“I’ve been by it a few times.”
Jaxson headed for the stairs, and then I reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. He turned and looked at me, eyebrow raised, and heat rushed to my cheeks. “Actually, would you mind coming to my room first?” When he smirked, I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like that, you perv. I want to talk to you about something.”
“Sure, okay,” Jaxson said with a shrug, and the two of us headed upstairs to my room.
Once the door was shut, Jaxson didn’t even hesitate to walk over and flop down onto my bed. When I frowned at him, he just grinned up at me. Bastard.
“So, what did you need to talk to me about?”
“You know about my father, right?” I asked hands-on-hips. I remembered Wes telling me he’d filled in both Hunter and Jaxson before I’d moved in. He trusted both of them, and even though I didn’t know them as well, I trusted them as well.
Jaxson’s grin dropped and he sat up, serious for once. “Yeah, Wes told me. Big time cartel kingpin. In jail, until the sun explodes, right?”
“Yeah, that’s him,” I said with a nod. “Did you ever meet him before he was locked up?”
I wasn’t surprised when Jaxson nodded. As far as I knew, he and Hunter had been friends with Wes since childhood. It made sense they’d have met Carter at some point if he was as close to the family as Lucas had made it out. “A couple of times, back when we were little kids. Never knew anything about him being involved in that stuff back then, though.”
“What was he like?”
Wes had told me a bit about him, and so had Lucas. But they were both biased. To them, the man was family. Of course, they’d want to paint him in a good light. They’d certainly described him differently than how JP had talked about him, but JP was biased too. He’d only know the man through the gangs, and I wanted to hear from someone who knew Carter but wasn’t actually tied to him.
Jaxson shrugged. “He was nice enough. Wes and Chuck always loved it when he came to visit. I never spent much time with him, but he was always nice to me and Hunter if we were around. You’d have never known he was anything other than Wes’s uncle.”
I nodded. That fit with what Wes and Lucas had told me. So, while he may have been involved in some shady stuff with his cartel, maybe he really wasn’t a bad person. Like Wes said, he wasn’t a good man either, but maybe it’d be worth at least reaching out to him and talking to him myself.
“You thinking of going through with the video chat?” When I frowned, Jaxson grinned at me again. “Sorry, Wes doesn’t keep many secrets from us. I figured that might be why you wanted to talk to me. Get a neutral opinion. Well, if you want it, I say go for it. Talk to the man. What could it hurt? It’s not like agreeing to one video chat meant you have to suddenly move in with him and start calling him Daddy, right?”
Laughing, I rolled my eyes. He wasn’t wrong, though. One video chat didn’t have to mean me committing to anything. Lucas had even said if I didn’t want to do the call, I could change my mind at any time. I assumed that meant the opposite was true as well. I could cut off contact at any time.
“I know Lucas almost as well as I know, Wes. He won’t let anything happen to you. If you’re worried about something, talk to him. He knows Carter better than anyone, and he knows what you’re up against.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said with a sigh. It was hard to believe someone who looked like the stereotypical pretty boy could make so much sense, but it was hard to find any faults in what he said. I’d talk to Lucas again, and then see about arranging the video chat, if he really felt it would be safe.
When Jaxson stood up, I frowned, another thought going through my mind. He must’ve caught the look since he sat back down and looked up at me expectantly. “There’s something else, I’m guessing?”
I nodded, biting my bottom lip. I wasn’t sure if talking to him about it would be a good idea or not, but I had to talk to someone. And out of everyone I knew, Jaxson seemed like the best choice, even if that alone was a terrifying thought.
“You know about Sebastian and your brother, right?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t about to make a huge mistake.
Frowning, Jaxson nodded. “He hasn’t said anything outright to me, but yeah, I’m not dumb. I know they’re together.”
“Does anyone else know?”
“I don’t think so. I doubt Todd’s told anyone. If he had, I’m sure it’d have gotten back to Mom and Dad by now. And I don’t think Sebastian has either. He wouldn’t do anything to risk outing Todd.”
I nodded, my own frown deepening. That was what I’d been afraid of. “Will your parents freak if they find out?”
“Maybe?” Jaxson said with a shrug. “They’ve never been outwardly homophobic or anything. But they’re not exactly marching in Pride parades either. Why? What’s going on?”
I let out a sigh, then told Jaxson everything about Kathy and her threat to out Sebastian if I ratted on her. Jaxson sat there quietly, taking it all in. Once I finished, he stood and started pacing around my room.
“What should I do?” I asked; glad to have finally gotten everything out to someone.
“Fuck,” was Jaxson’s first response. Then, he sighed and turned to face me. “I’ve known Lucas for a long time, and I don’t think anything could ever stop him from loving his sons. But I can’t be positive about it. Wes though? Wes isn’t gonna give two shits if his brother’s gay. He will flip his shit over Kathy sleeping around on his dad, though.”
I nodded. That was pretty much what I’d expected. Wes and Sebastian may not have been close, but I was pretty sure he’d do anything to protect his family, including his little brother.
“My advice? Talk to Sebastian. Lay it all out in front of him; let him make the decision. If he is willing to take the risk, then talk to Wes first. If Lucas does lose it over Sebastian being gay, then Wes can step in. I doubt Lucas will, but it’s better to be safe.” He locked eyes with me and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “I’ll talk to Todd on the way home with him, give him a heads up. If Lucas does lose it and calls our parents, I’ll make sure we’re ready for it. Worst they’ll do is cut Todd off and kick him out once he’s eighteen, but even if they do that, I’ll have access to my trust fund by then.”
“Are you sure? I... I don’t want to fuck things up for you guys.” It wasn’t just Sebastian’s life hanging in the balance from all of this. Todd’s future was on the chopping block just as much as Sebastian’s.
“He’s my little brother. Gay or straight, I’m not gonna let anyone hurt him. But Wes is my brother too, and if that bitch thinks she can just screw around on them? Then she deserves to get her ass kicked to the curb. Everything else....” He shrugged. “We’ll deal with as it comes.”
I walked over and hugged him. Jaxson was surprised at first, but he hugged me back.
“You’re our family now, too,” Jaxson said, his voice soft. He squeezed me tight and kissed the top of my head. “Whether you’re dating Wes or not, we’ve got your back. Hunter, too. We take care of our own. Don’t forget that.”