Page 77 of Undeniable Love

“This isn’t all on me. I can’t be held responsible for this woman’s delusions. I’m being falsely accused!” Muttering a curse, he added, “Maybe I need to get myself a lawyer too.”

“Our legal team is handling it.”

“The extortion part, not the rest,” Jax argued. “Shit!”

“Take the rest of the weekend to think about all of this, but…we’re trying to keep it quiet, so do not—under any circumstances—talk to your teammates about this.” He stood. “And be here Monday at nine. We’re meeting with the lawyers then.”

Jax got to his feet. “What the hell am I supposed to do until then, huh? Don’t I have a right to defend myself?”

“You will. Monday. Trust me.” Turning, he collected his things. “And seriously, any good PR would be smart to have lined up.” And with that, he left, leaving Jax feeling like his entire world was falling apart.

Fortunately, Declan and Travis didn’t wait for him, so he could walk out to his truck alone. His mind was in total chaos the entire drive home, and by the time he pulled into his driveway, he was more confused than ever.

Still, he forced himself to put a smile on his face and try not to let his foul mood ruin the weekend. Grabbing his duffel bag, he climbed from the truck and walked inside.

“Holy crap, dude. Who died?” Simon asked as soon as he saw him. “Rough practice?”

“Something like that,” he murmured, tossing his bag aside. “Where’s Lucy? Are the girls back yet?”

“They’re on their way,” Noah said as he walked over to join them. One look at Jax and he frowned. “Okay, seriously, what’s wrong? Please tell me it’s not another long-lost sibling reaching out to us again.”

Raking a hand through his hair, he mumbled, “I wish.”

“Out with it,” Simon gently demanded, even as he walked over to get him something to drink.

Coach only said not to talk to his teammates; he never said anything about family. So…he told them about the meeting and how he was freaking out.

“Okay, okay, we can see why you’re upset,” Noah commented. “What can we do?”

“I have no idea. I hate that this is happening and I hate it even more that it’s happening this weekend. We have dinner reservations and Lucy’s here and…and…”

“So, we change the plans or…maybe we go out and present a united front,” Simon reasoned. “From what it sounds like, no one knows about this. So we go out and have a nice family dinner and if anyone sees us all together, they’ll also see you with Lucy.”

“I don’t know…”

“Wasn’t this Tiffany chick in jail? They arrested her on grand theft and a bunch of other charges.”

“I guess she’s out. I have a restraining order against her, so I’m surprised she’s honoring it, but it’s only a matter of time until she crosses that line.”

“Or maybe this little stunt is her way of getting at you without getting near you,” Noah suggested before looking at Simon. “What time did the girls say they’d be back? I bet Juliette would be incredibly helpful here.”

“Oh, my girl will have a plan in a heartbeat. No problem.”

“Well I have a problem with it,” Jax snapped. “I really didn’t want this being a thing while Lucy’s here. I don’t want to ruin the weekend.”

“Jax, trust me. She’ll come home and take one look at you and know something’s wrong. And from what I’ve learned about her just since yesterday, she’s not afraid to speak her mind. So if she thinks something’s wrong, she’s going to question you about it. Why not just be open and honest about it?” Shrugging, Noah added, “Your coach told you to come up with some good PR, so…let’s come up with something.”

Everything inside him said to tell them no—that this wasn’t the way he wanted to handle things—but maybe they were right. And the bottom line was there was no way he was going to be able to just pretend like nothing was wrong. Lucy would definitely know something was up and he was sure that Lily and Jules would too.

“So…now everyone can sit around and we can talk about how I make poor decisions and how much of a screwup I am. Great.”

“Stop pouting,” Noah joked, playfully smacking the back of Jax’s head. “It’s called brainstorming and…you’re welcome.”

It was pointless to argue. He appreciated that he had them here to help him through this, especially since he wasn’t allowed to talk to Declan, Travis, or pretty much any of his buddies.

Sitting down on the sofa, his whole body just collapsed against the cushions. “Do we wait for Juliette or just start brainstorming on our own?”

No sooner were the words out than the front door opened and Lucy, Juliette, and Lily walked in laughing and smiling.