by C. J. Welles
A mistake that I won’t forget in a hurry.
“Have you talked to the guys since you’ve been home?” There’s a slight slur in Ryan’s words, but he’s mostly sober.
“I sent Jace a message just before I hit town, but I haven’t heard from him.”
Which is not what I want.
Right now, I could really use some advice from him as well as a solid ass-kicking.
I know I fucked up by going anywhere near Nicole, let alone sleeping with her. I also know Jace will reap me over the coals for it.
“Good luck trying to get hold of him. I’ve called them all, and no one wanted to come for a few Christmas Eve drinks.”
“You didn’t call me. Plus, you can have drinks with them later.”
“Thought you were busy,” he replies with a shrug. “And I know, but it’s not too early to start celebrating now.”
Ryan and I get along just fine. We have all grown up together, but Ryan and I are the least likely to hang out without the others. Only because I spent more of my time growing up with Jace and Bryson while Ryan, Nathan, and Makayla spent more time together.
The next two hours are spent drinking beer after beer, thanks to Ryan’s endless supply. The girl Ryan was talking to when I first arrived left a while ago with her friend, and so did another six people. The only people left here are two girls who we’ve spent the past hour talking to. Jenna is the louder one who doesn’t seem to be afraid to say it how she sees it. She kind of reminds me of Bryson and Ryan. The other girl is Jordan, who is the shyer of the two.
“Who’s up for a shot of gin?” Ryan slurs as he gestures for Sasha.
Sasha saunters over to us from where she was cleaning tables in the back corner. She cocks her hip against the bar and raiser her eyebrows at Ryan.
“Do you think you need any more?”
“Yeshh, it’s Christmas Eve. We’re all here together, what’s not to drink and celebrate?”
“You know I should cut you off.”
“But you won’t, hey?” Ryan asks as he winks at her. “It’s only, like…” he squints down at his watch, then frowns at it for a moment before looking back at Sasha. “five o’clock, there’s to be no cutting off this early.”
“It doesn’t matter what time it is, if you're too drunk, you won't be served,” Sasha answers with a shake of her head. “But I’ll give in this once because you put across such a fantastic argument for it.”
She walks around behind the bar and grabs a bottle of gin. “How many glasses?”
“Four,” Ryan answers.
“None for me. I have to drive,” Jordan says, holding her hand up.
“You realize it’s only five,” Ryan says to her with a puzzled look. “Where are you drivin’ at this time of night? You got a man at home waitin’ on you?”
“No man, just family.”
“That’s okay, they’ll wait for you. Christmas day is still ages away.”
“I know, but I have to drive us to Dallas still.”
“It’ll be fine, just stay with us. Drink and be merry.”
Jordan shakes her head. “No, thank you.”
"We've got time," Jenna says.
“Just one,” Ryan adds.
Wow, I've never seen Ryan argue with someone like this to get them to have a drink with him.
“No.”
“Okay, I won’t pressure you anymore as I'm not that kind of guy, but it’s your loss.”
Sasha pours the shots then places them in front of us. As she goes to put the bottle back, Jordan stops her.
“Okay, I’ll have one. It is Christmas Eve, after all.”
“And don’t go putting that bottle anywhere. I’m not finished with it yet,” Ryan says as he picks up his shot glass.
When I go to grab my shot, my cell rings. Digging it out of my pocket, I find Nicole’s name on the screen. Well, not exactly her name as she’s listed under Bitch from hell don’t fucking answer. I take the advice of my cell and don’t answer.
The only thing, though, is that my mood has soured again from seeing her call. With the alcohol in my system and the conversation flowing, I had briefly forgotten about my situation. Now, it’s at the front of my mind.
I toss back my shot, and it burns on the way down. “I’m out,” I say as I place the empty glass on the bar then stand up.
“Where are you off to?” Ryan asks.
“Home,” I reply then stagger out the door. It’s cooled down now, and I pull my jacket in closer. Sitting on the single step outside the door, I pull out my phone and call Makayla. “Hey,” I quietly say when she answers. “I need a favor. Can you pick me up from Joe’s?”
“Why?”
“’Cause I’m drunk and can’t drive,” I answer.
Isn’t it obvious to her? Even I can hear the slurring of my words.
“Ethan. What the hell? Why are you there?”
“Kayla, just come get me, please.”
With a loud sigh, she says yes then hangs up.
I know she will slap me silly and even try to kick me in the balls for being so stupid, but I know I’ll be telling Makayla about Nicole. I need to tell some-fucking-one. And since Jace isn’t answering, Makayla is the next best bet.
Chapter 3
Christmas songs and broken hearts
Ryan
Jordan smiles at me, and something about her makes me return it. “You’re quiet, aren’t you,” I say when it’s just her and I sitting together.
Ethan walked out ten minutes ago, and the loudmouth Jenna is having another pee break. I warned her that once you crack the seal, you’re fucked. She didn’t listen and has now gone for a piss every fifteen minutes.
“Compared to Jenna, yeah, I am,” she quietly replies, as if she’s ashamed to admit it.
“Nothing to be ashamed of. Some people are shy, some aren’t. My twin is shyer than I. Whereas I’ll happily talk to anyone, and once you get drinks into me, I’m everyone’s best friend.”
“I’ve noticed that already.”
“How long you stayin’ in Dallas?”
“Just for three days. I only have a week off work, and I have plenty of jobs around the house to catch up on these holidays.”
“You should call in on your way back down.”
I won’t admit it, but I’d like to see her again.
“We’ll have to see how we go,” she replies.
“Let’s put some music on,” Jenna says as she bounds up to us. She rocks back and forth on her heels. She’s full of beans and can’t keep still.
The two girls walk over to the jukebox and pick a few songs. All I Want For Christmas Is You by Maria Carey sounds out and the girls begin singing along and soon break off into some terrible girly dance.
I can’t tear my eyes from Jordan as she moves. Her dance moves are shocking, but I’m mesmerized by her. There’s something about her that pulls at me. I noticed it as soon as she sat down just near me. I didn’t look up, but I could feel her presence.
When I did eventually look at her, I liked what I saw. Jordan’s around five foot five with chocolate brown hair that has caramel highlights. She has a heart-shaped face and hazel eyes. She has bow-shaped lips that look perfect when she smiles.
The song changes to Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt, and Jordan shakes her head. “I’m not dancing to this. I told you one dance and one only.”
“Come on, Jordan. Please.”
“No way.”
Without a second thought, I place my beer down then make my way over to the dance floor. I slide up behind Jordan and settle my hands on her hips, then begin moving along with her.
Her body is tense for the first minute, then she relaxes into me, and we begin moving as one. With every sway of her hips, her lush ass rubs against my cock, and I have to keep telling myself to not get a boner.
Once the sing finishes, Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Hero’s begins, and I move my hand from Jordan’s hip to splay across her lower abdomen, just above her pelvic bone. I p
ress my hand down on her belly and pull her closer to me. She rests her head back against my shoulder, and we stay dancing like that for a few songs.
A throat soon clears behind us, and I turn to see Ethan and Makayla standing there. My eyes land on Makayla’s face and the pained look I see just about brings me to my knees and makes my heart drop on the ground at my feet. Without saying anything, I let Jordan go and step away from her. She nearly falls backward as she was leaning against me, but I don’t move towards her.
“What are you doing?” I ask. I don’t know whether I’m directing my question at Ethan or Makayla, but I keep my eyes on Makayla.
“Seeing if you needed a lift to the Thompson’s place or not,” Ethan says, and I flick my gaze to him.
Oh, yeah. I had forgotten about the Christmas Eve bonfire at the Thompson ranch. It’s a tradition we’ve done for as long as I can remember.
I look at Makayla and try to hold her gaze, but she won’t meet my eyes. She keeps looking at Jordan and then at the ground.
“Nah, I’m all good,” I reply.
“How are you getting there?”
“I’ll find a way. Might just not go.”
Seeing Makayla standing in front of me, and not being able to touch her, let alone talk to her like I used to is hard enough, but seeing her new boyfriend walking towards us nearly kills me.
I fucked up big time with Makayla. She offered to be my everything, but I turned her down and kept our relationship as friends, all because I was too busy trying to follow in Bryson’s footsteps.
I loved her with all my heart, but I wasn’t ready to commit. I still do love her, but it’s too late. Now, she’s moved on with the dick Billy, who's face I want to punch on a regular occurrence.
“Don’t be stupid. You’ve got to go,” Makayla says.
“Nah, I don’t. Y’all be fine without me, Kayla.”
“Ryan,” she begins but stops when Billy the prick slides up behind her and puts his hand on her shoulder.
All I want to do is rip his fucking hand off and beat him over the head with it.
“Babe, if he doesn’t want to go, don’t force him.”
“Maybe I’d go if the company was better,” I say, then turn and walk back to my spot at the bar. I grab the bottle of gin that Sasha kindly left sitting there and pour myself a shot glass. I down it and then have another two. The shot burns as it goes down, but it’s a burn that I gladly welcome.
I don’t get it. I honestly fucking don’t.
Makayla was hurt when she saw me with Jordan. It was clear as fucking day, but she’s still with that dick. She cut what we had a year ago and hasn’t given me the time of day since.
I can hear Makayla talking to the dick behind me, and the sound of his voice is making me want to punch anything within sight. Grabbing my cell and keys, I make my way towards the door. I stumble just as I get outside, and I manage to drop my keys on the step. Picking them up, I cross the parking lot as snow falls from above me. It must not have been snowing for long as there’s only a light covering over the cars.
Just before I reach my truck, I drop my keys again. “God fucking dammit,” I mumble as I pick them up again. Maybe the three shots I just had have hit me harder than I thought.
Opening my truck door, I climb inside, but before I can close the door, there’s a small figure standing there, holding onto my truck door.
“How can I help you?” I slur, just as I notice Jordan standing there.
“You shouldn't be driving,” she says as she puts her hands on her hips.
I take a look at her, and a smile plays across my face.
“Why not?”
I wasn’t going to drive, as I’m not that fucking dumb, but I want to hear what she has to say.
I ignore the thought that I just want to hear her voice. I ignore it because I just pushed her aside when Makayla showed up looking hurt that I was in another’s arms.
“Are you serious? You’ve been drinking. You’re drunk, and you want to drive home,” she nearly yells at me.
“Calm down. I wasn’t gonna,” I finally answer. Jordan narrows her eyes at me. “Truth. I ain't dumb enough to drive, but no way am I sleeping in the bed of my truck.”
Jordan crosses her arms over her chest and raises her eyebrows at me. “I’m gonna sleep here.” I point to right where I’m sitting. “As there are fewer insects, snow, and robbers, and there’s a heater.” I reach out and around her and begin to pull my door closed, and Jordan steps back to allow me to tug it shut. I need to sleep before I can even think of going to the bonfire. If I turn up like this, my ma will slap me around the back of the head.
Lying my seat back, I close my eyes and welcome the quietness. My head spins a little, but I ignore it.
I don’t see Makayla often these days, but when I do, it never ends well. We don’t last longer than five minutes in a room together before Makayla is either crying, or I’m throwing insults at her boyfriend.
As much as I hate it, there’s no going back. Too much has happened for our friendship to go back to what it was.
*
My peace and quiet don't last long when I hear a tapping on my window. I crack one eye open before turning my head to look out the window. The determined, current thorn in my ass is standing there looking in at me.
“What?” I question in a loud growling tone, then regret it when the noise ricochets in my truck cab and pierces my ears.
“You can't sleep here,” she says, her hazel eyes narrowed and focused on me.
“What can I do?” I mumble.
She opens the door and stares at me. “I’ll drive you home.”
I raise my eyebrow at her and a smirk tugs at the corner of my lips. “You’re going to drive me home?” I question. “I could be a crazy person who will tie you up and keep you.”
“I doubt it.”
“How do you know?”
“Firstly, you’re too drunk to tie a knot. Secondly, I can tell you’re a nice person. I can see the softness in your eyes. I can also see the pain that you try and hide. Thirdly, I know you’re Bryson Miller's brother, who is apparently some great bull rider and famous in that world, and Jenna says you’re a good person.”
More like she’s a good person. She’s still here with me after I basically dropped her when Makayla turned up. I ignore the middle part about the pain in my eyes. No way am I going there with her. She would have to already know Makayla means something to me after what happened earlier, but I’m not diving in deeper in that subject with her.
I should tell Jordan to piss off so I can just sleep, but I don’t. I scoot across to the passenger side, giving her room to climb in. I watch as she puts the key in the ignition, then my truck fires to life.
“Do you even know how to drive one of these?” I look down at her little Hyundai Elantra with a smirk on my face, then back to her. My truck is a Ford 250 XLT, and it’s double the size of her little thing.
She glares at me but doesn't answer. Pulling her cell from her pocket, she taps away on the screen before she puts it away.
“What are we waiting for?” I ask after a few minutes, and we’re still sitting in Joe’s parking lot.
“Just working out with Jenna about how I’ll get back here.”
“Drive the truck back here,” I say with a shrug. “No one will touch it.”
She stares at me for a moment before pulling her cell back out. “How do you know I won't steal it?” she asks
“I don't,” I answer. But she and I both know that she won't.
Reversing out of the space with ease, Jordan looks to me once she reaches the road. “Which way?”
“Turn left,” I say as I turn on the radio. The Only Way I Know by Jason Aldean begins to blast, and I turn it down. When we reach the next intersection, I tell her to turn right. “Now, just follow this road for twenty-five miles.”
“You could have said you live in the middle of nowhere.”
“You didn't ask,” I say.
Sh
e quietly huffs but doesn't say anything else.
As Jordan drives towards my parent’s ranch, I sit quietly and rest my head back against the headrest. After about twenty minutes, I sit up and check out where we are. When I see an old empty hay shed, I know we’re five minutes from my driveway.
“Three Miles up the road here is a gravel road. Pull in there.”
“Is this the part where you leave me in the bush after taking my purse and killing me?”
I let out a throaty laugh. “No,” I answer once I stop laughing. “It’s the road to my driveway.”
She pulls onto the road, and I direct her to mom and dad’s place. My parents and Ethan’s parents bought a 186-acre ranch, then split it in two and have been here ever since. Ethan's dad and my dad are twins and went to school along with Jace’s dad, who has now passed. When they were at school, they always talked about owning a ranch together. Jace’s dad was too bloody stubborn to co-run a ranch with others, and my dad likes to be in control, so it was more manageable for them to have their own.
Jace’s ranch butts up to the north of ours. It's about a fifteen-minute drive from our house to his and Callie’s house.
Once Jordan pulls up out the front, she turns in her seat to face me. “You really want me to drive your truck back to the bar?”
“Yeah, if you want to. Or… you could come in here and wait for me to shower.”
“Why?” she hesitantly asks.
“Because, I’ll then ask you to drive me to the Thompson’s ranch, where someone can run you back to Joe’s bar.”
“Will you be long? As I do need to get back to Jenna and then up to Dallas.”
“Fifteen minutes top,” I reply as I jump out of the truck.
I slowly make my way around to the driver’s side, as the alcohol is still in my system and I’m trying hard to not trip and land on my ass. Opening the driver's side door, I lean in and rest my lower abdomen against Jordan’s thigh.
“Don’t drive off on me, yeah?”
“I won’t,” she murmurs.
I give her a dazzling smile then push away from her. Going inside, I grab clean clothes and a towel, then walk to the bathroom. I have the quickest shower I’ve ever had, get dressed, run my hand through my still-damp hair to style it then make my way back to Jordan.