“This is my dinner.” She takes a huge bit on the Moon Pie and smiles, lips closed.
“Guess I’ll have to ask Bliss to join me, and who knows what will happen afterwards…”
Violet makes a face, drinks down a big gulp of her Cheerwine, and throws everything away in a nearby trashcan. “I’d be happy to join you for dinner.”
A hollow victory if there ever was one, but I’ll take it.
We head down Main, stopping at a mom-and-pop joint. Inside it’s dark and cozy, with lots of booths and plenty of privacy.
The waitress takes our drinks order and Violet orders an appetizer. I know she’ll order a main course too. The girl always did like to eat.
“What did you need to talk about?”
I want to tell her. I really do, but I’m afraid she won’t believe me. “I want to explain about all the females you thought I cheated on you with.”
She reaches for the glass of water, but I grab her hand before she touches it. “I didn’t think anything. I did see it, with you and Callie, but honestly, Jackson, it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“It does to me.”
She pulls her hand out of my grasp and I clench my jaw. “Then spill, if it will make you feel better.”
The thing is—it won’t make me feel better. It’s humiliating as hell, but it will clear away the toxic air that killed our relationship. However, I know that any chance of a relationship has been over for a long time. Maybe if I’d stood up to my parents and been there for Violet, instead of pretending to be engaged to Callie and distancing myself from the girl I loved, then this would be an entirely different conversation.
“I was covering for someone.”
Rolling her eyes, she snorts in disbelief. “Are you really going to go with that?”
“I was covering for Everett, so that my mom wouldn’t find out and do things to herself, or those girls, like the scar on Callie’s face. Kathy did that to her, when she found Everett screwing Callie in his office. Two women fall out fighting and, of course, my dad sits back and watches it all, until it gets bloody.” I want to tell her about Tara, about what my dad’s done, but I can’t. I’ve revealed too much as it is.
That look of disbelief starts to fade away, replaced with a growing horror. Violet has seen the scars on my mom’s arms, on her wrists and thighs. Scars that Kathy tells everyone is from time she spent hiking in the mountains.
“So I’ve been biding my time until they decided an engagement no longer suited anyone’s purpose,” I say, instead of revealing the entire truth.
“I don’t know what to say,” she finally whispers.
“Everett had to put her away, where she can’t hurt anyone, including herself.” Including me. There’s a scar on my thigh where she burnt me with a curling iron once. She’d found me playing in her makeup. I’d been three at the time. My dad had caught her before she could hit me again. He’d sent her away for almost a year that time.
“When’s someone going to put him away?”
I stare at a point on a wall, not seeing anything really. “Damned if I know.”
What I do know? I’m not good for anyone, least of all Violet.
And sure as hell not Bliss.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cole
I’m sitting in The Double Deuce, before the bar opens, playing an impromptu game of Texas Hold ‘Em with Parker, Wyatt, and Beau. Our usual pile of currency sits the in the middle, but this time it’s the Junior Mints that hold the most value.
Rae hates those things and I do, too. But Parker and Beau can’t get enough of them. In fact, I suspect they’re both skimming off their take pile.
But, honestly, I don’t give a shit.
“That was cruel, bro,” Wyatt says, reading the last text I sent to Rae over my arm. The one that wanted to know who she was.
God, I’m an asshole.
“It had to be done.”
Beau shoots me a look, his grey eyes mocking. “It’s hard to be a man when a woman leaves with your balls in her pocket.”
I grunt in response. Usually I would give him hell over comments like that, but I don’t have it in me. Rae didn’t take my balls… she took my heart, though I was the one to send her away in the first place.
But the past is the past. Only right now, my future doesn’t look so bright.
Not without Rae in it.
Parker smacks Beau in the shoulder. “Leave him alone. Can’t you see he’s—”
“Don’t even think of finishing that sentence.”
Parker makes a noise. “Dude, it’s already in my head, so kind of hard to do.”
“Smartass,” I mutter.
“Must get it from my real dad.”
Jaw clenching, I stand up, shoving my chair back. It hits the floor with a dull thud. “Damn it, Park. You’re my brother. I don’t give a good fuck what Crystal or Everett… or anyone else for that matter, has to say.”
The teasing light in Parker’s green eyes dulls. “I’m not going to pretend that I’m happy with how things turned out, but I’m sure as hell going to keep living my life and being the same person as I was before. Which means, I joke a lot. Got it?” He stands, coming round the table to face me.
We stand toe to toe and eye to eye. “I got it, but… Park?”
He swallows. “Yeah?”
“You’re my brother.” I clamp my hand down on his shoulder. “It doesn’t matter to me about the details. What matters is that is always been you, Kelly, and me.”
“I know that,” he says softly.
“Would someone please turn this very special Lifetime movie? I’m starting to get menstrual cramps.”
Parker and I grin at the same time, then say, “Shut up, Beau.”
“Beau’s taking all the Junior Mints,” Wyatt complains
“Can’t have that, can we?” I ask Parker.
“What’s the rule for getting caught cheating, Beau?” Parker asks.
“Apparently, it’s watching the two of you cry,” he mocks.
“On three?” I raise my brows at Parker and he nods once. “Three,” I yell, turning around. Beau scrambles out of his chair, panic registering on his face as Wyatt backs up and away, careful to take his beer with him.
“Oh shit.” Beau hits the center post in the bar and winces, before holding up his hands, palms facing us. “C’mon, you guys. I was joking. You do know what that is, or did y’all’s periods start, too?”
Feeling lighter than I have in months, Parker and I launch ourselves at Beau.
***
Later that night, while I cash out the waitresses, Madison comes up the bar.
“Hi Cole,” she says. Ever since Rae left me, she’s been coming around more often, asking how I’m doing and if Kelly needs looking after. I don’t’ mind it, because I know Madison and she has a good heart.
She leans over the top, flashing a good portion of boobs.
A good, horny heart.
“Are you busy later?”
I know what I should say, and I know what I want to say, but I have no idea how to say any of it, so I do the man thing and grunt.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
I fiddle with the leather wraps on each wrist before finally answering her. “I have to relieve Kelly’s babysitter.”
Madison grins. “Parker thought you’d say that. So, he’s volunteered for the job.”
My gaze flies to my brother. He stands near the end of the bar, a satisfied grin on his face. This was his idea?
“I’m flattered. I really am but I’m not ready—”
“Oh gosh, Cole. All I planned on doing tonight is blowing you.” She wraps a red curl around her finger. “You always liked it when I did that. Plus, you always returned the favor.”
My mouth drops open. I’d forgotten how plain-speaking Madison was. “That’s nice of you—”
“It’s more than nice,” she says, outrage all in her tone and making her voice rise. “You once said I could suck a watermelon thr
ough a straw.”
A drink hits the floor, glass shattering.
Parker’s mouth drops open. So do several of our lingering customers. My cheeks heat. Yeah, I had said it, had meant it too, but even with the promise of what she could do to me… I… can’t.
Maybe if Rae hadn’t texted me today. Maybe if she’d been a bitch when we broke up. Maybe if I’d just stayed with her, like a man should have, I wouldn’t be having this conversation at all.
Maybe I should go to the concert. Maybe I should get back my girl.
Fuck maybe. Maybes are for songs and movies.
I’m definitely getting my girl back. I miss her. I love her.
Then reality hits me.
I can’t get my girl back. Everett didn’t make his threat lightly, and I have nothing on him.
Rounding the bar, I stride up to Madison and press a kiss to her forehead. “Thank you, but no. You need to find a man who’d appreciate everything about you, not just your bedroom skills.”
Her brown eyes cloud with tears. “What if that’s the only skills I got?”
“It’s not. I know it.” I pat her on the shoulder. “You just need to search deep inside.”
“Like that time we looked for my g-spot?”
It’s all I can do to keep my face straight. “Not literally.” I tap on her head. “In here.”
She nods, teary eyes now dry. “Taylor said he had this book for me to read, that I could learn lots of new things in it. The Karma Sumatra or something. I’ll give that a try!”
“You do that.” And I hope she does. Taylor is a nice guy, a good guy that’s always been sweet on Madison. He’s been waiting on her for a long time.
“Bye Cole!” Blowing a kiss, she sashays away.
I salute her as she goes.
“Taylor’s one lucky man,” I call out.
Parker joins me. “And you’re a dumbass.”
“Thanks, Big Pimpin’.”
“Dude, I was trying to help you out,” he says.
The door opens, and Madison disappears through it, but it re-opens and who should walk in but my brother.
Jackson Cash Morgan.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cole
Jaxon stands there. He looks like shit and I take great pleasure in telling him so.
“This is what real work looks like,” he says, ignoring Parker and focusing on me.
“Yeah,” Parker agrees. “Must be real hard counting all that money.”
He opens his mouth to reply, and then shuts it. Taking a deep breath, he turns his attention back to me and says, “You need to come to the concert on Sunday.”
“Why?”
“Violet needs you,” he says, not happy about admitting that to me at all.
And I need her. “So.”
“What the hell’s your the problem? I’m here, offering Violet to you on a silver platter, and all you can say is so.” He runs a hand through his hair.
“Rae isn’t a thing. She’s a person, with feelings and—”
Jaxon groans, letting his head fall back. “Jesus Christ, not you, too.”
“Get out.” I don’t need his help anyway. I can buy my own damn tickets and I’m sure Miss Violet wouldn’t mind watching Kelly for me.
“If I leave, there’s no way you can go. The concert’s been sold out for months. All the last minute tickets are gone,” he says, finding the hole in my plan.
“So you say.”
“It’s the damn truth.”
“Fine. But I want to know why you’re here.”
“I’m bored and want to see her go ape-shit on your ass.”
He doesn’t know about the texts, but if they had grown close again, wouldn’t she be sharing everything with him? Then again, would Rae have texted me in the first place?
I already know the answer. She wouldn’t have. This thing with Jackson, her, and me—whatever it is, it’s not a love triangle. I know that now.
Rae and I, we’re a line—one end connected to the other, straight and right through the heart.
“She doesn’t want you, does she?”
“What do you think?”
I grin, the ask-a-question-to-answer-a-question routine reminding me of Rae and Lacey. One time the two of them went on for thirty minutes, thinking of different ways to answer a question with a question. Wyatt and I proceeded to ignore them and concentrated on HALO instead.
But the sound of their giggles, coupled with Kelly’s… (who didn’t have a clue what was going on, but loved being included anyway) …damn, it had done good things for me. It made me feel all fuzzy and warm.
Rae had made my house a home.
“I think you’re here because you want to do the right thing and leave the tour, and Rae, alone.”
Jaxon gives me a long, hard stare, then reaches into his pocket and holds up a single ticket, with a backstage pass. “Here.”
It’s like I’m Charlie and he’s offering me the Golden Ticket, but I can’t take it.
“Thanks, but no thanks.” My hands shake—literally shake. All I have to do is take it and— “Rae and I are better apart.”
“Did Everett threaten you?
Glancing around, I nod.
“He does that a lot.”
For the first time, I wonder if Jaxon had it as good as I thought he did. “Would you be able to stop him from making good on his threat?”
He pulls another object out of pocket and shows it to me. “Maybe.”
“A flash drive?” Seriously, I’m going to make Everett cower in fear over 3GB of memory?
“Not just any flash drive, but the flash drive. Click on the folder labeled poetry.”
“He secretly writes poems?”
“No, dude, there’s stuff on there that Everett doesn’t want to get out,” Parker says, crowding us to get a look.
Jaxon smirks. “You always were the smartest of the three of us,” he jokes, like brothers would, but he’s not my brother and I’m not in a joking mood.
“Better gene pool,” Parker says, taking the flash drive from Jaxon. “Let’s see what’s on this.” Then he tells Jane to close for us, and heads to my office.
“HOLY SHIT.”
“Looks like he’s found something,” I say
“Use it wisely, bro. But make a copy. Having a backup is always good in life.” Tossing the ticket and backstage pass to me, Jaxon turns around and starts for the door. He pauses. “If Everett tries to pull something, just say the magic phrase: Tara Flowers, Atlanta, Georgia.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
Jaxon flashes me a smile as he opens the door. “But he will.”
*** *** ***
Violet
It’s dark on stage. The curtains are closed and the band is ready. Purple earpieces with crystals embedded are secure, but I can hear hands clapping and feet stomping in anticipation.
Everyone is waiting on me.
I take a deep breath. This is the moment before the plunge.
Only this time it’s different.
This is the final plunge, and there’s no one to catch me at the bottom. I want Cole, and he’s not here. I don’t want Jaxon and he’s disappeared.
A single spotlight, because I’ve decided to change this up tonight, shines down on me. It hasn’t been approved by Everett, but I don’t care. He can take me off the tour if he doesn’t like it.
The crowd grows quiet as I stand there, not saying a word.
“Hope y’all don’t mind if I change things up tonight, but I have a song that I want to sing for a very special guy,” I say, my voice wavering.
A cheer rises from the back. “Marry me, Violet!”
My hearts already taken, I want to shout back, but I don’t. Instead, I bow my head and pray.
Please God, let him show up tonight.
Softly, I begin to strum my guitar, picking out the simple melody.
Then I sing.
This is your song, playing in my heart
This is your s
ong, right from the start
It’s a message, a love letter, straight from me to you.
Come back home, c’mon home, where you belong.
One look into your blue eyes
And all rational thought flies
Away
You’re my sweetest dream, my prince charming
Can’t see you what you mean
To me
And this is your song, playing in my heart
This is your song, right from the start
It’s a message, a love letter, straight from me to you
Come back home, c’mon home, where you belong
I’m waiting right here, not going anywhere
The sun still shining as I wait there
Down by the creek.
Every night I fall into your arms, breathing you in.
Your kisses heart stopping, your touch earth shaking
It’s like nothing I’ve ever had
And nothing I ever will,
Again
So, take my hand,
Don’t be afraid
We’ll get through this,
Come what may
This is your song, playing in my heart
This is your song, right from the start
It’s a message, a real love letter, straight from me to you
Come back home, c’mon home, where you belong
Because I still love,
And I still want to be with
You
Because in this world, you’re only for me,
And I’m only for you
Finally I look up, tears in my eyes. The darkness is awash in the blue lights of cell phones. I smile, and then sniff. In all my life, I’ve never seen a stadium full of people grow so quiet and stay that way.
The house lights go up. Time for the big show. My heart falls.
God didn’t answer my prayer.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Only for You Page 15
