Page 115 of Billionaire Bad Boy Auction

“Yeah, I get that,” I said. “All good things must come to an end, right?”

He snorted. “Yeah, most of the time. This is a bit of an extreme way to end a good time.”

“So is death,” I said without missing a beat.

It was harsh, but I wasn’t going to let him forget that he did something that could have resulted in someone’s death. He was lucky it hadn’t happened before. There had been a lot of near misses. His luck had run out.

“Look, I know I messed up.” His throat worked. “And I know you’re probably done with me.”

I stayed silent. Let him sit with it.

Seth’s fingers tapped nervously against the table before he stilled them. “I’ve had a lot of time to think. About everything. You. Portia. What I did.” His voice cracked. “What I let happen.”

My gut twisted.

“Portia?” I asked.

“I know you’re the one that picked her up that night.”

“The night you stranded her,” I said.

“Yes. That was a dick move. And I know I disrespected her. And you.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “I think that’s an apology you’ll need to give to her.”

Seth’s jaw clenched. “I will. Given the chance.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him Portia would be long gone by the time he got out. I doubted she cared. She had a bright future ahead of her. Seth was in her past. Just like me.

“You were right,” he said again with a long sigh.

“About?”

“I needed to hit rock bottom. I just didn’t think it would hurt this much.” He swallowed hard.

“The bottom is supposed to hurt,” I said softly. “It’s the only way for any of us to learn. It gets the message across. I think that’s why parents spank their kids. The pain is supposed to be a reminder.”

He snorted. “Our dad beat the hell out of us. It didn’t work.”

“Very different form of discipline,” I said.

“I almost killed a kid, Dean.” His voice broke. “I almost killed a kid.”

The words hung between us, heavy with the weight of realization. I was glad he was finally getting it. I had been worried sitting in jail would make him angry and bitter.

I wanted to tell him this was the price. That this was what it took to wake up. But the look on his face—the genuine horror, the regret—stopped me.

Instead of rubbing his nose in it, I decided to forgive him and support him. “You’re going to get through it.”

Seth scoffed, shaking his head. “Yeah? How do you know?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, the tension there a constant these days. “Because you’re a Jackson. And for better or worse, we don’t break easily. We’re built tough. It might feel like you’re never going to recover, but you will. I told you I would be here for you. I will.”

A short, bitter laugh escaped him. “Guess I’ll find out.”

“I was thinking. Once you get out, maybe we should get out of town.”

Seth’s eyebrows shot up, his eyes locking onto mine. “Out of town? Like leave Larkspur?”