Lost Until You (The Sorrentino Brothers Series Book 1) (25 page)

“I understand how you’re feeling, Jazz. I get it,” Landon spoke softly. “But that’s no reason to run. You have so many people who love you, so many people who want you in their lives; you have to think about the positive instead of focusing on the negative while going through this. It’s not like you had any idea Peyton and T.J. had a secret affair. You had no clue, and neither did Brax or any one of us for that matter. It was a surprise to us all. Believe me. My parents were speechless when Brax said his last name was Sorrentino, you can only imagine, especially with Teto and Anthony both having the nickname, T.J. But don’t ever doubt our love for you. Sure, you might have been close with Brax and his family and I believe you when you say you’re hurt. I understand. But you have a family who’s been dying to get to know you. We want you in our lives. We want to have a relationship with you and celebrate our future together and reminisce about the past with Peyton. Don’t push us away when all we want is the best for you and your daughter.”

I was speechless. I wanted to believe they cared about me, but I didn’t think so much this soon. All those years, all the time spent crying, wanting to die, wanting to leave this world because I thought no one genuinely cared about me. And yet all along, they were waiting here with open arms. All I had to do was open myself up and I would have had everything I ever dreamed and wanted.

“When Brax stopped by a few weeks ago, the poor guy looked like death. He’s miserable without you,” Phyllis said. “I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am for my daughter’s behavior. What she and T.J. did was wrong, especially with T.J. being married. But Landon’s right. Let us in, let us help you and be here for you. We want you in our lives more than you’ll ever know. You just need to open your heart up.”

“But don’t you guys find that gross? I mean, I know I was raised in some screwed-up houses, but I vowed to never be like any of those people when I got to be older. And so far, I think I have done a decent job. Just imagine how this hit me. If my father-in-law, Anthony, is, in fact, my biological father, it’s morally wrong. That’s incest. I can’t be with Brax then. I can’t be married to someone who has my blood and expect to have more kids with him. That’s too dangerous. That’s to—”

“See,” Landon touched my arm. “You’re doing that again.”

I shifted around, facing him confused. “Doing what?”

He smiled, showing off his pearly white teeth.

“Letting your emotions get the best of you. Just stop. Take a deep breath and focus on one thing at a time. Because all of this worrying is going to pull you out of this world faster than you can imagine.”

Phyllis stood to her feet and made her way over toward me, sitting down in the other chair next to me. I was in the middle of two people who were my real family by blood and they wanted to love me.

While Landon kept his hand on my arm, Phyllis grabbed a hold of my hand.

“Tell us what to do. We want to help you get your family back and help you to be whole again.”

This all seemed surreal. Everything. I lost my husband, friends, and the only people I had ever grown close to. But now I was gaining three people who didn’t know me from Adam, confessing their love to me, wanting to help me overcome everything I had been facing.

The words lodged in my throat and a soft sob escaped my lips. For the life of me, I couldn’t keep myself together.

“Shhh…we’re here for you, Jazz. Open your heart and let us in,” Phyllis begged, as she and Landon held on to me for dear life.

**

“This was when she was a baby, maybe around a year and a half old.”

I took a hold of the picture, unsure why I hadn’t asked to view these before. Peyton and Savanah look so much alike, it was remarkable. Peyton’s brown hair sat on her shoulders, dangling with natural curls. She had brown eyes, just like Savanah. It was insane. She was standing next to a rocker, smiling at whoever took the picture.

“I can’t believe how much Savanah looks like her. It’s remarkable,” I said in awe.

“Oh, wait,” I stopped Phyllis from showing me the next picture and reached for my purse off the couch, pulling my keys out.

“I have a scrapbook in the truck. I’ve been working on it in the apartment over the last month, trying to get it organized for Savanah.”

I ran outside, grabbing the box of pictures and scrapbook that was half finished, bringing it back in to show off my little girl. When I sat back down on the living room floor with Phyllis and Landon, I went through each picture, realizing how much I needed to see my daughter.

It was just enough of the push I needed. Watching them coo and awe over my baby girl made my heart swell. I couldn’t wait to hold Savanah in my arms again.

“This one right here,” I flipped the seventh page in the scrapbook. “Savanah and I out back at our new house. Brax and Stone made me a garden and I wanted to plant cucumber seeds,” I chuckled. “I think she wanted to eat the seeds more than help me plant them, but the experience was fun. I definitely won’t be forgetting this moment anytime soon.”

“Is that your house?” Phyllis moved the scrapbook onto her lap, viewing the picture.

“Yes. We bought it as a foreclosure across from the water. The view is breathtaking.”

I watched how Phyllis studied the picture and it made my heart swell. I was proud of all the work Brax had done. It took quite a bit of time to finish, but when he did, I never wanted to leave home. I was in love with every detail, every room, and every inch of the yard.

“I have to say that husband of yours is a smart man. The outside alone is gorgeous; I can’t imagine what the inside looks like.”

“Let me see that,” Landon snatched the scrapbook off his mom’s lap. “I bet Brax isn’t as good as I am,” he joked, trying to stir up an argument.

No one could compete with my husband when it came to redesigning a house. It takes a good eye and attention to detail in order to do the job right. And Brax had it all plus more. He was a genius.

“Oh, stop that,” Phyllis, swatted at her son. “Leave this poor girl alone. Don’t you have something better to do, by the way?”  

I got a kick out of how funny these people were. They reminded me a lot of myself. Besides the obvious, with how much Brax and Landon were alike, I had to admit, this turned out to be better than I ever would have expected.

Landon gave me a hug, saying he had somewhere he had to go, making me promise I would keep in touch. I agreed, thanking him for everything, and then continued going through the scrapbook with Phyllis.

After we had gone through every one of the pictures, I put everything back in the box and gathered my belongings. Phyllis walked me to the front door, seeing me out.

“Pat’s sorry he couldn’t get home to see you. There was an emergency at one of the out of town offices he had to tend do.”

“It’s okay. Maybe next time.” I slid on my coat.

When I had it on, Phyllis reached over and gave me a hug.

“Thanks again for today. I’m sorry the beginning wasn’t under better circumstances, but I’m glad we got everything resolved.”

She placed her hands on each of my arms and replied, “Well, I’m glad you came. It’s been a long time coming. I hope you come back more often. I can’t wait to meet that adorable little girl.”

I kissed her cheek, picked up the box, and then pushed open the door with my side.

“Let us know how it goes this week. I would like to have lunch when it’s all said and done. Then maybe you can tell me what the next step is and how I can help. I’m here too, sweets. Don’t forget what I said.”

“Thank you. I appreciate everything.”

“You’re in my prayers,” she held the door open for me, watching me walk out to my SUV.

I got inside, starting it up, and cranked on the heat. It was freezing. There was supposed to be a snowstorm coming tonight. I hoped to make it home before it started.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Brax

I should be home with my family, sitting in front of the fireplace, making love to my wife. Instead, I was seated out on the pier, staring out into the bay. It was a cold as shit. Flurries were starting to fall from the sky.

“What’cha doing out here by yourself?”

 “Sulking,” I said, not bothering to look behind me. “Isn’t that what people do when they’re drunk?”

Bianca sat down next to me on the pier, swinging her legs over top of the water. “Why are you sulking? I thought life was good.”

I looked in the opposite direction of where she was sitting, not wanting her to get into my personal business. I didn’t need anyone else knowing why Jazz had left me.

“Life is good, just not right now. Things happen, people change.”

She placed her hand on my shoulder. “Does this have anything to do with Jazz?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Most of it, yeah. But it’s too complicated to get into.”

I turned my head to the side and studied her features. Surely, she had to have been asking for a reason.

“Why?”

Bianca knew me from high school. If she remembered, I had never been one to dwell on my problems with just anyone. However, the look on her face told me something was off. Bianca knew something but was afraid to tell me.

“I don’t know… Maybe because the scene inside of the bar right now is pretty intense. That cousin of yours has a mouth the size of Canada. And if Stone Walker knows what’s best for him, he should run while he has a chance. I just didn’t know if it had anything to do with why you were out here instead of in there with your boys. But when Brix was hollering Jazz’s name in Stone’s face, I just assumed—”

I downed the rest of my Jack and Coke.

“Stone’s here?” I asked, ready to take off back inside. His ass was mine. Bianca was right. If he knew what was best, he would be gone before I got back in there.

I started to head toward the bar, not bothering to say anymore. Bianca didn’t waste any time running behind me, calling my name. When I didn’t slow down, she grabbed a hold of the back of my jacket.

“Brax. Wait….”

 “Don’t touch me, Bianca.” I pushed her hand off my jacket.  “You have no idea what that asshole did.”

She took a step forward even though she looked freaked out. I felt bad, but it wasn’t time to console her. Bianca wasn’t my responsibility, anyway, Jazz was. And Stone needed his ass whooped for touching my wife.

“Sorry.” She held up her hands in front of me. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I just don’t want you getting yourself in trouble.”

I unzipped my jacket and slid if off my shoulders, shoving it in her arms. “Hold on to this. My phone’s in the front pocket.”

I picked up my pace until I was back inside of Secrets. I looked through everyone in the crowd, pushing and shoving those who stood in my way. I reached the front of the bar and was stopped by a group of people, pointing and talking about the club area. They had to be in there. I inched my way through and then took off running,

In front of the stage where Vonage was playing rallied a swarm of people. I pushed through crowds on the dance floor, until I was able to spot the guys. Brody and Brayden were standing in the middle of a circle, pulling Brix away from Stone. Brix was howling in Stone’s face about something. It looked intense from afar.

I shunted my cousin to the side as I approached the middle where Stone was standing. Without wasting any time, I threw my arm back, clocking him right in the face. Stone lifted his hand, covering his nose, as blood trickled down the front of his white polo shirt.

Good. That asshole deserved to bleed.

“What the fuck, B?”

I jumped forward, grabbing a hold of his neck to choke him, refusing to let up on my grip. “Why’d you touch my wife, you fucking bitch?”

Stone’s eyes got big, only proving how guilty he was. At least now he knew he had been caught. I lifted my right leg and kneed him in the balls, watching his face cover with pain. He doubled over, covering his dick with his hands, grunting loudly.

“You put your lips where they didn’t belong and now you’re gonna pay,” I seethed, reaching for his head. I punched him once, then twice, watching him stumble backward.

Stone stood up, moving to the side, and then he swung at me, getting in a hit. Fuck that little bitch. I was just warming up.

I threw out my left arm and then my right going at him full force. I went in for the fourth hit again, when someone caught my arm. I was yanked back as both of my hands were locked behind me.

“Your ass is mine,” I yelled, my voice full of vengeance.” MINE.”

My knuckles throbbed from hitting him in the head, but I didn’t let it stop me. I was going to kill that motherfucker one way or another.

“Buckle down, bro, before you get locked the hell up,” Brody hollered over the loud music, hauling me toward the side door.

As I was forced outside, I stumbled over the dip in the ground.

“The cops are on the way. We need to bounce. NOW,” Brayden demanded, as he and Brix jogged in our direction.

Brody let go of my arms, nodding toward the parking lot. “Let’s go.”

We paced toward Brix’s truck, weaving in and out of parked cars.

 “Wait…Brax…” Bianca hollered, stopping us from leaving.

“Why’s she following you?” Brix jogged up out of breath, pulling his keys out of his pocket.

I shook my head, taking a pull from my cigarette, not wanting to deal with my cousin’s mouth. Whatever Brix was insinuating, he was wrong. There was nothing going on between Bianca and me.

“Here,” Bianca said, and handed me my jacket.
Shit
. I had forgotten I left it with her.

 “Thanks.” I took it from her hands. “I’ll see you around.”

She went to say something else, but I hopped in the cab of the truck and waited for Brix to take off. I had to get out of there. I wasn’t getting arrested. I couldn’t get myself in any trouble. I would see Stone around eventually. This was far from over.

Brix pulled onto Coastal Highway, following behind my brothers.

“You gonna tell me what that shit was about?”