Remember Me: Oakville Series:Book Two (28 page)

The house comes into view and I’m not surprised to find that it looks like your typical beach house. It’s very small, but cute. A hammock hangs between two large palm trees, partly shaded from the sun. It looks so inviting. Two lounge chairs sit side by side in a sandy clearing under a few trees. A few feet away, there’s a round, wooden picnic table with a grille beside it. The so-called guesthouse is more like a bright yellow dollhouse. There is no way you could fit more than one person at a time in there. How is Jax going to be comfortable in that little box? I bet there isn’t even a bathroom.
Not really my problem
. This was his idea. All of it, even the little guest box for himself. He can’t stay with me. The whole point was for me to have some time alone. I have too much to figure out and I can’t do that with his anti-Kyle influence constantly in my ear.

“Well, what do ya think?” Jax asks.

“I like it. It looks so quiet and relaxing. Perfect for what I need right now.” And it is. I don’t need anything fancy to sort through my mess. Quiet and tranquil will do just fine. “I do need to call Beasley and let him know I’m okay, though. He’s going to be worried out of his mind.” Before I start digging in my purse for my phone, I notice a strange look pass across Jax’s face. Irritation? Anger? I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I do know I don’t like it. Why is he so against me having any contact with home?

Sitting down at the picnic table, I search through my purse. My phone is nowhere to be found. That’s odd. I know I put it back in here earlier. Item by item, I pull everything out of my purse, hoping it’s just hiding behind something else. No such luck.

“Can’t find your phone?” Just like the look he had moments ago made me uneasy, so does the tone in his voice now. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. He is the one here with me trying to help me, after all.

“No. It must have fallen out in the car. Can I borrow yours?” He nods his head, reaches into his pocket, and hands me his phone. Once I turn it on, I notice there are no bars. I dial Beasley’s number anyway, but it won’t go through.
Just great!
Stuck on an island with no way to call for help if we need it. “No service out here. What happens if there’s an emergency?”

“There should be a two-way radio in the guesthouse to call the marina,” He says as he carries my bags into the house.
Oh, I feel so much better now.

Again, something is gnawing at me, telling me something’s not quite right. I just don’t trust any feelings right now. Hell, I trusted Kyle and my feelings for him and look where that got me. Right here, more broken and damaged than I was before, if that’s even possible. He should’ve been with me. We were supposed to be comforting each other over the loss of our children, not off screwing the town skank the very same day we bury them. It makes me sick to think about. How could he do that to me? I never saw this coming. He is not the type of man to be so cold. He stood by me after the accident, even when I couldn’t remember who he was. Why is this so different? What would possibly make him do this now, when I need him the most? I shake the thoughts from my head for now. I have broken down enough in front of Jax, I don’t want to do it again. I’m going to prove to everyone — including myself — that I’m not some weak little girl.

We walk inside. It’s very different from the outside. The walls are painted in a light sea foam green with beige tile floors. There is a beige sofa and matching loveseat with a glass coffee table. The kitchen is small but beautiful. Bright white cabinets fill the room with black granite counter tops. All of the appliances are new, high-end stainless steel brands. The caretaker and one of the boys from the store carry in the grocery bags and place them on the counter. The boy goes back to the boat for the rest while I begin to put everything away. The caretaker and Jax go over the things that he will need to know. After a few minutes, they go outside to look at the electric panel or something. I get most of the groceries put away by the time the boy gets back with the rest of the bags. When I start to put those away, I hear a phone ring. I look over and the boy from the store is answering his phone. Why can he get a signal and we couldn’t? I finish putting away the rest of the food. When he’s through with his call, I ask.

“I didn’t think there was any cell phone reception out here?”

“You’re not that far from the mainland. You shouldn’t have any problems using your cell phone here,” he says as his phone rings again. He walks outside and I can’t stop the fear that washes over me.
What the hell is Jax up to?
Keeping me from talking to anyone. Making sure I didn’t tell anyone where I am. I bet I didn’t drop my phone, he probably took it so I couldn’t call Beasley. And that whole thing at the marina, insisting I pay with cash so my credit card couldn’t be traced.

I used to think he was in love with me, but I don’t think that’s it any more. After seeing him that night with Leena, it looked like there was something between them. But what? And why would he lie about them being cousins? So much doesn’t make sense to me. This is Jax, though. For a long time he was my best friend. The only one I truly trusted aside from Daniel. Unlike Daniel and now Kyle, Jax has never hurt or betrayed me. He’s stood by me through what I thought was the toughest point in my life. I now know the pain and loss I was feeling after I left Kyle all those years ago couldn’t come close to the feelings I have right now. I shake my head, as if it’s going to clear all the confusion up. I need a drink and some time alone on the beach. Thankfully I bought so many bottles of wine while shopping, I have a feeling I’ll need them for this little vacation.

E
VERY BONE
in my body hurts. I realize it’s because I fell asleep on the kitchen floor. I couldn’t bring myself to move last night. I sat here and read her letter over and over again. I also tried calling her over a dozen times and left just as many messages. Beasley even tried, hoping she’d answer his calls. He had no luck either. I wouldn’t be worried if it was just my calls she wouldn’t answer. She thinks I cheated on her, I don’t blame her for not wanting to talk to me. It’s not like her to not let Beasley know she’s okay, though.

Jax has been up to something from day one and I don’t trust him with her at all. At first, I admit I was jealous, but that’s not it anymore. He doesn’t act like he wants her for more than a friend, but there’s this look he gets that makes me uncomfortable. I’ve pushed it aside for Amber’s sake. When she was in the accident, Jax came through and took care of the center until she was able to go back. He did it again when she was put on bed rest. I know it took a ton of pressure and worry off of her shoulders, so that alone was enough for me to push aside my dislike of the guy. If my girl is happy, so am I.

Slowly, I get off the floor. I feel as though I’ve aged fifteen years in the last few months. Beasley will be up any minute, so I start a pot of coffee. He refused to leave last night. I’m not sure if he was afraid I’d do something stupid or if maybe he just didn’t want to be alone. This has taken a toll on him too. He was so excited to be a grandpa. Like the rest of us, he’s trying to deal with his own pain as well as be there for Amber. Hearing a car coming up the drive, I rush to the window, hoping its Amber coming home so I can get on my hands and knees and beg for her forgiveness. I’m disappointed to see Paul’s truck flying toward the house. Close behind him in a cloud of dust is Angel. Both vehicles look full, which means the whole gang is here. Just what I need, more people to be pissed at me.

“I called Paul this morning. Don’t worry, I explained everything. They know you didn’t do anything wrong,” Beasley assures as he walks into the kitchen. “I have some interesting info on Jax. My friend from Atlanta got back to me this morning. You may want to add some whiskey to that coffee.”
Well, that sounds promising.

“When I get my hands on that skanky bitch, Leena, I’m gonna rip her head off her shoulders!” Holly roars as she storms into the house. She’s followed by the whole gang just as I thought. Paul, Angel, Marcus, and Becky. I almost feel sorry for Leena. Almost. If Holly gets a hold of her, she won’t walk away in one piece. Holly could probably beat the shit out of me. She comes over and hugs me so tightly I can’t breathe. At least she’s not going to rip me a new one and blame me for this whole fucked up mess.

“Her face was red and swollen when I woke up, I think Amber worked her over a bit.” Everyone looks shocked. It’s not like Amber to be physical. We all know she can hold her own — we saw it with Beau — but she’s not the type to go looking for it. Angel bursts out laughing. I even see a smirk on Beasley’s face. I can imagine him thinking,
That’s my girl
.

“I would’ve loved to witness that. I bet Amber could kick her ass if she was mad enough,” Angel says, still laughing. By the look on his face, I know he’s picturing Amber beating the shit out of Leena. “All joking aside, how are you doing? This is the last thing the two of you need right now.” Wow. Angel’s not mad at me either. He and Paul have been in my face the most.

“I’ll be a lot better when I find my wife and she knows the truth.” I need her to know that I would never betray her like that, I love her too much. She’s devastated from the loss of our babies and I’ve managed to make it worse and add more pain to it. I can’t believe this is happening all over again. Losing her would destroy me. Six years without her was hell enough, I don’t want to miss any more time.

“Okay, so my friend from Atlanta has finally gotten back to me with some information,” Beasley says, in full sheriff mode now. This can only mean one thing, whatever he’s about to say is serious. Is Amber in danger with Jax? I don’t like or trust the guy, but I never thought he would hurt her. If we have another Beau on our hands, I might just lose it.

“Easy, Kyle, he’s not a violent guy. There’s no history with him like Beau.” He pauses for a moment, almost like the thought of all that Beau did physically hurts him. “It looks like Charles had an affair with Jax’s mom a year before Amber was born. Jax is Charlie’s son.” He pauses, letting what he just said sink in.
Holy shit!
That was the last thing I ever expected to hear.

“Charles never knew about Jax. His mother was a drug addict and when she heard that Charles died, she came looking for money from his parents, Amber’s grandparents. They had a DNA test done and when it came back positive, they wanted Jax in their lives. His mother wanted no part of it, she wanted money and that was it. She never even let them see Jax. The Lewis’ gave her the amount she wanted and never heard from her again.” We are all stunned silent, not wanting to miss any part of this story. “Jax lived a very rough life. His mother died of an overdose when he was sixteen. Somehow, he found out about his father and the kind of money his grandparents had. He started digging into family histories and records. Then he up and moved to Atlanta right after Amber did. I think he was getting close to her in order to get to know his family or get more money. Amber inherited everything from both her parents and grandparents, Jax got nothing. Up until recently, he would’ve known she was his sister, so I don’t think there were ever romantic feelings. Plus, Leena is not his cousin. She’s his wife. I don’t know details about any of it or what he’s really after, I can only speculate. Jax is the only one who can give us the full story.” Beasley gets up and grabs the whiskey from the cabinet. He must be pretty damn stressed in order to be drinking this early.

Jax must not really know Amber all that well. If he did, he’d know that she would gladly give him anything he wanted or needed if he’s family. Now though, knowing that he’s deceived her all these years, she’s going to be pissed off.