Only for You

by Marquita Valentine

  “Callie thought you were cheating on her with Joy Anne.”

  “Doesn’t matter anymore. Callie broke off our engagement, and I’m fine with it.” Actually, I’m more than fine. I’m ecstatic.

  “I know.” She touches my face. “I’m sorry, Jaxon, but sometimes what goes around, comes around.”

  “You think I deserve it, huh?”

  “I wasn’t talking about you… I was talking about Callie.”

  My heart stops beating then resets, pounding like an 808 drum. “Bliss, you do know about what happened with Violet and me, right?”

  “No,” she says and I believe her. Not everyone follows celebrity gossip. Not everyone cares.

  It’s like I’m a clean slate around her. But she’s not what I want, I remind myself. Violet is, and I can’t be messing around with Bliss, no matter how good she makes me feel.

  I don’t cheat on the ones I love. “Then you should know that I plan on getting back together with her. I love Violet, Bliss. Only Violet.”

  Her hand falls from my face, and it’s all I can do not to put it back. “I think you need to leave.”

  “I think you’re right.” I walk out of there, feeling her gaze on me the entire time.

  I’m not sure what happened, but what I am sure of… Bliss Davenport and I need to stay the hell away from each other.

  *** *** ***

  Violet

  Strumming my guitar, I pick out the melody of Cole’s song. I need to hear it, need to remind myself of the guy I love. Despite his words, I do love him.

  “Pathetic,” I say out loud, but this time I don’t have to worry about anyone hearing me. Callie’s gone and from the gossip, she’s going to be in jail for a little while for assaulting an officer or two.

  On one hand, I’m glad she’s gone, but on the other… Jaxon is no longer held back by her, or in any way that he thinks I’ll find disagreeable, and I know this means he’ll start coming on stronger.

  As if my thoughts conjured him, Jaxon appears at the door of my bus. He knocks on it once and steps inside. His strawberry-blond hair is all purposefully messy while his violet blue eyes are turbulent.

  “Can I ask for a favor?”

  “Depends,” I say lightly, gripping my guitar tighter. Please don’t ask me to kiss you, or go out with you, I think. I don’t want a fight. I just want to finish this tour and go home.

  He shoves his hands in the pocket of his jeans, the material of the t-shirt he’s wearing stretching over his biceps. “Could you take Bliss’s glasses from her and give them to me?”

  My mouth drops open and not just from the absurdity of his request. I actually thought he was going to hit on me. “You want me to steal from her?”

  “Stealing means never giving back. I want you to borrow them and give them to me.”

  “Why on earth would you need her glasses?” I narrow my eyes at him. “Are you trying to play a joke on her, because if you are, so help me, Jaxon, I will—”

  A blush steals up his neck and I gape at him again. “No. I wanted to get the lenses fixed without her knowing it was me. We have off tomorrow, and I thought if you could get them, then I could get her a new pair.”

  I blink at him. This is the Jaxon I used to know—sweet, kind, and thoughtful. But I don’t trust him. “Why don’t you take her there yourself or give her money to pay for them?”

  Jaxon gives me this come-on look. “I thought you wanted me to stay away from her?”

  “I do, but—”

  “No buts, get her damn glasses, Violet, and let me take care of the rest,” he growls, his blush deepening.

  Could it be that Jaxon Hunter, my no-good, lying, cheating of an ex, is actually doing a good deed that in no way will be a benefit to him?

  “Okay, I’ll get them tonight.”

  He smiles, smug and wicked as ever. “Knew I still had it.”

  I roll my eyes, unable to stop from smiling back at him. “Whatever.”

  “Oh, and Violet?” He places one hand on the door, his gaze turning hungry. “You and I still have some unfinished business that needs to be settled.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jaxon

  After dropping Bliss’ glasses off at the ophthalmologist’s office, I drive to the hotel we’re staying in, ready to get everything all out in the open and make sure he knows that there’s no way he’ll ever control my life again like that.

  I storm into my dad’s hotel suite and make a face as the unmistakable sound of my dad boning some random chick fills the air.

  Oh hell no.

  I’m not covering for him again. I’m not pretending to be anyone’s anything for him. Or my mom. They both can go to hell. Or stay living in the one they created.

  Though I’m sure my mom is happy down in Florida, in her special vacation spa. She’s practically lived there my whole life.

  And now that Callie’s gone, I don’t have to worry about that girl down in Atlanta either. Yeah, that might make me selfish, but I never touched Tara.

  “Everett,” I shout. “Get out here, you piece of shit.”

  The door opens and an actual woman walks out. She smiles at me, brown eyes sparkling. She tosses her long, blond hair over one shoulder and grabs my dad’s wallet from the table, taking out a wad of cash.

  I’m not saying anything. She could rob him blind, and that’s what I’ll pretend to be if any questions are asked.

  “Get back in here, baby,” he says. “I’m not done. Jaxon, carry your ass out.”

  I make a face. She slams the door shut and braces a chair against it.

  “But I am.” She glides to me, dressed thank God, and pulls something out of the pocket of her tight jeans. It’s a flash drive. “For you, Jack. I hope it sets you free.”

  No one’s called me Jack since I was in first grade. I take another look at the woman standing in front of me. She looks vaguely familiar.

  “Jeannie?”

  My nanny from the time I was three to the age of eight smiles at me. For some odd reason, I want to hug her. Well, not entirely odd. For five years I’d loved her and when we were alone, she’d let me call her mommy.

  “You’re not mad, are you?” She tips her nose in the air, equal parts defiant and ashamed at me catching her, I think.

  I shrug. “You could do better.”

  “I plan to,” she says, and then waves the flash drive. “Take it.”

  “Will it self-destruct in five seconds after I look at what’s on it?”

  She raises her brows in the direction of the bedroom. “No, but he will.”

  “Why are you giving this to me?”

  “Because what you’ll find on it, that was me, when I was seventeen and he promised to make me a star, but he didn’t keep that promise, and I ended up with a kid and nowhere to go.”

  Shit. How many brothers and sisters do I have out there?

  “And I’m not the only girl on there, Jack. He uses these pictures against them, to make them do what he wants,” she says, heading toward the door.

  “Why give it to me? Why not just do it yourself?”

  “Because what’s on there isn’t technically illegal, since all of us were just the right age. And especially since none of it ended up on the Internet. Besides, knowing how he’s gonna squirm when he can’t find it… well, that’s way more satisfying. Eventually, though, he’ll slip up and be with the wrong one.”

  An image of Tara comes to mind. Is she on here, too? “He already has.”

  “There you go, then.” She smiles sadly. “Love you, Jack.” Then she slips out of the room, leaving me standing there in stunned disbelief.

  Everett pounds on the bedroom door, startling me.

  Going to the door, I move the chair and let him out.

  “Where is she?”

  “She who?”

  He rounds on me, blue eyes hard. “That blond bitch you were talking to.”

  “She left.” I slip the flash drive in my pocket, right by my phone. “We need to t
alk.”

  “About what?”

  “Everything.”

  “Not again.” He scrubs at his face. “I already told you that your momma and I paid her to have you for us. We wanted you. I only told Cole that shit to—”

  “To do what? Because you can? Because it’s true?”

  “Papers I got on you say otherwise,” he says with a smug grin.

  “After this tour is over, we’re done.”

  “We’re done when I say we’re done.” He strides across the room and decants a bottle of whiskey, pouring himself a glass. “No movie either. I’m pulling you from the project.”

  “But I signed a contract.”

  He stares at me over the rim, and then sets the glass down. Growing up, I wanted to be like him, with his dark hair and confident smile. Everyone seemed to love him, but now I know it was fear and the promise of a career that kept people around.

  Now I know he’s nothing more than a bully, using his hands and fists to get what he wants, at least on me. I have no idea if he’s ever laid a hand on Cole or Cole’s mom.

  My mom. Crystal Newton. A woman who is no longer nameless or faceless to me. I’ve stared at her picture for hours, seeing myself in her. In my brother. It’s like we’re light and dark, only I’m the dark one, not him.

  Cole doesn’t strike me as the type of guy to keep lies. He doesn’t strike me as the type of guy to ask many questions either. But that’s him, and this is me.

  I might not be that kind of a badass, but I’ve grown up with a father that liked to use me as a sparring partner as soon as I got up in age.

  He was always careful of my hands, couldn’t break those. Careful not to hit my face, can’t have me on television with my a puffy lip.

  Only one time did he ever lose his temper enough to hit me in the face and that he’d blamed on a hunting trip. Kickback from a rifle. My dad’s never been hunting in his life, much less camping.

  Asshole.

  I stare right back at the man, firming my jaw and casually crossing my arms over my chest.

  “I’m your agent.”

  “You’re an asshole.”

  “I do my best,” he says and salutes me with his drink. “Why are you even here? Shouldn’t you be chasing after Violet, like some pussy-whipped little bitch?”

  It dawns on me, right in that second, why he has this intense love/hate relationship regarding Violet. “She turned you down, didn’t she? The great Everett Morgan actually had some girl say no, and because her parents were actually around, you had to respect that.”

  Only, I don’t get the reaction I was hoping for. His face doesn’t pale; his eyes don’t even widen. All he does is calmly take another drink, set it down, and walk to me.

  For the first time since Violet’s accident, fear courses through me, setting my body on high alert. Everett hasn’t put his hands on me since that night, but I have a feel that he’s been itching to do just that.

  He grabs me by the neck and shoves me against the wall, his thumb pressing into my trachea. I grab and claw at his hands, but nothing’s working. The familiar pain makes me go limp. I hate this, hate this hold he has over me. Everett’s been beating up on me for so long, that the only way I know how to survive is to be meek and humble. To let him have his way, and then it’ll be over.

  “Listen to me, shit for brains. Violet was my present to you. I wrapped her up all nice, and made sure she stayed tight and pure, just for you. If I had wanted her, I would have fucked her and she would have thanked me for it. But I thought you deserved a little something for finally hitting big. Had I known what would have happened, I would have given the little bitch to Kyle.”

  Black spots dance in front of my eyes. I gasp for breath, fury rising in me.

  “Still time for that though. I could always let Kyle take over the tour. I think he’d love a taste of Bliss Davenport, maybe even more than Violet. Sure as hell loved it when we shared Callie, before she lost all that weight.”

  Nausea makes my stomach turn. “Fuck you.” I spit at him and it lands on his face.

  He backhands me, sending a shockwave of pain that makes my right ear ring. Hetightens his grip. “Little prick.”

  Move, damn it, my brain screams at me. I bring up my knee, as hard as I can, and hit his junk with it. He lets go of my neck long enough for me to shove him back and land a punch in his side. It’s a weak spot for him, and he stumbles, grabbing on to a nearby table to stay upright.

  “Keep your hands off me,” I say, panting as he looks at me, respect and fear in his eyes. “I’m not your punching bag anymore.”

  I bend over, placing my hands on my thighs as I try to steady my heart. “Keep Kyle off this tour and away from Violet, Bliss, and any other female. He’s a fucking monster, just like you.”

  Everett doesn’t say a word, just holds his side and gives a small nod. This isn’t over, not by a long shot. Right now, I’ve shocked the hell out of him for hitting back. For standing up to him.

  But he’ll get over it and all hell will break loose.

  Hopefully, I won’t be around when it happens.

  Without a backward glance, I leave the room, disgusted with him, with myself, and my life in general.

  Whatever I have to do to break free of him, I will. Checking my pocket for the flash drive, I head back to the buses.

  *** *** ***

  Cole

  Today is the first Saturday I’ve had off in weeks, mostly because I’ve been working myself to death so I won’t think about Rae.

  Hard to do when everywhere I go, I see something that reminds me of her. Hell, I can’t even go to Lacey’s roller derby matches without thinking about the time Rae and I—

  “Higher,” my little sister squeals, pulling me from my thoughts.

  As a surprise, I’ve taken Kelly to the park to play with a bunch of her friends from school. All of their mothers are there. I think this is what’s called a group play date but I’m not sure and I’m sure as hell not going to sit with them to find out.

  “Lunch,” one of the moms call out.

  Kelly’s head turns. “Did we bring something, Cole?”

  Her question is whispered, but I know why. She doesn’t want to be embarrassed. “Yeah, bug. You packed it last night.”

  She scrapes her shoes on the ground to stop the momentum of the swing. “That’s right. I forgot. Silly me.”

  “Silly you,” I say, following her as she skips to the large picnic table where everyone’s unpacking. As I get to our cooler, I notice lots of fancy name brands and colorful containers—mostly pink and purple, because God forbid little girls like any other colors.

  Oh God, I’m with the uber playdate moms.

  For a moment, old embarrassments and humiliations threatened to bubble up, but then I start pulling out containers—all pink, purple, and fancy name brands.

  Oh shit, I’m an uber playdate mom.

  “Where did you get that lavender thermos, Cole?” one of the moms says.

  “Um, the store,” I say and they all give me this look. Strike one.

  Kelly bounces in her seat. “We got it from Sweet Monkey’s.”

  Suddenly, all of their expressions change. “I love that store.”

  “It’s so environmentally friendly.”

  “And the clothes are to die for.”

  “Do you get all of Kelly’s things from there?”

  I look at Kelly. She smiles at me and takes a bite out of her sandwich. I turn my attention back to the group. “Um, yes?” Actually, it was Rae who’d bought all of this, for Kelly to use.

  “Cole, would it be possible for Kelly to come over this evening for an impromptu sleepover?”

  Who has impromptu sleepovers? Then I get it, they’d planned one while they were sitting and hadn’t invited Kelly. In the past, I’d probably told them to shove it up their tail or at least walked away with Kelly.

  But for once, I think that maybe we weren’t included because I’d chosen to exclude us. I’d fallen back o
n old habits of not thinking I’m good enough and assumed the worse.

  Sometimes all people want is a way in, and if you’re too busy always looking for a way to keep them out, then you’ll never know it.

  I grin. “If Kelly wants to, it’s fine with me. Might be nice to have a night to myself.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I swear, if I hear what’s for dinner one more time before I even get through the door…”

  The rest of the afternoon flies by and I drop Kelly off with the spare change of clothes that I always keep in my Jeep. She hugs me tight and whispers thank you.

  My heart feels lighter than it has in months on the way home. But then I get home, and Ford’s car is in the drive. The lights are on in my house.

  “Just what I need,” I mutter, parking the jeep and getting out. I take my time walking inside, but it’s not long enough.

  “Where’s Kelly?” Crystal immediately asks and Ford squeezes her hand. “I mean, hi, Cole.”

  “Hi.” I flop down in the chair across from the two of them and wait.

  “I’m ready to come back home now,” Crystal says, her leg starting to shake.

  I narrow my eyes. Had I gotten that from her of all people?

  “But she’s not moving back in—at least not right away,” Ford says, keeping his tone light. “We’d like to take Kelly and you to dinner. Parker said he couldn’t come because of work.”

  “No,” I say, and then stare at Crystal. I’m waiting for her reaction.

  “Then at least let us take Kelly,” she says, her jaw firming. “Please.”

  I cross my arms and tip my head back. “No.”

  Crystal looks at Ford for help. She’s about to lose it, I know it. “Why are you telling us no?”

  Oh Jesus. Now Ford sounds like my therapist. “Because she’s at a sleepover.”

  “That’s good,” Crystal says and I pull off my beanie.

  “I need a drink.” I start to rise from the chair.

  “I refused to sell you.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Crystal looks down at her lap. “Everett wanted you, not your brother, but I said no. I wanted him to be reminded of me every time he looked at that boy. I kept the one that looked like him, so he’d keep coming back.”