Second Chance Vow

I was honestly surprised more people didn’t know about my toxic past, but I did a great job at pretending as if I didn’t have one.

James’ place was huge, and the best part of it was its location. A private waterfront property on Eagle Mountain Lake where there was so much distance between the houses the cops were never called on us for disturbing the peace. It was the perfect place to let loose and not have to worry about getting in trouble for underage drinking and the obscene amount of weed in the air.

His parents never found out, or maybe they just didn’t give a shit. Everyone partied near the lake where country music blared through the expensive speaker system. Later in the night, the party would move into the house, and people would start hooking up. The bedrooms of his home had seen more action than a porno flick, and I couldn’t help but wonder how many times Christian had used one of those rooms.

It was almost seven by the time Jax parked his Jeep, and I was already counting down the minutes until I could go home and curl up with the book I was currently reading. I loved to read. It was my escape for many years when I desperately needed one, not wanting to live in the reality of my dysfunctional ass home.

If you could even call it a home. Trust me, it was far from any home you’d ever want to live in. My mother made sure of it. I never stayed long at these parties like Jax did, and I only showed up since he wouldn’t let me stay home on a Saturday night. I’d wait until he found some random chick for the evening, telling him this was my cue to dip out.

Sometimes he’d put up an argument and I’d have to stay, but most of the time I called an Uber with no problems. He’d always walk outside with me to get a photo of the license plate, making sure I was okay. He was a great friend like that.

Time just sort of seemed to fly by at these parties. Before I knew it, I had been there for a few hours, drinking and hanging out with Jax before a girl with a short skirt caught his attention.

“I see you eye-fucking her, Jax. You can leave me now.”

He smiled. “You sure?”

“Of course. I mean, when was the last time you got laid? What, a week ago? That’s like a lifetime for you.”

“Cute, Kinley.” He laughed. “You going to head home?”

“Yeah.”

“Text me when your Uber gets here, alright?”

“You know I can just take a picture of the license plate and text it to you?”

“But then I don’t get to say goodbye to my favorite girl.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save your lines for your next hussy.”

“So,” the chick purred, suddenly standing behind him. “Is it my turn to have a chance with the infamous Jax Colton? I’ve been told about you and your skills. When am I going to get a turn to show you mine?”

I rolled my eyes, and he smiled wide.

“You’re quite the ladies’ man, and I want to see what all the fuss is about.” She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, I’m sorry. Is this your girlfriend?”

“No. I’m his best friend, and you can take him. I’m used to it.”

“Kinley,” Jax exclaimed, winking at me.

She sucked in her lower lip and narrowed her eyes, allowing them to wander down his body. With her mousy face, perfect boobs, and big ass, she was right up his alley.

“I’ll text you a picture, Jax. Go show her your moves, Casanova.”

He extended his arm and she followed suit, linking her fingers through his.

“Text me when you get home too.”

I nodded, watching as they walked hand-in-hand inside of James’ house. Instead of getting an Uber, I decided to make my way down to the lake. The water was stunning this time of year with the bright stars in the sky. I found a secluded spot behind some trees and leaned against one, getting lost in the beauty of the night.

I could still hear a bit of the music coming from the speakers, and I closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath in and out, my mind began drifting which was never a good thing.

The song and lake dragged me back to another place and time where my life consisted of trying to find my mother yet again.

“Mom!” I shouted into the wind, hoping she’d hear over the loud music they were playing from a car I didn’t recognize. Once I was at the bottom of the hill, I saw all the empty bottles of liquor and beer. Shaking my head, I stared deep into her hazy, drunk gaze. “I’ve been looking for you for hours! What are you doing?” I finally found her down by the lake near our house. It wasn’t usually one of her spots to get shitfaced.