The Entitled (The Entitled Duet #1) - Cassandra Robbins Page 0,119
or I’ll tell him everything. And you can deal with him alone banging down your door in LA.”
I tilt my head up and stare at my white ceiling, taking deep breaths. “Please, I’m going to tell him, I promise. And I appreciate everything you have done and still do for me. Trust me, I know Reed. Blindsiding him right now will cause more damage. I won’t do it.”
Jax is silent. “You will do it. You have to.”
“That’s not what I mean,” I snap, losing patience. After all, I’m the one with the secret eating me from the inside out. “Yes, I’m going to do it! I was hoping to at least get through the funeral first. You know how many people are going to pay their respects to you and your parents? Me showing up is going to be a fucking mess as it is. Telling him the truth as soon as we get to New York is crazy!”
His silence tells me he’s thinking. Poor Jax. I love him like a brother. But Jesus, when he gets his mind set on something.
“It’s time to tell him. I’m not denying that. But please think. This is not the right time. After the funeral, okay?”
He sighs. “Tess what you fail to understand is that we’re all involved in this dirty secret. None of our hands are clean. My dad and mom are sick over worrying what Reed is going to do. Literally, we had to sedate my mother earlier. They need this to be over.”
My head is throbbing. I lean against my polished wooden dining table. Silence fills the phone.
Finally, I speak. “I can’t, Jax. I have to think of what’s best for everyone involved. Telling Reed as soon as I land is not going to happen. So, I guess if you can’t respect my wishes then you do what you have to do. Also, we will not be staying at your grandfather’s estate. You let me know if you can live with that. Otherwise I will send some flowers.” I push End on my phone.
Oh God, this is so bad. I don’t even have Jax on my side and other than Brance, he’s my partner in crime.
Jay’s phone rings, and I assume it’s Jax, letting him know my fate. I walk into my bedroom, shutting the door, and make my way into the huge bathroom—my one big splurge. I had a contractor come in and knock out a wall so that my bathroom is the size of a bedroom. I love it. It’s my safe haven. My gaze absently drifts over my custom bathtub large enough for three. Separate shower, over by the window. I even had special lighting put in, so that when I put on my makeup, it’s perfect. An extravagant, gold-striped, antique couch sits in the corner. Like a sleepwalker, I make my way to it and sink down.
Jax is obviously exhausted and not thinking straight. I know what I have done is wrong. But he was there. He supported my decision. In fact, if I remember correctly, he helped make it for me. Or did he? Maybe he protected me because that’s what he and Reed have always done. A light tap alerts me that my time is up. Standing, I square my shoulders back and walk out to whatever my future holds.
REED
Past – twenty-one years old
New York, NY
“Nice shot, Kitten.” I’m standing behind Tess as she bends over the worn green felt of the pool table.
“Why the hell would you wear this skirt?” Growling, I take in her long tan legs as she straightens up.
With a sassy grin, she ignores my question and starts singing “Take on Me,” a shitty eighties song that’s playing on the sound system. Fuck, I love her. My lips twitch as she throws her arms around me and grinds her hips against me.
“Christ, Tess, I’m serious. I can see your G-string when you bend over.” Glancing around the Irish pub, I look to see if anyone is checking out my girl’s goods. Of course they are. You would have to be dead not to. In her defense, we thought we were meeting up with Jax for breakfast. But as we were walking out the door, he called to say he hadn’t even left Harvard yet. So here we are, drunk on shots of Jameson and playing pool at three in the afternoon. Tess pulls my ear to her lips. She smells like vanilla and Jameson. Is there anything better?