I’m going to have to cut this letter short today. Camden is coming by to take me out for sushi. I think he’s feeling a little homesick, too. I miss you, and I hope you’re doing well.
Love always,
Mia
I’d read that letter a hundred times. It used to fuck me up when I did, but as I read it just now, I felt nothing. It might’ve been the booze, but I had a feeling it was something else altogether.
I folded it up and put it with the others, then shoved them all back into my bottom drawer. I picked up the bottle of Jack and poured myself another, then quickly tossed it back.
As I sat there, I thought about the past few years with Mia and how different everything had become, but there was one change that stood above all the others—Rebecca.
When we started, I hadn’t planned on anything coming of it. I figured we’d screw around for a little while, enjoy each other’s company, and when it was done, it was done. No big fucking deal.
I’d done it many times before, but this time was different.
This time, things took a turn.
Now, I was sitting in my office, drinking a fifth of Jack and giving myself whiplash with all the various thoughts going through my damn head.
I needed to get a fucking grip.
I grabbed the Jack and carried it over to the sofa. I ended up finishing off the bottle and fell asleep. The next morning, I woke up to Axel glaring down at me with a disapproving look. “Long night?”
“You could say that.” I sat up on the sofa, and my head immediately started pounding. “You need something?”
“Yeah, I need to know what the hell is going on with you.”
“I just had a few drinks last night, and I was sleepin’ it off.”
I stood up and walked over to the office bathroom. I took a quick leak, then washed my hands and brushed my teeth. After grabbing a couple of Tylenol, I sauntered over to my desk, sat down, popped the pills into my mouth, and swallowed. When I glanced over to Axel, he was staring back at me with one of his looks. “What?”
“How’d things work out with the kid last night?”
“Fine.” I stretched my back, then said, “It all worked out.”
“Glad to hear it.” He studied me for a moment. “Then, what’s with the Jack? You stuck in your head or something?”
“I don’t want to get into it.”
“Of course, you don’t.” He walked over and sat down in the chair in front of my desk. “You decided what you’re gonna do about Mia?”
“Nope.”
“You think you two could still make a go of it?”
“Fuck if I know.”
“What about Rebecca? Where does she play into all this?”
“Can’t answer that shit either.”
“Seriously?” Axel snickered. “I thought you were supposed to be the man with all the answers.”
“Ask me something about the club or one of the brothers, and I can give you an answer all fucking day long. Ask me something about myself or the women in my life, and I’ve got nothin’.”
“Ah, you know more than you think.” His smile faded. “I mean, come on, brother. You know what’s what. You’ve known all along.”
“I hate to break it to ya, but I don’t know a damn thing.”
“Yeah, you do. Just think about it.” He gave me that look again. “You’ve been crazy about this girl all along, and she’s certainly crazy about you. She puts up with your bullshit, and she’s a fucking knockout to boot. She’s not the kind of woman who needs you, but she wants ya. And she’s a fighter who’s strong and determined. Been through hell and back but keeps on trucking. Yeah, she’s one of the good ones.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“That one.” He pointed at me. “That one right there. Whoever you were thinking about right then. The one who came to mind when I said all that, she’s your girl, brother.” He gave me a nod. “She’s the one, and you best go do something about it.”
Without saying another word, Axel stood up and walked out of the room. Fuck. I hadn’t expected him to pull the rug out from under me like that, but he had. More than that, he was right.
I knew right then what I had to do.
I got up and went down to my room, and after a hot shower, I headed out to my bike and rode over to her house. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to say. I just knew I couldn’t put it off a minute longer.
When I pulled up in the driveway, I was pleased to see her car still parked in the garage. I hoped that meant she was home as I headed up the steps and knocked on her door. It seemed like I waited there for an eternity before it finally opened, and Mia appeared in the doorway. She was still in her robe and slippers, and she seemed both surprised and happy to see me. Her eyes lit up as she gasped. “Thatch! What are you doing here?”