Misbehaving(18)

“Amanda thinks you should be careful. Jess has issues you don’t want to get involved in,” Jax said, studying me closely.

What did he think I was going to do? I’d spent one evening with the girl. It was not like I planned on anything serious. “I don’t recall asking for Amanda’s advice,” I replied, more than a little annoyed. She was one to talk. I was pretty damn sure Jess’s issues didn’t hold a candle to Preston’s. Besides, I’d been under the impression the other night that Amanda was one of Jess’s only supporters on the female side of the group.

“Her ex is mentally off, I hear. She always goes back to him,” Jax informed me.

“Good. Whatever. I don’t care. I’m here to get away, not meet anyone. So lay off with the warnings.”

Sadie cleared her throat, and we both glanced up to see her standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest, watching us. Her long blond hair curled naturally and fell over her shoulder. Her blue eyes, framed by thick black lashes, were focused on my brother. “Thought we weren’t going to say anything to him about it,” she said.

Jax jumped up and walked over to her. “Sorry. I know you said not to, but I thought he needed to know what she was like,” he told her, tugging one of her arms loose and pulling her toward him.

“Why don’t we let him make his own decisions?” she replied, going into his arms easily.

“If you two are about to make out, please give me time to get the hell out of here,” I snapped before standing up. One weekend with these two and I was tired of their constant affection.

Jax frowned and glanced back at me. “You’re in a bad mood. Maybe you should try going back to bed.”

Or I could leave. Get away from the lovebirds so I could think about my life some without having Jax’s life forced down my throat. “I’m leaving,” I replied.

“No need to. We’ve got a plane to catch in an hour. You’ll have the place to yourself. Maybe then you can figure out what the hell is eating at you and get over it.”

I could see the concern on Sadie’s face. She didn’t like seeing us like this. Normally, Jax and I got along well. I loved him. But right now everything in my life revolved around Jax and his fame. I was tired of it. I needed to figure out what I wanted for my life. My mother was convinced I was going to be a damn politician, and I was unhappy with life at school. Going back for the fall semester was gonna suck. Even at Harvard, everyone still seemed to care more about Jax than actually getting to know me.

“I’m sorry I’m being an ass. I just need some time alone to think,” I tried explaining.

Jax nodded. “I know. Figure it out. Then come home. I’m used to having you around in the summers. I miss you.”





Chapter Six





JESS

Momma was pacing back and forth in front of me while she smoked her third cigarette in a row. “I can’t believe you let that boy stay the night. Seeing his truck parked outside when I got home . . .” She shook her head, then took another long drag.

“Momma, he was passed out on the sofa. It ain’t like I had him snuggled up in my bed,” I replied, wishing she would sit down. It was never a good thing when Momma was pacing. It’s a miracle she didn’t put a bullet in Hank last night.

“He’s trash, Jess. You know this. What is wrong with you? I thought you’d finally got that out of your system. He’s got a kid, for God’s sake. What more does he have to do to you before you wake the hell up?”

I ran my hand through my tangled hair and sighed. She wasn’t listening to me. She didn’t believe that I had let Hank sleep over because he’d been drunk. She thought it meant something more. “I don’t want Hank. It’s over. But he needed to sleep it off. I didn’t see any harm in it.”

“Any harm in it? Really, baby girl? That’s what you’re gonna say? Do I need to remind you that when that boy snaps, he goes to swinging his fists like you’re his damn punching bag? I won’t do that again. I won’t. I’ll go to jail for shooting his ass before I let him back into your life.”

She never did understand Hank. No one did. Not even the woman he shared a kid with. “I’m done saving him. He can’t be saved. I know that.”

Momma crushed her cigarette into the small dish sitting on the table and stalked over to the coffeepot. “I’ve told you since y’all were kids that he would end up in jail one day or he’d end up dead. You never listened to me, and he hurt you over and over again.”

Hank had been a point of contention with me and Momma most of my life. Momma wanted me as far away from him as possible. I, however, couldn’t seem to turn my back on him. “I know.”