Mistakes I’ve Made by Jordan Marie

19Reed

I wince as I begin to wake. My head feels like there’s a jackhammer going crazy inside of it. My mouth is dry as hell, and my bed feels like rock. I start to move and sit up. My head swims from that simple movement. I open my eyes, only to close them quickly as the bright sun beats down on me. I wince and slowly open my eyes, looking around. I’m in the middle of old Mr. Johnson’s pasture.

The pasture looks harsh and too damn bright in the light of day. It doesn’t even seem like the same place that used to comfort me. Everything feels wrong. I’m trying to figure out what I’m doing here, but nothing is making sense.

What the fuck?

“Wow, you finally woke up. I thought I was going to have to leave you out here. I tried waking you up a couple of times, but you were dead to the world.”

My head jerks to see Chas standing on the ground. That’s when I realize I’m on an old blanket in the back of my pickup.

“What’s going on?”

Chasity laughs. The sound not only hurts because of my headache, but it grates on my nerves.

“You didn’t tell me you were such a wild man, Reed. You party harder than your brother, sweetheart.”

“I…uh…” I try to think back on the night before but it’s entirely blank. I search and search but the last thing I remember is walking to the truck, climbing on the tailgate.

Drinking.

I took a drink. Fuck, how much did I drink?

“What did we do last night?”

“You mean, what didn’t we do,” she replies with a smirk. “If I knew how good you were in the sack, Reed, I would have kicked him aside for you long ago.”

“We had sex?” I squeak. Jesus, I don’t remember drinking that much but hell, I don’t remember much of anything.

“Over and over,” she practically moans, making my stomach turn.

“How did we end up here?” I ask, rubbing the back of my neck. I don’t know how I feel other than disgusted with myself.

She shrugs. “After Callie and Mitch interrupted our party, we drank a little more. You said you wanted to go somewhere special. You were too drunk to drive, so I did. No idea why you thought an old pasture was special, but you went on and on about the stars.”

I actually brought Chas to the spot Callie and I shared to look at the stars. I can’t believe it. What in the fuck was in that tequila? My mind is reeling with that, before what Chas said hits me fully.

“Callie saw us together?”

For some reason, that makes Chas laugh so hard that it’s a wonder she even catches her breath. I can’t hear her laughter anymore. It’s literally making me feel like my skin is crawling. I move quickly, though I’m so fucking hungover that it hurts like hell. I slide out of the truck, grabbing her—shaking her.

“Did Callie see us together?” I growl, and I’m panicking. I know I am. I’m disgusted by the thought that Chas and I might have had sex, but I don’t want Callie to know. Hell, I don’t want anyone to know. Did we have sex? Why can’t I remember anything?!?!

“Woah,” Chas snaps, yanking her body out of my grip. I let her go because my stomach is churning. The last thing I want to do is touch her. “What’s wrong with you? Of course, she saw. I was riding you like the rodeo stallion you are when they showed up. You offered to let them join in. Which, by the way, I didn’t mind. Still, you should consult me first from here out. You might invite someone I don’t like. I mean, I’m not especially crazy about Callie, but I’m confident enough I could keep you and Mitch occupied and we’d forget about her.”

“Oh God,” I groan, as I realize that Callie saw me having sex with Chas. I turn away from Chas and as the acid in my stomach begins to churn, bile rises, and I hurl.

What in the fuck have I done?