Beautiful Chaos by Chandin Whitten Page B

and letting her tears fall.
    Jumping up, in just a few short strides I was at her side. “What’s going on?” I rubbed my hand down her back.
    Jenna sniffed a few times and ran her fingers under her eyes, wiping the tears away. “Dakota is in trouble, not just detention at school kinda trouble. I mean courts and police kinda trouble.”
    “What? What did he do?” I asked fully concerned.
    Jenna shook her head and said, “He’s in the hospital right now, drug deal gone badly. He has stolen some stuff and my mom said the kids he’s hanging around with are older and she thinks he’s having sex.”
    I felt my blood pressure rising with each word Jenna said. Her f amily had been put through hell. Dakota didn’t need to be adding more stress. But then I realized he was acting exactly how I did after I lost my dad. Maybe if I could talk to him, I could talk some sense into him.
    “Babe, that’s exactly how I acted when I lost my dad. Let me go with you, let me talk to him. Maybe I can help.”
    Jenna was searching flights when she paused to look at me and asked, “You would do that?”
    I frowned. “I would do anything for you. I have been where your brother is and if someone doesn’t stop him…” I closed my eyes and shook my head. “If we don’t stop him, where he is headed , it isn’t good.”
    Jenna placed her hands on either side of my face and said, “I am so in love with you. You are absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for this.”
    Smiling I said, “I love you, too. Now let’s go kick some ass and get your brother back in line.”
    After booking our flight for the next morning at eight we went upstairs to pack. I made arrangements with my team to meet them Sunday morning. Luckily we were playing in New Orleans this week.
    “Babe, it will be ok,” I said, trying to be reassuring.
    Jenna gave me a half smile and shrugged. “I hope.”
    “After I lost my dad, we left the city. We moved to my Grandpa’s farm. I guess my mom thought if we got out of the city we would be ok, nothing would hurt. To me it made everything worse. I felt like not only did I lose my dad, I lost my whole life. Everything I had grown up with, everything I had known was gone.”
    Jenna was folding a shirt when she paused to look at me. “Are you actually telling me about your past?”
    Smiling, I nodded. “That was one of the worst times of my life. I don’t like talking about it but you deserve to know. You told me about Jacob and I know how hard that was for you.
    “Babe, don’t feel like you have to tell me,” Jenna said, dropping her eyes from mine and back to the suitcase.
    “I don’t feel that why, I want you to know. I will be telling Dakota some of my not so pleasant details and I don’t want you finding out that way or Dakota knowing more about me than you do.”
    “Ok. I just don’t want you feeling pressured. I would love to know but only when you’re ready.” Jenna sat on our bed and looked up at me with the most gorgeous green eyes. “Just know that no matter what you tell me or how bad your past was I love you and I always will.”
    S itting beside her I pulled her tight to my side and whispered, “I love you more than you will ever know.” We sat in silence for a few moments, just holding each other. Taking a deep breath I started, “Once we moved to Grandpa’s I lost it. I was a loner and picked fights with anyone and everyone. As you know my Uncle Chad is only seven years older than and back then he wasn’t the straight and narrow kind of man he is today. He was a partier and it was through him I got my first taste of rebellion.”
    Looking down I saw Jenna tracing a tattoo on my arm. She must have felt my eyes on her beca use she stopped and looked at me through her lashes. Her cheeks getting a light pink. I loved the way she lost herself on my body when we would talk. Made me feel wanted, needed.
    Smirking I said, “No, please don’t stop. I love when you do that.”
    Ducking her head a