13. Chapter 13 #2
It was stupid; in every other aspect of life he was downright aggressive, but admitting he might be in love? He’d suddenly lost his nerve. However, this was serious, and it made him anxious; he wanted to wait a little while, check for all complications before making any declarations.
“You’re going to do great.” Picking up Jax’s hand, Tristan quickly examined the knuckles, giving them a quick kiss. “You haven’t punched anything in ages! That’s growth.”
“Tristan…” This man was such a charmer, softening Jax’s hard exterior so easily that it was almost embarrassing. Leaning in, Jax pecked Tristan on the lips, and after a few kisses, they parted for more tea.
“Can I ask you a difficult question that only has good intent?” Tristan tilted his head, and Jax let the words hang for a moment, intrigued.
“I thought the road to hell was paved with good intentions?” Jax had an inkling of what Tristan was going to ask, but he didn’t feel angry; he felt cared for. “It’s fine, go ahead. “
“Well, I remember what you said about being between doctors, and I wanted to offer my help again.”
Jax had been on the nose with his prediction, and he gave Tristan a wan smile.
“It isn’t your burden to share.”
“This isn’t me people-pleasing or being a doormat.” Tristan’s eyes were full of warmth. “This is me standing up for you, and if we’re going to be together for any length of time, it’s something I choose to share. Why wouldn’t I want to do this for someone I care about?”
Jax couldn’t help but agree. “That’s true.”
“And I know you haven’t gotten the answers you’ve wanted, but there are a lot of doctors out there. Plus, I’d like you to consider some other options.”
“Other options?” Jax squinted. “What do you mean?”
“Well, what about massage? Or acupuncture?”
“I’d never turn down a massage.” To be fair, if Tristan wanted to do this and take over some of the mental load, then Jax might be willing to try again. Because what choice did he have? His back could get worse, but it might also improve, although he couldn’t hope just yet. “I’ll consider it.”
Tristan smiled. “Great.”
“But if I do this,” Jax held up a finger, needing to even things out. “Then I’m making you a meal for each phone call.”
“That benefits me both ways. ”
Jax laughed. “I guess it does. But can we shelve this until I get through the weekend?”
Tristan kissed him. “Of course.”
The garage door opened, echoing through the townhouse, and Jax perked up. Ollie and Finn were already back.
“When is Mae supposed to be here?” Tristan asked, quickly finishing his tea.
“Soon.” Jax stood, looking out his window, but there wasn’t a cab in sight.
After all that nagging, Jax thought that Mae would’ve jumped at the opportunity to finally meet The Olleelicious, but when Jax had contacted her, she’d been traveling with a DJ on tour and had barely replied to his messages.
He’d worried about her, breathing a sigh of relief when she’d finally texted yesterday, back from her side quest and wanting to see Ollie. At least she’d returned safely, but he couldn’t erase the anxiety in the pit of his stomach, and he hoped that her upcoming talk with Ollie went well.
Tristan and Jax migrated to the living room, where Ollie was sorting through his latest makeup haul. Finn breezed through, disappearing to the back to give them privacy, and a few minutes later, they all jumped up as Mae rang the doorbell.
“Jaxon!” she exclaimed as he opened the door, and her appearance slapped him across the face.
A five-hundred-dollar wig and expert makeup were not going to hide the fact that she was downright skeletal, and she wore a sweater, coat, and gloves even though the weather was warm. “I have so much to tell you!”
She hugged him, and it took everything he had to raise his arms and return the hug. He hated that he could feel her shoulder blades through the layers.
“I bet.” He bit the inside of his cheek so he didn’t cringe, but she didn’t seem to notice, brushing past him into the townhouse.
“My mom has been up my ass since I got back, wanting me to check in, but she’s the reason I left in the first place. I’ve been staying with one of the audio guys from the tour and he’s a snack .”
So, she hadn’t even been home. When Jax had briefed Ollie on Mae’s history, ending it with her going on tour, Ollie had a dark look in his eyes. He’d told Jax that if she was running away, then she needed to go back into treatment.
And he couldn’t have been more right.
Jax had been a bad friend. Sure, he’d stayed by her side, but at what cost? She was dying, and he’d been too focused on himself and his own pain, too selfish to risk his new family in order to help her out.
Tristan stepped forward, and Mae put a hand on her chest, enamored. “Hi there!”
“Mae, meet Tristan,” Jax tore his gaze away from her, noticing that Tristan had a pretty good poker face, because he smiled warmly, holding out his hand.
“A pleasure.” Tristan turned on the charm, and Jax felt a surge of pride under his worry. “I’ve only heard good things.”
Mae made an impressed sound, quickly looking at Jax with holy shit written across her face. Jax just nodded because he’d really struck gold.
“Same here.” She bit her lip, eyes roaming Tristan up and down, but then her expression turned threatening. “You treat my bestie like a king, or I’ll find you.”
Jax’s mouth fell open as shock rippled across Tristan’s face, quickly followed by amusement.
“I see why you two are friends,” Tristan laughed. “I promise, I will lavish him with affection.”
“I approve!” she declared, smiling. “Soooo, where is Ollie?”
“Did someone call my name?” Ollie sashayed in, and Jax could see the flicker in his gaze, the immediate understanding as he grasped Mae’s hand in both of his. “I have been looking forward to meeting you for ages . You have lore!”
Mae looked like she’d touched greatness, staring up at Ollie with stars in her eyes. “You were looking forward to meeting me ?” She touched her chest again. “I’m the one fangirling here.”
Ollie crooked his arm. “Why don’t we hang out in the living room and chat?” He flicked his eyes to Jax and Tristan. “Do you guys mind? It’s girl talk.”
He’d pitched it as a joke, but Jax could see the worry in Ollie’s pale-blue gaze, which made Jax feel even worse .
“Sure. Let me know when you’re done.” He wanted to punch something, but not out of fury or rage; this time, it was all guilt. “Have fun.”
Somehow, Tristan noticed the slight hitch in Jax’s voice and grasped his hand, leading him silently to his room. Once the door clicked shut behind him, Tristan slowly approached, gathering Jax into his arms.
The understanding, along with that warm embrace, had Jax unraveling, and tears leaked from his eyes.
“I’m a selfish asshole,” he mumbled into Tristan’s shirt.
“What makes you say that?” Tristan’s gentle voice only added to the warmth.
“Because I should’ve done something sooner.” Jax pulled back a little, wiping his face. “I know we were never the deep-talk kind of friends, but she’s killing herself. I shouldn’t have cared so much about her getting mad and told her to get help.”
“Do you think she would’ve gotten help?” Tristan calmly waited for an answer, his energy soothing Jax once again.
“Maybe…” Jax sighed. “No.”
“Have you considered that your friendship is something that has been helping her? She seems to trust you the most because she threatened me.”
That got a weak chuckle out of Jax. “She’s never done that before. She must like you.”
“Good, because I like you ,” Tristan said, pulling him back in for a tight hug.
“I like you too.” He rested against Tristan’s warmth until the guilt subsided a little, wishing he could stay there forever, but Ollie knocked on the door far too soon.
“How’s it going?” Jax’s heart was in his throat, but Tristan kept an arm around him, grounding him.
“She knows that she needs to go back into treatment. In a weird way, I think she wanted permission.” Ollie seemed sad but resolute, and Jax hoped that this hadn’t caused him too much grief, because he felt guilty enough already.
“I called my therapist and there’s a bed at the place I went to.
She wants to say goodbye before she leaves. ”
“Thank you for doing this. For talking to her.” Jax left Tristan’s hold to hug Ollie. “I should’ve done this sooner. ”
“Don’t think that way. If you had talked to her sooner, then she wouldn’t have come here and decided to try again.” Ollie stated. “She adores you, Jax. She’s here because she wanted to meet me, but also because she feels safe with you.”
While that didn’t lessen the guilt, it increased Jax’s happiness. Clearing his throat, he pulled back, smiling at Ollie. “Thanks. You’re officially the best brother-in-law in the world.”
“I’d do it for anyone,” Ollie stated seriously. “Now, let’s not keep her waiting.”
How about a massage after your first day as head chef?
Laughing, Jax took off his glove to type, holding it between his teeth.
From Hot Bearded Guy? Y E S. Since Tristan’s place was closer to The Pointe, Jax had decided to stay there all weekend, and they’d carpooled to the wedding hall.
But Jax had an ulterior motive; he found comfort in keeping Tristan close.
He was like a human beta blocker, and Jax could use all the help he could get running things over the next three days.
Good. And remember, I’m here to back you up.
Jax couldn’t help but smile, sending back a filthy photo.
I’m saving this, Tristan replied a moment later, and Jax cackled, sending him another and then putting his phone away as Ollie strode into the walk-in.
“Do you need extra help tonight?” Wrapping his arms around himself, he shivered next to Jax. “I can assemble The Squad!”
“The Squad?” Putting his glove back on, Jax gave Ollie a smirk and then continued to check the inventory, counting under his breath.