Page 56 of Side Out

“Then for once, Theo, live a life for yourself. Don’t worry about her parents, or your parents. Don’t worry about your family’s business… which by the way, isnotenough of a reason to marry someone you don’t like, and live the life you want to live. I may have been drunk as fuck but I never would have suggested it if I didn’t want to help. Despite everything that’s happened between us.”

The feeling of regret is overwhelming. “Why would you want to help me? To stay married to me?”

He sighs and smiles softly. “I shouldn’t care about this or you, not after everything you’ve done.” I drop my head, but he hooks his finger under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “And I’ll never be able to explain the effect you’ve had on me, but even though I’ve done everything in my power not to care, more than anything, I want you happy, Theo. Whatever that may look like.”

Great, now my nose is really stinging with the floodgates about to open. “You make me happy, Jackson.”

He wraps his hand around the side of my neck and drops his forehead to mine. “That’s all I want.”

Then he’s pressing his lips to mine in a slow, gentle kiss. One we’ve never shared before.

They’ve always been hot and heated, both of us rushing. This is the complete opposite, and it’s the kind of kiss I could drown in. But I also remember the state that I’m in when a wave of nausea rolls over me. I pull away breathlessly and whisper, “As fun as this would be, I quite literally feel like I could die, and we need to figure out what the fuck we’re going to do when we get back.”

Jax chuckles. “Yeah, hungover sex doesn’t sound entirely appealing at the moment, does it?”

My eyes roam over him for a moment. “How do you still look so fucking good? Wait—why are we naked in the first place?”

“You threw up in the shower. I had to help you get out. My clothes were soaked.”

“Oh my god.” I cover my eyes and flop back onto the bed. “This may all be too much for me to handle. Just leave me here to die.”

Jax bursts into laughter and hops off the bed. “Oh don’t be so dramatic. I’ll order us the best hangover cure I know, and we will come up with a plan.”

“Oh, and what is that?”

“Some McDonald’s breakfast, of course.”

My stomach groans desperately at the mention of the greasy food. “You’re the best husband ever.”

He beams with pride. “I know.”

time travel - mgk, Trippie Redd

CHAPTER35

TURBULENCE

JACKSON

“Well don’t the two of you look like shit,” Austin says as Theo and I board the plane, sans wedding bands. After we ate our body weight in greasy food we decided it was best to wait until we get back to Pensacola and tell Bridget and our families before we tell anyone else.

“Thanks a lot,” I groan as I sit down in the seat across the aisle from him. Emma is doing her best to put Lizzie to sleep in the seat next to him. And, just as I think Theo is about to walk to the back of the plane where Coach is sitting, he steps around me and sits in the seat next to the window.

I look at him in confusion, and he says, “Coach asked if I could swap with Jeremy. He wanted to go over some film with them from their losses on Friday. Lucky you.”

I grin as he settles into his seat. “Lucky me.”

Once the rest of the plane boards and the flight attendants perform all of their safety checks and demonstrations, the plane begins to taxi. As it lifts into the air, I plug my headphones into the seat in front of me and press play onMaverickfrom the list of in-flight movies. I’m just about to doze off when the captain’s voice rings through my headphones letting us know we’re about to fly through some turbulence. Not more than a minute later the plane begins to shake.

Turbulence has never bothered me much, but, despite our best efforts to cure our hangovers, I’m still feeling queasy. So when the plane hits a particularly bumpy patch I have to grip the arm rests and take some deep breaths as I do my best to not ralph all over my lap. The feeling of Theo’s pinky looping with mine steals my attention, and that’s exactly how we stay for the rest of the flight.

* * *

?*My car pulls into my driveway just a few seconds before Theo pulls into his, just behind Bridget’s. Leaving my bags in the backseat, I climb out and move to the end of the drive, staring at Theo across the street. He gets out of his car and slings his duffle bag over his shoulder, and when he does, I see the wedding band around his finger. He stands there for a moment, staring back at me, before dropping his chin. And even though this whole entire thing was my hairbrained idea, I can’t help but suddenly feel a little nervous. Because even though I don’t know the woman—nor have I been particularly fond of her attitude—she’s done nothing to me. And because of me, her whole life is about to get turned upside down. But I refuse to let Theo face this alone. So, I take a deep breath, pull my band out of my sweatpants pocket, and slide it on my finger. Theo’s eyes follow the motion, and I watch as his shoulders relax ever-so-slightly at the sight of my ring sitting in its place on my finger.

I walk across the street, and when I get to him I ask, “Ready?”

He shakes his head slightly. “No, but it’s now or never. And we’re going to have to move fast because as soon as we tell her, she will tell everyone.”

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