It hit Jax like a sledgehammer.Eve. She’d called during the walk-in disaster, and Tristan would have only left to deal with another disaster, namely her.
“Tristan,” Jax noticed Finn sliding out of the cubicle. “Where did you go this morning?”
Tristan started, his hands spasming.
“I can explain.” Panic lined his features. “But we should talk about it later, you’re still-”
Jax pulled free of Tristan’s grasp.
“N-No!” Could this day get any worse? He blinked furiously, trying not to break down as betrayal sank its claws into him, but his emotions were all over the place. “I don’t wanna hear your bullshit.”
“Jax,” Tristan stood, “I was-”
The curtain pulled back, and Jax smelled his mother’s perfume right before he saw her.
“My son, my son!” Her voice washed through the emergency room as she rushed to Jax’s bedside in a flurry, taking the hand that Tristan had just released, unaware that she’d interrupted their first fight.
“Ma? What are you doin’ here?” he sputtered as his brother joined them, staying off to the side, glancing between Jax and Tristan.
“Finn called me.” She patted his cheek, her eyes flicking to Tristan before returning to Jax. “What happened? Finn said it was your back?”
“Stress from yesterday. W-We had issues with the walk-in and…” he swallowed, losing his train of thought.
“That’s enough, sweetheart,” she stroked his hand. “You need to rest.”
“I was supposed to run the kitchen.” But this weekend had turned into a torturous humiliation ritual. Between the fuckups at work, his back, and whatever this crap was with Tristan, Jax wanted to leave and not talk to anyone for a while.
“I’m sure everyone in that building wants you to be healthy,” his motherfussed, and Jax really wanted to snap at her.
“It’s true,” Tristan said softly, looking like someone had kicked his puppy, and Jax had to grit his teeth.
Tristan had left to see his ex for whatever reason, after he’d told Jax things were being handled. But it wasn’t the fact that Tristan had gone to see Eve, it was the fact that he hadn’t been honest about it. If he’d kept that visit from Jax, then what else had he hidden?
It made Jax’s trust in him deflate, wounding him deeply.
“Who’s this?” his mother asked with perfect timing, and Jax couldn’t help himself; he unleashed his anger.
“Someone from work.” His voice didn’t waver, but then again, it didn’t feel like he was talking. The beast within had taken over. “And he was just leaving.”
Tristan stiffened, looking like he’d been struck, and a profound sadness washed through his sandy-brown gaze. Somehow, it pierced through Jax’s fury, making him feel stupidly guilty.
“Oh,” his mother flicked her eyes back and forth, clearly picking up on the tension, while Finn stood off to the side in shock. “Um, okay, hun.”
Without a word, Tristan turned on his heel and left. Jax watched him go until the curtain swung closed, and then looked away, his heart breaking in two.
16
TRISTAN
OlliesaidthatJaxis walking a little today. Are you going to tell me what happened between you guys???
Tristan stared at his phone, relieved that Jax was recovering even if he had to get the news second-hand from Rain. While he’d seen Finn and Ollie in passing, they’d been awkwardly kind but revealed nothing, and he’d lacked the energy to push. He’d been slogging through the last few days like a zombie, sideswiped by the heartache, and he had no one to blame but himself.
Jax was angry for the right reasons. Tristan had lied to him, not in so many words but through omission. All his life, Tristan had tried not to react in anger, to be kind, to be understanding, but his parents had programmed him to be a doormat. While flying off the handle regularly wasn’t good, neither was its opposite. In lacking a metaphorical spine, Tristan had hurt himselfandthe ones he loved, especially Jax.
Thanks for the update, kid. I’ll come over and explain things this weekend.Tristan sent back, because his plans hadn’t changed; in fact, his resolve had only gotten stronger. He was going to come clean to Rain and Mason, and maybe they’d have some advice, any advice, about what to do next. Eve needed to leave their lives for good, and rage simmered in Tristan’s blood whenever he thought of her.
Sure, he’d made some bad decisions, but if she’d been a better person, then he’d still be together with Jax. And Jax wouldn’t have been crying in pain alone on Tristan’s bathroom floor.
