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He wanted to wallow, damn it. He deserved to wallow. Maybe wallowing at home with a bottle of whiskey was a better idea than getting drunk and having to drive later, but here he was. Part of him didn’t want to be alone, even if the rest of him did not want company of any sort. He missed Wyatt, despite being furious and hurt, and he didn’t know what to do.
Over the course of several more beers, a handful of guys stopped by his table. Jackson refused all offers of company because as much as he’d love to fuck his frustration away, he couldn’t do that to Wyatt. Not until they’d both officially declared this thing between them over and done with. Jackson might be a lot of things, but he didn’t cheat.
Right around the time Darlin’ announced last call, a familiar body landed in the chair across the table from him. Brand stared at him, head tilted to the side in an assessing, curious way.
“What the fuck are you doin’ here?” Jackson asked. He wasn’t slurring his words so he wasn’t drunk enough to be imagining Brand.
“I got a text from Darlin’,” Brand replied. “He said you were about one beer away from him confiscating your truck keys. Asked if I knew why you were out here tying one on.”
“And?”
“I said I had no idea but I’d swing by and check on you. Last time we talked outside of work you seemed happy. Like you were really looking forward to something. Did the thing you had with that guy not work out?”
Jackson snorted so hard it hurt his nose. “He lied to me, Brand. Lied about somethin’ huge and for the whole time we’ve known each other.”
“Hell. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Can’t build a relationship on a lie.”
Brand flinched. “Yeah. No matter why you keep something from someone you love, it’s gonna hurt when it comes out.”
“Like Hugo and the baby?”
“Like...what?” Brand’s confused frown melted into wide-eyed surprise. “How the hell did you find out?”
“Hugo. Saw you guys fight today, and I followed Hugo into the garage. He vented.”
“He vented? To you?”
“Don’t be mad at Hugo. He thought I knew because of our history. Yours and mine, I mean, not me and his because we don’t have any history, and he kind of let it all out. I didn’t tell anybody else.” And technically, he hadn’t. Jackson had not told Wyatt how he knew Brand had a child who’d be twenty years old now, and Wyatt hadn’t asked. As angry and semi-drunk as Jackson was, he also couldn’t bring himself to tell Brand what he knew about Wyatt.
It wasn’t his secret to share and Wyatt knew when the deadline was.
“I’m glad Hugo had someone to vent to, I guess,” Brand said. “So he told you that I gave up my parental rights when I was seventeen. I’ve got a kid out there somewhere I’ve never bothered to look for, because I want to put that part of my life to bed. And I figured if he or she wanted to know me they’d come looking, so I’m never gonna force the issue.”
If only you knew, boss.
“Sounds like you made a hard, deeply personal choice back then,” Jackson said. “Couldn’t have been easy tellin’ Hugo.”
“It was and it wasn’t. I didn’t want us to fully commit to a future together without coming completely clean about my past. I mean, I guess I could have never said anything, considering it was half a lifetime ago, but what if by some chance that kid does come around later on? I don’t want Hugo to find out that way and be blindsided. So I told him.”
“Probably for the best you did. Never know what’ll happen tomorrow.” Jackson couldn’t help wondering how pissed Brand would be at him when he realized Jackson was sitting across the table from him, half-drunk and fully aware that Brand’s lost-lost kid was his employee. But Jackson could handle Brand’s temper just fine. He had no idea what would happen when Wyatt came clean. It worried him a little, but again, even as pickled as his brain was right then, it still wasn’t Jackson’s secret to tell.
“You’re right, we don’t know.” The lights in the bar came up and the music went off, signaling the end of the evening.
Definitely sooner than Jackson would have liked but it was Sunday. Everything closed too soon on Sunday because of stupid, outdated laws. “Gotta settle my tab.”
“Okay.”
Jackson paid Darlin’ what he owed, plus a tip, grateful to the guy for looking out for him, despite them not being what he’d call friends. Maybe he should fix that in the future. Darlin’ seemed like a pretty decent guy and probably had an interesting story. Jackson signed the tablet with his finger and waved off any kind of receipt. He was a little surprised to turn and see Brand waiting for him at the door.
They went outside together. The night air had a bitter bite to it that sometimes suggested snow, but the sky was clear. No clouds, just a blanket of stars winking down at them. Almost mocking Jackson with their beauty and vastness.
“You want me to give you a ride home?” Brand asked. “I don’t mind.”
“Nah, no way to get back here for my truck in the mornin’.”
“Then how about I follow you home, just in case.”
