Chapter 30
CHAPTER 30
JAMISON
This sucks. There’s nothing like sitting at home on a Friday night, boxing up my son’s belongings.
After Lauren came by and took what she wanted, I realized it was time to move on. My son’s never going to be here and keeping his room the same is just me staying in denial. I rub the tattoo that is in honor of him.
This fucking hurts.
My phone vibrates on the floor next to the box I’m packing. I grab it to check who it is.
Melanie: Hey, big guy. Have you seen Dori tonight?
Okay, now I know something’s amiss. I knew Jonah was asking about her for Hunter, but with Melanie not knowing, it’s clear Dori’s MIA.
Me: Not since the party? Why?
Melanie: We got into a fight at the gym and now she’s not speaking to me. I went by her place to work it out, but she’s not there. She’s turned off her phone and is avoiding me.
Me: Jesus Christ. Why does she do that? It only makes things worse.
Melanie: I guess I know how it feels now. Serves me right for siding with her when she did this to you. If you hear from her, will you ask her to call me? I promise to be nice.
Me: Have you tried Hunter?
Melanie: No dice there. He’s looking for her too. They got into a fight.
Me: Are you sure they’re still fighting?
Melanie: Yes. He’s at Jonah’s. Jonah called and told me about it. I could hear Hunter in the background talking to someone. Guess it pays that I let him have my number.
Me: I’m sure Hunter’s having her followed, so why can’t he find her? Did she dodge the guy?
Melanie: I don’t think Hunter is tracking her. He was, but that’s why Jonah said Dori’s pissed. Somebody was following her and she accused Hunter of hiring someone without her permission. She turned off her phone sometime after that. With her being upset with me and Hunter, you were my only hope.
Prickles climb over my skin. Nothing about this exchange is sitting right.
Me: Any clue where I should start looking for her?
Melanie: Your guess is as good as mine. Don’t tell her this, but she can be a royal pain in the ass.
Me: Don’t I know it. Look, I’m going out to search for her. If you find her before I do, text me and let me know.
Two seconds pass and my phone rings.
I check the screen and answer it. “Melanie, why are you calling?”
“I thought I should tell you so you’re prepared. Dori’s probably pretty upset with you.”
“Why?”
“Because I got the job in Miami. I told Dori about it tonight. She thinks it’s some conspiracy that you and I are going to move there together.”
“Fuuuck.” The word is low and drawn out.
Dori’s in her head and overreacting. She’s got a jealous streak, and this kind of information would send her out of the atmosphere.
The thought of her best friend and me moving to work for the same company in a faraway state… Yeah, I’m fucked. My insides wrench down.
“Sorry, Jami. She pushed my buttons, and I lost it. She didn’t even congratulate me. Can you believe that?”
“Actually, I can. I’m sure she’s happy for you, but she can’t see that right now. She thinks I’m moving and now you are too. You’re her best friend. She’s got to be crushed about losing you.”
“I know. That’s why I went to fix things with her.” Melanie growls under her breath. “It should be Dori apologizing. You know that, right?”
I sigh. “I do, but she doesn’t think straight when she’s hurting. ”
“That’s why I tried to make amends. Anyway, keep me posted and I’ll do the same for you.”
“Deal.”
We hang up and I leave my packing for another day. I get ready to go find Dori, but I have no idea where to look.
My anxiety simmers below my skin. As I get out of my building, it hits me. I was doing this same thing just a few weeks ago. I growl and march down the street.
Fucking hell, she pisses me off.
When will she learn this behavior makes the situation ten times worse?
I check every place that’s open this late and near her loft. Of course, it’s the last dive I come to where I find her.
She’s sitting at the bar and a group of guys surround her. I almost miss her, but she laughs as I walk behind her. The sound is unmistakable. I squeeze past two guys and tap her on the shoulder.
To avoid yelling over the crowd, I place my mouth near her ear. “Hey, can I have a minute of your time?”
She turns and glances my way, her eyes glossy and barely able to focus on me. She’s trashed, so this interaction has the potential to go very poorly.
Even though I’m pissed, my heart hurts to see her like this. It can only mean one thing. She’s avoiding her feelings.
“Well, look who’s here. What brings you out today…tonight? Wait. What time is it? It could be the morning.” She laughs and tosses her head back, allowing her long ponytail to hang over the back of her stool.
“Hey, Dori. It’s getting late. Can I walk you home?” I give one of the guys sitting on the other side of her a don’t fuck with me look.
Thankfully, the guys step farther away. They’re still lingering but giving me space to talk to her.
“Pfftt…home, no.” She taps the counter to get the ba rtender’s attention. “Stan, the man. How about we do another shot?”
I stand behind her and gesture over her head, slicing my hand in the air across my neck, telling him to cut her off.
He glances at her and juts his chin. “Sorry, pretty lady, but I can’t serve you anymore. You’ve hit your limit.”
The three guys still standing on the other side of her groan and start arguing for her. Stan, the man, holds his ground.
I whip out my credit card and hand it to him over her head. He reaches for it and her drunken gaze follows his movement. She leans so far back that her stool starts to tip over.
I grab her waist right as her chair hits the point of no return and slams against the floor. She twists to face me. She tries to focus on me as she runs her hands up and down my forearms.
“Thanks, big guy.” Her unfocused eyes come to mine. “That’s what she calls you. Big guy.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I lie to avoid the shit show that’s about to happen if I don’t. “Have you eaten?”
She sways in my arms. “You’re leaving me again. Always the same old story.”
Jesus, this is going to be a long night.
I glance at the men sitting with her. “Any chance you three noticed if she ate?”
“No, man. As far as I know, her dinner was a beer.” The oldest-looking of them shrugs.
“Jamison…Stone. Don’t you know there’s a sandwich in every beer, so I had two.” She hiccups. “And I don’t normally drink beer, so I’m super good.”
“That’s great to hear, but how about we get a pizza? I’m hungry and could use the company.” I take my credit card back from Stan and throw some cash on the bar for his tip .
She steps away from me and scans the area. “Do you know where my stuff is?”
I glance around and see her gym bag hanging off another stool. “It’s right here. Now, let’s get you out of here.”
I grab her bag and shoulder it. She waves goodbye to her friends , and I lead her out by her hand. As soon as I open the door, the cold air hits us.
I pull her into me. “I don’t suppose you have a jacket in your bag.”
“Nope. I ran to the gym and then…”
She’s still in her workout clothes, so I know just how long she’s been out drinking—ever since she and Melanie fought.
I quickly decide to get a ride service and duck back into the bar with her. I lean against the wall, wishing I could take her home and hold her through her pain.
“Hey, Dori, while we wait, why don’t you turn on your phone and let everyone know where you are?”
She shuffles to me and rests on my chest, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Don’t have to. That guy over there will.”
I scan the bar but don’t notice anyone paying attention to us. “Who are you talking about?”
She doesn’t reply, so I pull back to find her gaze. Her eyes are closed. She looks peaceful.
Warmth and love for her fill my soul. I suck in a breath, rest my head against the wall, and wait for our ride. She might be a royal pain in the ass, but I’ll take her any way, any day, no matter what.
The ride service picks us up and we go back to her place, only to find she’s lost her keys. I want to scream and shake her silly, but rein it in and get another car to take us to my apartment so I can get her into bed.
She’s half asleep and making little sense, mumbling about success and beaches. I practically have to carry her in .
I lead her straight to the guest bedroom. “Let’s get you into bed.”
“I’ve never slept in your bed.” She plops down on the mattress and slides her hands over the comforter. “It’s nice in here.”
“Thanks, but this isn’t my room.” I stand near the entrance and assess her. “Do you want a shirt to sleep in?”
She nods, and I disappear to get her something to wear, a glass of water, and ibuprofen. She’s going to need it.
I try to ignore my wish that she was sleeping in my bed, but it’s useless. That’s where I always want her to sleep.
When I return to the guest room, she’s crying in a ball on the floor. My chest caves in. I place everything down and get on the floor to pull her into my lap and rock her in my arms.
“Come on, Dori. Everything’s going to be better in the morning.”
“No, it’s not. In the morning, Hunter’s still mad, Melanie still hates me, and you leave me alone again because we can’t get it right.” She curls against me and sobs.
I’m not going to argue with her because she’s too far gone to be rational. I want to be upset about her pity party, but seeing her this way only tells me she’s doing worse emotionally than I thought.
Never have I known her to go out alone, especially straight from the gym without showering. She still looks hot as fuck, but she usually wouldn’t let strangers around her if she thought she smelled like sweat.
Holding her tightly, a tingling sensation creeps up my thighs as my legs fall asleep. A flurry of thoughts consume my mind. Trying to get her to choose me is destroying her. I’m the one putting her through turmoil.
She pleaded with me—practically begged me—not to make things difficult for her, and yet that’s precisely what I’ve been doing. My cruel words about our dirty kiss and how I smeared her lipstick across her face have my stomach rolling over.
God, I can be such a dick.
She’s done crying, and her breathing has evened out. I peek down at her and find her passed out on my chest. It would be near perfect if the moment weren’t laced with such sadness and longing. I cradle her in my arms and place her in bed.
She’s going to have to deal with sleeping in her clothes because I’m not torturing myself by undressing her. I set up her water and ibuprofen on the nightstand.
Hopefully, she’ll wake up sometime in the middle of the night and take them. Otherwise, her head is going to be killing her tomorrow.
I close down my house and shoot Melanie a text, telling her where Dori is. Once that’s taken care of, I slide into bed a little after two, knowing what I have to do.
I rub the pain in my chest. At least I don’t have the stress of the launch anymore. But with that thought, my heart shrinks; my time here with Dori is coming to an end soon.
I’m taking the job in Miami because there are endless opportunities and she let her choice be known today. So part of Dori’s prediction is correct. I will be leaving her again, but she won’t be alone. She’ll have Hunter. My soul breaks one more time and I pray it’s the last.
It’s way too early for anyone to visit, but I expected this, so I was up and getting ready an hour ago.
I set my coffee down on the counter and answer the door, knowing exactly who’s on the other side. Hunter comes into view as soon as there is enough space .
“Hunter, I was expecting you. Come on in.”
“Where’s Dorothy?” He stands at the opening with his jaw tight and twitching.
“She’s still sleeping. I have a couple of things to say before you wake her. Please come in so we can talk.” I widen the opening to make space for him.
He pins me with a death stare as he trudges into my place. I gesture to the living room. He growls low under his breath.
No doubt, he probably wants to kill me because he thinks I slept with her last night. I should’ve just to piss him off, but whatever. That’s just the asshole in me talking.
“What’s this about Jamison?” He stands by the sliding glass door with his arms folded.
“Dori, what else?” I grab my coffee and stay in the kitchen. We need the distance, at least until he hears me out.
“Look, Hunter, before you go off the hinges, you need to know nothing happened last night. Melanie asked me to help find Dori because she pulled another one of her silent treatments on everyone. I found her at a dive bar, inebriated, and tried to take her to her loft. She lost her keys somewhere, so I brought her here.”
“You should’ve brought her to my place.”
“Probably, but I took the path of least resistance. It was hard enough trying to make sense of what she was saying. I didn’t want to add you seeing us together into the mix. Who knows how much miscommunication would’ve gone on?”
“So you kept her to yourself. That makes it so much better, Jamison.” His sarcasm is evident. “Nothing happened last night, but something did happen yesterday. Do I need to remind you of what that was?”
“I kissed her, Hunter. She didn’t kiss me. That’s what I wanted to tell you. Instead of berating her today, which I’ll admit she kind of deserves for doing her disappearing act—but that’s another conversation altogether—try hearing her out. Listen to her because she’s hurting and is about to self-destruct.”
He rolls his eyes. “Thanks, coach. Now, can I go get my girlfriend, or do you have anything else to say?”
“I do have something else, but go get her first. I want to say it to both of you. She’s down the hall to the right, in the first bedroom. The door is closed, so you’ll know which one I’m talking about.”
He stalks away, cursing under his breath. I can only hope he takes my advice and doesn’t let her have a piece of his mind. An argument would only make this dreadful situation worse.
They come back a few minutes later, holding hands. She’s already teary, and no doubt has a screaming hangover, but it’s time they hear what I have to say.
She peeks up at me. “Jami, I’m sorry you had to take care of me last night. I didn’t mean?—”
“It’s fine. Why don’t you and Hunter take a seat? I have something to say.” I motion to the couch and brace myself for the agony I have to face.
They hesitate to do what I ask. After some silent communication, she leads him to the couch.
I pull in all of my strength because this is going to be one of the most difficult things to do. It’s right up there with laying my parents and my son to rest. I force down all my love for her and start speaking while another piece of me dies.