He frowned.
“I mean it. She’ll want to talk. I just want to drink.”
“You’re not going to be able to do that for long.”
“I know. I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
He held his hands up. “Alright. Let’s go, and you’d better be able to walk because I’m not carrying your arse out of here.”
“Cheers, man. Your support is just what I need right now.”
He smiled and chucked some money down on the bar, downing my shot that had just been placed in front of me.
“Jasper, where the hell have you been?” Oakley asked sounding more like Mum than I had ever heard her before.
I shrugged with one shoulder, hoping that I didn’t look too drunk.
“Bar.”
“Why?”
“To get a drink.”
She glared.
“Jasper, why don’t you go through to the kitchen? You know where the booze is kept,” Cole said.
“What?” Oakley hissed. “Someone needs to tell me what’s going on.”
I held my hands above my head and walked past them to the kitchen. I did not need to have that discussion tonight. I did need drink though.
Opening the cupboard slowly so it wouldn’t creek, I honed in on their conversation. Now I’d see if Cole was going to tell his wife or keep his word. There wasn’t fucking much keeping of words lately.
“What on earth is going on? Why is he in that state?” she asked.
“Calm down. He’s fine. He doesn’t want to talk about it tonight, so we need to go in there and have a drink with him.”
“Like he needs more drink! You know what’s wrong, don’t you?”
I practically heard him gulp. “I do, but he’s asked me not to say anything, so please don’t ask me to tell you, baby.”
She sighed. “Fine. He’s okay though, right?”
“He will be.”
Would I? I had no idea what I was going to do next, apart from necking the Bourbon.
Cole and Oakley joined me just as I sat down and poured myself a drink. Oakley got herself a glass of water, and I was about to protest when I realised that Cole was going to drink with me so one of them would have to have a clear head for Everleigh in the morning. Shit, I was going to have to stay in the spare room until I’d sobered up tomorrow.
“Okay?” Oakley said and sat beside me. She tried to keep her voice light, but I could see the worry in her eyes. Something I think would’ve been easier if we weren’t so close. Worrying about the people you love was exhausting.
“Fine,” I replied with a smile. I downed the glass in two large gulps.
No one knew what to say. I could tell my little sister was desperate to start the Spanish inquisition, but I knew she wouldn’t because I didn’t want her to.
“I hope you weren’t saving this for anything,” I said to Cole, raising the bottle before pouring myself some more.
“What’s mine is yours, mate, you know that.” I had a feeling if I hadn’t just been cheated on he would be wrestling some of it off me for himself.
I downed another glass.
Shortly after sitting down, Oakley went up to bed. She had to be up at the arse crack of dawn with Everleigh, and she wasn’t getting anything out of me. And I expected she thought I would open up with Cole and have a man chat, or whatever it was women thought men to do.
I drank until the sun came up.
My head pounded, and mouth was as dry as a desert. I’d never felt so rough after a night on the drink before. Groaning, I rubbed my temples to try to stop the throbbing pain.
Downstairs I could hear Everleigh gibbering away and as much as I love that girl, I couldn’t face playing hide and seek just yet. I closed my eyes and willed my hangover to go.
“Jasper?” Oakley called quietly outside the door.
“Yeah, I’m awake.”
She walked in, carrying a plate and mug. The smell of coffee hit me, and I sat up.
“Here,” she said, “eat this and take these.” She put the plate of toast and coffee on the bedside table and handed me a packet of pills from her pocket.
“Thanks,” I replied, popping the tablets out of the pack as soon as they’d landed on my lap.
“Everleigh doesn’t know you’re here so Cole is taking her to his sister’s for a bit. Apparently Mia bought glitter play dough for the girls so Everleigh’s excited.”
I looked up, knowing what that meant. “So you want to talk.”
“I do, but only when you’re ready. You look like shit right now.”
“Thanks,” I replied. Just what I wanted to hear on top of everything else. Siblings really didn’t sugar coat it. “Abby is cheating.”
Her mouth fell open, and she sat down, making the bed bounce at how she dropped down onto it. “She what?”
“Yep, I was right. Isn’t that fucking fantastic.”
“I don’t…” She shook her head. “With who? How did you find out?”
“Walked in on her kissing that fucker Brett at school.”
“Oh my God. I can’t believe it.”