Maggie-

Suddenly I feel myself jerked away and the man who had his tongue deep in my mouth gets a swift punch to the jaw. Jackson turns to face me and shakes his hand which now has blood dripping from his knuckles.

I gasp and before I can adequately react he's picked me up and thrown me over his shoulder. I don't bother fighting him, instead, I squeeze my eyes shut, hold my skirt down and just try to concentrate on not vomiting.

I'm bent over him in the perfect position for his shoulder to put a lot of pressure on my stomach and I'm feeling slightly uneasy. Jack sets me down on a stool in front of the bar next to Julie.

Ugh. Julie.

I look at her in disgust and cross my arms then pout at Jackson.

"What the fuck Maggie? You're going all wild woman on me?" He growls through a clenched jaw.

"What does it matter to you? We're not together anymore." I slur.

"What the fuck are you talking about? Of course, we're together!" He yells.

Then Julie decides it's a good time to cut in. "Are you sure you guys are together Jackie?  She certainly seems like she's not into you." Then she gives a sweet smile and bats her lashes at Jack.

Rage.

More rage.

"Maggie, while you were losing your shit on the dance floor I was letting Julie here know that you're my girlfriend." He says with both hands on my shoulders trying to reason with me.

I squint and pull my brows together in confusion. My mind isn't able to come up with coherent thoughts and I feel the vomit churning in my stomach.

All I can manage is, "You still love me?" in a pathetic squeaky voice.

He smiles softly and places a kiss on my forehead, "Of course I love you."

Even though I'm struggling to keep my head up, I can't help but look for Julie's reaction and it's even more satisfying than I could have imagined. Her mouth is wide open as she stares between the two of us.

I'm sure when Jack told her we were together she assumed I was another one of his many flings. However, hearing him say I love you is another matter entirely.

This is the man that would have argued with you for hours, just for bringing up the idea that love was real and tangible. Yet here he is confessing his love to me, to the drunk sweaty woman with wild hair and crazy mood swings.

Despite the satisfaction I got from seeing Julie's face, I'm suddenly incredibly embarrassed by my behavior and the urge to vomit is rearing its ugly head.

To avoid any further embarrassment, I lean into Jack slightly and whisper, "I'm going to throw up."  His diamond eyes widen in shock but he gracefully smiles and nods as if everything's fine. I'm grateful for his charade as he helps me walk to the bathroom, leaving Julie in the dust.

Jack attempts to walk into the bathroom with me but I stop him. "I'm okay, I'll just be a minute."

I stumble into the washroom and run straight into Bethany.

"Maggie!" Bethany screams and her blonde curls bob up and down as she bounces excitedly. She wraps her arms around me squeezing tightly and I'm not sure I can hold back the vomit.

"Beth, I'm gonna puke!" I slur.

Bethany pulls back slightly but nods and immediately takes action. She guides me to the nearest toilet then holds my hair back and we wait for the event to start.

"I'm sorry but it feels like it's been forever since I've seen you!" Bethany squeals. "The apartment is so empty without you now. What are you doing drinking this much?  You never drink or club for that matter."

"That's a lot of questions Beth. I just needed a break from everything." I complain into the toilet.

"A break from what? Your Prince Charming up to some sketchy deeds again?" She asks in a tone I can only place as overprotective and I cringe. I decide not to bring up the fight we just had.

"My dad's alive." I whisper into my porcelain throne.

"What?" She squeals and lets go of my hair but quickly recovers before it's dipped in the water. "What do you mean he's alive? Why didn't you call me? I would have been there for you."

"I'm sorry." I mumble into the toilet bowl. I should have called her, she's right.

"Don't be Maggie, I just don't want you going through this alone. Have you seen him yet?" She asks.

"Not yet. I just found out from my mom that she's been lying to me." I say as the nauseous feeling goes away and a few tears stream down my face instead.

Beth pulls me into her arms when she sees my tears and lets me cry on her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. This is a good thing, you get to have your father again."

"I don't even know who he is anymore, I keep thinking if I just asked more questions or if I said things differently, maybe my mother would have come clean sooner and I could have grown up with a father." I start sobbing into her shoulder and the pain in my chest slightly eases as my tears are released.

"Oh don't you dare blame this on yourself. Your mother knew exactly what she was doing when she lied to you. You know when she sets her mind to something, nothing can change it." Truer words were never spoken. My mother is an impossible woman, she always thinks she's in the right.

My tears begin to dry up and I allow a shy nod. I'm thankful for running into Bethany here. I didn't realize how much I've missed her until now. I've hardly seen her since every moment of my life has been consumed with Jackson and of course now the new job.

"Maggie are you okay? I'm coming in." I hear Jack yell from outside the door and Beth quickly helps me wipe up my eyeliner and straighten my hair before he walks in.

"Oh thank god, I was worried you fell in."Jack sighs then nods towards Bethany. "Hey, Beth." I visibly see the tension in his shoulders release and I know he's thankful she was here to help me.

"We're fine, Maggie here didn't even throw up. She's a trooper." Beth says as she pats my shoulder and I can't help but let out a giggle mixed with a hiccup.

"You ready to go, babe?" Jack asks.

I glance at Bethany as if I'm asking permission, I've only just seen her after what feels like forever.

"Don't be worried about me girl! You're the one who just had your head halfway up a toilet." Bethany jokes and Jackson laughs before I cross my arms in defiance.

"I didn't throw up." I counter.

"Well, there's still the rest of the night. How much did you drink?" She asks before tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

"I lost count. Did you know they have waitresses walking around with trays of alcohol just passing out shots?" I ask, my body still swaying back and forth on the cold tile floor.

"Yes Maggie, and you do too. Jesus, she's wasted." Bethany looks to Jack before she continues. "Are you sure you can handle her tonight? She's not much of a drinker, I can take her home with me if you want."

"Are you off?" I ask Beth, cutting her off and not allowing Jackson to answer.

"For you, I will be. Let me just grab my purse." She offers as she begins to stand.

"No Beth, " Jackson starts. "I'll handle it, she needs to just come home."

"Home." I whisper before attempting to lay on the cold tile floor.

Jack and Bethany both quickly pull me up before I can press my hot face against the chilled floor.

"Oh bloody hell Mags," Jackson starts, "You'll regret that when you catch some sort of disease."

"I'll have you know I just cleaned these floors." Bethany counters before helping Jack lift me to a standing position.

Bethany and Jack both walk me through the club and out the door to the car. Before she lets us leave, Beth makes me promise I'll call her tomorrow.

When I'm finally in Jack's car he dials up the heated seats and I lean my head against the chilled glass then close my eyes.