Everybody Falls (16 page)

"Okay, how about this? Let's go to Grams' so I can shower and change. Then we'll do my meeting and afterwards we can 'spend time together' as you so sweetly put it," he said, resting his chin on her head. Please say yes, his mind chanted.

"You don't have your truck?" she asked, pulling away to look at him.

"No, baby," he said. "I walked over this morning."

"Then, yeah, Jack," she said. He watched a smile creep slowly across her face. "Give me a couple of minutes to clean up a bit and we can go."

"Awesome," he breathed, leaning down and capturing her mouth with the intention of only giving her a small kiss. Soon, they were at it again, their mouths fused, tongues tangling.

God, he couldn't get enough of her.

They only broke apart when the rumble of Jax's empty stomach made its presence known with a long, low growl, making them both laugh.

"We forgot lunch, honey," she whispered against his lips.

"Can I hit your fridge while you get ready?" he asked back.

She was up and halfway down the hall before he heard her call, "Absolutely!" over her shoulder.

Jax finished getting dressed, found the remains of a partially eaten sandwich and was just finishing when she made her way back into the kitchen.

"Ready?" she asked and he saw that she looked freshly scrubbed with her hair redone.

He reached for her waist and pulled her into him again, their hips just touching.

"God, you're gorgeous," he said, catching a whiff of a light floral fragrance that blended with the clean smell of her skin.

"Not as gorgeous as you." she replied giggling. "Even the press would agree."

Jax knew that wasn't true because beauty, real beauty, was on the inside. His insides weren't anywhere near the perfection of Lacey; of this stunning girl he was lucky to have in his arms.

He smiled back and glanced at the microwave for the time. "Okay, let's hit it."

*.*.*.*.*

"Grams?" he called, as soon as he and Lace stepped through the backdoor of the old farmhouse.

"In here, Hot Stuff," he heard her say from the depths of the living room. He grabbed Lacey's hand and dragging her behind him, went in search of his grandmother.

"Oh, hey, Lacey," she said putting the e-reader down.

"Hello, Ms. Dennison," Lacey greeted.

"Is it okay if she hangs out with you while I get ready for my meeting?" Jax asked. He saw Grams' smile grow from something simple to an out and out beam.

"Sure," the older woman said with a nod. She patted the sofa. "Come sit next to me and I'll tell you all of Jax's dirty little secrets."

"Not cool, Grams," he said, feeling the heat in his face. That is, until he caught the wink the old woman directed his way.

"Daylight's burning," Gram reminded him. "Don't you have something to do, some place to be?"

He quickly ran upstairs and raced through his shower, praying the old woman wouldn't put her foot in it. He loved her dearly yet sometimes he didn't think she realized the weight of her words, of how things sounded to others when they came out of her mouth. He recognized he might be scared that she'd say something to ruin whatever it was that was building between him and his girl.

His special, special girl.

Pausing in the middle of brushing his long hair and putting it back in a ponytail, he sent up another fervent prayer.

Please, let me be worthy.

Please don't let me fuck this up.

*.*.*.*.*

They were back on the road and Jax was providing directions to the old church where his NA/AA meeting was held.

"That thing with your mom this morning," he started. "Does that happen often?"

"No," Lacey drawled. "But, since Grandma died and I inherited everything, I suspect she'll be coming around more often."

"Why's that?" he asked. Lacey's mom reminded him of so many of the groupies, the gals that hung around the band especially when Wynter's Vicious hit it big with their first number one album, 'Tasty and Ticklish'. In spite of being a few years older, her clothes, the hair and makeup announced her as one of 'those'.

"Grandma left me everything. Cut my mom completely off. We've never had a good relationship and I think it's about to get even worse," she explained. "When I said my childhood was dicey, I was, ah, soft pedaling it a bit."

"I kind of got that," he murmured as they pulled into the parking lot dotted here and there with cars. "You want to come in with me?"

Lacey shut off the car and looked around. "What kind of meeting is it? Is this like a religious thing?"

Jax leaned over the console and pulled her hand towards him with a soft tug.

"No. I mean, kind of. They talk about God but, no, it's not a church thing. It's my NA/AA meeting," he said mildly, kissing her gently.

"NA/AA?" she asked when they pulled apart a bit.

"Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. As part of my probation, the judge said I have to attend a meeting every day," he explained in between the soft kisses she was letting him plant on her lips and neck.

"Oh," she said. He could tell she'd lost interest in the subject as her mouth began to participate in the heat he was generating.

"I need to go inside," he mumbled against her lips. "Can you pick me up in an hour, hour and a half?"

"Yeah, honey," she breathed. "I'll, uhm, pick us up some dinner or something."

"And, condoms, baby. Don't forget the condoms," he said, his hand on the door handle. "Please, whatever you do…"

"Don't forget the condoms," she finished for him, with a giggle. "Got it."

He opened the car door before he turned back for one last touch of her lips.

"Later, Lace," he said as he pulled away.

"See you, Jack," she murmured back, her eyes unfocused and lips swollen from the onslaught of his mouth. He fucking loved that look on her.

He felt her eyes on him as he walked across the parking lot, shoving his hands in his pockets before turning around and walking backwards wearing an ear to ear grin.

Neither one of them saw Boots watching from a far corner of the asphalt before the older man crushed out his cigarette and began to make his own way inside the building. Frowning the whole way.

*.*.*.*.*

I decided to hit the big grocery store and made my way to the newer portion of Auburn which was up and over the hill from our side of town. I was mentally trying to prepare a grocery list and debating if we should just do the fast food thing tonight and I'd make him an awesome breakfast in the morning.

Wait. He was going to spend the night, right? We hadn't discussed it and I didn't want to assume yet if I had my way, he'd still be there tomorrow morning. With me. In my bed tomorrow morning.

"He's a good boy, Lacey," his Grams had said when Jack had been upstairs getting ready. "He just needs TLC and he'll be alright." The older woman had seemed to start a conversation in the middle of whatever she'd been thinking and I, at first, had been a little lost.

"The stuff those boys went through, the life they lived…" she'd said shaking her head. "I guess we're lucky Jax is coming out of it better and faster than any of us thought he would."

While the woman hadn't expounded on what she meant, I got the gist of it. I think there was a lot more story behind just her words. To tell the truth, I wasn't sure I wanted to know all the words to that particular tale at this particular time.

I grabbed one of the little handheld baskets and went to the back of the store. Eggs and milk. Sausage or bacon? Both, I decided. Biscuits, which I could probably make myself, except I'd really rather not. I was taking tomorrow off and wanted to have two whole days of no batter if I could help it. I hit the fresh fruit/veg aisle and began to scope out things for a fruit salad.

One last stop before checking out.

Pharmacy aisle.

Condoms.

Oh, crap. They were in a display case. By 'they' I mean six across and four down in a glass-fronted case all on their own. Different brands, types and, oh my pink grapefruit, sizes.

I felt myself begin to sweat.

You know in movies how they show younger guys at the Pharmacy counter trying to stealthily buy condoms? How nervous they are? How embarrassing it is for them?

I'm here to testify, it's not so different for a girl to buy them either.

"You can get a box of three, twelve or a carton," the older gal behind the counter said.

"Er…twelve," I said hesitantly, unsure.

"What size again?" she asked, unlocking the display case. Her eyes shot to mine when I didn't answer right away.

I coughed to try and give myself more time to think. I mean, I'd seen it and I'd touched it but how did I know how Jax's "it" compared against the measureable, masculine portion of the general populace?

"Large?" I thought I said, yet even I could hear the question in my voice.

She put the box on the counter and rang it up. I didn't know that you could pay for them here and avoid the double shame of having them move on the belt of the checkout. With my luck, they probably would've even had to run a price check on them.

Just as I was making my way back to my car, I got a call from Ricki.

"Hey, girlfriend!" she yelled into the phone. I could hear loud music in the background. "Wha' cho doing?"

"I'm at the grocery store. What's up and where are you?" I said, unlocking the trunk, putting the bags inside.

"Arthur's in Sac. I just wanted to give you an update," she squealed. "There's been a sighting!"

"A what?" I asked putting my keys in the ignition, covering one ear so I could hear her better.

"Jax Wynter was spotted in Penryn the other night at that diner by the Quickie Mart just off the 80! Isn't that fabulous? He's here. Jax Wynter, the Eternal Teenager is here, Lace. Here!" She was yelling by the end.

Oh, hazelnuts.

"Good to know," I mumbled, my mind racing. That was why he was acting so weird when we ate there. Someone must have spotted him and reported it. Oh, God.

"We gotta make it a mission to find him, Lace. We could meet him! Remember that poster I used to have? I bet he's even better looking than he was then. Ohmigod! Jax Wynter!" Ricki was a nutcase yet I could tell she was beyond even that if she was talking about trying to track him down.

Aw, vanilla wafers. What was going to happen when she found out that I was already seeing him? Oh, crikey. This was already bad and it was going to get even worse, I could tell.

"Let's get together and plan this, Lace, 'kay? Listen, I gotta go but we gotta make this a priority, girl! Jax Wynter!"

Oh, dear whipped cream. I was going to have to tell him. Something I absolutely did not want to do.

My mind was completely on damage control when I drove through Mickie D's before making my way back down the hill to the church to pick him up.

I saw Jack and Boots standing in the glow of one of the parking lot lights. Whatever they were talking about, it didn't seem to be going very well. Number one they were standing very close together, Boots' mouth was open and, I'd say by the veins I could see popping on his neck, he was yelling up in Jack's face. Jack's fists were clenched as was his jaw and he looked beyond pissed.

Were they fighting? Because to my eye, it looked like my man wanted to hit something.

I watched and waited.

It didn't last long because I saw Jack take a step back to shoot the older guy the bird before stomping over to where I was parked.

"Hey, honey," I said as he climbed into the car. "You okay?"

I watched him grind the heels of his hands in his eyes and heard him curse softly.

After a couple of minutes, his breathing evened out and he did up his seatbelt before leaning across the console to drop me a kiss.

"Hey, baby," he said distractedly.

Trying to take a read on the emotion that was filling the car, our ride to my place was done in silence.

We were just pulling the bags out of the trunk, when I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye, coming from the dark edge of the parking lot.

Oh, shit, no. Not again.

It was my mom. My mom now dressed in spandex pants, a sequined bikini top thing and platformed slut shoes. Her hair had been re-done and she must've been wearing a quart of lip gloss over red, red lipstick.

"Hey, Lacey," she purred. Purred, for goodness sakes. At me? Nope. I don't think so. "Aren't you gonna introduce me to your man?"

"No, mother. I'm not," I said firmly. I could feel my eyes narrow as she stepped closer.

I watched the sneer as it crept over her face.

"You always were a selfish bitch, even when you was little," she spat. "I just thought you'd let your mom have a little taste of what you're getting. He looks like he's big enough for the both of us."

It took me a few seconds to work out what she was saying. I mean, she couldn't have meant what I heard, right?