by Hadley Quinn
He had no reply for that. And the way she was looking at him literally killed something inside his chest. She couldn’t possibly want to be in his life still, could she? Did she not realize how it was going to affect hers?
“I really need to get stuff done,” he told her as indifferently as he could. He couldn’t look at her after that so he went back to work to avoid further suffering, although it didn’t help.
“Okay,” was all she replied softly.
Out of the corner of his eye he watched her walk for the exit. She didn’t say another word, and when she was almost to the door of the waiting room, he finally risked a glance. There was something about those few seconds—watching her walk away from him at his own fucking command—that totally caused an oh shit moment to pulse through him. It felt entirely wrong to him, and he knew it without a doubt, but there was something that bound his tongue, something that whispered assurances to him at the same time that he was doing the right thing.
Yeah. It was called reality.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“If you think the blonde has a big set, check out the lips on that one right there,” Kyle mused, fully drunk. He pointed his bottle of beer across the room without even trying to be discreet. “Would fucking love to have those around my dick.”
“You fail to see what’s attached to the rest of her, dumbass,” Jay told him with a smirk. “She looks a bit beastly, bro.”
“Yeah, she’s a bit sasquatch, Kyle,” Teague chuckled. “Rub your eyes a few times.”
“You guys are fucking rude,” Kyle smiled slowly. “You never know, she might give mind blowing head and you’d be missing out ‘cause you’re a pair of superficial douchebags.”
Jay laughed and so did Teague. “I’d rather miss out,” Jay said. “But you go ahead, pal. Go talk to her.”
“I just will, fuckers,” Kyle stated, almost tipping his chair over when he stood. Tyse arrived with a beer at the same time and Kyle added, “Eyes off, bitch. I’m goin’ in.”
Tyse only raised his eyebrows but watched him leave. Jay and Teague were still laughing and Tyse said, “Oh hell no, you guys did not convince him to make a move on that.”
“What the fuck, really?” Jay scoffed with a laugh. “No way am I that big of an asshole.”
“Uh, yeah you are,” Tyse answered as he took a seat.
“Yeah dude, you are,” Teague agreed. “I mean Kyle set himself up for that one, but I could see you messing with him if he hadn’t.”
“Fuck you, I was aiming more for that one,” he pointed across the room. “He just found her better looking twin.”
“Oh my God, the hooker?” Teague rolled his eyes. “She’s the chick that licks her lips all the time, isn’t she. So fucking disgusting.”
“Not a turn-on at all,” Jay agreed, just as the girl did it again for their benefit. “In fact, I’m gonna let her know it’s more of a deterrent.”
“Oh man,” Tyse groaned. “Somebody hold him back.”
“Fuck you, she’s pissing me off. Look at that,” Jay motioned. All three of them looked her way, and even though she seemed surprised by the attention at first, she smiled anyways.
And then the tongue came out again.
“It’s like a goddamn lizard,” Teague stated. “If you tell Camyrn I was staring, it’s because I can’t even look away. It’s like a brutal car accident. Just…wow, that’s gross,” he added just as she did it again.
“Jesus Christ,” Jay rolled his eyes. He lifted his hand in the air and motioned her over with his finger.
“Oh God, just don’t,” Tyse groaned again. “Seriously?”
“Someone needs to tell her.”
“Can’t you just do it in a note?” Teague asked. “Honestly, you’re gonna make a scene.”
“No, I’m only here to help,” Jay grinned. “I feel obligated right now.”
“Here,” Tyse said, pushing a napkin his way. “I’ll even deliver it.”
“Too late,” Jay smiled as the raven-haired lip-licker approached. Jay could tell right away she was probably in her thirties, but with a short dress and a boob job, she most likely fooled plenty of men—especially drunk ones.
“Hey fellas,” she said in a voice meant to be honey drenched.
It made Jay wince, and one glance at Tyse almost made him laugh out loud. His brother looked horrified by the fake eyelashes and pounds of makeup. Teague was only shaking his head, most likely because he knew what was on the menu for this interaction.
“What’s your name?” Jay asked, taking a drink of his beer.
“Whatever you want it to be, gorgeous,” she replied with a wink.
“Ahh, so you’re gonna play it that way, huh,” Jay stated casually. “Then never mind,” he added, and he motioned her away with the flick of his hand.
She was surprised and paused for a moment, obviously not used to that ploy not working in her favor. She ran her tongue across her lower lip and answered, “It’s Victoria.”
“What’s your real name, sweetheart?” Jay asked. “Not your street name, your real name.”
“Excuse me?” she gasped, apparently offended.
“Well I just thought we could get on a factual level here since I’m going to give you some genuine advice.”
Her eyes were narrowed at him at this point. “Advice? And what ‘advice’ do you think you have for me. You’re a brazen little shit, aren’t you,” she scoffed with a laugh.
“I like to keep things real, yes,” Jay answered. “So moving on…”
“Oh God,” he heard Tyse mumble.
“For starters, that thing you do with your tongue?” Jay continued.
She paused for a moment until acknowledgment set in, and then she ran her tongue along her lower lip to show him.
“Yeah—I mean hell no is the point. Just…don’t, okay? It’s fucking disgusting.”
“What?” she scowled at him.
“Yeah, I’d rather beat my own dick with a spiked sledge hammer.”
Both Tyse and Teague choked down their laughter but Victoria’s eyes narrowed so far, all Jay could see was sparkly eyelashes.
“You’re a fucking little child,” she retorted.
“Yeah pretty much, so find someone your own age,” he replied, taking another drink.
“You’re the one that called me over here,” she sassed back with a triumphant smile.
Jay laughed sarcastically. “Lady, you’ve been over there all night waiting for one of us to get drunk enough to come over. I just figured you could stop wasting your time and get a little advice at the same time.”
“That’s your advice? To lecture me on the age of men I’m with?”
“Stop licking your fucking lips,” Tyse finally said. “At least at us. Do it all you want facing that way,” he pointed away from them.
Victoria eyed him carefully and said, “Oh look at that, the baby of the clan has a voice. So sad, you looked like the sweet one.”
“He’s the baby of our ‘clan’,” Tyse pointed to Jay. “And he’s the sweet one,” he pointed to Teague. “And I’m just sick of looking at you so would you please take your fake everything and go lick yourself that way?”
“Oh holy shit,” Jay laughed quietly. He couldn’t help it. He’d never seen Tyse so outspoken to a female.
“Fuck all of you,” Victoria said, and turned on her heel.
“Remember, no more licking!” Jay called after her. She flipped him off without turning around. “You’re rude,” he told his brother.
“What? Me?” Tyse scoffed. “I’m just trying to get her tits out of my face.”
“Yeah, she was veering your way quite a bit,” Teague nodded, pointing to him with his beer. “Right about the second she got over here. She could probably smell Jay’s douche moves once she got close enough.”
“Hey, not gonna deny it,” Jay shrugged. “She is nowhere to be seen, so I will take your thank yous in the form of beers. You’re welcome.”
“Baby of the clan,
” Tyse muttered, shaking his head.
“Yeah, she wants ‘em young,” Jay teased him.
“Do I really look that much younger than you?”
“Yeah”—“Uh huh” Teague and Jay replied at the same time.
“We just look more mature than you,” Jay told him.
“Until you open your mouth,” Tyse smirked.
“Well if you don’t want child molesters stalking you at bars, don’t shave the hour before you come.”
“Noted,” Tyse nodded as Kyle returned to the table.
“Well that was a waste of time,” he grumbled, dropping into his chair.
“You weren’t hairy enough for her kind?” Jay kidded.
“See this?” he pointed to his face. It was red, and Jay could see the outline of fingers starting to show up.
“Holy shit, she slapped you?” Teague laughed. “Good God, what did you say to her?”
“I have never been slapped by a chick,” Jay had to inform them with pride. “Never.”
“Well aren’t you fucking special,” Kyle said. “Maybe you need it once in a while.”
“Never said I didn’t deserve to be, just haven’t.”
“Well that bitch thinks a little too highly of herself, if you ask me,” Kyle shrugged. “She told me to go back to my table of man whores.”
“Man whores?” Jay scoffed. “Sounds like someone else needs a little advice for the evening. What’s her name?”
“Drop it,” Teague shook his head. “You’re gonna get us kicked out of here for harassing women.”
“I’m in a giving mood,” Jay shrugged, just as his phone signaled him with a text.
The second he glanced at it he felt a heaviness in his chest. It was Melanie. He hadn’t heard from her since the day in the shop, which was the plan, but it didn’t mean he hadn’t been thinking about her for the past two weeks. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, which was why he needed a night out with the guys for once. He’d been working his ass off at the shop and things were going great, but it was only because he completely shut down one half of himself in order to do it.
The text read: Just thought I’d say goodbye since you probably won’t let me do it in person. Take care, Jay. You mean the world to me and I’m only a phone call away.
His face scrunched with confusion as Teague asked, “A booty call from a chick you can’t remember?”
Teague and Tyse laughed but Jay didn’t bother to banter with them.
“Where is Melanie going?” he asked outright. He held up his phone and added, “She’s saying goodbye.”
Neither of the other two answered right away.
“Where the hell is she going?” Jay asked again. “Is she moving?”
“Yeah, she’s moving,” Teague replied. “She’s moving to San Diego for a better job.”
“A better job? She’s about to have a baby in, like, a month or two.”
“Six weeks. But Jack offered her a good job—”
“Jack? Are you fucking kidding me? She’s moving back in with that asshole?”
“Don’t be a dipshit,” Teague stated firmly. “Jack is a good guy and if you would actually be honest with yourself, you’d admit that.”
“The guy is almost a dozen years older than her,” Jay rolled his eyes.
“So?” Tyse laughed.
“So?” Jay repeated snidely. “He kicked her out on her ass once, what’s to say he won’t do it again?”
“She’s not moving in with him,” Teague told him. “And there was nothing wrong with the way he reacted to what she did. She lied to him. I’d freak out too.”
“And then he wants to get laid again and everything is fine and dandy? That is bullshit. I can’t even believe she would waste her time again.”
“Why don’t you talk to her about it before you fill your head with a bunch of garbage.” Teague took a drink. “You’re making jealous assumptions right now.”
“I’m not jealous, I’m just pissed she would give him so many chances like that.”
“Like she does with you?”
Jay looked at Teague hard. “Butt the fuck out. We don’t belong to each other. She wanted to mess around with me and got it.”
“Yeah she got it all right,” Teague lowered his voice angrily. “Got a fucking broken heart. She knew you were going to fuck her over and she was there for you anyways. I warned you this would happen,” he pointed a finger at Jay. “I warned you and you refused to listen.” Teague got up and tossed a few bills on the table. “If you’re going to keep doing this to yourself—and to her—I can’t be in the middle of it anymore.”
“Stop shoving your goddamn agendas down my throat!” Jay stood abruptly. “I swear to God you people need to pull your fucking heads out of your asses. Do you see me, Teague?” he motioned to himself with his hands. “This is who she wants in her life? Really? When she’s about to have a kid that belongs to a fucker who couldn’t give two shits about it? When all you guys do is make jokes about how immature and irresponsible I am? You think she really needs that in her life? I am barely—barely—managing my life right now. I am trying to run a business because my best friend died and left it to me. He died, Teague. He’s dead. And all you people want to do is play matchmaker? Are you fucking serious? I do care about Melanie but I am not what she needs in her life. Do you understand that yet?”
Teague sighed and shook his head. He stood there across from Jay for several seconds before he answered. “No one is shoving agendas down your throat. But I do think you are the one who needs to pull his head out of his ass.”
Teague walked away. Jay watched him clear until he disappeared around the bar for the exit before he sat down at the table again. Neither Kyle nor Tyse said a word for the next two minutes. They just finished their beers in silence.
Finally Jay stood again. For some reason he felt way too unsettled to sit and relax.
“Where you going,” Tyse stated instead of asked.
“I don’t know but I can’t sit here any longer.”
Tyse stood too. “Let’s take him home and call it a night, then,” he motioned to Kyle.
Jay agreed silently as they paid their tab and headed for the exit. He heard a female call his name just as they were about to climb into his car, so he looked to the side of the building at the VIP entrance. A town car was parked there, and then he saw Sophia Nixon wave from behind the back door of the vehicle.
“Let’s go, Jay,” Tyse said impatiently.
Jay turned for his car again but Sophia called his name a second time. She was even coming across the parking lot and he was surprised she would risk being spotted by the public. From the side entrance she’d come out of, he could only assume she’d been in the private lounge.
“Are you just leaving?” she asked as she approached. “If I’d known you were here at the same time, you could have joined my group.”
“Uh, yeah, we’re just leaving,” he answered, running a hand over his head. He motioned to Kyle and said, “Gonna get his drunk ass home.”
“You’re driving? So you’re not…?”
Jay lifted an eyebrow. “Drunk? No I’m not drunk,” he replied, slightly offended.
“Well I didn’t mean that, I just…” She glanced at Tyse who was practically glaring at the two of them, and then back to Jay. “Well do you have more plans? Maybe he can drive your other friend home and… I don’t know. Do you want to hang out for a little bit? I’m by myself now.”
Why the hell it felt like his phone was burning a hole in his pocket was beyond his comprehension, but it was the first thing Jay thought of. All he could picture was Melanie’s text telling him goodbye, and he didn’t want to think about it anymore.
“I can get you home whenever you say the word,” Sophia added. “It’s nice to see you. I just thought maybe we could talk for a little bit. Hang out. Relax. Whatever you need.”
The way she looked at him during those last three words was unmistakable. Jay knew exactly what she was offeri
ng. His head and his heart had a quick little battle between themselves before he tossed his keys to Tyse and said, “Yeah, that sounds good.”
Head came out victorious.
Chapter Thirty
“Are you sure this is what you want to do, Mel?” Camryn asked with a sigh. “I just… I really don’t want you to move out. When the baby is born…”
She waited for her sister to finish, but Camryn’s disheartened frown was giving Melanie second thoughts. Moving to San Diego seemed like a simple decision a week ago. She’d found a small apartment she could afford outside the city after Jack had offered her a front desk job at his architecture firm. Everything seemed to fall into place after…
Well, after Jay dismissed her for the second or third time. She wasn’t going to keep beating a dead horse. She wasn’t giving up on him, but her life could not remain on hold anymore. She was ready to stand on her own two feet, and living on her own with a solid job was what she needed before she had her baby.
“Mel, I’m only a few months behind you. What about our kids? We want them to grow up close to one another, right?”
“Of course. But I’ll only be a couple hours away from you. It’s not like I’m moving across the country.”
“But why are you moving? That’s what I really want you to be honest about, Mel. Is it because of Jay? Please tell me the truth.”
Melanie set down the box she’d been packing in her room and sighed. “Of course it’s partially because of that. How much of it, I’m not sure. But I really don’t like my job at the salon either, and I really need to live on my own for once.”
“You aren’t any imposition to us here, hon. I swear. This house is big enough for you and the baby.”
“Do you really want me to live with you for the rest of my life, Camryn?” Melanie chuckled. “I mean it’s fine for now, but I really want my own place. You have to see that it’s the best choice for me.”
Camryn paused and then relented with a shrug. “Okay. Yeah. I understand completely. I just… Don’t want you to move. I know how selfish it sounds, but I feel like I have everything right now. I’m deliriously happy with Teague, we’re going to have our first baby, and…you’re basically my only family and you’re moving away. I guess I knew it would happen eventually but…”
