“I don’t want to see you guys in here again,” Slade told them. Looking completely defeated, the three walked away.
From the other side of the bar, Jett hollered, “And don’t come back, hear?”
When the bar was calm again, Travis spoke first. “Good job, darlin’!” He picked Jessica up into a bear hug. Cain pulled out the cash, counted it, handed Jessica a cut, and then gave the other two some money.
“A woman that can hustle three grown-ass men? I think I’m in love, linda.” Tony put his hand over his heart.
Jessica smiled. “That was fun, guys. Well, except for the whole testosterone-fueled armlock, neck-choking thingy. Gotta get back to work. See ya!”
“Wait! What the hell just happened?” Slade asked aloud to no one in particular.
“I think you’re dateless, brother,” Travis said as he walked away, leaving Slade totally confused. He still had a lot to learn about Jessica.
Chapter 12
Slade was working out at the gym with Jack, taking his aggression out on the punching bag.
“Spill it. You’ve been broody for weeks,” Jack said.
“Since when do we do girl talk?”
“Since your sister told me to get on it.”
“And you do everything my sister says?”
“Fuck yeah, I do.”
“Pussy-whipped,” Slade grumbled.
“So, you can tell me what’s going on, or I can tell you all the reasons why I love being pussy-whipped by Chrissy. But I gotta warn you, it has to do with pussy.”
“No. No. Please.” Slade rolled his eyes in disgust. He hit the bag a few more times before he began to talk. “We’d been doing so well. Like, fucking great. I mean, this girl is, well…I…anyway…So, she’s really leaving. I thought it was just a bluff. You know how women say they’re doing something just to make you grovel or feel guilty? But man, she’s really leaving. Just because of one argument. Granted, it was a big-ass motherfucking argument about Frances. Jessica has issues with Francesca and I didn’t handle it right. But, in my defense, her issues with Francesca are ridiculous. Anyway, she got crazy jealous. And just about then, this other chick showed up and started talking about having sex with me.”
“Well, to begin with, every woman has issues with Francesca. Have you seen her? She’s like a walking wet dream.”
Slade punched him on the shoulder. “Bro, aren’t you engaged to my sister?”
“I love your sister. I adore her. I’d never cheat on her. No one compares to her. But shit, man, I’m not blind. For that matter, neither is she—every time fucking Travis comes around, I swear to God, man, Chrissy starts grinning and stuttering. Anyway, like I said, everyone has issues with Francesca. And then, to top it off, you have all these groupies hanging around. No wonder the chick split.”
“I thought you were on my side! And they’re not groupies,” he protested. “They were just fun diversions, but once Jessica came around, it was all over with them. Anyway, I said some things I shouldn’t have, but everyone argues, right? This relationship stuff is all new to me. It’s a fucking pain in my ass. Now she tells me she’s moving back to Charlotte and just wants to be friends. But fuck that. I’m not giving up. My new plan is to play it cool. Let her see what she’s missing. Even though I only have a few days to win her over,” he said a little dejectedly.
“Let me know how that works out for ya,” Jack said with a chuckle.
“Women are fucking crazy. Why can’t she just—”
“Screw your brains out?” Jack finished his sentence.
“I was going to say get over it. But yeah, that seems like a great plan. Shit, man, good sex would make me forgive pretty much anything.”
“Well, I’ll share a secret with you, brother. Women don’t work that way. They’re huge pains in the ass. They want to talk about their feelings. They want you to know what they want before they themselves even know what they want. But if it’s the right woman—you do it. You do it happily because the payoff is well worth it. Fuck, I’m about to inherit a litter of goddamn puppies. I hate puppies, man, but for your sister, I’d probably go to the pound and get all the fucking dogs they have if I thought it’d make her happy.”
“When did you become the relationship Yoda? This conversation is getting weird.”
“Tomorrow I’ll braid your hair and buy you a tampon.”
They both laughed and continued their assault on the punching bag.
—
“For fuck’s sake, Texas, stop eating.” Jack snatched a biscuit from Travis’s hand. “Chrissy’s going to flip out if she sees you’ve eaten everything before the steaks are ready.” Jack gestured toward the grill.
With a mouth full of biscuits, Travis replied, “But they’re fucking delicious. And I’m so hungry, my belly thinks my throat’s been cut. No need to have a hissy fit.”
Slade chuckled. “You better swallow that and hide the evidence, brother. My sister is going to be seriously pissed.”
“Oh, please!” Travis scoffed. “Your sister loves me. She can’t keep her eyes off me.” Travis’s eyebrows waggled suggestively.
Jack reached over with the hand not occupied with a spatula and slapped the back of Travis’s head.
“Jesus Christ!” Travis said, rubbing the sore spot.
“I’m going to kick your ass if you keep talking about my wife that way.”
“She’s not your wife yet,” Travis said with a smirk.
Just then Chrissy walked out to the yard with a big bowl covered in tinfoil. She smiled, pecked Slade and Travis on the cheek, then planted an uncomfortably-too-long-for-a brother’s-eyes kiss on Jack. When Jack reached for Chrissy’s waist and pulled her to him, the bowl in her hand teetered.
“Baby, if that’s food, you better hold on to it tight,” Travis laughed.
“Stop fucking calling her ‘baby,’ ” Jack growled.
Chrissy, flushed and frazzled, stepped back and composed herself. “What was that for?” she asked Jack.
“Does there have to be a reason to want to kiss you?”
Chrissy giggled and headed over to the nearby patio table to put down the bowl.
“Man, you practically peed on her,” Travis said. He followed Chrissy to the table and told her, “Baby, he’s just worried you’ll run away with me.” He kissed her playfully on the cheek before taking the tinfoil off the bowl.
“Seriously, Trav, Jack’s going to kick your ass,” Slade said.
“Holy shit! More biscuits.” Travis picked one up, inhaled deeply, and then took a huge bite. With a mouthful of food, he said, “Forget that dickhead, baby. Marry me?”
“How is it you don’t get fat?” Chrissy asked, laughing.
Travis shrugged and popped the rest of the biscuit in his mouth. “Genetic, I guess. Jamie Lynn eats as much as I do.”
“Bullshit. It’s ’cause he’s always working out,” Slade replied. “I can’t seem to kick him out of the gym. He’s always just there.”
“You know you love me.” Travis smiled at Slade, who just shook his head.
From inside the house came the sound of a doorbell, and Chrissy went to open the door.
“Speaking of love…” Jack looked over at Slade. “I think that’s Jessica right now.”
Slade didn’t answer.
“Brother, I’ve known you a long time. A long fucking time,” Travis said, shoving another biscuit into his mouth. “If you don’t claim that chick soon, someone else will. She’s hot and seriously cool.”
Slade didn’t need anyone telling him this, but what could he do? She refused to get back together with him.
“Slade, go bring me a big plate from inside before these steaks burn,” Jack said.
Slade opened the sliding glass door and walked inside, looking for Chrissy. “Yo, sis. Jack needs something to put the steaks on.”
“There’s a platter in the kitchen,” Chrissy yelled.
Slade walked toward the kitchen, but when he turned the corner, he crashed ri
ght into Jessica.
“Shit. Sorry, Jess.” They stared at each other for several long moments. It felt as if the silence went on and on. Slade noticed how sad Jessica looked—as sad as he felt.
Chrissy came downstairs and saw the two of them standing face-to-face. “Um…guess I’ll go get that thing for Jack,” Chrissy stammered, and made a beeline for the kitchen.
Eventually Slade cleared his throat and took a step back. “So, the text Chrissy sent said that there’s some big news. What do you think it is?”
“Seriously?” Jessica laughed. “Obviously, she’s pregnant.”
“What. The. Fuck?” Slade looked over his shoulder to see Jack laughing by the grill. “That son of a motherfucker! He knocked my sister up! I’ll kill him. He shoulda married her first.” Slade grabbed Jessica’s hand again and dragged her through the house toward the patio.
“Slade, stop it. You’re overreacting. They’re about to get married. They’re living together! You’re acting irrational. This isn’t the nineteen hundreds, for crying out loud.” She panted as she struggled to keep up.
Slade opened the sliding door belligerently, stepped out, pulling Jessica with him, and slammed the door shut, causing the glass to shake. He released Jessica’s hand and took three long strides toward the grill. “What the fuck, Daniels?”
Jack, who had been smiling and saying something to Travis, suddenly stopped, obviously confused by the anger on Slade’s face.
“What crawled up your ass?” Jack said.
“Tell me.”
“Tell you what?” Jack put the plate down and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Slade, who was standing much like he was. It looked like a scene from a western, with two humongous men ready to duel; the only things missing were the guns and the background music. Chrissy stepped closer to the men, flanking Jack while Travis crept up next to Slade.
“Oh, come on,” Slade said. When Jack didn’t reply, he jutted his chin out. “Pregnancy?”
“Oh, that.” Chrissy let out a breath.
Travis, Slade, and Jessica all looked at Chrissy in confusion.
“Yeah, that!” Slade snarled. “How could you not tell me?”
“Because I know you hate him and I didn’t want you to get pissed off. I don’t even understand why you’re acting so surprised. You were there when I found out. So I guess asking you to keep one is out of the question?”
“What?” Jessica yelped.
“That makes as much sense as tits on a bull,” Travis said.
Just then someone else knocked on the door, and Travis stood up to get it.
Slade remained standing. His mouth opened and then closed again, but no words came out. He felt Jessica come close to him and squeeze his hand.
“Sweetie, um,” she said to Chrissy, “you said ‘one of them.’ Is there more than one?”
“I think so. I’ve never had any before. But isn’t that the way it happens? At least two, I would think. I mean, he’s tiny.” Chrissy put her hands out a very short distance apart. “So I can’t imagine a lot of swimmers shooting out of there.”
“Oh my God, Chrissy!” Jessica put her hand over her mouth, her face flushed. She couldn’t seem to make eye contact with Jack. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
Chrissy shrugged and took a sip of her beer. “It’s the truth.”
Finally Slade managed to speak. “I don’t hate him. I mean, I didn’t hate him. I’m not sure anymore.”
“You don’t hate him?” Chrissy asked. “I thought you did. You always kick him and yell at him.”
Just then Travis came back out on the patio with Cain in tow, in time to hear what Chrissy said. “Slade? You’ve been kicking Jack and yelling at him?” he asked, puzzled.
Jack and Chrissy’s heads whipped around to Travis.
“Wait, what the hell do you all think we’re talking about?” asked Jack.
“That Chrissy’s pregnant,” Jessica said.
“Oh my God, babe! You’re pregnant?” Jack asked, dropping the plate of hot dogs.
“No!” She looked at Jack and then turned to the four other spectators. “No! I was talking about Drogo. Our dog. He got the neighbor’s dog pregnant.” Chrissy turned to Slade. “Slay, you were there! You saw me arguing with Mrs. Weatherby. Why would you think I was pregnant? And even if I was pregnant, why the hell are you so mad?”
When his heart began to beat at a regular pace again, Slade looked down at a very embarrassed, albeit very beautiful, Jessica. She tucked her face into his chest and mumbled, “Oops.”
His lips twitched. She was just too adorable.
At that moment, his play-it-cool-and-give-her-space strategy went completely out the window. Operation Relentlessly Win Her Back was back on. Even if he only had a few measly days, he was still going to try to keep her there with him.
“Sorry. I was misinformed,” Slade said with a shrug. “And by the way, you need to get married before you knock her up. That’s what Mom and Dad woulda wanted.”
“I don’t know if I’m insulted or touched,” Chrissy said.
“Y’all are crazy.” Travis walked toward the steaks. “And all this confusion just made me hungrier. Feed me, woman, or I’ll pass out right here on your patio. Or maybe I’ll just eat those hot dogs right off the ground.”
“But you just ate like ten biscuits,” Chrissy said, looking down at the bowl. “Holy shit, Trav, how can you possibly be hungry?”
He shrugged. “I’m starvin’.”
“Okay, guys, dig in. Grab a steak. See if you can wrestle a biscuit out of Texas’s grip, and there are baked potatoes and corn on the cob over there,” she added, pointing to the table.
Cain smiled and made his way to the grill, Travis following. Jessica loosened her grip on Slade and made as if to go get some food, but Slade grabbed her arm. “Lady, you’re the cutest fucking walking disaster I’ve ever met. Fucking adorable.” He shook his head and let her go.
Once they were all seated, Slade spoke up. “So if you’re not pregnant, then what’s the big news?”
“Oh. Well, we bought the building across the street from the gym. I’m opening a medical practice.”
“Sweet!” Travis cheered.
Cain smiled at both Jack and Chrissy.
“That’s great, guys. I’m so happy for you,” Jessica said.
“Cool. So when my guys get concussed, I can just drag ’em across the street,” Slade said.
Chrissy laughed. “Yeah. I’m going to make millions off your stupidectomies!”
“Stupid what?” Travis asked.
“It’s what I call it when someone comes to see me to fix them up from doing something stupid, usually repeatedly.”
“Like fighting,” Jessica said, knowing how Chrissy disliked the sport that her fiancé and brother were part of.
“Like fighting,” Chrissy confirmed.
“Seriously, though, I’m really happy you took such a big step. That means you’re really staying in Tarpon Springs,” Slade said.
“I already told you that.”
“Yeah, I know, but—”
“But you didn’t believe me,” Chrissy said. She went around to Slade and wrapped her arms around her brother. “I’m not leaving again, Slay. My running days are over.”
Slade pressed his hands over hers and whispered, “I’m real glad, Chris. Real glad.”
“Hey, Cain. Whatever happened to Violet?” Chrissy asked when she sat back down.
Cain shrugged.
“Words, please. You did that caveman thing with her, and I haven’t seen her since. I hope you don’t have her stashed in your cave. I need a nurse when I open the practice and she was sweet. I wonder if she has a job already.”
“Passed out. Took her to J’s.”
“Does the extra L take that much effort, man? JL.” Travis overenunciated the L.
Cain said nothing.
“So, that’s it?” Jessica asked Cain suspiciously.
“Why would there be more?”
Cain asked.
“Don’t know. Got the feeling that there was something else,” Jessica said, and Chrissy agreed.
“No.” And that was the last word Cain said for the rest of the evening.
After dinner, drinks, and some chatting, Cain and Travis took off. Jessica stayed behind to help Chrissy clean up in the kitchen, while Jack and Slade stayed outside drinking.
“I’m real happy for you, Chris,” Jessica said. “Your dreams are coming true.”
“I know. I’m so excited.”
“Have you started planning the wedding?”
Chrissy let out a groan. “No. That’s horrible, right? I should be more excited. It’s just that I am so bad at all that planning stuff. We want something small. Just friends. I know we haven’t talked about it, but Slade told me about you leaving. I hope you’ll come back for the wedding?”
Jessica looked down at the plate she was rinsing. She hated the entire situation. She should be staying in Tarpon Springs helping her friend with the wedding plans; instead she was being bullied out of town, forced away from people who had come to mean the world to her. And even though Chrissy was her closest friend in Tarpon Springs besides Slade, Jessica hadn’t even had the courage to tell Chrissy she was leaving; she’d had to hear it from Slade. Some friend I am, Jessica thought disconsolately.
“Jess?”
Jessica looked up, her eyes misty. “Yes, of course I’ll be here for the wedding.” It came out sounding flustered, but that’s because she was.
“Jessica, you okay?” Chrissy stopped putting away the silverware and fixed her eyes on Jessica, who was drying plates.
“Yes. I’m just sad, I guess. I’ve been sad about leaving Slade, but it just hit me right now that I’m not only leaving Slade.”
“No, you’re not. We’ll all miss you, Jessica. Me, Jack, the guys, Patsy, all of us. I’ve kept my mouth shut because it’s none of my business, but…I know you came to town because of Dennis, but you’ve been here long enough for this to have become your home, honey. You shouldn’t leave it because of any man. Not Dennis and not Slade. I love my brother, but if you and him didn’t work out—though I still think you guys should figure it out, because you’re great together—you shouldn’t feel that the alternative is to run back to Charlotte.”
Full Contact (Worth the Fight #2) Page 18
