“That’s me.”
“Why are you in my room?”
“Good question. I have some of my own. Why do you have a room at the hotel and are not staying with Mum? Why were you so drunk you collapsed in the lift? Why were you so drunk you threw up all over yourself before flashing us your dick? I have lots more. Shall I continue?”
I pushed myself up to sitting, my entire body feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.
“Jax, what’s going on?” He handed me a bottle of water and I downed half of it before sliding down to sit next to him.
“I think I broke your mum’s heart.”
He continued to look straight ahead. “I guessed you’d done something, but she’s not said a word, so I need you to tell me. I leave in two weeks. I can’t leave her upset, and I need to know if I should beat the living shit out of you for whatever you’ve done.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell her or anyone else, and it might take a while to explain. Have you got time?”
“For my best friend, I have all the time in the world.”
Chapter 32
Helen
“I look ridiculous,” I whined as I looked in the mirror at the high-waisted jeans and dark blue flowery top.
“Jeans can stay. They look stunning,” Lizzy replied. “But I agree. The top looks good, but not for tonight.”
I huffed out a sigh. “Can’t we forget about tonight?”
“No, you said you’d come to this club opening. We have VIP tickets.”
“I’m not feeling it. It’s been the worst month.”
“I know, sweetie, which is why we’re going. You need shots, dancing and to forget about everything.”
I slumped to the floor of the dressing room, Lizzy sitting next to me. “Do you know it’s been a month since Thomas died? I mean, we've not even had a funeral for him yet. When we first found out I was convinced he’d faked his own death.” I rolled my eyes at my stupidity. “And then there was Jax. I believed that this man could want someone like me.” I let my head fall against the wall and closed my eyes, fighting to hold back the tears. “I thought I didn’t know myself when Gary and I got divorced, but now I feel like I don’t know myselfandI can’t trust myself.”
She took my hand in hers. “You lost a friend, and you were looking for alternatives to the horrible way he died. That’s not a bad thing. I think, in terms of grief, it’s probably normal. And Jax was a lying prick who didn’t deserve you.”
“I miss him,” I whispered. “Both of them. I’m so sick of hurting.”
“I know, so let’s go out tonight. Have some fun. Leave all this shit in the past.”
“Do I have to wear these jeans?”
She chuckled as I rolled my head to look at her. “Yes, they look hot as hell around your curves, but I’ll find you something else to wear on top. We want you looking drop-dead gorgeous tonight, so you can show Jax Cartwright what he’s missing.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure he’d care.”
“Twit twooo,” Vee laughed out as she walked around me, taking me in from all angles. “I feel like we created a monster… a hot, curvy, beautiful monster. You look hot as hell, Helen.”
I blushed, batting her away as I took a shot off the table and knocked it back, the burn sliding down my throat making me grimace.
“And now she’s back… our boxtroll,” Becks joked as she took in my expression.
I stuck out my tongue, grateful that my friends were here. “Thank you all for taking care of me since Jax broke my heart. I really do appreciate you all.”
Lizzy topped up my glass and handed out the other drinks so everyone had one. “To forgetting about the assholes, getting horribly drunk, and making bad decisions.”
We clinked our glasses together before knocking back the lemony drink, Becks coughing loudly as she swallowed hers. “Gross,” she cried, shaking her head, making us all laugh.
