17. Chapter 17 #2
A shadow fell across Jax as Tristan dove in front of him, his shoulder taking Eve’s right hook.
“Tristan!” Jax exclaimed, but Tristan shook it off, staring her down.
“I told you not to call him that,” he growled, pushing his arms back and protecting Jax as Eve tried to dart around him. It had all happened so fast that Owen and Angelo had only started reacting, but Marci was halfway across the room.
It didn’t matter because Jax’s mother stepped into the ring. Jax saw her in his peripheral vision, feeling the pressure of her fury, which had presence, as if it were another guest in the office.
“Ma,” was all he managed to get out before she returned Eve’s punch, catching her in the jaw and knocking her to the floor.
“That’s for messin’ with my son.” She shook out her hand, somehow the most threatening person in the room. “I know none of these gentlemen will hit you, but I will.”
“Gianna, you’re a baddie!” Ollie squealed from the hallway, and Jax looked back to see Finn in shock and Mason far behind him, smiling with glee.
“I’m…” Eve tried to get up, one hand on her face, which was already swelling.
“You’re gonna what, hun? Do you want another? Because I held back. And is this the guy who did your dirty work?” She walked toward Derrick, who cowered in his chair, but Marci stepped between them, admiration in her eyes.
“I like you,” she stated, her smile matching Mason’s. “But will you allow us to take out the trash?”
“Feel free, hun. You look like you can handle it.” She waved them on, and Owen gave her a quick nod before turning his icy gaze on Derrick.
“I forgot to mention something. Both of you are being recorded.” Owen pointed out the small hidden cameras planted around the room. “Derrick? You’re fired. And you also have a choice to make. The Pointe can talk to the police about the walk-in, or you can reimburse us.”
“…I can pay you,” Derrick mumbled, looking like he’d lost everything. Go od, because the money he’d taken could now be used to make The Pointe whole.
“Good, good.” Owen crossed his arms, strangely intimidating. “Angelo is going to bring you downstairs and set that up. If you ever come back here again or cause us trouble in any way, I won’t hesitate to press charges. Are we clear?”
“Yeah.” Standing, Derrick shot Eve a look, and he might’ve tried to glance at Jax, but Tristan blocked that too.
If Jax hadn’t been sideswiped by everything, he might’ve taken his own shot at Derrick, showed him even more consequences to his actions, but Jax just wanted this entire thing to be over.
Without another word, Derrick practically bolted from the office, Angelo right behind him.
“Come on, Eve, you’re done here,” Marci stated, standing over her.
Seething, Eve glared at the entire room, still cradling her face.
“Tris?” She looked up at him, but Jax could practically see the fury rising from Tristan’s skin.
“You don’t get Derrick’s deal.” Tristan’s low, gritty voice would be sexy in any other scenario. “This footage is going to a lawyer, and soon you’ll have restraining orders from The Pointe, me, and Rain.”
“ What? From Rainy? ” Her shrill voice cut through Jax’s head, echoing off the walls. “You can’t do this! He’s my son.”
“But you’re not his mother,” Tristan said sadly. “You’ve never been his mother.”
“You stole him from me! You don’t deserve to be happy! You -” She leapt up, lunging for Tristan, but Marci was ready. With a grin, she grabbed Eve by her hair and dress, and Eve jerked backward with a cry.
“Nope. Time to go,” Marci announced, and suddenly, they were gone.
Jax’s mom sniffed. “I knew she could handle herself.”
Stunned silence reigned as the tension in the room slowly settled, and Jax let out a long breath.
“Holy shit,” was all he could come up with. His mind was still spinning from all the information, his emotions jangled and raw, and he stared at Tristan’s back, not knowing what to say or do.
He used to be a cocky party boy, and then an angry brat, but Tristan had slowly stripped Jax down to his real self, someone who wanted to love and be loved in return, someone who wanted joy and softness in his life.
And Tristan fulfilled all of those wants wonderfully, smoothing the edges of Jax’s pain and making things bearable.
Finally, Tristan turned, and once their eyes met, his held guilt, relief, and love. The last one was the most important, because it told Jax everything he needed to know.
Tristan had made mistakes, but only because he’d been too kind.
Stupidly kind, but kind nonetheless. That was leagues better than maliciousness or unchecked anger.
And he’d clearly been on a journey during their week apart, trying to fix things, although the fixing could’ve been a little less dramatic.
But then Jax wouldn’t have heard Tristan’s declaration of love, confirming that their bond had always been there, forged long before they ever existed in these bodies. While Jax never believed in that kind of stuff, whatever he had with Tristan challenged that.
Now that they were close, he could feel their connection pulling them together, but there was so much they needed to work through. It must’ve shown on his face, because Owen coughed.
“I should go downstairs and see how Marci and Angelo are doing,” he declared. “Hey, Finn, Ollie, why don’t you help me?”
“Sure,” Finn said, but Jax could sense that his mom was hovering in the hallway.
“Gianna, give them a minute?” Ollie came to the rescue. “You can hassle Tristan later.”
“You’re lucky you’re cute, hun.” Her voice drifted away, and suddenly they were alone.
“How are you feeling?” Tristan breathed out, looking Jax over.
“Better. I need a few more days, but I’ll be okay.” Jax couldn’t help but be charmed by how much Tristan cared for him. In fact, if the dark circles under his eyes were anything to go by, he’d been just as heartbroken as Jax.
“Who told you about this?” Tristan asked before grinning weakly and shaking his head. “Gideon…”
“I cannot confirm nor deny that,” Jax replied, and Tristan took a moment before letting out a bone-weary sigh .
“I’m sorry.” The words came from the depths of his soul, and Jax could feel their sincerity. “I don’t know how much you heard-”
“Most of it,” Jax interrupted, his voice soft. This wasn’t like him. He should be outside scaring Eve away for good, but Tristan had done that instead, showing off his newfound strength, and Jax couldn’t help but marvel at it.
“Oh…” Tristan cleared his throat, the guilt in his gaze taking over. “Jax, my past, my ex, caused you a lot of pain, and almost ruined your career. I can’t make up for that.”
“You act like you’re responsible for Eve and Derrick, like you came up with the plan.
” Why was Jax the calm and rational one here?
It was like Tristan’s actions and proximity had sealed up the wound in his heart, and while it still ached a bit, that could be solved with more closeness and conversation.
“But if I hadn’t given her money, then this wouldn’t have happened.” Tristan put a hand over his brow, shading his eyes. “And if I hadn’t met her that morning, you wouldn’t-” His breath hitched on a sob he couldn’t stifle. “You wouldn’t have been lying there alone.”
“Tristan…” Jax looked up under that hand, and tears trailed down Tristan’s cheeks. “You still came for me. I was hurt by what happened, but I understand now.”
“I will never keep anything from you again.” Tristan quickly wiped his cheeks. “I promise.”
“I know you won’t.” Jax had forgiven Tristan already, but he could tell that it would be a while before Tristan forgave himself. Taking a few seconds to build up his courage, Jax stayed locked on those light-brown eyes. “So, did you mean what you said?”
Tristan started, immediately knowing what Jax meant, and his teary gaze glimmered.
“Yes.” He stepped closer, bridging the slight space between them. Jax could tell that he wanted to reach out, but he probably felt too afraid, so Jax held out his hand instead.
Tristan looked at it and let out a shaky half-sob as their fingers entwined. Jax’s vision blurred with tears too, because he’d missed Tristan so much.
Looking up from their joined hands, Tristan stared deeply into Jax’s eyes, baring his soul.
“I can’t believe that I thought I loved Eve, because what I feel for you isn’t even close. It’s in a different galaxy, a different universe.” He pulled Jax’s hand up, kissing the back of it. “I love you so deeply that I feel like we’ve met before.”
“You feel it too!” Jax exclaimed as reality narrowed down to just the two of them. “You’re familiar, like this isn’t the first time we’ve been in love.”
Tristan’s mouth fell open, and Jax realized that he’d just said it indirectly. So, he’d better say it again.
“Yeah, I love you too.” He bit his lip, suddenly shy as Tristan’s fingers grasped his tightly. “And it killed me that you ran off that morning, because to me? You’re basically perfect.”
Tristan snorted.
“Shut up, don’t make me punch you too,” Jax managed to grin. “You are perfect, and the only thing that was holding us back was your lunatic ex. But you really solved that problem.”
“I had to clear your name and get Eve out of everyone’s lives.” A hesitant smile bloomed across Tristan’s face. “You still wanting me afterward? I couldn’t let myself hope.”
Moving in close, Jax stood on his toes, pressing their lips together, and that simple, sweet kiss dampened some of the adrenaline, because it felt like home.
They parted with a click, and pink bloomed enticingly along Tristan’s cheekbones.
“Yes, I still want you. But we should probably ease in,” Jax stated, wondering if that was even possible, because if his back would let him, he’d cling to Tristan for the next decade.
Tristan nodded solemnly, but the glee in his wobbly smile betrayed him. “Agreed.”
Jax looked at the chair that Eve had been sitting in. “I have so many questions.”
“And I owe you answers.” Tristan gently swung their joined hands.
“Okay…” Jax took a breath. “How did you figure it out? And how did you manage to put this together?” Jax waved his free hand around the office, the floodgates opening. “How did Eve and Derrick meet? Do you th ink she’ll bother us again?”
Blinking at the onslaught, Tristan let out a small chuckle. “Hang on, hang on. Um, I went for a hike, and I stopped on the way home for pizza. That’s when I saw them sitting in the window of a bar.”
“Are you kidding?” Jax snorted, amused. “Wow, that’s lucky . And unlucky for them.”
Tristan barked out a laugh, running a hand through his hair. “I guess so. Honestly, at that moment I wanted to call you-”
“I’m glad you didn’t because if my back had been better, I might’ve gone in there and come out with regrets.” Jax was sort of kidding. Maybe he would’ve done nothing at all, just like tonight.
“That’s why I called Gideon.” Tristan continued with a wry grin. “And then I spoke to Owen, Marci, and Angelo, who were almost as angry as I was, and the rest is history. We came up with the plan, and I expected it to go sideways, but not the way it did. If you had gotten hurt…”
“But I didn’t get hurt, because you protected me,” Jax told him, his gaze and heart steady. “Keep answering,”
Tristan stroked his beard, thinking. “Derrick hit on Eve in the parking lot on Valentine’s Day, when she came to find Rain but saw me instead.”
“I still can’t believe they were working together to take me down.”
“I’m sorry.” Tristan drooped at the reminder.
“If you say you’re sorry one more time, you’re fired.” Jax parroted Angelo, and that got a tiny grin from Tristan.
“Okay, understood. And to answer your last question, I believe she’ll stay away. Liam works for an incredible lawyer who’s taking care of the restraining orders. She helped Mason with his last year, and he hasn’t heard a peep from his family since then.”
“Will that really stop her?” Jax squinted, unsure. “She’s angry and devious, that’s not a good combination.”
“She won’t risk going to jail.” Tristan seemed sure of himself. “She’s too pampered. She wouldn’t weather it well and she knows that.”
Jax grinned, thinking of her in orange, and his doubts began to melt away. “Yeah, she’d freak out. And now that you’re not an easy target anymore, she’ll try to find someone who is.”
“That’s all thanks to you.” Tristan brushed fingertips along Jax’s cheek, and Jax couldn’t help but smile. Their first-date deal had been kind of a joke, but it had manifested into reality.
“You’re welcome, but just so you know? It works both ways. I’ve been calmer than I should be, and I know it’s your fault.” Jax smirked.
“I’ve noticed that.” Serious, Tristan nodded.
“I know it sounds strange, but because you were so angry on my behalf, I didn’t need to be.” Jax reached deep, speaking from his heart. “I’m usually the one fighting for myself, even against my own body, but you were out there fighting for me. You’ve always been fighting for me.”
“I have. And I won’t stop.” Tristan brought Jax’s hand up to his lips again, placing a lingering kiss on it.
“Tristan…” Jax tried not to turn a brighter shade of pink but failed.
“Any other questions or comments?” Tristan’s eyes seemed to lighten even further, and Jax could get lost in them forever. “Once again, I promise that I won’t hide anything from you ever again. Except birthday presents.”
“That’s acceptable,” Jax grinned, but quickly sobered as he realized that he was being a hypocrite.
Tristan’s face also fell. “What’s the matter?”
Jax took in a steadying breath.
“I hid something from you too, so we’re even,” he stated, remembering the conversation he’d had before their first date. “Eve was at The Pointe last year, to find Rain-”
“I know,” Tristan interrupted. “Rain told me last week.”
“Did he tell you anything else?” Jax ventured, not wanting to betray Rain’s secrets but also wanting a clean slate with Tristan.
“No…” Concern wrinkled Tristan’s forehead. “There’s more?”
“It’s not my place to say?” Jax’s voice went up at the end, making it a question, and he knew he looked pained.
“And how do you know this?”
“Rain told Ollie. Not many people know, but everyone who does is sworn to secrecy because Rain doesn’t want you upset.” This time, Jax squeezed Tristan’s fingers, hoping that he wasn’t hurt. “I wanted to tell you but…”
“But it was complicated.” Tristan squeezed back, letting Jax know that they were fine. “I get why I’m the last to know, but I’d better go downstairs and find out what else he hasn’t told me.”
“Yeah, you should. And we have to talk to my mom too.”
Even though the day had gone in their favor, and they’d shared a love-soaked reunion, no one would be able to tell, because Tristan’s face was hilariously stricken.
“Wonderful.”