JAX (The Beckett Boys #2) - Olivia Chase Page 0,52

regulars trying to intimidate the new customers, scare them off the premises. I see a couple of them now, hovering around a group of smaller guys trying to play pool.

Fuck. I sling a dishrag over my shoulder. “What’s going on, gentlemen?” I ask in a genial tone.

“This peckerhead tried to cheat at pool,” Lowell, one of the regulars, pops his knuckles. “

The guy squares his shoulders. “I did not.”

Lowell leans in. “You callin’ me a liar? Everyone here saw what happened.” He shoots an angry glare at the small crowd. These people will not contradict Lowell. “I’ll walk away without breaking your face if you just pay me the winnings.”

I sigh and clap Lowell’s shoulder. “Bro, that trick’s as old as the hills. I saw you nudge the pool table.” Mental note, stabilize those legs. “I practically invented the move to scam suckers out of money.”

Lowell narrows his gaze at me. “The fuck? You kidding me?”

I face him toe to toe. “You got a problem? Get the fuck out and don’t come back. No more bullshit in this bar, you hear?”

The guys around him mutter to themselves, and Lowell stares hard at me. Then he spits on the ground and jerks his chin. “Whatever. This place sucks balls, anyway.” They shove through the crowd and leave.

I roll my eyes and head back to the bar to serve more drinks.

Asher sidles over. “Nice job getting rid of those asses. I’ve always hated them.”

“Then why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“I thought they were your friends.” He grins. “Guess not.”

“Those guys are dicks. I have better taste than that.” Don’t I? I mull it over as I serve drinks. Are these the kind of people I’ve been running with—not fun and wild in a good way, but just assholes?

Memories start washing over me. All the fights I’ve gotten into here during drinking binges. Women I’d fuck in the bathroom stall and never talk to again. Glasses and glasses I broke, heedless of the fact that the bar has to replace them each time—wasted money.

Wow, I’m an ass.

And then I think of how Brooklyn’s seen me—first hooking up, then drunkenly insane while working, then giving her parents a bad impression of me because of my stress over Smith and awkwardness over meeting them.

I should have been a man and stood strong in front of her parents instead of whining and acting like a little kid and stomping off.

My face burns. I focus on cleaning the bar surface and try not to think about how fucking stupid I’ve been. How much I’ve wanted to call her every day, despite knowing I’m not right for her. Even tamed down and not a drunken, fighting asshole, I still struggle with the idea of settling down with someone.

Though I have to admit…waking up beside her every morning would be amazing. I’ve missed her so much my whole body aches for her.

Asher and I finish out the shift, clean things up, then lock up. He heads back to my apartment, and I make my way up the back stairs toward Smith’s place. He’s been sleeping on the couch, since it’s closer to the bathroom, and I’m wondering if he’s awake. I need to talk.

When I go up there, I crack the door open quietly. Smith’s stretched out with pillows behind him, clicking the TV channels. The sound is down low. He glances over at me and gives me a groggy head nod. “Come in, bro. Everything okay downstairs?”

“Yeah, it’s all fine.” I click the door closed behind me and take the seat near him. Grab a few handfuls of the bag of chips on the coffee table. I’ve been known to wake up in the middle of the night on regular occasions to sleep-eat chips. Dad used to bust my balls about it all the time.

A soul-deep sadness settles over me. Fuck.

“You seem off,” Smith drawls. The pain medication must be doing wonders—since breaking his leg, he’s the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him. I’m tempted to tell Aubrey we should keep him on the drugs after he’s healed.

“I think I fucked up, man,” I confess. “How did you get over Mom leaving us enough to get married? Aren’t you scared of being hurt again?”

His eyes narrow, though he’s still hazy. “You got it bad for Brooklyn, don’t you.”

I sigh as I realize I’m going to tell the fucking miserable truth. “I love her. I fell in love with her, and I told her we’re wrong together. And she