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I’m either super drunk or Ben is sitting in my seat. “Benny! What a surprise. Told you guys my friends were coming. Hey, pretty lady, a round of shots for my friend here.”
“Bro, no shots. It’s time to go.”
“What? No way! I’m just getting started.”
Ben stands, throwing a bunch of money on the bar. “Thanks again for the call.” He grabs at my shoulder, and I shove him off.
“Dude, what call? I’m not leaving.”
“She called me.” He nods to the bartender. “Was worried about you. And she was right to be. Look at you?you’re hammered.”
I look at the chick and realize it’s the waitress from the other day. “Hey! Bad advice by the way—”
“Shut up. Let’s go.”
“No way. It’s Sunday fun day, bro.”
He shakes his head. “No, man. It’s Monday. You need to get ahold of yourself.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. Cliff called me. You’ve blown off the gym all week. Craig called me, ‘cause for some damn reason I’m your emergency contact. You haven’t been to work. What are you doing, man?”
“I’m living my best life.”
“No, you’re ruining it. She broke up with you. I get it. But that’s life. You can’t destroy your entire life over it.”
I hate that he’s turning this into a pity thing. It fucking broke me. “Why does it even matter? I’m just a piece of shit to you guys anyway.”
“You’re not. You fucked up. It happens. And no one thinks that. Kip was angry. Give him some slack. You knew his reaction wasn’t going to be upbeat and supportive.”
I just hoped it wasn’t him totally shutting me out. “Let’s get you home. You look like shit and could use some sleep.” He rests his hand on my shoulder, and I wobble forward into him.
“Fine. Yeah. Sleep sounds good. And burritos? Can we get burritos?”
Ben chuckles. “Yeah, man. We can get burritos. Let’s get outta here.”
He drives me home, keeping his promise on burritos. I pass out cradling my burrito, and he wakes me up when we’re home, then practically carries me into the elevator and to my door.
He drops me on my bed, and I snuggle into the pillow that still faintly smells like Bridget. “Thanks, man.” I sigh, inhaling the scent.
“Yep. Get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
I nod and lay on my side. “Oh, wait.” I dig into my pocket. “Here, take these. Give them to some nice girl.” I turn back over, and within seconds, I pass out.
Chapter 24
Bridget
“Anna! Time for dinner.” I wait for her to pop out of her playroom.
“Coming!” she hollers back, and I re-enter the kitchen. Jonathon is standing at the island, firing off emails.
“Are you all set?” I ask, heading over to the oven to check on the lasagna.
“Yes. My car should be pulling up any minute. And you know you don’t have to cook. That’s what Alice is for.”
“I know. I enjoy it.”
He stalls a moment, his probing gaze trying to dissect my mood. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks carefully. It’s been impossible to hide my sadness. No matter how busy I keep my days, the loneliness always kicks in at night and my mind always goes to him. Guilt eats away at me. It’s not Jax I mourn anymore. His memory is fading. I barely remember what it felt like to love him. Hurt for him. My mind has been so consumed with Chase. I need to move on. Fight past the pain.
“Yes. I’m great actually.” I put on my brave face. I don’t want him to doubt my abilities to care for his daughter. His wary gaze tells me he’s hesitant. “Trust me, we’re going to transform the entire house into a princess castle and play dress up and eat cookies for all meals. I’ve got it covered.”
He feeds into my humor, his expression softening. His phone beeps, indicating his car has arrived. “Okay. I’ll be home as soon as I can. This deal should go smoothly. Three days max.”
“No rush. We’ll keep plenty busy. Now, go make fortunes. I’m pretty sure your daughter is expecting a pony farm for her birthday.”
Jonathon sighs. “Don’t encourage her.” He takes another moment to take me in, then nods, and I follow him out and up the driveway to the town car. From the bottom of the driveway, a guy wearing a shirt with the fire department logo on his left chest walks up. “What is this? Is something wrong?”
“Ben?” I ask, confused by his presence.
“Hey, sorry to just show up. You got a second?”
Jonathon steps in, ready to shut it down, but I speak up first. “It’s fine. He’s a friend. Have a safe flight.” He’s not sold on my answer, but time is money, so he lets it go. We both wait until his car is out of sight before I speak up. “Whatever you have to say, I don’t want to hear it. You’re wasting your time.”
