“He doesn’t have to do that.”
Still hesitantly, she replied, “This isn’t a ‘have to’ situation.”
“It is for me, it doesn’t have to be for him. If you can, I’d like for you to come. It’ll get meeting Dad out of the way. Not great circumstances, but one thing Jamie Oakley is good at is a crisis. You’ll see him at his best. But if you don’t want to come, I’ll get it. I’ll only be gone a few days.”
Her mouth opened.
Shut.
It opened again.
Shut.
Then she stated, “I’m calling Rix and getting him going. He can drive down here and fly to Texas with us. I’ll also call Sasha. She can come get Zeke. He can stay at Mom and Bowie’s.”
“Chloe, baby, really, Rix does not—”
“If you think for a second he won’t want to be at your side through this, you’re mad. He will be hurt and offended if I don’t call, and he isn’t asked to come.”
That was probably true.
Judge gave in. “Okay, but I’ll call. It’ll probably take you longer to pack anyway.”
He then moved to his phone.
He didn’t make the call because she made her own.
His name.
He looked to her.
“You’re concerning me,” she announced.
“Why?” he asked.
“Why?” she parroted.
“Chloe, I told you, whatever I felt for the woman who was supposed to be my mother is gone. Not even gone. It was never there. She wasn’t that person to me. If she wasn’t out of it, she was partying. If she wasn’t partying, she was mean and bitter. Maybe not to me, but life done her wrong, according to her, when that was bullshit. Even as a kid, I knew that. She made fucked-up choices. I couldn’t get away fast enough, and I never looked back. It sucks she’s dead. It would have been nice if she’d eventually gotten herself in hand. But I lost hope a long time ago she’d do that. I gotta get her in the ground or whatever. She probably didn’t make any plans, something legal that would share what she wanted. Maybe Dad knows. But once that’s done, it’s done, and we’ll get it done and come home.”
“When you first heard, you completely blanked out,” she reminded him.
“I was shocked. It’s not every day someone calls and tells you your junkie mother overdosed and she’s dead.”
“Judge,” she whispered, part rebuke at his callous phrasing, part surprise he’d phrase it that way.
“Babe, you’ll get it when you get there. How messed up it all is. But really, now that I’m over the shock, I realize it isn’t a shock at all. And I’m good.”
She didn’t say anything for a few seconds before she asked, “Do you have a suit?”
“Yeah.”
She nodded, moved to her nightstand and tagged her phone, probably to call Sasha, her mom, or Mi.
Judge decided to give Rix ten more minutes to sleep and went back to packing.
* * *
Another thing Judge was going to remember his entire life.
Being behind Chloe as she emerged from his father’s private jet.
She did this sliding on her sunglasses, tucking her bag under her arm, then gracefully reaching a hand for the railing to the steps.
The wind was whipping her hair around her head, pressing her black button-up shirt to her torso. The bottom half of her was covered in pink trousers that had a sheen to them. They were cuffed at the ankle. Black belt, black pumps.
Black shades.
She was top to toe cool, and glancing beyond her as he emerged behind her, he saw his father on the tarmac, and he didn’t miss an inch of all that made Chloe Pierce.
Jamie was wearing sunglasses too.
Even so, Judge saw the approval was immediate.
Completely unsurprising.
When he made it to his dad, Jamie pulled him into a hug.
Jameson Oakley gave him his height, something Judge’s granddad didn’t give to his son. That came from Judge’s grandmother, who had been as tall and cool as Chloe, just fair.
No, AJ Oakley was a stout bulldog of a man who told everyone he was five ten when he was barely five eight.
Though, since he was always wearing a cowboy hat, no one would know.
“Shitty circumstances, but good to see you,” Jamie muttered in his ear.
“Yeah,” Judge replied, pulled away and claimed Chloe.
“Dad, Chloe Pierce. My girl.”
She put out her hand and Jamie took it. “Mr. Oakley, nice to meet you.”
“Jamie, darlin’,” his dad replied.
Even if the man had lived in New York City for three decades, that Texan drawl hadn’t quite disappeared.
“Jamie,” she allowed, taking her hand back, tucking some blowing hair behind her ear, and standing strong with her other arm around Judge.
“Rix, man, pleased to hear you could come,” Jamie greeted Rix, giving him a handshake and pounding him on the shoulder with his other hand.
This was something Jamie knew beforehand since Chloe had programmed his number into her phone, and along the way, had kept him abreast of their travel plans.