The rest of lunch was filled with laughter as he filled her in on some of the antics his band members had been up to recently and how they had to be bailed out.
As she watched his smile, with his eyes crinkling, and listened to his laugh, Karlie knew that there wasn’t anything better than this right here, right now. And she’d do whatever she could to hold on to it this time.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Karlie
Karlie checked the time on her cell phone. She was early for the show. Jax had said they weren’t going on till ten and it was just before nine, but she wanted to see him beforehand.
When she got to the door, she moved to pay the cover, but the bouncer assured her, “It’s been taken care of.”
She shot him a look and stepped into the bar. It was brighter than she thought it would be. Normally, the band played in bars that were dimly lit and smelled like the ban on smoking indoors was only a suggestion. This place was not only well lit but well maintained.
She eyed the tables as she walked back and was sure the shine on them was from shellac and not spilled beer or other substances. It seemed Southern Sands was garnering more attention and booking better gigs because of it.
It was still early enough that it wasn’t too packed; Karlie could easily see the guys on stage setting up. She walked that way, drinking Jax in as she moved closer. He wasn’t dressed that different from earlier, just a different t-shirt. But he’d put his hair up in a small bun, or what was an attempt at one, and she had to admit it looked different, but good on him.
She stopped at the edge of the stage. “Hey, hot stuff,” she called out.
Jax jerked and glared her way, his gaze softening when he realized it was her. He walked over and leaned down to kiss her upturned face. “Hey, what are you doing here so early?”
She shrugged. “I just wanted to see you beforehand.”
He smirked and rubbed a hand over his torso. “Couldn’t stay away, could you?”
Karlie rolled her eyes at his attempt at being sleazy. “How did you get that ego through the door?”
“He had to check it at the van,” Harry said as he stepped past Jax.
Karlie laughed while Jax scowled at Harry. “Hey, Harry.” Karlie waved.
“Hey, you bring Bailey with you?” he asked, looking hopeful.
She shook her head. “I can text her if you want.”
He waved her off. “Nah, it’s cool. She knows we’re playing.”
Karlie narrowed her eyes, curious to know more about his reaction, but turned her attention back to Jax. “Your parents coming tonight?”
He nodded. “Yeah. They’ll probably get here after we start. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself. I’ve already shot my mom a text to let her know you’ll be here. She’ll probably find you herself and force herself on you.”
Karlie laughed. “I’ll keep my eyes peeled for an enthusiastic blonde then.”
Jax smiled. “You do that. I need to get back to setting up.”
“Yeah, sure, no problem. I’ll be at the bar if you need me.”
He kissed her again and whispered, “I’ll always need you.”
Karlie’s mouth dropped open as Jax moved away and started to fiddle with his amp. He shot her a smirk and continued working. She cleared her throat and straightened her shirt and purse strap before turning and making her way to the bar. She slid onto a stool and ordered one of the ciders they had on tap.
There were a few games playing on the TVs mounted behind the bar. She heard the band checking their sound while she concentrated on the baseball game currently playing out on screen. She wasn’t remotely interested in sports, but she knew if she turned to watch Jax, she might combust. She was the one insisting on taking it slow and yet, here she was, ready to jump him.
She finished her first cider and ordered another as the lights dimmed. Karlie checked the time and realized it was showtime. She turned to the stage just as the band got all their instruments ready. The bar had filled up quite a bit while Karlie was watching the game, and she was surprised to see that it was largely standing room only.
A body jostled her and she held on tightly to her beer as Harry greeted everyone. “How y’all doing tonight?”
Cheering and clapping was his answer. “That’s awesome to hear. I’m doing pretty great myself. I’ve got my band, my guitar, and some great songs for you tonight. Let’s get to it.”
Bentley tapped out the beat and they started playing “Can’t You See.” Karlie bobbed her head a bit to the beat as she listened. The band really was fantastic. They played favorites of everyone, but put their own twist on it.
She finished her cider and turned to order another, accidentally bumping into the woman next to her. “Oh, I’m sorry!” she said.
The woman waved a hand at her. “It’s not problem. We’re all a bit tight in here, so it’s no wonder people are bumpin’ into each other.”
Karlie laughed. “You’re right about that. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already.”
The woman nodded. Karlie caught the eyes of the bartender and indicated another one. She turned slightly so she could keep her eyes on the stage, mainly on Jax, while she waited.
“You heard them play before?”
Karlie jerked her head back to the woman beside her. “Sorry?”
The woman nodded her head to the stage. “You heard them play before?”
She nodded and accepted her cider. This was her third one, so she probably needed to slow down a bit and drink a water next if she planned to drive home later that night.
“Yeah, I’ve seen them a few times,” she admitted, turning back to the stage.
The woman turned as well. “It’s been a few years since I heard them. If anything, I think they sound better.”
“That’s a good thing, right? It’d be bad if they were worse.”
The woman laughed. “You got that right. They can still command a crowd though.”
Karlie slid her glance over to the woman. Like her, this woman had long brown hair and was petite with pale skin. But the similarities ended there. She had brown eyes and was taller and slimmer than Karlie. She also had quite a few visible tattoos. Her left arm was a full sleeve, but Karlie couldn’t make out of what. Her right arm was relatively devoid of tattoos, but for one that wrapped around her forearm.
Harry started talking, letting everyone know they were going on break and would be back shortly. The lights brightened just a bit and Karlie studied the tattoo on the woman’s forearm a bit more closely. It looked familiar to her for some reason.
Suddenly, she realized what it was. It reminded her of Jax’s. While Jax’s tattoo was of a guitar surrounded by different things, this woman had a piano surrounded with the same things Jax had. Karlie’s mouth went dry as everything clicked into place. It had to be a coincidence, right?
She took a gulp of beer and asked in what she hoped was a steady voice, “What’s the story behind the tattoo there?”
The woman looked at where Karlie was indicating and shrugged. “Tale as old as time. Young, dumb, and got a tattoo.”
Karlie nodded like she understood, but she didn’t. “So, you got it when you were a teen? Why not have it removed?”
The woman shrugged and turned her attention to the stage. Karlie glanced and saw that Jax was doing something with his electric guitar.
“You know, it’s funny. Even after all these years, that man still looks the same.”
Karlie’s eyes widened and the woman continued talking. “Same blond hair, same open smile, same ability to play a guitar and make a girl’s panties wet.”
She cleared her throat and turned her attention back to Karlie. She laughed uncomfortably. “Listen to me, going on about the past.”
“The past?” Karlie asked, taking a sip of her beer. She felt like a parrot, but she didn’t know what else to say.
The woman nodded and jerked her chin toward Jax. “Yep, the past. He’s a big part of it.”
Karl
ie nodded like she understood, but she really didn’t. She had no idea what this woman was going on about. All she did know was that she had a tattoo that matched Jax’s and somehow they had a past. Karlie had no idea who this woman was but she was making old insecurities surface.
She took another big gulp of her beer and wished it were stronger. Or that she had someone to drive her home so she could just get wasted and scrub this entire conversation from her memory.
The band started playing again, and Karlie was saved from any further conversation. She scanned the bar and found Jax’s mom seated by the stage again, this time with a sandy-haired man that resembled Jax.
The woman next to her stood and finished her drink She flashed Karlie a smile before pushing her way through the crowd. She watched her go, curious where she would end up. A knot formed in her chest as she stopped at the table Jax’s parents were sitting at. She hugged both of them and Karlie tried hard to stave off the panic she was feeling.
Something she promised herself earlier was that she wouldn’t jump to conclusions about anything. Running didn’t solve anything, and if she was serious about Jax and their relationship, she needed to hear him out. That didn’t stop her from panicking as the woman pulled a chair up to the table and sat with Jax’s parents for the rest of the evening.
By the time the band finished their set and was packing up, Karlie was close to a full blown panic attack. She had imagined all different types of scenarios where she found out it was all a lie and that Jax didn’t really want to be with her.
Feeling slightly queasy, she paid for her drinks and threw her purse over her shoulder. She squared her shoulders and turned to face the stage only to see Jax standing at the table with his parents and that woman.
Karlie closed her eyes and took a deep, fortifying breath before she forced herself to open her eyes and look at the situation and really take in what was happening. Her eyes raked over Jax’s body, noticing his sweat stained shirt. His normal relaxed posture was tense and he was clenching his hands next to his sides. His father was turned around talking to Harry and his mom looked…concerned?
Pulling her big girl panties on, she walked through the dwindling crowd toward the table with all the answers. As she drew closer, she overheard Jax saying in a tight voice, “I’m not sure what you expected Melissa.”
Karlie raised an eyebrow. She now had a name. If only she knew what the situation was.
“You must be Karlie!” Jax’s mom said, breaking the stare down between Jax and Melissa.
Karlie smiled and hoped she wasn’t grimacing as his mom came to stand in front of her. “I’m so glad to meet you. Jax has told me so much about you. I’m June and my husband, Tom, is over there.”
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” she said and was pleased to discover she meant it. With the stress of not knowing who this other woman was, Karlie was worried she’d be tense about everyone.
“Come, sit,” she said, pulling a chair over and putting it between herself and Jax.
Karlie slid onto it and looked at Jax. He glanced between her and Melissa and appeared more uncomfortable than Karlie had ever seen him. Karlie smiled but worried it looked more like a grimace. “I’m sorry I didn’t get your name earlier at the bar. I’m Karlie.”
She held her hand out for Melissa to take. Melissa shook her hand limply before saying, “I’m Melissa, Jax’s ex-wife.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jax
Jax watched the smile-grimace freeze on Karlie’s face. This was not how he envisioned telling Karlie he had been married before. In an ideal world, it would have been when they talked about past relationships. Certainly not with his parents there and definitely not with his ex there.
“Ex-wife?” Karlie slid her gaze to him, her mouth in a thin line.
Jax cleared his throat and nodded. “Yeah, it was annulled about nine years ago.”
Karlie narrowed her eyes at him. “Nine years ago? So you were, what, nineteen?”
Jax blinked rapidly and tried to swallow, but found his mouth was a bit too dry. All he could do was nod.
“You didn’t tell her?” Melissa asked.
Jax flicked his gaze to hers and groaned at the gleam in her eye. “It hadn’t come up,” he croaked.
Karlie raised her eyebrows. “Well, it kinda did. I asked you about the tattoo that is similar to hers. You said she was a high school sweetheart.”
“She was,” he said, knowing he was skating a very thin line right now.
“You just happened to marry her.” Karlie’s tone was flat and he knew that if he didn’t figure this out quickly, he’d lose her again. It was all spiraling out of control.
All Jax could do was nod. “I think I need some air,” she said, standing suddenly.
“I’ll go with you,” his mom said. She cut her eyes to him and hissed into his ear, “Get rid of her.”
Jax nodded and watched them go. Once they were through the door, he glared at Melissa. “What do you want?”
“I heard you were in town and decided to come see.”
“I’m always in town. I live here now. Try again.”
She rolled her eyes and inspected her nails. “Fine. I was in town on business, saw your band was advertised to play, and I decided to stop by.”
That sounded more plausible, but that still didn’t seem to ring completely true.
“That’s it? What are you in town for?”
Melissa huffed. “Fine, I had business in Wilmington and I took a detour here. I looked up your band.”
Jax arched a brow. “Why?”
She glared at him and he took the opportunity to take stock of her. Once, she had been the epitome of everything he wanted. They met sophomore year in high school and started an intense relationship. They dated the rest of their time in school and went to a justice of the peace to get married once they were eighteen, much to the chagrin of their parents. Looking back, he could understand their reservations.
“Jax, what I said all those years ago is still true. I still love you.” Melissa’s words broke through his thoughts and his eyes raised to her wide ones; she was staring at him beseechingly.
He snorted and rolled his eyes. “You do not love me. You demonstrated that with the annulment. You hated my hours as a musician.”
“I did not!” she said, indignant, crossing her arms.
“Melissa, you did. You complained when I was gone for practice. When I was on the road. When I took any gig that allowed me to play. And you wouldn’t come to any of my shows.”
She rolled her eyes. “You were gone too much.”
“Ah,” he said, with a cruel smile on his face, “there it is. The same thing you said to me when we got the annulment. I was gone too much. I neglected you. On and on about how I didn’t take care of you.”
Melissa’s face reddened. “I was young and stupid—”
“And what? You want to pick up where we left off?”If it was possible, her face reddened further. “I hate to break it to you, but that ain’t gonna happen. We were doomed from the start. We were just too young to see it.”
“No, we weren’t! We were good together!” she insisted, moving closer to him to touch his arm.
He jerked back like he’d been burned. “You only think that because we were each other’s firsts. We were anything but good for each other.”
Jax’s mind flashed back to some of the fights they'd had. She would pick and nag at him about playing music until she would snap, throwing whatever she could get her hands on at him. She complained about his long hours, his commitment to playing music, anything that would give her a reason to be angry.
“That’s not it at all!”
Jax sighed, suddenly tired. “Melissa, I don’t understand why you’re here. I don’t want you. You’re in my past and I want you to stay there.”
“Jax, you don’t mean that.” Her eyes watered and Jax stifled the urge to roll his eyes. She had always been dramatic and it seemed time hadn’t changed that at a
ll.
“I do,” he said, meeting her eyes. “We have nothing to offer each other. We don’t know each other anymore.”
“We can learn!” she said, desperate.
“We could, but I don’t want to. I’ve moved on, like I thought you had.”
Melissa was silent and fiddled with a strap on her purse. “I should have never let you go.”
“What?” he asked, not sure he heard her right.
“I should have never let you go.” She looked up to meet his gaze, and his eyes widened.
“I’m pretty sure we mutually decided an annulment was the way to go so we didn’t kill each other.”
“Yeah, but I was stupid. I was caught up in the fantasy of what life should be like when you’re married and it didn’t meet my expectations.”
“Well, what did you expect with a quickie wedding to a nineteen year old?”
Melissa let out a strained laugh. “You’re right. It just…hurts.”
“You’re just now realizing this?” Jax asked, regarding her with indifference.
She shrugged. “Yeah? After everything ended, I just went on a bender. Partied. Had sex. Lived off my parents. Didn’t allow myself to feel anything.”
“And now?”
“And now, I’ve hit rock bottom. My parents kicked me out and forced me to get a job. I was forced to grow up. Looking back, I was such a bitch to you. I was holding onto the idea of you so hard that I didn’t think about the possibility that you’d already grown up.”
They sat in silence for several moments before Melissa stood. “I’m sorry to have surprised you like this. I shouldn’t have done this.” She paused and continued, “I shouldn’t have done a lot of things, actually.”
Jax opened his mouth, but before he could speak, she vanished in the crowd. He sat back in his chair, running the entire conversation over in his mind. It had been a hell of a day. He'd woken up hoping to win his girl back, which he had, only to be faced with a major reminder of his past. He looked down at the tattoo that caused all the problems. Maybe it was time to see about getting it covered up. It was also time that he talked to Karlie about Melissa.
Jax (Southern Sands Book 1) Page 18