Lauren nudges her mom in the side, whispering something to her that makes the two of them laugh.
Nana Rhodes assesses her cards with pursed lips before sighing. “I suppose I’m out too.”
We make it around the table once more, upping the bets by what would be the equivalent of fifty dollars in chips before Mom folds.
Nana Rhodes picks up her cards to peek. “Oh, Aimee, you should’ve folded when I did with a hand like that.”
Mom tugs the cards back with a frown. “It’s called bluffing, and you’re not supposed to look at my cards without my permission!”
Aunt Carol snickers as she snatches the cards up next.
“What are you laughing at?” Mom frowns at her sister. “You folded before the rest of us. At leastpretendyou have a good hand once in a while.”
Lauren rolls her lips, like she’s trying to hide a smirk, and I can’t tell if it’s because of the hand she has or the banter at the table. It’s been like this all night. It feels good to be surrounded by such a loving group of people.
Raising a brow in my direction, Lauren tosses in two chips. “You ready to give up yet?”
“Nope.” I actually have a decent hand.
Mr. Rhodes assesses Lauren, narrowing his eyes at her as she does the same. Finally, he tosses two poker chips on the table to match her bet. “I’m calling you, darlin’. Show me what you’ve got.”
She leaps out of her chair, cheering, without even showing us her cards.
“Hold on a second! You can’t celebrate if you haven’t shown us your cards.” He bolts up from the table, reaching out for her hand.
Lauren snatches them up before he does but then holds them out for everyone to see. “Read ’em and weep. A royal flush, which means I definitely won.”
“Well, shit. I thought I had this one in the bag.You just robbed me of everything I had. I can’t believe it!” Mr. Rhodes’s bewilderment quickly turns to pride as he kisses his daughter on the head, but the shift in his mood comes too late. His words are like picking at a scab I didn’t even realize I still had.
I’m not in the safety of the Rhodes’s family dining room anymore. I’m back in Oklahoma in that rickety house I spent the first fifteen years of my life in. Dad is barging through the front door, a glassy look in his eyes that only ever indicated terrible things to come.“Shit! I thought I had that one in the bag. I was completely robbed! They took everything I had.” He slams down the open bottle of booze inhis hand, and I try to dart to the safety of my bedroom before he notices I’m here, before he has the chance to take out his rage on me.
Lauren’s hand on my arm brings me back. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”
Chapter Fourteen
Jax
“I need a minute.”I slide out from my chair, darting for the front door. I need air. I need to get far away from this place and the memory I thought I’d buried.
Swinging the door open, I fling myself onto the front porch, basking in the cool air. It reminds me I’m safe. I remember the trick Mom taught me all those years ago to help ground me whenever things got bad at home and the fear settled in to paralyze me.
I inhale a deep breath, catching the hint of manure mixed with dirt being kicked up in the wind. The breeze bites at my skin and the peace of being on this ranch nowhere near a major road calms me. That peace is shortly interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the porch behind me.
I swivel around and find Lauren approaching me, concern knitting her brows together.
“Hey.” She gives me a soft smile.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to barge out. I promise I’m not a sore loser.”
She laughs. “Jax, that’s the last thing I’m worried about. Do you want to talk through what happened?”
I shake my head. I’ve always kept my past hidden out of shame and a desire to protect my mother. She was terrified people in this town would look at us differently if they knew the truth. But it hits me that I don’t feel the need to keep this from Lauren. I trust her. I just don’t feel like unraveling the story further tonight.
“Honestly…” I blow out a breath. “I want to forget about what just happened.”
“I know what that feels like.” Shadows fill her eyes for a moment, but they’re gone before she asks, “Do you want to get out of here?”
“We can’t leave. Your dad wanted to play poker. I don’t want to ruin the tradition.”
