Chapter 32
Xander
Beverly Hills, CA
“I know you bitches are here! Your cars are out front, and Walker let me through the gate.” I stood in the middle of Chase’s cavernous living room as I shouted into what seemed like an empty house. “Hello!”
The past weeks had been torture. Between shipping Noah off to rehab, putting out statements about the tour and Noah, and then traveling home, I was spent. The cacophony of emotions swirling inside of me had almost been too much to handle. After talking to my family—including Liam—I’d taken Tyler up on his offer and gone to a few Al-Anon meetings. I was in no way completely healed, but it’d helped put a few things in perspective. I couldn’t control any of the addicts in my life. I could only control how I reacted and what I did.
And right then, I had to make shit up to Harper.
Sure, she’d made a few mistakes, but I’d been an ass. I just hoped she’d give me two minutes and listen to me list all the ways I’d been an ass. And I prayed like hell that she was more forgiving than I’d been.
Which was why I was standing in Chase’s living room. I sadly needed some help from my boys to put my plan into action.
“Hello?” I shouted again.
Nothing. I’d accuse the bastard of hiding from me, but he probably didn’t even know I was out here, his house was so stupid big. And there was every chance that if I walked room to room, I’d still miss him. I pulled my phone to text him—again—when I heard something.
Shay came bouncing down the hallway, laughing at her stupid husband, then froze when she caught sight of me. A grinning Chase looked at Shay’s frozen form then followed her gaze to me, and the smile slipped off his face.
“Jesus, the two of you really know how to make a man feel welcome,” I snarked. I waved my phone in the air. “I texted you I was on my way over. Walker let me through your gate. This can’t be that much of a surprise.”
“I, uh, it actually is.” Chase held Shay’s hand as they walked into the living room. “It’s not a good time, actually. We’re just on our way out.”
“Oh. Okay. I wanted to pick your brain about something, so I need some one-on-one time. Actually, it might help to get a woman’s perspective on this, too, Shay. When’s a good time to talk? Sometime later today? It’s kinda important.”
Chase tipped his head. “I’m not sure. We’re heading out of town. Don’t really have a timeline for when we’ll be back since everything’s in the air with Noah.”
“Well, fuck. Can I get ten minutes of your guys’ time now? This really can’t wait.”
Chase opened his mouth to reply when the front door blew open.
“Vegas, baby!” Jesse shouted as he held up his fingers in devil horns. He and Ella stumbled to a stop as they took in the scene in Chase’s living room.
I swung back at Chase. “Really? You all are leaving on a Vegas vacation, and I don’t even get a holler? Fucking typical.”
“That’s fucking rich coming from you.” Ella scowled.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? I’m not the ones planning a secret vacation when our goddamn world has fallen apart. I love Noah like a brother. You don’t think I need a distraction too? A heads up at the very least would’ve been nice.”
“We couldn’t give you a heads up,” Shay said quietly behind me. “Because you can’t come.”
“What the fuck?” I swung around to stare at her incredulously. “I expect that from this asshole,” I said, tipping my head at her husband. “What the fuck did I ever do to you?”
I’d known Shay for a bit and I’d literally never seen her make that expression before. Shay was usually sugar and sweetness. But not now. Her face reddened, and I could all but see the steam rising above her head like a cartoon character.
“Shay,” Ella murmured from the doorway. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Tell this jerk-off that the whole reason we’re going to Vegas is because he broke our bestie’s heart?”
“Well to be fair, her father’s the actual reason for the Vegas trip. Xander breaking her heart is just why he can’t go with us,” Jesse muttered from the door before grunting.
I didn’t have to turn around to know that Ella had socked him in the stomach. It was her go-to move.
But all I could think was that Harper was hurting.
Harper didn’t want me in Vegas while she was hurting.
“What happened with her dad?” I asked numbly.
But no one answered.
They were too busy looking at each other with wide eyes.
“ WHAT HAPPENED TO HARPER?! ” I shouted.
Shay flinched and took a step back. Chase put his arm in front of her, then stepped up to me.
“Do not ever speak like that to my wife. WE CLEAR? ” He jabbed a finger in my face.
“How you’re feeling about her right now is exactly how I feel about Harper.” Tears burned behind my eyes, and I felt like a fucking lunatic. “She’s hurting, and I don’t have a fucking clue. She’s in fucking Vegas, and I don’t know why.”
All I could think was that Harper was hurting. And I wasn’t there. Hadn’t been there.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
Why did I wait so long?
“I get it, man. Believe me , I get it. But you can’t talk to my wife like that. Understand?”
I nodded tightly. “Sorry, Shay.” It fucking shredded my insides to waste time with this, but I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere with Chase while he was being all alphahole about his wife.
“It’s okay,” she whispered.
“It’s really not.” I paused and cleared my throat. “I’m just really worried about Harper, and no one’s telling me anything.”
“Because we’re not supposed to.” Ella sneered.
“We’re also not supposed to take them,” Shay snarked back, tipping her head to their partners. “But here we are.”
“Like I’m going to let my girl go to Vegas without me.” Jesse scoffed. “Do you know how many drunk douches are just waiting to trick a delectable piece like this one here into a quickie Vegas wedding?”
“Thank you, I think.” Ella laughed. “And I might’ve told Harper the same thing. Made her promise not to leave her room, actually. The last thing we need right now on top of everything is the fallout from a stupid quickie Vegas wedding.”
“Hey!” Shay and Chase shouted in unison.
“I represent that,” Chase scowled.
“Resent,” Ella corrected her brother. “It’s pronounced resent .”
Jesse chuckled. “Pretty sure he got it right the first time.”
“If you all are done with your Abbott and Costello routine, can we get back to what’s important?” I waved a hand to get their attention as they devolved into bickering. Again. “What the fuck is going on with Harper? Why is she hurting? What the fuck did her asshole father do this time?”
“What do you know about her dad?” Shay raised her eyebrows. “I thought it was all a fake relationship to take the heat off with Kelly.”
Jesse laughed. “Seriously? He took her to (K)nave. Ain’t nothing fake about that.”
“What’s (K)nave?” Shay whispered loudly to Ella.
Chase scowled at Jesse then me. “Nothing you’re ever going to find out about.” He sent a scathing look at Ella. “Right?”
“Right.” Ella nodded at her brother, then leaned toward her best friend and whispered loudly, “I’ll tell you later.”
It took everything inside me not to start swinging to get my answers. “It started out that way but isn’t fake now. Hasn’t been fake for a long time.”
“Right.” Ella raised her eyebrows. “Because it’s over, right? That’s what Harper thinks anyways since you haven’t talked to her since the waiting room in London.”
“What?” Chase looked incredulously from Ella to me. “Seriously? That’s so fucking juvenile. At least have the conversation. Send her a text. Something.”
“That’s fucking rich coming from you.” I snorted. “You made all the mistakes when you got married.”
“Goddamned entitled prick.” Chase swung and in seconds chaos devolved. Punches. Elbows. Screams.
Then Jesse waded into the mess and forcibly separated us. He pressed a hand against my chest as both Ella and Shay stood in front of Chase.
“Come on, guys.” Jesse tossed a look over his shoulder at Chase before looking back at me. “Rein it in. You got me between the two of you like a third nipple here.”
Chase swiped at the blood running down his chin. “You get one goddamned girlfriend and think you know everything? You don’t know shit.”
“I’ve still never—” I saw Shay visibly wince and all my ire leached out of me. “Fuck. I’m…this isn’t…” Shaking my head I took a step back from Jesse and toward the door.
“Wait, Xander.” Shay turned around and gave me a hesitant smile. “Of anyone, I know that good people deserve a second chance if they’ve put in the work.”
“I have. I’ve been going to Al-Anon meetings with Tyler, and it’s helped. I know I didn’t handle Noah’s OD the best—or at all really. I blamed her for shit she couldn’t control, and instead of talking to her, I hid my head in the sand like an immature asshole. I have a lot to make up to Harper. All I want is the chance to do that.”
“She’s in Vegas to see her dad. Wes bought her flight and a suite to make up for all he’d put her through. She’s been working nonstop since London. And her dad reached out when he saw the news, so she thought she’d give him a chance.” Shay shook her head sadly. “Sounds like it didn’t go so well. There’s a lot of history th—”
“I’m aware,” I broke in. It was so fucking galling to hear all this from her friends. I should’ve been there. I should’ve been the one holding her hand while she was shaking with nerves about meeting her asshole father.
“Yeah well, she called this one after.” Shay hitched her thumb at Ella. “And asked us to come hangout for a girls’ weekend.”
“And you assholes just invited yourselves along?” I scowled at Chase. “What the fuck?”
“They can have a girls’ weekend as long as they come back to our hotel rooms all drunk and horny.” Jesse grinned.
Chase rolled his eyes. “And take Walker and Hyde along to keep all the drunk douches off their backs.”
“Literally,” Jesse tossed in.
“We should get going, guys.” Shay smiled apologetically at me. “The plane is supposed to leave in an hour.”
My heart thudded unevenly, knowing that they were going to see Harper in a few short hours and leave me behind.
Then like an old school cartoon, I all but saw the lightbulb appear over my head.
“Actually, that gives me an idea. If you’re open to one more hitching along and don’t mind me borrowing a few of the instruments in your practice room.”
“That depends.” Chase raised his eyebrows. “Are you going to swing on me again?”
I raised my eyebrows back at him. “Not planning on it, but no guarantees if you say something stupid.”
“That sounds fair,” Jesse said with a smirk.
“Fine.” Chase grunted.
“Thanks, guys. Oh, I should’ve mentioned you’re also going to have to do some work while the girls party.”
“Work?” Jesse scowled. “Wait a minute—”
“Anything for Harper.” Ella batted her eyes and patted Jesse on the chest. “And because it’d mean the world to me as her friend.”
“Fine.” Jesse grunted before swinging an annoyed look my way. “You owe me.”
Since I had a feeling that the girls were totally going to be on board with my plan once I told them, I had no problem grinning as I said, “Anything for you, man.”