It was a dark and cloudy. Much like everyday had been since Mina had left. It had been days without sleep. Without a full meal. Without real contact from the outside world. Without Mina.
How could he have let her think he would ever do anything to hurt her? How could he have been so stupid as to not show her how much she really meant to him? He’d been so fucking selfish.
Tara had woken up but she hadn’t been any help. She couldn’t remember anything but she was even more closed off than before. All she wanted to do was get out of the hospital so she could take the boys and head out of town. As much as he couldn’t believe that his mother had hurt Tara it was safer for the boys to have stayed with Brooke at his house. In the back of his mind he knew it would be impossible for Tara to leave with them if they were at his moms.
Every night since she’d been gone, Jax had sat outside her place hoping that she’d come home but she still hadn’t. He stared out at the moist grass as he took another swig of his Jack to numb the pain. He had never felt a pain like this. He thought it was bad when Tara wanted to leave all those years ago but that was nothing compared to this. He wanted Mina. The woman who’d so quickly came and brought life into his life. Clarified his goals – his aspirations for his club and his family.
How could he have let her think he would ever do anything to hurt her? How could he have been so stupid as to not show her how much she really meant to him? He’d been so fucking selfish! He quickly took another long pull from the bottle, closing his eyes tightly at the burn as it slid down his throat.
The glare of headlights coming his way caught his attention. Covering his eyes with his hand he squinted to see a car pulling into the driveway but sighed once he realized it wasn’t Mina’s charger. He took another pull of his bottle as Adrianna came up the steps.
“For Christ’s sake Teller, what are you doing here?” She placed her hands on her hips, quickly reminding him of Gemma.
“I need her to hear me out.” He slurred, lowering his eyes back to the ground. “I need to make it all alright. I need her, Adrianna. Where is she?”
Adrianna watched him intently. She’d never seen a man so broken down and as much as she hated the thought of her sister being involved with him, seeing this man , who was usually so regal and strong, crumbling right in front of her, broke her down. She took a seat next to him placing a hand on his back. “Have you been here all night?”
He threw his bottle on the hard ground, causing it to shatter, making Adrianna jump slightly. “Where is she?!”
With a sigh, the woman looked down, hesitant for a moment before answering him. “She’s in Atlanta, Jackson. She’s finding us a new place to stay.”
Jax closed his eyes tightly. She couldn’t be leaving. She couldn’t move away from him. Not now. Not when everything was going to fall into place. He was going to fucking kill all of Lin’s men for this. He felt the sting of his eyes watering and quickly laid his head onto his hands.
“I need her.” he whispered under his breath and Adrianna’s heart sank further into her chest. This was the way Mina had been before leaving. She’d been up all night consoling her younger sister who’d cried herself to sleep for only a few hours before boarding a plane to leave. Maybe she had been wrong about them. This wasn’t some silly fling that Mina tended to fall into. These two were soulmates. She’d be kidding herself if she said she hadn’t felt the chemistry between them when they were in the same room.
With a sigh, she placed a hand on his shoulder. “You look awful, Jax. When was the last time you got some sleep? A decent meal?” He shook his head, staring down at the ground. So she stood, grabbing his hands to lift him up. “Come on. Let’s go inside, get you cleaned up, you smell worse than a truck stop bar.”
“Why? Why do you even give a fuck?” He pulled his arms from her, almost stumbling back.
She sighed and ran her fingers through her long hair. “Because you obviously care about her. And I know her stubborn ass care about you too. And if you’re going to solve anything, it won’t be while you’re drunk off your ass.”
After being out all day, Mina finally got a chance to stop at a local dinner for a cup of coffee before heading back to her cousin’s house. It seemed that’s all she was running on these days. Coffee and liquor. Food and sleep didn’t have much appeal. Matter of fact, nothing did. It seemed as those the days were going by in a daze. The places she’d been looking at all looked the same. The people she’d pass by were all faceless. The only face she’d see was Jax’s those few times a night when she’d close her eyes.
She hated the way she’d left things off with him, but it had to happen. They were getting too serious, too fast. If it was anything she’d learned from all the men in her mothers life, it was to stay far away. She knew she had commitment issues, but she had good reasons for it. So what if he said he hadn’t been fucking Tara in that motel room. That doesn’t change the fact that he was a cheater. Hell he’d cheated on every woman he’d been with. Including Tara which he’d praised for so many years. Why would she be any different? Well she wasn’t going to let herself be put in that position. She knew better.
She couldn’t handle the pain of actually being cheated on by him. It would destroy her. The passion. The love. The electricity she felt between them. It was so strong. It scared the living shit out of her and that was the one thing she hated being. Scared.
Staring blankly at the steam rising from her cup she felt her phone vibrating from her pocket and pulled it out to answer. “Yeah, Ad?”
“Hey, honey, hows it going out there?”
“It’s fine. Haven’t really found one I love yet. Cassie hasn’t been any help.” She stirred her cup mindlessly as she stared out the window at a couple walking by laughing together.
“That’s alright. How are you doing though?” Addy spoke again, hearing her distracted voice over the phone.
“I’m fine, Addy.” She ran her fingertips through her hair, averting her eyes from the couple, looking down at her cup before taking a sip.
“Listen, Mina…” Adrianna took a moment before continuing, knowing her sister wouldn’t be happy with her meddling. “Jax is here.”
Mina froze hearing his name. She couldn’t seem to make sense of what her sister had just said. Her sister hated Jaxm why he’d be over there with her now didn’t register in her mind. “Why..?”
Addy sighed over the phone. “He was drinking on our front steps when I got home. He’s been here everyday since you left Mina. I think you should talk to him.”
She closed her eyes tightly, that being the absolute last thing she needed to hear. Of all the times she needed her sister to be on her side, this was one of those times. “No. I can’t. Nothing good can come from that. I gotta go.”
“Mina, stop.” The older woman interrupted. “This man loves you Mina. I see it in his eyes, how much he cares for you, how sorry he is. I might end up alone because I’m a ‘frigid bitch’ but I can’t have you end up like me. I know how much you feel for him. You need to come back and talk this through. You can’t run forever, honey.”
Mina took a deep breath, running a hand over her face. “Then what Adrianna? Then what? We forget everything that he is? That I am? That we live happily ever after?”
Adrianna shook her head listening to the words defensively spewing out of Mina’s mouth. “Listen baby. There is no happily ever after. There is no smooth sailing. But I can say I’ve never seen a love like you and his and that takes you a long way. He’s crumbling without you here. I had to bring him in, force him to eat, and get some sleep. Not being near you is destroying him. And I’ve talking to Cassie, sweetie, I know the same is happening with you. She’s told me about your nights spent with a drink in your hand, no meals, no sleep. Now come on. Come home, make this right. I was wrong for trying to pull you away to begin with.”
“Don’t do this Adrianna. You know I can’t. I’ll talk to you later.” She hung up quickly before her sister could continue.
Placing the phone on the table, Mina rested her head in her hands. This was the one time she needed Adrianna to push her away. She needed the backup to stay strong and away from Jax. But of course, she couldn’t count on her for that. Picturing Jax in a drunken mess on the floor broke her heart. Knowing she was the reason, only made the aching worse.
Jax woke up to a pounding headache. Out of habit he reached over to grab his drink but upon not feeling it he painfully opened his eyes. Once adjusting to the light, he rolled over to see a glass of water and tylonal on the nightstand, then it hit him that he was in Mina’s sister’s house. Quickly checking the other side of the bed he let out a sigh of relief that he hadn’t done anything stupid. Not that he thought he had, but he had a tendency to do stupid shit when he drank.
After getting up slowly, he made his way to the main room, seeing Adrianna drinking coffee on the kitchen table. He cleared his throat to catch her attention before running his hands through his blonde hair. “Thanks..” he let out gruffly.
“How’d you sleep?” Adrianna turned her attention towards him, stirring the sugar in her tea.
Jax shrugged, taking a seat on the kitchen table across from her. “Fine. Haven’t had much sleep in a while.”
She nodded as she took a sip, letting a moment of silence pass between them. “Jax..” She started slowly. “What were you doing here?”
He sighed, placing his hands on the table as he spun his rings around on his finger, “I was hoping to run into her…”
“She’s not here Jackson. Hasn’t been for a few days.” She replied coldly, trying her hardest not to feel bad for the battered man sitting across from her.
“I know that…” He mumbled under his breath before taking in a deep one. “Where is she?”
“You know I can’t tell you that.” She shook her head, softening her eyes as they met his.
“Listen, Adrianna. I know we haven’t gotten off to the best start, and I completely understand why you wouldn’t want her to be with me, but she’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. She’s changed me in so many ways. Better ways. I can’t live without her in my life. I’m in love with Mina and I know she’s in love with me too.” He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before looking back at her. “She thinks I slept with Tara but I wouldn’t do that to her. “
Leaning back in her seat, she watched him closely, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, his words, she had to tell him where she was. Leaning forward on her arms, she took his hand in hers. “Look Jax, I know how she can be. I’ve seen her through every relationship she’s ever been in. I can say I’ve never seen her glow the way she does since you’ve been around.” Taking a deep breath, her face turned serious once more. “I don’t want to regret this Jax, but this is on you to make right.”
He looked down at his rings, part of him smiling hearing how in love Mina was with him. “Where is she?” He asked once more.
“She’s in Atlanta. Staying with our cousin Cassie.”
He stood up quickly, pushing the seat out from under him. “Thank you.” He nodded at her.
Adrianna walked over to the counter, grabbing the information he needed and handed it over to him. “Don’t fuck this up.”
Mina walked around the empty apartment aimlessly. The building landlord continued speaking about the place but it all sounded like mumbles to her. After a while, the room was silent. The man realizing she was paying no mind, walked out the room to give her some privacy. Her cousin’s phone had rang so she stepped outside leaving Mina alone in her thoughts. All these places were the same. The old creepy landlords. The hollow rooms. The bland colors. Sure this was her childhood, but this wasn’t Charming. There was no Jax.
Cassie entered shortly after, running her hand down her cousin’s arm, snapping her from her thoughts. “We should go sweetheart. It’s getting late.” Mina nodded in agreement, crossing her arms over her chest as Cassie lead them outside. Seeing her baby cousin in such a way broke her heart just as much as it did Adrianna’s.
After a long, silent car ride, they pulled into the driveway. Cassie got out rather quickly and rushed inside. Mina paid no mind, slowly getting out of the seat, she grabbed her purse from the back and made her way to the stairs. The smell of cigarette smoke caught her attention, making her look up from the ground, only to see a flicker of blonde hair shining through the light coming from the porch. The familiar figure stepped closer as the scent of musk and leather surround her.Her eyes filled with tears, dropping her bag to the ground. Jax was here. He’d come all the way here. For her.
Yes!!! Can’t wait for the next chapter!! This is written so well!