Irresistible Bachelors: Books 1-5 by Landish, Lauren (bts books to read TXT) 📕

I turn to storm down the hallway. I need a drink, and I saw a Coke machine on the way here. Roxy is on my ass though, and I can hear her rushing to catch up with me. “Hey, wait up!” She grabs me by the arm, and I stop. “I know you’re mad and upset after everything that happened, but your sister has a point—”

“That I put you before her?” I growl, staring at Roxy. “Yeah, she has a point. That I’ve just risked everything, rolled the fucking dice on my future, her future, Nathan’s future, everyone’s future on some stupid fucking fireworks. And I watched it all go up in smoke. I risked it all because I let my dick overrule my brain. Everything’s all fucked up right now. We’re all fucked up. I’m all fucked up. And to be honest, I don’t want to hear any shit about how terrible of a brother and guardian I am!”

Roxy’s face goes white, and I hate myself for what I just said. I shouldn’t be talking right now. There’s so much emotion running through me that I don’t even know what I’m saying. “If that’s how you truly feel.”

She turns and runs down the hall, bursting through the double doors and knocking an orderly out of the way. “Roxy,” I yell, trying to chase her. “Wait!”

“Mr. Stone?” a voice calls behind me, and I turn to see a doctor with an obviously concerned expression on his face standing outside Sophie’s exam room. “Is everything okay?”

I can see that the doc wants to talk about Sophie, and as much as it tears my heart out of my fucking chest that I can’t run Roxy down, I turn and slump against the wall. “No, everything’s not okay,” I whisper, rubbing furiously at my watering eyes. “But what’s going on with Sophie?”

The doctor starts talking, but I’m having trouble focusing on what he’s saying.

I shouldn’t have said what I said.

Now both of the women I love most hate me.Roxy

“It’s all my fault,” I wail, my eyes burning as I rock back and forth on my bed in my sister’s arms. “I nearly got you guys killed.”

Mindy brushes my hair out of my eyes and gives me a comforting look. “Hush, baby girl, we’re all fine. I think Grandma even had fun.”

“But I wrecked the club!” I cry. I don’t bother telling her that it was one of my band members who caused the fire, because it had been my idea to practice with the pyro in the first place.

Mindy rubs my back, shaking her head. “So? They’ve got to have coverage. Nathan strikes me as the kind of guy who’d make sure of that.”

“And Jake hates me!” I sob, collapsing as I ignore her attempt at practicality. I feel warm arms wrap around me, and I turn, burying my face in my sister’s chest as hot, bitter tears scald my eyes. “He practically said that I’ve wrecked everything!”

“Hush,” Mindy says, stroking my hair. I have to hand it to Hannah. She knew exactly what I needed when I fled from the hospital, nearly sobbing already. She sent a few text messages, and less than ten minutes after we got home, there was a quiet knock and Mindy was there, changed out of her club wear. Without a word, she bustled me into my room, stripped me down, and helped me into my fuzziest, fluffiest pajamas.

Now, she’s doing what she does better than anyone in the world—comforting me. “It’s going to be okay, Roxy.”

Mindy hugs me tighter, and I hold her close. “He hates me though. I’m sure Sophie hates me, too. I took him away from her, and that’s why she was out with Jax.”

“Give him some time,” Mindy reassures me. “As for Sophie . . . I think we both know she didn’t see this Jax just because Jake wasn’t spending time with her. An older guy showed her attention and she liked it.”

I sob. “I still fucked up everything. I feel so fucking shitty.”

Mindy pushes my head back, looking me in the eyes with a stern but loving expression. “Don’t you dare put all of this on yourself, Roxy. Sophie’s young and was taken advantage of. If anyone is to be blamed, it’s that perv Jax. I’m of half a mind to have Oliver and Gavin pay him a visit.”

“It’d just make everything worse.” I sigh, laying my head back on Mindy’s chest. “Min . . . I’ll never get another chance. I thought that this was going to be my big break. I’m so sorry, Mindy.”

“Sorry for what?” Mindy asks.

“That you came out here to see all of this mess.”

Mindy chuckles and kisses me on the cheek. “Roxy, I seem to remember dragging you through a nest of lies for an entire week, all the way to the altar of a wedding, only to tell you that the whole thing was a charade. If that’s not an absolute mess, I don’t know what is.”

“True, but you didn’t burn anything down,” I protest. “And you still ended up marrying Oliver.”

Mindy laughs softly. “Baby, I don’t care if you blew up half the city. You’re still my baby sister and I fucking love you. You hear me? I fucking love you. And if Jake really loves you, he’ll get over his anger. He’ll realize that he’s wrong and come here crawling on his hands and knees to apologize for talking like an ass to you.”

“I just don’t know . . . I really don’t,” I whisper. “It feels like my life is over.”

“Well, if it is, then I’m ending your life in style. I noticed it before—you’ve got some Chocolate Cherry Garcia in your fridge, and I’m thinking the two of us need to carb up before catching some Zs. Oliver already knows I’m going to be staying the night, so you can’t chase me out.”

I swallow my fresh