Chapter 13 Sloane
SLOANE
Iwake up to the sound of pounding. Not the gentle knock of someone being polite.
Not even the firm rap of someone in a hurry.
This is violent, aggressive pounding that makes the whole cabin shake.
Jax is already moving, rolling out of bed and pulling on his jeans in one smooth motion.
His entire demeanor has changed, gone is the soft, tender man from last night.
This is the rescuer, the man trained for emergencies.
“Stay here,” he orders, his voice hard.
But I’m already getting up, my heart racing. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong. The pounding continues, accompanied now by a voice. A voice I hoped never to hear again.
“Sloane! I know you’re in there! Open the fucking door!”
Chett.
My blood turns to ice.
Jax turns to look at me, his jaw tight. “That’s him?”
I nod, unable to speak. How did he find me? Shit. Do I still have my location on?
“Sloane! Open the door!”
“What do you want to do?” Jax asks quietly, and I love him a little for asking. For not just taking over. For giving me the choice.
“I … I don’t know. I need to …” The pounding gets louder. “I need to talk to him. Tell him to leave.”
“Okay.” Jax pulls a shirt on. “But I’m coming with you.”
“Jax …”
“Not negotiable.” His eyes are fierce. “I’m not letting you face him alone.”
Part of me wants to argue. Wants to prove I can handle this myself. But the truth is, I’m terrified. And having Jax there, solid and protective beside me, makes me feel like I can do this.
“Okay,” I whisper.
We walk to the door together. I’m wearing one of Jax’s flannel shirts over my pajama shorts, my hair is a mess, and I probably have hickeys visible on my neck. There’s no hiding what’s been happening here. I take a deep breath and open the door.
Chett is standing on the porch, his face red with cold and anger. He’s wearing his expensive North Face jacket and designer boots, the ones he bought for mountain adventures he promised me, but never actually did because hiking was too dangerous.
“Finally!” He pushes past me into the cabin. “Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? How many people are looking for you?”
“I told you I needed space …”
“Space?” He spins around, and that’s when he sees Jax. His eyes widen, taking in Jax’s size, his obvious just-rolled-out-of-bed appearance, and then they drop to me. To the shirt I’m wearing that’s clearly not mine. His face goes from red to purple. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“Chett …”
“You disappear for days, won’t answer my calls, and you’re up here fucking some random guy?” His voice is rising, getting louder. “Are you serious right now?”
“Watch your tone,” Jax says, his voice deadly calm. He’s moved to stand slightly in front of me, his body language protective.
Chett’s eyes snap to him. “Who the fuck are you?”
“You need to calm down.”
“Calm down? You’re telling me to calm down?” Chett laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “This is my fiancée.”
“Ex-fiancée,” I correct, finding my voice. “We’re done, Chett. I told you that.”
“Because of one mistake? Because I had a moment of weakness?” He takes a step toward me, and Jax immediately blocks his path. “Baby, please. Can we just talk? Alone?” He glares at Jax.
“No.” The word comes out stronger than I feel. “I don’t want to talk to you. I want you to leave.”
“I drove hours through a fucking snowstorm to find you.”
“I didn’t ask you to!” I yell.
“I did it because I love you. Because we can work this out!” He tries to move around Jax, but Jax sidesteps, keeping himself between us. “Would you get out of the way?”
“Not happening,” Jax says calmly. “She asked you to leave.”
“This is none of your business.” Chett’s fists are clenched now. “This is between me and my girl.”
“I’m not your girl.” I step around Jax so Chett can see me. So, he must look at me. “You cheated on me. There are no second chances. We’re done. I don’t want to work it out.”
“You don’t mean that.” His voice softens, turns pleading. “You’re just upset. You’re not thinking clearly. Once you calm down …”
“I am calm. I am thinking clearly. Probably more clearly than I have in years.” My hands shake, but my voice stays steady. “I don’t love you anymore, Chett. Don’t think I have for a while.”
His expression hardens. “This is because of him, isn’t it?” He gestures at Jax. “Is this some kind of tit for tat, Sloane? I get it. I fucked someone, so you fuck someone. Fine, we’re even. Now would you come back home, and we never have to speak of this again.”
“No.”
Chett raises a brow. “No?”
“That’s what I said.” I stand firm.
“All because of him?” he says, sneering at Jax. “You slummed it with this redneck and now you think he’s better for you than me?” he asks, sounding offended. “How long have you even known him?”
“That’s not …”
Chett laughs. “Oh, you’ve just met,” he says, looking between us. “So it’s been what, like a few days?” He laughs bitterly. “You’re throwing away nine years for a guy you just met? That’s pathetic, Sloane. Even for you.”
“Watch it,” Jax warns, and there’s real danger in his voice now.
“Or what? You going to hit me? Go ahead. I’ll have you arrested for assault.”
“Chett, just leave,” I plead. “This doesn’t have to get ugly.”
“It’s already ugly. You’ve embarrassed me.” He runs his hands through his hair. “You’re standing here in another man’s shirt, in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, and you’re telling me we’re over?”
“You want to talk about ugly?” Anger floods through me, hot and sharp. “Let’s talk about walking in on you fucking Brittany over our kitchen counter.”
Chett has the audacity to roll his eyes. “This again. You’re like a broken record, Sloane. Brittany was a mistake. I’m sorry you walked in and saw what you saw. I can’t change that. But this …” he waves his hand around, “is worse.”
I’m genuinely shocked. “Why, because it’s me?”
“Exactly. Men are known to let off steam once in a while, but women …”
That misogynistic asshole. “I deserved better.”
“And you think he’s that person?” Chett sneers at Jax. “Some random guy who was probably just looking for an easy lay?”
Jax takes a step in front of me. “Watch your fucking mouth.”
“Oh, I’m scared.” Chett mocks.
“Jax has been more honest with me in these three days than you were in nine years,” I shoot back.
Chett’s face twists with rage. “You know what? Fuck you, Sloane. Fuck you and your self-righteous bullshit. You want to throw away everything we had for some redneck? Fine. But don’t come crawling back when you realize what a mistake you made.”
“I won’t,” I say firmly. “Because the only mistake I made was staying with you as long as I did.”
“You’re going to regret this.” His voice is cold now. “You think you’re going to find better? You’re delusional. You’re going to end up alone and miserable, and you’ll realize I was the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“Get out,” Jax says, and this time it’s not a suggestion. “Now.”
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll remove you myself. And trust me, you don’t want that.”
There’s something in Jax’s stance, in the set of his shoulders, that must finally get through to Chett. He takes a step back.
“This isn’t over,” he says, looking at me. “We’re not over.”
“Yes, we are.” I wrap my arms around myself. “We’re done, Chett. Really done. Please don’t contact me again.”
“You’re making a huge mistake,” he calls out.
“The only mistake was you.” For a moment, I think he’s going to say something else. Do something. But then he just shakes his head and storms out, slamming the door behind him so hard the windows rattle.
The silence that follows is deafening.
I stand there, shaking, unable to move. Unable to process what just happened. Then Jax is there, pulling me into his arms, and I break. I sob into his chest, my whole body trembling.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs, one hand stroking my hair. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. You did so good. You were so brave.”
“How did he find me?” I gasp between sobs. “How did he know?”
“I don’t know, maybe via your location. It’s how I track my brothers.”
“I can’t … I can’t go back. I can’t see him again. I can’t …” I panic over my words.
“You don’t have to. We’ll figure it out. I promise.”
We stand there for a long time, him holding me while I cry. All the anger, all the hurt, all the fear I’ve been holding onto for days comes pouring out. Finally, when I can breathe again, I pull back to look at him.
“I’m so sorry he said those things to you.”
“I don’t care what he said about me.” Jax cups my face gently. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” I laugh weakly. “I think so. That was ... that was horrible.”
“It was. But you stood up to him. You told him exactly what you needed to say.”
“I was so scared.”
“But you did it anyway.”
I lean into his touch, trying to steady myself. “What do we do now?”
Before he can answer, there’s another knock at the door. My heart stops.
“If that’s him again …” Jax starts, his jaw tight.
But a different voice calls out. A familiar voice that makes me both relieved and terrified. “Sloane? It’s Riley! And Maggie! Let us in, it’s fucking freezing out here!”
Jax and I look at each other, confused. Why the hell are my sister and best friend here?
Jax opens the door, and sure enough, there’s my best friend and my sister, both bundled up and looking thoroughly annoyed.
Riley takes one look at me, at my tear-stained face, at Jax’s protective stance, and her expression shifts from annoyed to murderous.
“Where is he?” she demands. “Where’s that cheating piece of shit?”
“He left,” I tell her.
“Good. Because I was ready to commit violence.” Riley storms into the cabin, Maggie following more quietly. Riley pulls me into a fierce hug. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” She searches for injuries.
“No. I’m okay. How did you …”
“That asshole told your mom that he was coming up here to ‘get his girl back.’” Riley’s voice drips with disgust.