her I miss and love her and to call me, please?” I ask

  “I will, honey. Don’t you worry about this, Ria. It’s her fault for stopping the therapy. We can’t make her go,” she answers.

  “Okay, Momma Jackie. I love you guys.” I gasp out with heartache.

  We say goodbye and hang up. I call Trent, he picks up on the first ring.

  “She’s gonna be okay, sweets. I promise. She’s back in counseling. Who the hell is this new guy she’s seeing?” he demands.

  “It’s Jax’s brother, Toby,” I tell him.

  “He needs to stop pushing her so much. It’s not helping her any at all. He doesn’t want me to pay him a visit,” Trent states harshly. I sniffle out loud. “What’s happened, sweets?” he asks me. I let him know it’s nothing.

  “Things are changing. Jax is moving in and I miss my best friend. Will you tell her I love and miss her, please?” I ask him.

  “Congratulations on moving forward, honey. I love you, kiddo. I’m always here for you. You remember that,” he says with happiness in his voice. “She knows you love her. I’ll make sure she knows to call soon. Okay?”

  “I love you, Trent. Thank you for everything.” We hang up from one another and I sit down and email Debbie a long email. I know she’ll read it.

  Hey Debbie,

  Damn there is a lot going on, and I feel like I am adrift with not sharing it with you. I wish I knew what I could do to help you. I miss you so fucking much. There are days that I feel my life is out of control, and you aren’t here to listen to me rant like a smartass. You know how some take offense to smartassness. You understand that part of me, and you laugh with me. Jax is moving in. Toby is being an asshole, and I don’t have the first clue what I’ve done to him. I love his brother. He just seems so moody, out of touch with reality sometimes. I keep asking your mom and dad about you. I talked to Trent today to see if you were busy. I know you have a lot going on, so I decided to send you an email. I asked again if I could come see you, but he told me you weren’t ready. I love you. Please reach out. This is a two-way street, you have always been my rock, let me be yours. You have always been here for me. Let me be there for you. Tell me what I can do to help you. If it’s something I’ve done, tell me so I can fix it. I miss you, please know I am here. I love you too the moon and back, Sis. You call me anytime night or day. I am here for you.

  Your sister from another set of parents,

  Ria……

  xoxoxoxoxoxo

  I work the rest of the afternoon at the salon. I have done a total of twenty heads of hair today; I am tired and worn out. I just want to go home, take a shower, eat and go to bed. We all finish cleaning the salon and we all head out at the same time. I get in my car and head home. I have missed it there. I like to surround myself with familiar things. I feel better and safer. I am still so upset about Toby. He needs to stop with this crap. This is the second time he’s butting in where he shouldn’t. The first time I excused him because it was his brother. This is going too far.

  I get home and there are Jax and his parents. He looks like he got his things moved in. There’s a trailer that is sitting in the driveway that looks empty except for a dresser.

  I park and get out, put a smile on my face even if it looks fake. I am so glad he’s here, but I’m nervous about Toby causing us problems. He has been pretty vocal about his dislike of me lately; actually, it’s been from the start. His parents come out of the house, his mom holding Sassy in her arms. Jax sees me, stops the direction he is heading, and makes a beeline to me. He stops when he gets there, picking me up, and carries me through the threshold of the house. He kisses me as he sets me down, keeping his hands on my ass.

  “I have almost everything moved in,” he says in a deep bass sounding happy voice.

  “Any problems with anything?” I ask as I slide my hands up and around his neck. I lean in and nip at his lips. I love his beard, it’s so soft on my face. He takes over the kiss like always, deepening it with a sweep of his tongue to the outside of my lips demanding entrance and he will not be denied.

  His dad comes inside with drawers to the dresser, and I tap his shoulders to get his attention. He leans back, and his lips are glistening from our kiss.

  “It just got a lot better,” he responds with a cocky tooth-showing grin.

  I shake my head not believing a word of it.

  “Hi, Stewart and Eva, how are you all doing today? Did he keep you all busy?” I ask.

  His dad grunts.

  Eva tells me they had a great day; it’s not often they get to spend time together like this.

  “Sassy kept you entertained?”

  “I love this little baby. She is a sweetheart,” she replies.

  Jax leans down and kisses me and goes out the door to get the dresser. I glance out and he lifts the rest of it by himself and starts his way in. I see Mrs. Franks outside waving like a loon. Then I see Jax’s face turn bright cherry red, it continues down his neck and he drops the dresser on the ground.

  I head outside and so does Eva.

  “Well, sonny, are you gonna come work on my plumbing or not? It’s just a little rust, what’s it gonna hurt? Big strong lad like you, wouldn’t take long at all,” she gleefully declares with a flamboyant twist of her hips.

  I just hang my head as Jackie sounds like she is choking on her tongue. I twist my head in her direction and tell her I am so sorry. She looks at me and cracks up laughing harder than I have ever seen anyone laugh.

  Jax turns and looks at me.

  “Your decision, honey bun,” I tell him with a wicked look on my face. His mom laughs even harder. Mrs. Franks has totally gotten out of hand. I have decided to sit this one out and let him figure it out on his own. He is going to have to one up her for her to stop. I smother a grin with my hand. I look at him with a twinkle in my eyes.

  Jax looks at Mrs. Franks and tells her again that he is a one-woman man. She has a devious look on her face now, and I know she is up to no good. He hasn’t figured it out yet. He will.

  Eva and Stewart stay for dinner that Eva had cooked while I was at work. They are great people and I am happy to have them in my life.


  “Why didn’t Toby come help today Jax?” his dad asks with a smile.

  Jax looks at his parents with a pissed-off look.

  “Toby is being an ass, stepping over boundaries and not being really nice to Ria or myself. I have no idea what his problem is, but he had my woman crying today. I won’t have it. I will whip his ass if he does it again.” he states with a voice filled with deep gritty pissed-off male testosterone.

  “How did you know that?” I ask with an expression full of disbelief.

  “I know you. I heard you trying to cover it up. If he hadn’t of already left, I would have beat him today. Beautiful, you come first for me. He will not disrespect you again. He has no business butting in when he doesn’t know nothing. Apparently, Debbie hasn’t told him,” he states empathetically.

  “She stopped going to counseling, she’s now visiting Trent. I talked with him today. She is back in therapy, but not taking my calls. She has always blamed herself. She won’t accept that she saved me.” I say with tears running down my face.

  I just now realize that I have talked about what happened to Debbie and I with his parents in the house and I am mortified. I look over and excuse myself and leave the room. I sob with hiccups. I go to the bathroom to mop myself up. I am gone for about five minutes when I go back to the table. They all look up. I can tell Jax has been talking to them just from the look in their eyes.

  “I didn’t tell them everything, beautiful. That’s for when you are ready.”

  I just nod. I sit down and decide they need to know some of what happened. “When I was fifteen, I was kidnapped and held for a week. Debbie was with me; they took her and beat her really badly and dumped her in a ditch. She laid there for well over fifteen hours. I was raped and was hurt pretty badly myself. I had intensive counseling for a long time.” I tell them all of this with tears running down my face. Jax is up and squatting down next to me on the floor. He has wrapped his hand around my neck kissing the side of my head.

  “Honestly, I prefer for this to not go any further. It was all pretty much kept hush hush. Debbie’s brother, Trent, found me and her other brother, Pete, helped to keep it buried. Pete’s a police officer. I don’t have any idea why Debbie blames herself. Counseling helps, but she also won’t let me go with her, or anyone else. I have a hard time letting others that are not victims know my story,” I whisper. I am still looking down and not seeing their reaction.

  When I look up finally, they both have tears running down their faces. His mom is weeping quietly. I look at Jax. “I am so proud of you, beautiful. Thank you for sharing with them,” he tells me gently under his breath.

  It takes a few minutes for everyone to get themselves together.

  “Since Toby and Debbie are seeing each other, I can’t and won’t say anything of what went down. She hasn’t told him, otherwise he wouldn’t be acting this way, I don’t think. If he does know then I am sorry, because he’s just a dick then. If he doesn’t, then it’s not my place to tell him,” I say with a forceful strong voice.

  His parents agree to not say a word to anyone.

  “It’s none of his business, that little asshole. I am going to kick his ass too if he doesn’t stop,” Stewart says.

  “I’m going to smack that child upside his head,” Eva mutters at the same time.

  It’s late and has been a long day. Honestly, I am just ready to go to sleep. I have cried more in the last month than I have in the last year. His parents give us both hugs and kisses.

  Jax shuts and locks the front door. I smile. He is learning some of my quirks and that makes me love him that much more. I clean things up, and Jax lets Sassy outside. I am wiping off the counters when he comes back in from the back of the house, he turns to the back door and lets Sassy back inside.

  “Let’s take a shower, beautiful. I am worn out and I know you are too.”

  He takes my hand and we turn off the lights as we head down the hallway. He shuts the bedroom door and we head toward the bathroom. I stop and look around. I can see Jax’s belongings mixed in with mine. I look at him with love in my eyes. “I’m so glad you’re moved in with me. I love you, Jax.”

  He takes me in his arms, with his mouth by my ear and softly says, “I love you too, beautiful, more than I thought imaginable.”

  We get in the shower and wash each other. We get out with drops of water running down our bodies. He takes a towel and dries me off, then himself as I brush my teeth. He comes over and grabs his own toothbrush and brushes his. He’s looking at me in the mirror as we get ready for bed side by side. I rinse my toothbrush and head toward the bed. I pull the covers back as he picks me up from behind. He places me in the middle of the bed, scoots in behind me, and wraps his arms around me. He kisses me. “Sleep baby. We have the rest of our lives. I have to do one tattoo in the morning then I’ll be home. Shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. Stay in bed and rest. If you aren’t feeling any better, you need to go to the walk-in clinic,” he tells me.

  “Honey you worry too much. I am just overly stressed, being worried about your reaction, and everything else in our life. I will be back to my old self as soon as I get some rest.”

  “You heard what I said. If you are not any better you are going.”

  I drift off to sleep for the first time in my home with my man living here. I feel loved and cherished.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Things are going well; we have been living together for about six weeks. Jax and Toby have a strained relationship right now, and I feel a little like I am stuck in the middle. This is his brother, there shouldn’t be that line drawn between them. Toby is blaming me for Debbie being gone, and she isn’t taking any of his calls. He also doesn’t understand how she can financially not work either, but that’s her story to tell. His family have been over for a cookout, but Toby made excuses not to come. In all honesty, it was probably for the best. My parents adore Jax, and Sophia can’t wait to meet him.

  It’s Friday, and it’s getting cooler with fall setting in. It’s about two weeks before Halloween.

  “Jax, honey, I think I want to go see Debbie. We haven’t ever gone this long without seeing each other and I miss her something awful. I’m also worried about her.” I look at him as I am saying this.

  He glances over. “If you want to go, then go. If you want me to take you, I will take you. It’s up to you,” he says with a look of understanding.

  “I’ll call today at lunch and check in first to see how she’s doing. I will also ask Trent before I decide for sure. I only have a small load today, so I will be getting off a little early. How does your day look?” I ask looking at him.

  “I have a full load today. Not sure what time I will get off but will try to get home as early as I can. I took tomorrow off. Just a day at home for a change, but I also have a surprise for you too. I want to get the yard cleaned up one last time and change the oil on my bike.”

  “Okay, I love you, honey.” I reach up and rake my fingers through his beard and tug his head down, this is one of the many ways of how I get my kisses from him. He always grins at me, because I rub my hands through his beard. He smacks my ass on my way out the door. “Let Sassy out please, before you leave. He nods his head. He’s doing something on his phone. Heck, he could be ordering supplies for all I know.

  It’s been a long day at the salon, and I tried to get ahold of both Debbie and Trent. No answer from either of them so I have no idea of what’s going on. I head home and as I get out, I felt as if someone had been watching me as I pulled into my driveway. It’s starting to irritate the piss out of me. I holler at Mrs. Franks and she asks for her cookies. I tell her next week, maybe. I unlock the front door and go inside and lock the door behind me. I go to let Sassy out. She is running around my feet, crazy like. The back door wasn’t locked. I look around but don’t see anything out of place. I grab a knife and head down the hallway. I look around and nothing looks out of place there either. I just think maybe Jax forgot to lock the door. I will
have to remind him to do that. I hear someone knocking and go and look out. Trent is on the porch looking around. I see he is waving at Mrs. Franks. She always did like him. I open the door and squeal like a teenager. I love this big lug. He wraps his arms around me, leans in and give me a big kiss. I laugh and let him in.

  “So, I tried calling earlier. I didn’t know you were coming up.” I say with a smile.

  “I know, sweets. I brought Debbie home to Mom and Dad’s. She’s doing better, and I expect she will be by to see you in the next few days. She went into inpatient therapy this time. She looks good, seems to be doing so much better. I told her what your man’s brother was doing. She wants nothing to do with him now,” he says. We sit and visit for about an hour. I tell him I am one hundred percent in love with Jax. He is really happy for me. He wants to get back to the clubhouse before the party tonight he says with a big lecherous smile on his face. I just shake my head, grin and stick my tongue out at him. Childish I know but it reminds me of my childhood.

  “Hey before you leave, I want to mention that sometimes I feel like someone is watching me. I look around but don’t see anyone but…” I trail off.

  He looks a little concerned and tells me he will look into it.

  “Have you said anything to Pete?” he wants to know. I shake my head no.

  He hugs me again and he leaves. It’s now six-thirty and Jax should be home in the next hour. I go back in and start dinner. I’m making spaghetti; it’s one of Jax’s favorites.

  It’s going on seven-thirty and he isn’t home yet. I go get my phone because I heard it go off earlier. It’s a message from some unknown number. It’s a picture of Trent kissing me on my porch. What the hell? I think to myself. Why would someone be taking a picture of Trent kissing me?