Reclaim Me (The Jaded Series Book 2) (5 page)

I kick him under the table to tell him to knock it off. He whips his head around and scowls at me, which causes me to chuckle. After a few minutes of giving me the death stare, he lifts his head and aims his scowl at Chris instead.

“Chris,” is the only answer he gives her. He looks over to Bailey, and his gaze softens a bit. “Hey, Bailey. How are you?”

“I’m wonderful. How are you doing?” Her eyes always look haunted when she looks at him. It’s like she’s worried that he’s going to bite her head off at any moment. It’s ridiculous to think that but guilt will do that to a person. Although, Lord knows there is nothing she should feel guilty about. I guess it’s human nature for someone to feel guilt after what she and Anna went through.

“Just peachy.” Nick says sarcastically. Bailey flinches at his tone, and I kick him under the table again.

This time he doesn’t let me get away with it. He turns his head towards me again and pins me with a murderous look. “Kick me again asshole, and I’m going to knock your teeth out for you.”

“Stop being a dick.” I glare right back at him. Just because he’s in pain doesn’t give him the right to treat women like shit, and he knows it.

He visibly takes a deep breath before closing his eyes and opening them again. He looks at Bailey with a remorseful look and says quietly, “I’m sorry, Bailey. Just ignore me, okay? I’ve got a lot on my plate right now.”

She reaches over and squeezes his hand with a sad smile. “It’s okay, Nick. I understand.”

He nods and looks down to his coffee. He never looks back at Chris. When I turn to her, she has a defeated look on her face.

After a couple more minutes of idle chit chat, Bailey and Chris walk off to meet Mia on the other side of the diner. She keeps her eyes trained on them while they head towards her, never looking in my direction.

Letting out a sigh, I bring my gaze back to Nick and ask, “Why are you such an asshole to Chris?”

“Because the bitch won’t leave me alone. She says she wants to be my ‘friend’.” He says the last on a sneer. His answer surprises me, as he sounds so cold.

“And that’s a problem because?” I ask.

“Because I don’t need any more friends. I have enough people pitying me as it is. It’s fucked and I’m tired of it.”

“Then stop fucking moping around like a lost puppy. And stop treating people like shit. We only want to help you because we all care about you.”

The saltshaker that Nick was holding on to suddenly flies across the table and smashes into the napkin holder. I sit still and look up at him, not surprised at his outburst. It’s not the first one he’s had and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

He leans across the table at me and says harshly, “I don’t fucking need any help. What I need is for people to leave me the fuck alone.” He gets up out of the booth and storms towards the door, knocking over a couple of empty chairs that get in his way.

Just then Karyn walks up carrying mine and Nick’s food. Her gaze is on Nick’s retreating back as she sets the food down.

“I take it he won’t be needing his breakfast now?” She asks when she swings her gaze back to me.

I give her a wry smile. “No, he won’t. Would you mind bringing me a container to put it in?”

“Sure.” She says before walking off.

I glance down to where Mia, Bailey, and Chris are sitting and see Mia looking at me. I give her a chin lift, and she looks away.

I dig into my food and box up Nick’s before paying for both of ours. Looks like Loafer is going to have a good dinner tonight.

Chapter Five

Mia

Her sweet nature…

God! I fucking hate shopping!
How in the world did I let Bailey and Chris talk me into this? We’ve been at it for hours. We’re supposed to be picking something out for Bailey to wear for her and Jaxon’s anniversary, but no matter what we find, it’s not good enough. I’m dead on my feet and want to pull my hair out.

I only agreed because Bailey begged me to. I love the damn girl and it’s hard to say no to her when she gets that pathetic pleading look in her eyes. Bailey’s not only wrapped Jaxon around her finger, but everyone she meets gets sucked in. She’s such a sweet girl; you can’t help but love her. No wonder Jaxon fell for her so fast.

This is the fifth shop that we’ve been to. Bailey’s in the dressing room trying on her fiftieth dress it seems. I’m sitting on one of the soft comfortable chairs sipping my caramel latté, while Chris browses the lingerie section. What seems like an hour later, but couldn’t be no more than five minutes, Bailey walks out of the dressing room.

The sip that I was going to take freezes halfway to my mouth.

“Wow,” I say.

Bailey beams a huge smile at me and spins around. “You like?”

“It’s beautiful, Bailey. You’re beautiful,” I tell her, speaking the truth.

What she’s wearing is simple but stunning. It’s a midnight blue sheath dress that has one side hanging off her shoulder, while the other side rests lightly on her other shoulder. While one side it goes to her knees, the other reaches just past. It also has a cinched waist. It is, quite simply, perfect for Bailey.

Chris steps around the corner and stops dead in her tracks, her jaw dropping open. She shakes her head and rushes over to Bailey.

“Oh my God, Bailey! That’s perfect!” She exclaims loudly.

“You think so?” Bailey asks and turns to the mirror beside her.

Chris and I both shout, “Yes!” Then chuckle at our timing.

“Seriously, Jaxon is going to flip when he sees you,” I tell her. She smiles at me through the mirror.

“Can we please go now?” I beg.

“I’m sorry for dragging you all over, Mia. I just wanted it to be perfect for my and Jaxon’s one-year anniversary.

I get up out of my chair and walk to her. I stand beside her in front of the mirror and put my arm around her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, okay? I just want to stop by Mama’s before I head home,” I tell her. I may hate to go shopping, but I love spending time with Bailey and Chris.

“Has Jaxon told you where he’s taking you yet?”

“No,” she pouts. Jaxon and Bailey both came to me a few weeks ago and asked if I would watch Amari for the weekend of their anniversary. Jaxon’s planned a weekend trip somewhere, and it’s killing Bailey not knowing where it is.

“Well, I’m sure wherever it is you’ll love it.” I give her shoulder a light squeeze before releasing her.

“Oh, I’m not worried about that. It doesn’t matter where he takes me as long as I’m with him. I’d just like to know what to pack.”

“He told you not to worry about that. He said he’d pack your bag for you.”

All three of us give each other a dubious look, and then burst out laughing. “Oh God, there’s no telling what I’ll be wearing.”

Chris walks up beside us in front of the mirror. “Hmm…you’re right. Maybe I can talk Jaxon into telling me where he’s taking you so I can pack for you.”

I look over at her and say, “No good. I’ve already tried. His lips are sealed.”

“Sorry, sweetie. It looks like you’re on your own with this,” she says to Bailey. “But look on the bright side. I’m sure you won’t be wearing many clothes while you’re there anyway,” she finishes with a huge grin.

Bailey blushes and elbows Chris in the ribs. She turns to me and asks, “Are you sure you’re okay with watching Amari?”

“Absolutely! I’ve been waiting to get my baby to myself. Don’t you worry about a thing. Besides, I’ll have Chris if I need any help,” I reassure her. I’m actually looking forward to watching baby Amari. She’s my brother’s baby, and they’ve kept her to themselves for the most part. Not because they don’t trust people, but because of all the shit that’s happened in the past. They are both extremely protective of her, with good reason.

“It’s going to be hard leaving her. Neither one of us has been away from her overnight yet,” Bailey says while biting her nail.

“Bailey, it’s going to be okay. You enjoy your alone time with Jaxon. You two both deserve it. Everything will be fine here. You’ll be back before you know it,” Chris says.

“I guess,” Bailey replies, but I can still see doubt in her eyes. She just needs to find out for herself that everything will be okay.

“Alright, ladies, let’s go grab a pair of shoes to go with this killer outfit and get back. I told Mama I would be at her house by six.” We gather our things and walk up to the register. Besides the dress and shoes, Bailey also chose a skimpy lingerie outfit.

After paying, we walk out of the shop and head towards the cars. I drove myself because I knew I needed to stop by my Mama’s before we left. We say our goodbyes, and I get in my little black Audi A4.

It takes me about thirty minutes to get to Mama’s house. I pull to a stop in the driveway and get out. It’s getting dark, and I only see one lamp lit inside. I don’t bother with knocking. None of us kids do. Mama says that this is still her children’s house; we’re just not living in it anymore.

Because of Jaxon’s insistence on keeping up the house, the door doesn’t make any sounds when I open and close it. The living room is dimly lit, but I can see the light in the kitchen on. I head that way while I call out, “Mama, I’m here!”

I hear a scuffle coming from over by the sofa. I pucker my eyebrows and head in that direction. When I’m just a few feet away, I hear a giggle and someone say quietly, “Shh.”

“Mom, is that you? What are you doing?” I ask.

I round the couch and freeze. There’s a man lying on the couch with my mom lying beneath him. If it wasn’t for the fact that I hear my mom giggling, I would think he was raping her. The man, whose face I can’t see because it’s buried in her throat, is naked from the waist up. His back is broad and tan. There’s a dream catcher tattoo on his right shoulder blade. On the opposite side, but down a bit, is another tattoo. This one is of a colorful dragon, and it looks like it wraps around to the front of his chest. The only thing I see of Mama is her head peeking over his shoulder and her legs that are tangled with his. The mysterious guy’s shoulders are shaking, and I can tell he’s silently laughing.

Mama looks to me with mirth in her eyes.

“What the hell, Mom?” I ask in a stunned voice.

“Levi, baby, get up so I can put my shirt on.” At that, I whip my body around and nearly gag. I cannot believe I just caught my mom making out on the couch. In all the years since my dad left, I never knew my mom to date anyone, let alone be intimate with them.

“This is
not
happening right now,” I mutter to myself.

I hear shuffling going on behind my back, and try to tune out the noise.

“It’s clear, Mia. You can turn around now,” I hear her say.

“Are you sure?” I ask her, hoping that she’s really
really
sure. The very last thing I need to see is a part of my mom I should never see or, God forbid, any part of the man that’s with her.

She laughs at my question and replies, “Yes, sweetie, I’m sure.”

I turn around slowly, just in case she’s not really
really
sure. When I’m facing them, I receive another shot to my system.

“Mr. Hatley,” I croak out.

He smiles at me and says, “You can call me Levi, Mia.”

Oh God!
I just caught my mom making out with my old high school science teacher. This is so much worse than I thought.

“Mia, are you okay, sweetie?” My mom asks, laughter still in her voice.

I can’t answer her. All I can do it stare at them. My gaze swings from one to the other. My mom, who is standing there with her hair a disheveled mess and her button up blouse buttoned up the wrong way, has a glow to her face. I also see some scruff marks on her cheeks, and her lips are red and plump. Just like someone who just got done making out.

My gaze goes to Mr. Hatley,
Levi
, and I see he’s wearing a pleased expression. Not a smug one, just a happy one. His hair is also a mess, and
his
button up shirt is missing a couple of buttons. They are both barefoot.

“Mia, honey, why don’t you sit down and I’ll explain,” she says gesturing to the couch. I nearly gag at the thought of sitting on the piece of furniture that my mom was just on with a man, half naked. I’m never sitting on that couch again.

I look back at her, and she must see my disgust because she blushes and says, “Uh, maybe that’s not a good idea.”

“How about we move it to the kitchen?” Mr. Hatley asks. I move my eyes to him and immediately look away. There is no way I’ll be able to look at him the same way. When I was in high school, I always found Mr. Hatley attractive. Not in a weird way, just in an appreciative way. A lot of the girls were infatuated with him. Back then, his hair was a rich brown color and always was a little longer than your average male school teacher. He’s tall and has a slim but muscular body. His deep brown eyes were always kind. All of us kids thought he was the coolest teacher in school. He brought hip to the school, and we always had a blast while in his class.

Now, even though his hair still has plenty of brown, there is a lot of grey added to it on the sides. You can tell he’s aged some, but he still obviously works out, if you go by the back that I saw and the little bit of chest that I see through the buttons that are missing from his shirt. He’s older, but no less attractive. I can see why my mom would be into him, but it’s still weird and gross.

“That’s a great idea, Levi. Come into the kitchen, Mia, and I’ll fix us a pot of coffee while we explain.”

I follow them both into the kitchen and take a seat at the table. Mom immediately moves to the coffee pot and starts taking the fixings out of the cabinet above it. Mr. Hatley sits across from me and gives me a smile. I look back at my mom.

“How long has this been going on, Mom?” I ask.

She ignores my question until she’s done with the coffee pot, and then turns around to face me, leaning back on the counter.

“About two and a half years,” she replies, shocking the hell out of me.

“What?” I yell. “And I’m just now hearing about this? Does Jaxon know?”

“No, Jaxon doesn’t know. No one knows,” she says quietly. I can see the worry in her eyes, but there’s also determination.

“Why, Mom? Why would you hide this from us?” I ask. I’m hurt that my mom has kept this from me, from both me and Jaxon. This is huge and obviously a big part of her life.

She walks over and sits in the chair beside me and grabs my hand. “Sweetie, how do you think Jaxon would take this? You know how protective he is. Do you honestly think he’s going to be okay with me seeing Levi? You know how he’s been with us women since your father left.”

I get it, I really do. But to keep something this important from her children hurts.

Mom continues, “At first it was just the two of us having fun.” My eyes bug out at that. She sees and scolds me, “Oh, come on, Mia. I’m a mom, but I’m also a woman. Moms can have fun, too. Anyway, after a few months, things started to get serious. I knew Jaxon wouldn’t take it well, so we wanted to keep it secret for a while. Then Bailey came and, well, you know what went down there. I didn’t want to add more stress to Jaxon’s plate. I knew I couldn’t tell you because I knew you would go straight to him and Anna. It was just never the right time to tell you.”

I look over to Levi and see his soft and kind eyes pointed in Mama’s direction. The look in his eyes says that he holds very deep feelings for her.

I look back to my mom and ask her, “How serious is it?”

It’s Levi that answers and I look over to him.

“I love your mom, Mia, and she loves me. It’s been really hard keeping this from you and Jaxon, but I understand her reluctance and haven’t pushed it. We decided to tell you both at Jaxon and Bailey’s anniversary party tomorrow night.” He stops and watches me for a few minutes before he continues, “I’ve asked Lilly to marry me, and she said yes.”