Page 53 of Fake Dating Daxton Hawk
There’s a lump in my throat. It takes me a few seconds before I’m able to find the words to express my sympathy. I pull Daxton into a tight hug, clinging to him in the water. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Thank you for telling me.”
Daxton speaks softly against my ear. “We moved on from those years. My mother still owns the vineyard. My brother works closely with her. There were many years where I was close with them. But then… my brother…” He clears his throat. “My family is a painful topic for me. I saved my mother’s life. I was her support network. My brother was my best friend. And then they stabbed me in the back.”
I pull back from the hug to meet Daxton’s gaze. “Figuratively?”
Somehow, he manages a slight smile for me. “Yes, Jordan. I have no literal stab wounds.”
“Sorry. I just wanted to be sure. What did they do to you?”
He exhales loudly. “I want to share the truth with you. I just… can’t. Not yet. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. You shared more than I was expecting. I’m really sorry you have so much pain surrounding your family. And here I was thinking I have issues.”
Daxton lifts a hand from the water and brushes a piece of hair back from my face. “Now it’s your turn. Tell me about your parents.”
This moment between me and Daxton is so unexpected. I thought we were spending a fun day at a pool party in The Hamptons, yet here we are, beneath a pool bridge and having one of the most meaningful conversations of my life. I mentioned my alcoholic parents to Steel but never in any depth. Aside from Ryan and Mina because they experienced my parents firsthand, Daxton will be the only person I’ve ever shared this information with. And it feels right. I know he will take care of the information.
“To keep the story brief, I witnessed a lot of poor behavior at a young age,” I tell him. “My parents always prioritized alcohol over me and Ryan. They could barely care for us. They kept promising they would get sober. I’d believe them. Every single time they made the promise, I trusted them and had hope. Theyalwayslet me down. They stole money from me as a kid to buy alcohol. They missed important milestones of mine because they were hungover. They abandoned me for days at a time and I would never know if they were coming back. I’m so messed up because of them.”
I pause to take a calming breath, realizing my hands are shaking with nerves. “Eventually, it got to the point where Ryan and I had to cut them out of our lives. I know alcoholism is an illness and you might judge me for cutting out my parents, but it hurt too much to continue putting ourselves through that heartache. Daxton… my life was full of lies. Ihatelies and decided I don’t have time for dishonest people. Now… thanks to my parents… I have so many trust issues.”
By the time I finish explaining myself, the lines of Daxton’s face are stiff. Something in his eyes looks almost… panicked. I guess my explanation was a little intense.
I attempt to ease the moment with a smile. “It takes a lot for me to trust someone. I’m really starting to trust you. You helped me out after my apartment fire when you didn’t need to. Aside from Mina, I’ve never had anyone… support me like you have. Amabella said you’re a good guy and I can see it’s the truth.”
Daxton shakes his head slowly. The unease remains written all over his face. “In some ways, yes, I’ve done good for people. But I’ve done you wrong and I hate myself for it.”
My nose crinkles with confusion and a laugh slips from my mouth. “How have you done me wrong?”
Daxton gently releases my legs from around him. “By introducing you to the world of escorting. That night when we met at Club Noir, I thought… No, I wasn’t thinking about anyone except myself. I didn’t stop to think that I was introducing an innocent girl to a dangerous world, that things can get out of hand quickly and before you know it, she’s escorting several men and doing things she never wanted to.”
“Wow,” I laugh, shocked that Daxton feels so strongly about my involvement in escorting. And he… thinks I had sex with all those men? Amused, I shrug off his concerns and play with him a little. “When have I ever given off the impression that I’m an innocent girl? And as for those several men, maybe I wanted to have sex with them. Maybe I enjoyed every moment of it.”
His gaze turns harsh and I know he doesn’t like my answer at all. Jealousy lies within the way he looks at me.
I bite the corner of my lip and grin, kind of enjoying this reaction from him. “For your information, I only ever escorted you. Oh, and Tom Sanders once because I was short of money. But I didn’t sleep with him. There haven’t been any other men.”
Daxton’s eyes widen with surprise. “You’re serious? I thought...”
“Yeah, I know what you thought. Your impressions were all wrong.”
“Shit, Jordan.” He groans, submerging his head beneath the water, then resurfaces with a laugh. “You have no idea how…relievedI am to hear that. I was beating myself up about it.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can, but I hate the thought of you sleeping with a man you don’t want to sleep with. To be honest, I hate the thought of you sleeping with any man.”
I chuckle and splash him with water. “Any man, including you?”
One side of his mouth tips up into a grin. “No, kitten, I don’t hate that thought at all.”
ChapterTwenty-Five
Daxton
I have so many trust issues.
I don’t have time for dishonest people.
