Worth the Trouble (St. James #2) (26 page)

“Hank’s fairly pissed right now. He cares about Jackson, but he’s got more pressing matters to address, like his recovery and his mother’s health. Besides, he’s not family. This is a family issue.”

“You’re right.” Cat rubbed her temples to stave off another headache. Nothing in her life was easy these days. Then again, life was rarely easy for anyone, so why should she expect anything different.

“See you tomorrow evening,” David said.

“Yippee.”

Cat waited by the carousel for her luggage, contemplating her conversation with David. She recalled the mess at Jackson’s home, Hank’s comments, and her own intuition about Jackson’s declining behavior. A sense of dread closed around her when she imagined his reaction to being deceived.

And Hank was probably feeling desperate about his future, and his mother. She stared at her phone, debating whether to call him. But he’d never been one to embrace help, and surely she’d be the last person he’d take it from now.

She’d drawn a line in the sand, and he’d raced across it.

Message received!

Besides, if she saw him, she’d probably throw herself at him and beg him for another chance, which would embarrass them both. Clearly he’d been moving on without thinking of her. Scowling, she shoved her phone into her purse. She’d deal with Jackson first and then think of some way to help Hank from a distance.

Mom,

Watch over us tonight. I doubt Jackson will think we’re helping him, so I expect things to get ugly.

I can’t afford to lose another person in my life, but if I don’t stand with David, we could lose Jackson forever.

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
-T
WO

C
at knocked on David and Vivi’s door, hoping she’d arrived before Jackson. She looked at the gift box in her hand and wished tonight were only about celebrating Vivi’s birthday.

“Welcome home.” Vivi hugged her. “Thanks for the gift. Do you mind if I open it later? I’m feeling a bit queasy now.”

“Me, too.” Cat glanced at her watch. “What time is Jackson coming?”

“Any minute.”

David handed Cat an iced tea.

“I could use something stronger,” Cat muttered.

“Under the circumstances, I thought it best not to serve alcohol tonight.” When Cat grimaced, David placed his hand on her shoulder. “I know you aren’t comfortable with my plan, but we’ve got to convince him to make some changes.”

“I agree.” She patted David’s hand. At least Cat didn’t have to worry about deflecting questions regarding her, Hank, or their business tonight.

A heavy knock at the door startled them all. When David opened the door, Jackson strode into the apartment smiling—a gift in one hand and a beer in the other.
Oh, perfect
.

“Happy birthday, V.” He tossed the package on the coffee table and pulled Vivi into one of his infamous full-body hugs. “I have to wonder what you could possibly wish for anymore, now that you’re finally married to David?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” Vivi forced a grin. “Happiness and love for everyone in this room.”

“That’s your wish?” He kissed her cheek then gulped a swig of his beer. “Once a sweetheart, always a sweetheart.”

When no one said anything, he cocked his head. “Uh, so what’s for dinner? I don’t smell anything. Are we ordering Chinese or going out?”

“We can decide later.” David gestured toward the living room. “First, let’s talk.”

Cat sat in a chair, avoiding Jackson’s gaze. Her fingers clutched the armrests. David and Vivi sat together, holding hands on the sofa. Jackson remained standing, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

“I’ve trusted my gut my whole life, and it’s barking right now.
What exactly is the topic of discussion?” Jackson glanced at David then
pinned Cat with a hard stare that made her stomach clench. “Sis?”

Thankfully, David jumped in. “We’re all concerned about you and your drinking. You’ve put me off every time I’ve tried talking to you, but had I pushed harder, perhaps this lawsuit might’ve been avoided. Let’s face facts, Jackson. You’re in trouble and we want to help.”

Jackson smirked and then defiantly drained the contents of the beer bottle. “I don’t need your help. And if I’d known you were going to pull this, I’d have hired another firm to defend me against Doug’s bullshit allegations.”

“Hank doesn’t think they’re bullshit.” David, still and unemotional, kept his gaze locked on Jackson.

“That’s because he’s a rule follower just like you. He doesn’t color outside the lines.” Jackson looked at Cat and waved an arm toward David. “Tell him, Cat. I love the guy, but he’s a mother hen.”

“I’m not here to talk about Hank,” Cat replied, feeling insulted on Hank’s behalf. Not long ago she might’ve joined Jackson in teasing David and Hank about their conservative natures, but now she missed it. “But he wouldn’t lie about something this important. He’s voiced his concerns about you to me. I can’t pretend I’m not worried, too.”

Jackson’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?” He practically snorted before shaking his head. “You’re gonna lecture me about
my
behavior? How often do you go out? Why isn’t anyone counting your wineglasses, or watching the clock to see when you come home from the clubs? I’ve never said a word to you about any of that, by the way.”

“I’m not being sued! I’m not living in a pigsty with empty bottles of scotch everywhere.” Cat’s heart ached from the sense of betrayal crossing Jackson’s face, but she didn’t retreat. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”

“Fucking unbelievable. That’ll teach me to be your shoulder to cry on. First you steal my employee, now you go behind my back and call me an alcoholic?”

Cat felt her cheeks flush. She closed her eyes to shut out Jackson’s wrath and the memories of that night when he’d held her in comfort and tried to answer her impossible questions about men and love and babies.

“Don’t attack Cat for caring about you,” David interjected. “Just sit down and hear us out. We’re all worried. We don’t want your hard work to go up in smoke, or to see you end up alone or in jail.”

“I’m hardly alone. And just because you’ve found marital bliss doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with me playing the field. I’m only thirty. I’ve got plenty of time to settle down.” Jackson refused to sit, choosing instead to cross to David’s refrigerator, pull out a half-empty bottle of wine, and pour himself a glass.

“If you drink that, I’m taking your keys. You were drinking beer when you arrived, and who knows what you had before you got in your car.” David’s sharp tone sliced through the room. “Is a DUI next on your agenda? Maybe you’re past caring for your own welfare, but have some consideration for innocent people on the road.”

Jackson chugged the wine and slammed the glass on the counter. “You’re not my keeper, David. I’m an adult and I can make my own choices. Right now, I think I choose to leave this party. Sorry, Vivi, but I didn’t come here to be judged. Happy birthday.”

David sprang off the sofa and blocked the door. “We haven’t finished this discussion. If you want to prove you’re a big man by drinking in front of us, go ahead. But you’re not leaving.”

“Move,” Jackson warned.

David shook his head.

Cat noticed Vivi’s watery eyes fill with concern, so she begged, “Please, Jackson. Just give us thirty minutes.”

“For what?” he exploded. “Have I hurt anybody? No. Have I broken any laws? No. Have I lost any clients? No. Dammit, my only mistake was hiring that asshole in the first place. He provoked me. He shoved me. I didn’t hit him. I just grabbed his shirt and told him to go. I’m not a drunk. I’m not passing out in bars or sleeping until noon. I’m a single guy running a business. You guys have no idea how tough it is to run a small business, especially in my line of work. Sometimes I relax with a few drinks. Big fucking deal!”

“Hank’s hurt because of your behavior,” Cat said, pissed off by his cavalier attitude toward an injury that jeopardized Hank’s future.

Jackson stared at Cat but didn’t argue the point. David’s sigh drew both their attention.

“Not all alcoholics are fall-down drunks,” he began, still standing guard at the door. “According to the screening questionnaires I’ve reviewed, a person is considered to have a serious drinking problem if they drink more than fourteen drinks per week or binge drink. Based on Hank’s remarks and the lawsuit, you meet that criteria, and it’s been affecting your work. Several members of your crew have noticed you hungover and agitated, which, by the way, will all come out during depositions unless you settle Doug’s suit quickly. I suspect you’ve experienced a blackout or two in the past year. So maybe you’re not completely addicted, but you seem to be heading in that direction. Am I wrong?”

Jackson hung his head. His jaw clenched and he rolled his shoulders twice as if seeking release of pent-up rage. When he looked up at David, the resentment in his eyes stole Cat’s breath. “Don’t pretend to care so much about me after the way you betrayed my trust.”

“Betrayed you?” David’s brows shot straight up. “When did I ever betray you?”

“When Mom died.” Jackson’s voice ripped from his throat. “You should’ve been here, mourning with us.” Jackson gestured to Cat then back to himself. “But you had your big career to manage and your stupid fight with Dad, so you took off for Hong Kong and barely talked to any of us for eighteen months. You still don’t trust me enough to share whatever’s going on between you and Dad, but I don’t even give a shit anymore.

“I always looked up to you, counted on you, even tried to compete with you. I thought we shared a special bond. But you left when I needed you most. You completely shut me out, so don’t pretend to be on my side now.”

Cat glanced at Vivi, who’d smothered a gasp with her hand. David’s mouth had fallen open. His eyes reflected deep shock and remorse. Cat held her breath, wondering if David would finally tell them about that disagreement.

“Jackson, I’ve apologized for how I handled that time in our lives. My reasons had nothing to do with you or my career.” David glanced at Vivi and shook his head in warning, which meant she knew the truth. Who knew Vivi had been keeping so many secrets this past year? David’s voice dragged Cat’s attention back to the present. “It may not seem like it, but I was acting in everyone’s best interest. I made a promise to keep that issue between Dad and me, and I won’t break the promise. I’m sorry I can’t explain better, and I’m very sorry you felt abandoned. It never occurred to me that you or Cat needed me. You both had Dad, you had each other, and you had Alison at the time.”

“Alison? Ha!” Darkness flashed through Jackson’s eyes at the mention of his ex. “Another traitor.”

“What did
she
do?” Cat asked, surprised by Jackson’s venomous tone.

“She . . .” He closed his eyes, shuddering at a memory, and snarled, “She stole something irreplaceable. I don’t want to hear her name again. Not ever.”

“I never liked her.” Vivi’s gentle voice entered the fray.

Jackson snapped his head toward Vivi.

“She was selfish.” Vivi rose from the sofa and slowly approached Jackson. “I never said anything because I thought you loved her. Tell me what she stole.”

Cat held her breath, unsure of what would happen next. Jackson stood still, shaking his head as if at war with himself, unable to resist the onslaught of Vivi’s odd combination of empathy and vulnerability.

A fresh wave of tears filled Vivi’s eyes as she reached out to hold his arm. “Jackson, please. I love you like the brother I lost when I was six. You watched me struggle through all these years with my dad’s drinking. Don’t make me suffer through losing you to the bottle, too. Stop being defensive. Be objective. Hank’s hurt, your business is at risk, and we’re all concerned. Something has to change.”

Undaunted by the typical St. James reserve, Vivi wrapped her arms around Jackson’s motionless body. Her face pinched as if she were debating with herself, then she closed her eyes and softly stated, “I’m pregnant, Jackson. I want this baby to know and love you like I do. Don’t make me afraid to let you be part of our child’s life. Please. Let us help.”

Cat stopped breathing. She glanced at David and mouthed, “Pregnant?” He nodded, looking torn about how the news came out, then redirected his attention back to Jackson and Vivi.

Stunned, Cat swallowed a bitter mix of joy and jealousy, which burned going down, like too-hot coffee.

Obviously the announcement hadn’t been planned. Vivi acted on emotion and instinct, and from the change in Jackson’s posture, she’d been effective. But still, she’d totally blindsided Cat, whom Vivi had to know would be especially sensitive to pregnancy news.

Later.
Cat shook her head and refocused on the scene unfolding in the kitchen.

Tears welled in Jackson’s eyes. He pulled back and looked at her stomach, his voice choked. “You’re pregnant, V?”

She nodded and sniffled. Jackson glanced at David. “How long have you known?”

“Just found out two days ago.” David remained leaning against the door, watching Vivi worm her way beneath Jackson’s defenses.

Jackson’s face crumpled. He glanced at Cat.

The full weight of his empathy settled on her shoulders. But something else flickered in his eyes, too. Something painful.

When he finally spoke, his words were barely audible. “I’d already be a dad if Alison hadn’t aborted our child. But she didn’t love me. She didn’t want to marry me. And she didn’t want to be a mother.”

Cat and David gasped, but Vivi cried, “Oh, Jackson,” then hugged him tight.

“How come you never told me, especially after everything I recently shared with you?” Cat demanded, misdirecting her anger toward Alison at her brother. “Obviously this happened well over a year ago.”

Like her, Jackson had parenthood snatched away, although he still had the ability to start a family. Still, how awful for him to have had Alison terminate the pregnancy on her own, as if his feelings meant nothing. It struck her as unfair that one potential parent had all the say over something so irreversible.

“It’s why we broke up.” His hand raced through his hair. “The baby would’ve been born last December. He or she would be crawling by now, maybe getting ready to walk.” He shook his head. “That whole first year after Mom died sucked. I missed her,” Jackson glanced at David, “and you. When Alison first told me about the pregnancy, I was happy for the first time in fifteen months. It seemed like a sign that things would be okay. It wouldn’t have replaced Mom, but I’d have had a wife and baby. Then Alison decided to terminate the pregnancy. She wouldn’t even consider having the baby and letting me raise it on my own, even though I begged.” As if talking to himself, he whispered, “I would’ve been a good dad.”

Cat watched Vivi stroking Jackson’s hair and envied her fearlessness—her knowing what to do and say—in the face of emotional upheaval. Vivi forced Jackson to meet her gaze.

“Yes, you would have. You
will
, some day. In the meantime, I need you to be an uncle.” Vivi squeezed him again. “I knew something was wrong last summer. I even questioned you on the deck at Block Island, remember?” When Jackson prepared to defend himself, Vivi covered his mouth with her hand. “There’s no shame in hurting when people let you down. And there’s no shame in admitting to mistakes.

“Look at me! My mom’s and brother’s deaths drove my dad to drink, and look at how long I blamed myself for that accident and all the consequences. I kept my mistake bottled up and let it affect most of my life. I know all about needing to escape, Jackson. But you’ve got to find a healthier way. Please, before you get hurt, or hurt someone else . . . even some jerk like Doug what’s-his-face.”