Page 61 of The Devil in Blue Jeans
Jaxon handed Eli the flask, as Eli asked, “How did she find out about your conversation with Billy anyway?”
He shrugged. “No clue, but given everything, I suspect it was likely someone looking out for her worried that she was going to get hurt.”
Neither friend commented on that, but Gunner chimed in, “Everything can be fixed. What you did isn’t unforgivable.”
“She’s already forgiven me for it,” Jaxon retorted. “The bigger problem is that I reminded her of all the reasons she originally thought I was trouble. I reminded her that somehow, she forgot a relationship shouldn’t be her focus.”
Eli snorted, giving Jaxon alook. “So, you’re just going to sit here and mope?”
“Nope,” Jaxon replied, taking the flask from Eli again. “I’m going to sit here and get drunk.”
Gunner grinned then pulled out two more flasks from his pocket. “Good thing I brought more.”
“Perfect,” Jaxon said, before throwing back another shot. His stomach was warm and throat on fire but numb felt better than what he’d been feeling before.
“Well, if any good came of this,” Gunner said, “you got what you set out to do. The bar is in good shape. Everyone in town is thrilled, and so are the cowboys.”
The fire crackled as Eli added, “Not only that, but Willow and Aubrey seem happy too. The bar is finally busy again. Every time I go in there for lunch, it’s packed full. I would take that as a win.”
Jaxon bit back a curse. He shook his head, adamant. “I’m happy for them, but there is no winning here. The woman I want is done with me.”
The urge to run after her was strong, but Jaxon knew he had no right to interfere in Charly’s decision. She’d been through a lot...too much. He would not add to her misery. All his will and strength kept him rooted to the spot instead of jumping back on Thunder and riding off to beg her to give him another chance.
“Haven’t you ever listened to any of my songs?” Gunner asked with a bite to his voice. “Every love story is about a love worth fighting for. Maybe this is your time to make some real changes and fight for something meaningful.”
“That’s great and all,” Jaxon said, dryly. He picked up a stick and began poking at the red-hot coals. “But I don’t even know where to start.”
Eli gave a dry chuckle. “Fortunately, Charly is smarter than you are. If anyone can figure out how to heal her broken heart, it’s probably her. Why don’t you just ask her how you can make this right?”
“Because she didn’t give me that chance,” he answered flatly. “It’s done.”
Sitting by the fire, gazing up at the sparks flying up into the night sky, his friends made it sound so simplistic, yet nothing about this felt easy.
“I said that I’d still be her friend,” he growled, wishing he could erase those words he’d said. “Why the hell would I say that? I should have said something better...” He should have saidstay. He should have fought harder.
Eli lifted his brows. “You friend zoned yourself?”
The warmth of the fire embraced Jaxon as the chill of his reality stormed across him. “Yes,” he grumbled.
“Well, we all know why you did that,” Gunner said, an orange hue from the flames casting a warm glow across his knowing gaze.
Jaxon arched an eyebrow. “Care to fill me in.”
Gunner grinned. “You’re an idiot.”
Eli just shrugged. “He’s not wrong.”
Even Jaxon couldn’t argue, though it didn’t get him any closer to making this right with Charly.
Nineteen
The next morning, Charly awoke to beams of sunlight streaming through her bedroom window. With a groan, she pulled the pillow over her head, ready to hibernate for another day. Nothing felt right this morning, and shouldn’t it have? She’d done the logical thing. She needed to focus on herself and her dreams, before letting someone else in. And that someone needed to be damn near perfect. Jaxon’s red flag had popped up its ugly head and she couldn’t ignore that.
She would never ignore any red flags again. No matter that her heart kept telling her she’d made a huge mistake. Her heart was screaming at her that even if Jaxon went to Billy and clearly didn’t have the best intentions then, once he got to know her, he had changed. Even she hadn’t had the best intentions in the beginning, which was why forgiving him was so easy.
But her head refused to listen. She’d done this all before...and had been burned in the end, leaving her with nothing. She needed to build her life, on her own, before opening her heart again.
Unfortunately for her, she didn’t get the chance to hide away from the world forever. Before she knew it, her bedroom door swung open and Willow and Aubrey tiptoed in, debating whether they should wake her up.
