Chapter 33 Jett #2
In the kitchen at home, my parents, my aunt, and my uncle demanded all the details.
I hadn’t really wanted to talk about it, so Gray and Ash filled them in as I sat and stared at the wall.
Every touch with her, every smile, every captured gasp replayed in my head as I analyzed every moment with her.
Now that Derrick had been revealed as the missing piece, I remembered mostly everything, and I was sure that Ava would, too.
“Jett,” my mom spoke softly to me. “Jett, honey, can we talk?”
I looked around the kitchen. Everyone was gone except Mom. “Where are they?”
She sighed as she reached out to stroke my arm. “I think Gray is punching the shit out of something in the gym, and your dad is waiting to pick him up, and then I guess the two of them will run on the treadmill until they collapse.” She tried to smile. “You know, Santo men shit.”
I snorted out a laugh. “And Ash?”
“Kage will be punching the shit out of something, and Ash will be waiting to pick him up, then they’ll swim laps until Aunt Charlotte needs to rescue them,” Mom said dryly. “Same Santo, same man shit.” She lost her smile as she looked back at me. “I hate that this happened to you.”
“Ava. It happened to Ava, Mom.”
“I know, I know that, sweetie . . . but it happened to you, too.”
“I still don’t remember it like I should, I didn’t think I drank that much of the second bottle,” I told her quietly.
“But you must have.” She answered me gently. “You don’t remember the night at all?” she asked me curiously.
“Now I do.” I stood from the table. “Now I have it in full IMAX surround sound in my head.”
“And what does it tell you?” she asked me as she gave me her full attention.
“That she was as willing as I was.”
Mom nodded and plucked at her sleeve. “So, what we need to know is if you both would have been that way if you weren’t drugged.”
I shrugged. I didn’t know.
“And your brother and cousin tell me that you and Ava are a very hands-on couple.”
Couple?
“They do?” I asked cautiously.
“Yes, Gray says you’re drawn to her like a moth to the flame, and Ash says he’s never seen you happier than you were this morning with her.” Her smile was full of love. “Drugged water or not, Jett, you and Ava would have ended up together.”
“She’s an Alabama Lions fan,” I blurted out.
My mom laughed. “And now we know how you were attracted to each other: she poked your QB ego.”
I grinned despite myself. She probably did. Ava was definitely ballsy enough to spike my interest.
“She sounds nice,” Mom said.
“She is,” I agreed.
“We could send you both to couples therapy?”
“I think that’s too soon, mom,” I replied as I rolled my eyes.
“Quinn is extending the invitation to Ava,” Mom said as she stood.
“What invitation?” I asked in alarm. “Quinn is not exactly friendly toward her.”
“She needs to talk to someone about this, a professional. We’re sending you to one, too.” Mom poured me a glass of water from the fridge. “Don’t bullshit me, you need to talk about this. Either together or separately, I don’t mind, but it is happening.”
“I’m not going,” I told her adamantly. “But I think it’s good if Ava does, thank you.”
“Your father can speak to you about it.”
I wisely said nothing. My mom was sweet and kind, but stubborn as an ox when she wanted something. I already knew Dad would agree with me, and then I would have an appointment anyway. Sable Santo was very protective of her children. Whether I went or not was a battle for another day.
“Should we check on them?” I said instead.
“No, your hand’s already a mess, you don’t need to hit anything else,” Mom scolded. “You will eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Dark blue eyes met mine. “You’ll eat the sandwich I made for you, and then you will complain to me that you shouldn’t have had so many carbs the week of the Alabama game.
” She tossed her black hair over her shoulder.
“You will then proceed to tease me that I didn’t make the sandwich and that cook did, and you will then heckle me until I confess. ”
I felt myself smile despite the horrible day. “Is that right?” I asked her.
“Yes, that, my dear boy, is right.” Her eyes twinkled as she took a plate out of the fridge, placing it down beside me and then putting a small dish of pasta salad beside it. I saw her bite her cheek thoughtfully as my fork dug into the pasta. “I did make that.”
My fork froze.
Mom looked at me and then the dish. “Yeah, don’t eat it. It’s horrible.” She patted my shoulder as she took it off me. “Eat your sandwich.”
Later, when Gray and my dad both looked like they’d gone ten rounds in the boxing ring, I had the same conversation with Dad about a therapist.
I was happy to let him fight that battle for me with my mom. Not tonight, though. We really weren’t masochists.
My phone was beside me, a heavy presence in the room, and giving up the pretense of ignoring it, I switched it on.
I had several messages from Quinn, and I felt guilty all over again.
I had two from Jamie, which surprised me, but he came through for me today.
I had some other bullshit, but nothing from Ava.
Had such a short time away from me already made her hate me?
Me: Are you okay?
I waited. No reply.
Gray came into the room, his eyes dark with concern.
“You okay?” he asked as he lay down beside me.
“Yeah.” I hesitated. “No? I don’t know.”
“Shit sucks,” he said as we both stared at the ceiling.
“Yes, it does.”
“She’ll come around.” He sounded confident. “Or you will. You’ll realize you’re being a dick.”
Turning my head, I looked at my brother. “Wow.”
“You know what I mean, you’re spiting your nose for your face.” He frowned. “Or whatever they say.”
“Cutting off my nose to spite my face,” I told him dryly.
“That’s it.”
“You’re very supportive,” I mocked him.
“You like her, she likes you, a lot. This will pass, and it’ll work out.” He sat up and swung his legs off the bed. “What won’t pass is we need to win against Alabama, and we need to keep going on the other thing.”
“I won’t drop the ball on either,” I assured him quietly to his back.
He looked over his shoulder at me and frowned. “She needs this to happen.”
“She does, or you do?” I asked him softly. I already knew the answer.
“Both.” He got off my bed and walked out of my room. I didn’t go after him. My brother didn’t need me chasing him as he chased his own demons.
My phone lit up.
Ava: I am. Are we?
Well, that was the million-dollar question.