Chapter Twenty-Nine
Connor
I kiss Madison quickly and head outside. I can tell this conversation with Jayson is not going to be a good one. He’s already lying on the pool lounger drinking and staring off into space.
Sitting down next to him, I say, “Hey man, you need to quit with the Jack Daniels. Whatever is wrong, you know as well as I do, getting hammered is not going to fix it.”
He doesn’t answer me, but just keeps drinking.
Getting annoyed with the blocking me out routine, I take the drink from his hand and pour it out onto the ground. He shoots up off the lounger and I stand up as well.
“What the hell is your problem? If I want to drink, I will. You aren’t my mother and I don’t need your permission!”
I step up to him and ask, “Do you feel better now that you got it all out and acted like a little bitch in the process?”
I know I’m pushing him, but he’s talking through pain right now, and not my level-headed brother that I know is in there.
“As usual, you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” he yells at me!
“Why don’t I know what I’m talking about? Because I haven’t dealt with what you have with Chloe? I’ve gone through shit you have no idea about, so you need to shut the hell up! You’re sounding like an ass!”
For a moment, I think he is going to hit me and I prepare myself for it. We haven’t had a physical fight in years and Jayson is strong. I am too, and I’m pretty sure I can beat his ass, but I’m not doing that today.
Instead of hitting me, he just sits back down and says, “I left her standing there, Connor. I was cruel to her; I told her she could suck me off if she wanted to fix this. She tried and I couldn’t let her go through with it. I pulled away and left. Oh, and I told her I hated her.”
Looking at him, I am at a loss for words. I never dreamed J would do something like that to a woman and especially not to Chloe.
Finally, I say, “Look Jayson, you’re going through a lot and while I don’t think that was the best thing to do, she will understand.”
He shakes his head and says, “No, she won’t understand because I don’t understand it myself. I never knew I could act like that.”
Remembering some things that I buried a long time ago, I say, “A lot of times, we do things we don’t think we are capable of. But, what matters is that you do whatever you have to in order to make up for it. You know Chloe loves you and I know you love her. Stop shaking your damn head at me. You know I’m right. I’m the older brother, remember?”
I finally get an eye roll out of him and he says, “Yeah, old man, I remember.”
We’re both quiet for a minute until I say, “Look, don’t stay out here too long; I’m going to get to bed. No more drinking; you have to go back to school tomorrow. You can’t let this take over your life, Jayson. Remember medical school? Don’t let all of this shit mess with your head so much that you screw it up before you even get started.”
He tells me he will be in soon and will be going back to school. So, I head up to my room where Madison is waiting.
When I get in there, I can tell she is talking to Chloe because she is crying. Fuck, I hate seeing her cry. I whisper to her and ask if she is alright and she tells me yes and that Chloe is talking about getting help. I decide I need to speak to Chloe and see where her head is at. When she hears it’s me, the crying starts all over again. I know J and I sound alike on the phone. I just didn’t think about it when we started talking. She pretty much tells me the same thing he did except for the sucking off part, which I’m glad, because I don’t really want to hear her explain that.
I get off the phone with her and get ready for bed in the restroom while the girls talk. I need to know what is in Chloe’s past. I don’t want to try and get them back together if it is something detrimental to my brother, no matter how much pain it will cause both of them. Now, if I can only convince Madison to tell me what she knows. I walk out as they are hanging up and I tell her that I need to know what is in Chloe’s past so I know what I’m dealing with.
To my surprise, she agrees quickly and begins the story. When I hear how Chloe was taken advantage of by that prick, Daniel, I want to go to California and kick his ass. I feel even more murderous when I hear how her parents left her in the hospital to take the blame and disowned her. But, when Madison talks about Alex Sterling dying, and his parents’ injuries, now I can see why Chloe is so damaged. Who wouldn’t be?
Even though she was pled down to a misdemeanor, she was still charged with vehicular manslaughter. But, what is the most amazing thing to me is the money she gave to the Sterling’s; I know some might see it as guilt money, but I know she did it because she is a good person and wanted to relieve their pain as much as possible.
I also know if Jayson knew this, he would have his ass back down to Galveston quicker than the speed of light. I can’t figure out how to tell him without going back on my promise to Madison to keep it to myself. I lay there holding my girl wondering how she and I got here. I wasn’t looking for her, but here she is. My thoughts turn to Jayson and Chloe; I try to figure out how to get the two of them back together, but I’ve got nothing right now. I feel myself drifting off to sleep, hoping that things will look better in the morning.