My Ex-Boyfriend’s Brothers (Ex Marks the Spot)

49. Jackson

49

***Jackson***

I glanced towards the stage and scowled. Midnight the night before Brad’s wedding and I was sitting with Luke and Ryan at a club in Vegas. Drunk and stupid Heath men oftentimes turned towards women for reprieve but no amount of liquor could make me look at the women around us. I felt sick to my stomach at the thought. It was more than apparent that my brothers were feeling the same. We were miserable.

“Honey, you want to tell Ms. Kitty what’s wrong?”

I didn’t even bother looking up. I held up a hundred-dollar bill and motioned for the woman to go away. I downed another shot and growled. “Fuck.”

Ryan wasn’t holding his liquor very well. He swayed where he sat and suddenly pointed at me with a shaking finger. “Should’ve told her what’s wrong. Maybe she’s got advice.”

Luke scowled even deeper than I did. “We’re not talking about it.”

“How’s that working? Anyone feel better?” Ryan dropped his hand to the table and knocked over a few empty shot glasses. A waitress appeared right away to clear the table. “S-sorry.”

“I don’t fucking feel better.” I barked out the words, too upset to soften my approach with him. “I feel like a stampede of bulls ran over me. I don’t see how talking about it is going to help, though. What does it change? Huh? Does it change the past two weeks? Will talking about it make me forget everything about Maggie so I can fucking breathe normally again?”

“Enough.” Luke slammed his hands down on the table and winced when more drinks fell over, some full. “Jesus. I’m going home.”

“Same. Jackson’s mean when he’s drunk.” Ryan stood up and fell right back into his seat. “Sonofabitch. Who moved the ground?”

Gregor appeared and hooked his arm under Ryan’s shoulders. “Gregor help Mr. Ryan.”

Luke threw down more than a generous amount of money and I watched as the three men struggled across the club. I considered staying but one look around had me on my feet and rushing to catch up with them. The only thing I could imagine being worse than feeling heartbroken over Maggie would be to feel heartbroken over Maggie alone. At least Luke and Ryan knew exactly what I was going through.

The street outside the club was packed but Gregor didn’t give anyone room to argue with him as he cleared a path for us. He got us settled into Luke’s SUV and pulled away from the curb. Before we even got out of the strip traffic, Luke had his phone plugged in and was staring at it through squinted eyes. I watched as he patted his pockets and pulled out his glasses.

“Shit.”

Ryan and I both looked at him expectantly. When he didn’t say anything right away, I sat forward and slapped his shoe. “What?”

He jabbed at his phone and then held it to his ear. “The wedding’s off. Christina has tried to call a dozen times.”

Was the wedding off because Brad had decided to go for Maggie? Would she marry him instead? My brain throbbed as my heart sank lower and lower.

Luke switched his phone to speaker and we all held our breath as the phone rang and rang. It went to Christina’s voicemail and there was a moment of defeat felt amongst the three of us. Whatever she’d wanted to say, we’d missed it. Then Luke’s phone lit up and he hurriedly answered and put it on speaker again.

“Christina?”

“Luke!” She sounded as drunk as Ryan. “I’ve been trying to call you for hours! Where are you?”

“Vegas. What’s going on?”

“Vegas?! No! You need to get back here right now!” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Maggie doesn’t know I’ve been calling you. She told me not to, but I’m a decade older than her and I do what I want. Also, I needed to tell you that I was wrong.”

“What do you mean, you were wrong?” I barked out the question and ignored the hard look Luke gave me.

“Jackson? Hi! Nice work on Brad’s face! I almost want to go through with the wedding pictures just to have proof of those black eyes for the rest of my life. Too bad Ryan left with you. Is he there? Hi, Ryan, if you are!”

“Christina. What were you wrong about? What’s happening?” Luke sat forward and gripped the phone so tightly that I worried he’d shatter it.

“Brad tricked me. Maggie wasn’t kissing him. He wouldn’t let her go. He’s a cheating prick. Maggie would never do that to me. Or to you. You left her, though. You made her cry. I probably shouldn’t tell you to come back for my dodging a bullet party tomorrow but it’s my fault you left so I feel responsible.” She giggled. “Maggie! Where are your clothes?”

My blood ran cold and then boiling hot. “Maggie didn’t sleep with Brad.”

“I gotta go. If she finds out that I called you, she’ll kick my ass. Plus, she’s naked and I think it’s starting to snow. Is it supposed to snow this early in the year? I could’ve had a white wedding. Oh, wow. I’m going to cry again. Bye.”

The line cut off and the silence in the car was painful. We’d fucked up.

“Gregor told you so.” Gregor huffed from the driver’s seat. “Gregor told Mr. Luke. Did Mr. Luke listen? No.”

“I got it, Gregor.” Luke growled. “We have to get back.”

Ryan bent over and threw up in the seat beside him. “Maybe we can stop for a toothbrush.”

“Jesus.” I gagged and rolled down the window. “Can he fly like that?”

“He’s going to have to.”