Before You (Before You #1)(48)

“When I sent Bre the plane ticket, I already had plans with Anna on Thursday night. I can’t cancel. Can you imagine what kind of scene she would make?” Cam shuddered in mock horror and then laughed.

“Right, and you wouldn’t want to miss a night with that manipulative bitch while the girl you claim to want to marry is in town. Don’t ask me to do this again and don’t even consider involving Marc or Alec in your schemes. I’m out of here. I can’t listen to this bullshit. What time do I need to pick up Bre at the airport tomorrow?”

“No need. She’s renting her own car. She didn’t want to bother you.”

Jax flinched. That hurt. Bre couldn’t even stand the thought of being in the same car with him. He just hoped she didn’t try to avoid seeing him the entire weekend. He still wanted to talk to her about what happened last weekend now that they’d both had some time to cool down and reflect. He understood that she felt guilty about betraying Cam, but if she knew the real Cam or the person Cam had become, she wouldn’t have to waste her time fearing she ruined her relationship. Cam ruined it a long time ago.

Part of him wished he could tell her every detail of Cam’s indiscretions, but he never would. Based on what happened between them last weekend, she probably wouldn’t believe anything he said about Cam anyway. She was blind when it came to Cam, never doubting one of his excuses, never questioning why he left her at every possible opportunity. Her blind faith became increasingly difficult to witness.

When she freaked out the morning when they woke up together, Jax’s first reaction was anger. She certainly didn’t resist him the night before. In fact, when he tried to push her away, she wouldn’t stop pressuring him—not that he put up much of a fight.

On the flight back to LA last weekend, he couldn’t get Bre out of his thoughts. She told him that what they did was hurtful, not just to Cam, but all of them. She was right, except he was pretty sure he would suffer the most. Barring total exposure of Cam’s infidelities, she would never leave him. Sure, she said they broke up, but Cam clearly didn’t believe it. For him, watching her with Cam would be similar to experiencing a slow, painful death. If knowing that Cam didn’t treasure or appreciate her bothered him before, now it would kill him.

Bre was the girl for him. He knew it with absolute certainty. Never had he felt about a woman the way he felt about Bre. It almost scared him. The thought of continuing to fill his life with mindless encounters after being with Bre left an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. More than anything, he wanted Bre to be happy, and if she thought that Cam made her happy, he had no other option but to let her go. He wouldn’t be happy about it, though.

Getting into the back of the cab, he gave the driver his address and sent Bre a text.



Cam said you didn’t want me to pick you up tomorrow. I hope that doesn’t mean you’re avoiding me. I want to talk. I don’t want things to be awkward between us.



Jax bounced his leg up and down as he waited for Bre to respond. As the minutes ticked by without a response, his emotions swung between irritation and rejection and hope. Disgusted with himself because his actions resembled an adolescent boy experiencing his first crush, he wished he could find the strength of character to toss his phone out the window. Instead, he stared at his phone as though he could make her respond by sheer force of will. A smile spread across his face when he heard the sound indicating the arrival of a new text.



Neither do I. Let’s give each other some space so we can reset the boundaries between us.



Jax sighed. He had no intention of resetting the boundaries.



No. We need to talk. Let me pick you up. We should see each other before you see Cam so we can figure this out. It will be easier that way.



The minutes stretched without a response from Bre, and he almost called her, but the taxi pulled in front of his house, and he shoved his phone into his pocket. He’d left his car parked outside the bar. After the number of drinks he downed while he watched Cam grope Anna as if it were his job, he wasn’t in any condition to drive.

The minute he walked through the front door of his house, he shrugged off his jacket and dropped onto his couch, his long, lean legs sprawled out in front of him. He turned on the T.V. and absently scrolled through the channels until her couldn’t wait one more minute. Apprehensively, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking for a response from Bre. Nothing.

That pissed him off even more than her rejection the other morning. She was avoiding him. What a joke. He understood that she was confused, but ignoring the issue of what happened between them wouldn’t make it magically disappear. It would make both of them uncomfortable and on edge when they were in the same room.

Without hesitating, he pressed the send button on his phone to call her. She answered immediately.

“Hey, Jax,” she said, her voice low and conciliatory.

“Bre, don’t avoid me,” Jax said, clutching the phone next to his ear.

“It wasn’t my intention. I planned to respond, but I was still thinking about what you said.”

“And what did you decide?” he asked, twisting the black leather band on his wrist.

“You’re right.”

“Does that mean you want me to pick you up tomorrow night?”

“Yes. I think we should talk.”