“Fuck,” he curses and pushes off the counter and turns.
“Ivy thinks I fucked Misty, doesn’t she?” I confirm, and he turns his head slightly to look at me and nods, and I nod back, not surprised.
Am I disappointed that she thinks that low of me? Yeah, we’ve been best friends for years, but she’s allowed her mind to conjure up shit, it also explains why she wasn’t there when I walked back out with Tate’s Candy. My body felt her after I followed the bitch out but couldn’t the second time.
I mutter, “Good,” causing him to turn to me fully, his cheeks reddening with anger.
“What the fuck do you mean good? She’s hurting Jax!” he shouts, and I wince at his truth.
I don’t want to hurt Ivy, but I won’t hold her back.
“She wants out of Rose Meadow, Cale,” I remind him, and he curses again before stating, “She only wanted out because she thought she couldn’t watch you sleep around. She’s in love with you, and we both know that isn’t the whole reason why you’re pushing her away. You won’t hurt her, Jax.”
I shake my head, look back at the sketch before me, and mutter, “You don’t know that.”
He chuckles darkly and states, “I do know it because you have me in your corner,” I look at him, “You have Blade, your mama, my mama, fuck, even my dad. We won’t let you slip, and the fact that you think you will proves how much you love my sister. You’re willing to hurt yourself to protect her because of the shit we’ve seen growing up but brother, you are hurting her anyhow.”
I look down hating that he’s seen through me but tense when he adds, “She’s seeing someone. Mama accidentally let it slip this morning,” my breathing picks up, “She’s smitten brother and I have to tell yah, if anyone should be with my sister, it should be you and I never should have fucking told you otherwise.”
He walks over to me and squeezes my shoulder as he eyes the drawing on my lap and he mutters, “I never should have fucking hit you. We’ve grown up together and for as long as I can remember you and Ivy have been inseparable. I’m sorry, Jax, I truly am, and I’m sorry that I’ve blocked you out this week when I knew you were struggling to breathe without her.” He takes a breath and then orders, “Claim her before it’s too late.”
Venom walks out without another word, and I take deep breaths before I decide to tear the room apart.
I can’t fucking claim her, he knows this.
I won’t be my dad and more importantly, I won’t hold her back because no matter what he says, she hasn’t told me New York was a way to hide from me with other women, she hasn’t admitted it.
“Yo, Psycho, your next client is here,”Gray, our receptionist, shouts and I take another deep breath before shouting back, “Send him through.”
I stand, putting my shit away, before grabbing the tablet to show Grant what I’ve come up with for his back tat, the large wolf coming into view.
“Mama,” I say loudly as I walk through the front door of her one-bedroom apartment she’s renting from the club.
“In the kitchen, sweetheart,” she replies and I walk into the kitchen to see her cooking her famous beef roast. I go over to her, kissing her cheek before leaning against the counter and crossing my arms. I eye Dad, who is eyeing me back with a raised brow.
“Back again, Dad,” I comment, and he hums, looking over my features.
Since I admitted to sleeping with Ivy, and Mama decided to stay here for my sake, Dad has been hovering.
He wants Mama back, and I’ll admit, he stopped fucking the clubwhores, I just don’t know if he’s too little too late by like nine years.
Mama has dated even if she still loves the idiot and hasn’t managed to move on, but she’s also putting herself first now.
“See Venom today?” he questions, and I sigh.
“Of course you sent him my way,” I mutter, and he shrugs.
He reminds me, “You two are best friends, all your generation is, and you need him right now.”
I nod and confirm, “You know Ivy met someone then?”
Mama looks at me in shock while Dad winces and says, “I’m sorry, son.”
I shrug, “It’s probably for the best, Dad.”
A hard smack makes contact with my bare arm, and I flinch back, rubbing it and snap, “Mama, no more hitting me with the spoons, we’ve been through this!”
Dad snorts but tries to cover it with a cough while Mama just smirks and states, “Then stop saying shit I don’t like!”
