Page 90 of Gimme Some Sugar

Too bad smashing her heart to pieces didn’t fall into the same category.

Carly exhaled a shaky breath. “Can you just tell them I’m going to bed? I’ll call the restaurant in the morning to let them know I’m okay.” Her eyes found the clock on the wall, and she realized with a slow hitch that technically, it was morning now.

“Don’t worry about the restaurant, Carly. Gavin and I have it covered, okay? Just rest.” He brushed his fingers over hers, as if he wanted to squeeze but was afraid of hurting her, and quietly slipped from the room.

Carly knew Adrian’s words were meant to put her mind at ease, but they dredged to the surface what Jackson had said earlier, when she’d stood before him, wide-open and vulnerable.

The resort could always replace her. She wasn’t a necessary ingredient, just something brought in for a temporary punch of flavor to spice things up.

Sadness clogged her chest, her eyelids trembling against the weight of the fresh tears threatening to spill down her face. She’d known—she’dknown—that putting her heart on the line was a huge risk, and yet somehow, she’d believed it would be okay, that they’d defy the odds of her past because her connection to Jackson was different. Seamless. Right.

But here she sat, just as duped as ever.

Carly gave in to a good, long cry before drifting back to sleep.

* * *

Jackson drovethe deserted roads of Pine Mountain for over an hour, aimlessly riding each one out until it dead ended, only to turn around and do the same thing on a different stretch of asphalt. He had no idea where he was headed, that he had a destination at all, really, until he stopped driving and started walking. Even then, he didn’t stop until he was surrounded by the moonlit chill of the path leading through the archway of crepe myrtle.

It was odd to see his mother’s garden in the thick of night, vibrant color replaced by eerie shades of black and gray. He started forward, measuring his steps on the dirt path carefully so he wouldn’t trip over an errant tree root, and making enough noise to let whatever wildlife might be out here that he was certainly bigger. Finally, the low branches opened up, and he stepped into the clearing with a sense of relief that didn’t last.

His mother stood, wrapped in her bathrobe, cradling a cup of coffee between her palms and wearing her own look of relief. “Hi, sweetheart. I’m glad you came. I was starting to get worried.”

“Christ, Ma!” Jackson jerked backward, pain streaking through his bruised ribs at the sudden movement. It was a keen reminder of everything that had happened tonight, and it made Jackson’s mouth feel like a sandbox. “What’re you doing out here?”

“Waiting for you, of course. It seems we have some things to talk about.” She moved toward him, her silhouette coming into sharper focus as she nodded to the wooden bench at the far end of the rectangular plot.

Jackson’s thoughts swam with confusion. “I, uh…how did you know I’d be here?” Hell, Jackson hadn’t even known where he’d been going or where he’d end up.

“Shane couldn’t get ahold of you. But after he spoke with Bellamy, he was rather concerned. I can’t say I blame him.”

Understanding shot through him, twining around his fear. “You talked to Shane?” Oh, God. Shane…Bellamy…

Carly.

His mother nodded. “He wanted you to know that Carly’s going to be just fine. Bellamy’s at the hospital with her now.”

Relief sparked through him, although he had no right to feel it.

Thank God she’s in better hands than mine.

“Come, sit.” His mother smoothed the back of her terrycloth robe before sitting on the bench, and as strange as it was, he did what she asked.

She fixed him with a stare both serious and kind. “I know you came out here to be alone, and I’ll leave you to it soon enough. But it’s time we talked about what happened the night we left Harrisburg. In fact, we’re long overdue.”

Jackson jumped as if she’d slapped him. “I don’t want to talk about it.” The horrible images edged their way back, threatening to surface, and he jammed them down, just like always.

But his mother stood firm. “I know. But you don’t have a choice this time, because I’m going to do all the talking.”

And before he could protest, she stunned him to silence with what came next.

“You father hit me for years, Jackson. I know you think it was just one night, that he lost control and snapped in a moment of impulse, but it wasn’t that way.” His mother paused, wistful. “As horrible as it sounds, the first few times it happened, I let it go after he apologized. He was a passionate man, full of emotion. He blamed the beatings on his love for me, and I thought that he truly hadn’t meant any harm. It’s why I told you he loved me just a little too much. For a long time, I actually believed that was true.”

“Jesus, Ma,” Jackson breathed, but she held up a hand, resolute.

“Weeks would go by, sometimes months, and I’d think everything was better and he’d learned how to control his emotions, that those incidents had been isolated. But then they piled up. Something would set him off, always when you kids were in bed, and he’d get so angry. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t going to stop. Both of your grandparents had passed by then, but once I told Aunt Billie what was going on, she agreed to take us all in on the spot. I thought…” She trailed off, and Jackson watched her in utter shock as she gathered up the strength to finish.

“I foolishly harbored the hope that maybe, if I gave your father an ultimatum, he’d love me enough to stop hurting me and we could work things out. Brooke and Autumn were at a friend’s house for the night, and Dylan wasn’t even six yet, but you…you were there.”

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