Fighting Ever After (Ever After #3) (31 page)

“ .
. . and you guys would leave in two weeks. How does that sound?”

Two
weeks.

Two
weeks.

Ace, Chris
and Spade could barely hold back their excitement, going on enthusiastically
and insistent that we could be ready by then. Jim
Rooke
,
the label VP seemed pleased by their response, but I couldn’t muster two words.
Nobody in the meeting seemed to notice, as the guys from the label started
talking about cramming in as much studio time before then, hours of rehearsing
and going over set lists, travel arrangements and every other detail that came
along with a national tour, and not just any tour. Now that contracts were
final and we’d signed our souls away to
SoundTrain
,
they were sticking us on tour with Expelling Shadows and John Timbale. They
were both on top of the world and the charts right now, and joining their show
was career making, but I was still stuck on the part about two weeks.

It wasn’t
supposed to happen so soon, but the label was excited about signing us and the
group that was supposed to be opening for the tour had dropped out. They were
confident fans would be not only receptive of us as a replacement, but the
executives were sure it would launch us into headliner status in no time. It
was an unbelievable feeling to get that kind of validation from people who had
been in this business longer than I’d been alive, but it was so quick, and from
the sounds of it, the weeks we had left before hitting the road, would be
packed full of preparation to make sure we could handle playing at this level,
and to work through any kinks and hiccups in our show.

I had no
idea where that left me and Jax. I would be a liar if I said that didn’t worry
me. How could I ask her to wait around for me when I knew she still had so many
reservations about me, about us? Two weeks wasn’t enough time to relieve them,
to convince her that what we had could withstand months of separation, because
that is what we were looking at. Almost four months here in the US, with just a
few breaks, and then potentially on to Europe for another month if all went
well.

Did I even
want her to wait for me? This was the opportunity of a lifetime and the first
stepping stone to a completely different life; one filled with travel and lived
in the spotlight. That wasn’t arrogance speaking; I just knew what it meant
that they were sticking us on tour with the two biggest names under their
label, and two of the biggest names in music period right now. I was young and
this was my chance to chase after what I’d wanted for so long, to live out this
dream and not let anything hold me back. I also didn’t want to hold her back
from all the things she wanted out of life by expecting her to put them on hold
for me, and two weeks certainly wasn’t long enough to even ask that of her.

The meeting
went on another twenty minutes, although I had no idea what was said. I only
caught bits and pieces from both sides as I was internally struggling with what
to do. When everyone stood and handshakes were exchanged, I followed suit,
thinking I probably should have paid more attention to what was said and agreed
on, but I just had to trust the guys and our slick new agent.

“What’s
going on with you man? Did you follow any of that in there?” Ace asked on the
elevator ride down to the lobby of
SoundTrain’s
building.

“This is
huge! This is more than huge; I mean come on, did you hear?
John
Timbale and Expelling Shadows!”
Spade was bouncing on his heels looking
like he was ready to claw his way out of the elevator in his excitement.

“Yeah, I
heard. Two weeks,” I replied much less enthusiastically. I just couldn’t be
excited about it. No matter what decision I made, it felt like I would be
giving her up. Saying no to this deal wasn’t just impossible now that we’d
signed
contracts,
it wouldn’t be fair to the other
guys or me. We’d all worked too hard to get here to throw it all away, and yet
throwing my relationship with Jax away caused my stomach to twist in knots and
a lump to form in my throat.

“Jax?”
Chris eyed me, the only one who seemed to understand where
my head was at.

I nodded
once, and stupidly Spade threw out his opinion on the matter, “Bring her with
us.”

“She has a
job and a life she just got back here,” I pointed out. As much as I liked
entertaining the idea of taking her away from Boston and the threat of Connor,
it wasn’t practical and she would never accept.

“You could
still put it out there and let her decide what she wants to do,” Chris
suggested, but I didn’t get the chance to say anything else, because just then,
the elevator doors dinged open at the same time my phone started ringing.

After
hanging up with Bas a minute later, my only thought was getting to the
hospital. Everything else could wait until I knew Jaxyn was okay. Of course
when I got there, I saw that she was anything but okay. Bas hadn’t explained
everything over the
phone, only that
Jax had been in
her father’s office when she got the call that Shane had been shot.

I had so
many questions, but when I walked into that waiting room and saw her slumped
down in a chair, her head in her hands, I knew the explanations could wait.
When her head lifted and her eyes landed on me, I stopped and took in her red,
swollen eyes and the utter look of despair on her face. Whatever control she’d
been trying to maintain over her emotions, broke and she rushed toward me. I
stepped toward her, opening my arms the moment she crashed into me and wrapping
them tightly around her. I locked eyes with Bas across the room and sent him a
questioning look. His expression was grim as he shrugged his shoulders and gave
his head a slight shake. I took that to mean there hadn’t been any more news on
Shane’s condition. I squeezed Jax tighter and whispered against her hair that
everything would be okay.

When she
pulled, I guided her back to her seat and
Vi
moved
over so that I could slip into the seat next to her. I took her hand and
entwined our fingers. She maintained a death grip on it for the next two hours.
After a while I just dragged her into my lap, at a loss for how to comfort her.
When the doctor finally came through the doors and made his way to our group,
her head shot up from my chest and I felt her tense. Her grip on my hand
tightened and I gave it a reassuring squeeze.

I think
there was a collective sigh of relief when he informed Lucy that her husband
made it through surgery and was in recovery. Unfortunately he still couldn’t
say for sure that Shane was going to make it, even though the surgery was
successful. So much had been damaged when that small piece of metal ripped
through his chest and punctured one of his lungs before exiting his body. His
wife was a wreck, his daughter was scared and confused, and the girl on my lap
was just a breath away from losing it in my arms again. All I could think was
that I was so thankful it wasn’t her that had been shot, that it wasn’t her
lying in that hospital bed fighting for her life.

It was
selfish and cruel to be glad that Shane had taken that bullet, but I don’t know
what I would have done had I answered that phone to hear that it had been Jax
instead. It was hard enough when I was just trying to figure out how I was
going to leave her for this tour, but that was nothing compared to what really
losing her would have done to me.

I should
have just been thankful and stopped playing what if, but it was like every
horrible possibility was playing out in my head, and the whole time I had to
appear calm and collected for Jax. She needed me, but I was coming to realize
that I might need her more. That left me in a very vulnerable position, one I
wasn’t sure I could handle. A part of me was screaming to run, but I couldn’t
do that to her. I had to be strong enough for her to lean on right now.
Focusing on her was the only way to keep my mind from following that rabbit
down the hole.

Lucy and Jax
were allowed back to Shane’s room for a few minutes to see him, but when they
returned, she looked more shaken up than before she had gone back there. In the
few minutes that she’d been gone, Izzy had taken up her place on my lap and
fallen asleep. Poor kid didn’t really know what was going on.

The rest of
the guys had shown up during that time as well. When I got the call this
morning, as much as they’d all wanted to rush here for Jax too, I’d sent them
home. I didn’t want her to be overwhelmed by everyone showing up at the
hospital. I’d texted Ace a few times to give him the few updates we’d gotten,
and I was pretty sure Bas had been in touch with his brother.

Our group
now filled most of the small waiting room, and it was a long day of doing
exactly that – waiting. There was a
Tv
playing up on
one wall, and a few times someone would try to start up a conversation, but
they rarely lasted longer than a few minutes before the tense and heavy silence
set back in. I don’t think anyone knew what to say. I sure as hell didn’t and I
felt pretty useless just whispering over and over that it would be okay, when I
had no idea if that was actually true.

Eventually
evening rolled around with no improvements on the situation and Jax started
sending people home with the promise of updates as soon as we had them. The
doctor had made it clear that Shane wasn’t expected to regain consciousness for
at least twenty four hours. On top of the injuries sustained from the gunshot,
he’d also hit his head hard on the way down. Bas was the most reluctant to
leave, but after
Jax’s
insistence that he couldn’t do
anything here and needed to get Lissa home, he finally gave in. She turned her
head to look at me, and I was just daring her to ask me to leave. She didn’t
though, and I was glad for that, because we would have had a fight on our
hands. There wasn’t a chance in hell that I was leaving her side, and I think
she knew that. At least until I heard the growl of her stomach a little while
later and realized how long it had been since any of us ate.

That was
when the doctor returned, slightly more optimistic, to say Shane had stabilized
slightly and that we were allowed back to see him for a bit before visiting
hours ended and we were all kicked out. I offered to go scrounge what I could
from the cafeteria if it was open or whatever vending machines I could find and
bring it back to his room, but when I did make it up to his room with the food,
what I found was not what I expected.

Lucy and
Izzy were standing out in the hall, a ways down from any of the rooms, but Jax
was nowhere in sight. At first I thought maybe she was giving Jax time alone
with her brother or maybe that Izzy had become too emotional upon seeing her dad,
but the worried look Lucy gave me and the way her eyes darted to one of the
doors, convinced me something was wrong. I didn’t stop to ask what, I just
approached the door she’d been nervously eyeing and when I got close, I heard
Jax’s
distressed voice cry out, “I want to know why?” I was
confused about
who
she was talking to and unsure of
whether or not I should go barging in there, but the more I listened, the
clearer it became.

“What did I ever do to deserve your scorn and
the complete and utter disregard you’ve shown me all my life? I want to know
how it is that you couldn’t see the truth about Connor. Explain to me why he
always mattered more to you than I did. Why you always took his word over mine.
I want to know why I wasn’t as important to you as Ryan, or Cathryn or Shane.
That’s what I want,”
she was hysterical by that point and I couldn’t take it anymore.
I had to get in there. I pushed open the door and took in the large man facing
off with Jax. From what I’d overheard, I knew exactly who he was. Jax was the
picture of agony with her tear streaked face and her hand desperately clinging
to her father’s arm. He didn’t have his hands on her though, and he didn’t
appear aggressive at the moment, but I didn’t find it all that reassuring.

“Are you
okay?” I asked Jax, narrowing my gaze on her father, waiting for him to make a
move against her.

“She’s fine
Mr. McCabe. Contrary to what either of you may believe, I would never actually
harm her. Now if you’ll excuse us, we were just finishing up a private
discussion.” His tone was one of mere annoyance, but I was surprised to find
that he knew who I was. I guess it shouldn’t have been all that surprising to
know he’d been keeping tabs on his daughter. He had another thing coming though,
if he thought he could just dismiss me and I would leave Jax alone to deal with
him.

 “I
don’t think so. I’ll be staying.” I moved next to Jax, taking a little bit of
sick pleasure in seeing his reaction. Clearly he was not a man used to being
ignored or disobeyed.

“Listen
son,” there was so much condescension in that one word that I didn’t want to
hear anything that came after it.  I’d heard that same damn tone too many
times from my own father. “I think it’s admirable that you want to look after
Jaxyn, but this is between me and her.” He punctuated it with a hard look that
I’m sure was intended to intimidate.

“I don’t
really give a shit what you think, and I’m not leaving her alone. You’ll have
to forgive me if I don’t have much faith in your ability to look after her
well-being.” My jab hit its intended mark and as much as he tried to maintain
that ice cold exterior, I saw the anger flare in his eyes and the almost
imperceptible clenching of his jaw. Jax must have noticed it too because she
stepped in.