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“And just where have you been, brother dearest?” Julia asks, eyeing the liquid in the glasses. “That better not be tequila.”
“God, no,” Easton says. “No one wants a repeat of the last time Colton got drunk on that shit and decided swinging on a boom crane in his underwear à la Miley Cyrus was a good idea. It’s vodka.”
Everyone laughs as Easton hands out the shots. Jackson partakes in the first round, but when Easton hands us all another, he slides the shot to me.
“I’d rather not mix my scotch with vodka, or I might come up with some scandalous drunken ideas of my own and get us kicked out of your sister’s wedding reception,” he whispers in my ear. “I did see a sign for a pool.” He lightly nips the tender skin of my neck and I giggle.
“That was a one-time deal, Prince. My skinny dipping adventures began and ended the other night.”
He tucks my hair behind my ear and shots me a mischievous wink. “We’ll see, Red.”
I shake my head and laugh. Yeah, he definitely needs to stick to scotch. When he gives me those looks, all rational thought tends to fly out the window.
While the guys continue drinking and trading stories of their misspent youth, Julia and I decide it’s time to dance. Leaning over to Jackson, I give him a peck on the cheek and let him know I’ll be back.
He looks at me with glazed eyes and a lazy smile. “Have fun, sweetheart,” he slurs.
“Might want to slow down on the scotch, Prince. I have plans for you after we get out of here.” The smile I give him is full of dirty promises.
“Oh, don’t you worry, Red. I’ve only had a couple. Not enough to hinder any ideas you have for later.” He tries to wink but closes both eyes instead. All I can do is laugh. With the state he’s in already, it’ll be a miracle if I can get him to our room. It doesn’t bother me though. He’s having fun with some of my favorite people in what could very well have been an awkward situation. But Jackson and the Beauchamp brothers have hit it off better than I could’ve hoped for. It’s crazy how the one person I resisted for so long is now the one person who somehow fits perfectly in my life.
Chapter 21
Abigail
Dancingandhavingthebest night, despite being at my sister’s uptight wedding, has me realizing I’ve spent way too much time away from the people I grew up with and love like family because of one person. I let the idea of running into Davis or hearing about how I let the best thing get away from me keep me away.
Seeing Jackson get along with Julia and her brothers has me thinking visiting Charleston doesn’t need to have anything to do with my family either. That’s quite the revelation for me. We don’t have to see my family. The truth is I’ve been letting my blood family keep me away from the family I made when I was a kid and started taking riding lessons, meeting a precocious little girl and her wild brothers. That’s when I learned that mothers aren’t only concerned with how you make them look in public, and fathers don’t always hide in their office after a day at work, only coming out for dinner and a generic rundown of your day. I learned that siblings have your back through everything, and family comes first.
I’m lucky enough to be considered part of the Beauchamp family when my own barely speak to me, unless they need me for a photo op. I’m lucky to have Kasey and Lindsey as my surrogate sisters, when my own can’t be bothered to show me any kindness.
Looking over to where Jackson and the Beauchamp brothers are still talking at the table, I see him get up and stumble toward the restroom. When he almost knocks into a server, I get a little concerned that I’m going to need one of Julia’s brothers to carry him out of here. Damn, I was really hoping for some fun with him later, but by the looks of it, he won’t be up for much, other than passing the hell out.
Julia and I head back to the table, and I give her brothers the stink eye.
“You three just had to get my date drunk, didn’t you?” I shake my head and chuckle. Leave it to these guys to let him get out of hand.
Colton looks at me innocently, but I don’t buy it. “He’s only had one since we came over here.” He laughs and smacks Hank on the shoulder. “Figures the Yankee can’t hold his booze.”
Hank smiles. “Swear, Abigail. We haven’t been feeding him any alcohol but the round of shots Easton brought over earlier. But your boyfriend is wasted. Want me to go check on him?”
How could he have gotten so tanked in the last thirty minutes? “No, I’m sure he’s fine. Jackson isn’t the type to get trashed and make an ass of himself.”
I think about that statement for a moment. Jackson has, in fact, done just that on several occasions, but Donovan usually cleaned up his messes for him and made sure nothing got out to the press or their parents. But that was the old Jackson. He hasn’t acted that way in months. Not since Lindsey was kidnapped by his stalker, and he realized his cavalier ways can have a profound impact on the people around him.
Several minutes pass, and Julia and I have another glass of champagne, but Jackson still hasn’t returned from the restroom.
“I’m going to go find him, make sure everything is okay,” I tell the table.
“Want me to go with you?” Colton asks.
“Nah, I’m sure everything’s fine. He’s probably just on a phone call or something,” I reply. Jackson hasn’t talked to anyone at his club that I know of since we got here. He handles a lot of the business side of running the club. Lube doesn’t stock itself, after all.
I excuse myself and go on the hunt for my wayward boyfriend. The alcohol must be really hitting me because I just called him my boyfriend. The thought makes my steps falter a moment. I can’t remember the last time I had an actual boyfriend or wanted one for that matter. But the title fits. While pretending to be in a relationship to keep my family off my back about Davis, Jackson and I started a real relationship. The idea doesn’t freak me out as much as I thought it would. Imagine that. He went from irritating playboy to kinda friend (with benefits) to boyfriend in the span of a few weeks. Though I never thought I would look at him as anyone I could possibly be willing to let into my heart, he’s there. Damn. I guess I finally fell for that Hayes charm.
When I get to the men’s room, there are a couple guys headed out. Hoping no one else is in there, I peek my head in.
“Jackson?” I call out. No response. Great, I’m going to have to look for him now. Should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. I walk to the end of the hall toward the exit and open the door leading out to the gardens, which we aren’t using for the reception.
