BLOG TOUR: Rock Bottom by Jade C. Jamison

Ethan Richards has fought depression and a host of other demons all his adult life, and it’s caused him to lose everything—his wife, his son, his friends, and he almost loses the one thing that means the most to him—his band. He hits rock bottom and believes there is no way out.

Enter Jenna McCormick, a feisty drug and alcohol counselor, a woman with her own share of troubles. She finds Ethan intriguing but keeps him at a distance while trying to help him face life without crutches. She feels a spark but denies it, knowing that a relationship with unstable Ethan could be dangerous for both of them.

Ethan knows what he wants, though, and isn’t used to being told no. Jenna isn’t willing to risk Ethan losing his tenuous grip on sobriety, however, and is prepared to deny her deeper feelings to help Ethan climb out of his hole, but he learns how to let go of his pain when he finds that someone is prepared to walk with him through the shadows. Can he convince Jenna that they should take a chance on love or will they forever deny their feelings in an effort to keep Ethan on the straight and narrow?

I loved Bullet and was really happy to see that Ethan was going to get his own book to hopefully find his own happily ever after. Ethan has a lot of demons to work through and a lot of trust to rebuild to the ones that he loves and who love him.

Jade does a wonderful job of describing the life of a rock bottom rock star. She lets you in to see the real parts of the lifestyle that is not all glamorous. This book has a totally different feel than Bullet. Its grittier, its raw and its needed to understand Ethan. 

I really loved this book and if you loved Bullet, its a must for completing the journey.

AMAZON - Canada

Rock Bottom Alt POV scene

Jade C. Jamison

Val had been pacing back and forth for the better part of an hour.  She knew Ethan cared about his son and his intentions were good…but Val hadn’t trusted her ex in a long time.  Yes, he wasn’t due back with Chris for another fifteen minutes, but she still couldn’t make the knot in her belly relax.

She’d gone to the medicine cabinet in the master bathroom and found a bottle of Maalox.  She shook it and held it up to her lips and then sucked down what she figured was the approximation of two tablespoons’worth, give or take, what she thought she remembered was the recommended dosage.  She hoped it would neutralize the acid building in her gut.  She just wanted to hold her baby in her arms and know he was okay.

She ran water in the sink and cupped her hand.  She held it under the water and brought several handfuls to her lips to wash the chalky taste out of her mouth.  Brad tapped on the half-open door and walked in.  He wrapped his arms around her waist and she turned around to look him in the eyes.  “It’ll be okay, Val.  Ethan’s his dad.  He wouldn’t do anything stupid with his son.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yeah, I do.  Stop stressing.  He still has a few minutes.”  She looked at him and felt her brow furrowing against her will.  He smiled and kissed her forehead.  “Why don’t you go make yourself a cup of hot tea?  He’ll be home before you know it.” She sucked in a deep breath.  “You’ll be holding him in your arms soon.”

She rested her head against his chest.  How was it Brad always knew the right thing to say?  “Okay.  I’ll go to the kitchen.  Would you keep an eye out for them?”

She could hear the smile in his voice.  “It won’t make them get here faster.”

She let out a slight laugh.  “Yeah…but it’ll make me feel better.”

He gave her a playful swat on the bottom.  “Go make that tea.  I’ll let you know when they get here.”

She kissed him and then walked out of the bathroom.  He followed her but stayed in the living room while she continued walking to the kitchen.  He was right.  Worrying about it wouldn’t change anything.  She knew Ethan loved his son and she had to believe Chris was in good hands.  Ethan had even called the night before so Chris and Val could talk to one another.  She hadn’t asked him to do that but had felt her heart warm a little toward her ex for doing something so cool after having been such an asshole the past couple of years.  Maybe he really was getting his act together.

The water in the kettle was simmering when she heard Brad’s voice from the other room.  “I think they’re here.”

Val stuck her head into the doorway.  “What do you mean you think they’re here?”

“A car just pulled up in front of the house.  But it’s getting dark out there.  I can’t tell for sure.  I’ll check.”

She returned to the stove and heard the front door open and close, and she took a deep breath.  She was eager to see her son but also knew she needed to keep her emotions in check.  If Ethan were truly on the road to recovery—something she’d always wished for—then it wouldn’t do him any good to see the worry etched in her face.  She turned off the heat under the kettle and walked to the sink, pouring a cool glass of water instead and drinking it down until she felt her breathing get under control.

She hadn’t heard Brad come back in the house, a sure sign that Ethan and Chris were definitely outside.  She smiled, happy to be reunited with her son.  They’d never been apart before, so she was ecstatic.  Again, though, she didn’t want all those emotions on her face.  She wanted to give Ethan the benefit of the doubt.  She just hoped Chris hadn’t hated his time with Ethan.  She was sure she’d be able to tell based on how he would be acting…and if he didn’t like spending time with his dad, she was going to have to—

She stopped that line of thought.  She didn’t want to dwell on the negative or assume that things hadn’t gone well.  Granted, Ethan had had moments where he was horrible, but overall he’d been a good father, and she had to hope that he would be ideal when he was off everything.

One last deep breath and she headed toward the front of the house.  By the time she opened the door, Brad and Ethan were standing just below the porch steps…and a striking redhead stood next to Ethan as well.  However, the object of her attention—her only child—was in Ethan’s arms, the boy she’d missed so much.  He spotted her too.  “Mama!”

The relief she felt at seeing her child smiling and in one piece was palpable.  “My baby!  How are you, baby boy?”  He put his arms out for her and she took him, holding him up to her body.  She closed her eyes, a silent prayer lingering in her mind, grateful that her child was okay.  Aside from the tenderness she felt for her child, the remainder of her wanted to go off on Ethan.  He’d barely been out of rehab and here he was, already back up to his old ways.  That he had the audacity to bring one of his groupie skanks to her house and have her son around this woman shouldn’t have surprised her…but it did.  What the hell was he thinking?  Scratch that.  He never thought.  It really shouldn’t have shocked her at all.  Still…she had to hold it together.  It wasn’t the girl’s fault Ethan couldn’t do anything appropriate.  God, what an ass.  Val breathed in the smell of her son, allowing herself to revel in the fact that he was home, intact and happy.  And she had to hold it together.  She and Ethan could talk about this in private.  Make no mistake—if he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants for a simple weekend visit, there was no way she was going to agree to regular visitations.  Now wasn’t the time to tell him that, though, even as pissed as she felt.  So she looked at her son, tousling his hair and kissing him on the cheek.  She asked, “Did you have fun with Daddy Ethan?”

Chris continued to grin.  “Yes.”

Ethan’s voice was low when he said, “Uh, I was wanting to ask about that…to see when I can have him again.  Could we maybe work something out before all the legal paperwork gets done?”

He just had to go there right now.  Well, if he insisted.  He needed to know the misgivings she had.  She doubted she’d ever trust him enough to take her son again.  As angry and irritated and infuriated as Val had ever gotten with Ethan, she’d tried to be as honest with him as possible since they’d split.  No more pussyfooting around the issues.  She’d partially blamed herself for how bad Ethan had become, because she’d kept her mouth shut a lot, feeling afraid of hurting his feelings or making him feel worse.  In hindsight, she knew that had probably been the worst tactic ever.  She had decided that all interactions from that point forward would be as honest and straightforward as possible, even if painful.  So…if he wanted to discuss future visitations now, she had to tell him why she thought that was a bad idea…but she didn’t want to say it in front of the strange girl Ethan had brought along.  Why she worried, she didn’t know; she’d likely never see the woman again and the gal was likely high as a kite.  She’d give Ethan credit for one thing—he usually found gorgeous girls to drape on his arm, and this young lady was no exception.  Still…she didn’t want her son around any of it.  She took a deep breath and looked at her ex.  “Uh, yeah.  Can I talk to you about that in private?”

Ethan’s voice was quiet and respectful, even though Val could tell from the look on his face that he thought her request was odd.  “Yeah, sure.”

She gave Brad a look, hoping that—as always—he’d understand what was on her mind.  She handed Chris to him and looked at the redhead next to Ethan.  “Please excuse us for a moment.”  Then, not wanting to waste any time, she pulled Ethan by his upper arm to lead him to the side of the house.  She didn’t want it to last long, but she needed to speak her mind.  She was surprised at the definition of his bicep she could feel in her hand.  The last time she’d touched him, he hadn’t been in good shape.  She was surprised.

But she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted.  Once they were out of earshot, she got straight to the point.  “Ethan, seriously.  Please tell me why.”

“Why what?”

She couldn’t help the angry look she knew had crossed her face.  She was ready to tear him apart.  “I can’t believe you had the gall to bring one of your heroin whores to my house…and you had her around my son.  You asshole.  You haven’t changed a bit.”

Ethan’s jaw slackened, but his eyes looked sharper.  “Whoa, Val.  You got it all wrong.”

She felt her eyebrows jump straight up.  “Do I?”

 “Yeah, Miss Perfect.  If you’d given me one fucking second to introduce you to her, you’d know that Jenna is my goddamned drug and alcohol counselor.  She’s not a fucking junkie.  Does she even look like a junkie to you?”

Ethan’s words felt like a punch in the gut.  It was true.  She’d been assuming the worst.  She let out a slow breath and tried to allow the muscles in her shoulders to relax.  And then she went from anger to understanding to feeling guilty.  Ethan might have had it coming; after all, he’d set the precedent years ago and had rarely disappointed, but maybe he really was changing…and she’d jumped to conclusions.  She felt like a real shit.  “Oh.  Oh, God, Ethan.  I’m really sorry.”

Typical Ethan, though.  He couldn’t just accept her apology.  He had to rub it in that she was wrong.  She knew, in this instance, she probably had it coming.  “Well, it’s a little late.  I get it, Val.  I get it.  It’s not going to be easy to trust me.  I understand that.  But when I’m standing right in front of you and you can see the changes I’ve made, why can’t you accept them?  Can you just once give me the benefit of the doubt?”  His eyes glinted with an intensity she hadn’t seen in years.  That look had, in days gone by, turned her on, and later in their relationship it had even scared her once or twice.  She knew whatever came out of his mouth at this point was going to be passionate and emotional.  “Or do I just need to expect this kind of reaction from now on?  Do I need to give you a full report every fucking time I see you?”  It was growing dark outside, but it didn’t stop her from being able to see his eyes darken with anger.  That the two of them were close to screaming at each other just like they used to confirmed to Val that it was for the best that they weren’t together anymore.

Still…she knew that this one time she’d been in the wrong.  “Ethan…I said I was sorry, okay?”  She searched his eyes.  “Can you understand why I’d think that?”  He shrugged.  “I need to know my son is safe with you, okay?”

His voice was low.  “If you need to know, Val, Jenna is my girlfriend.  She’s not a heroin whore.  She’s a good person.”

Val nodded.  “Okay…sorry.  Just…try to understand where I’m coming from.”  One last thing and she’d drop it.  “You haven’t made it easy to trust you over the years.”

“Yeah…I get that.”  He scowled.  “We done here?”

She shook her head, angry that somehow, once again, Ethan had gotten under her skin.  “Yeah.”

When they got back to the front of the house, Ethan kissed Chris on the forehead.  “I’ll see you soon, bud, okay?”  He looked at Brad.  “See ya.”  Val expected him to completely ignore her at that point but he told her goodbye before walking toward his car.  She noted that the redhead was already in the car waiting for him.

“Bye,” she said and turned so she could see them drive off.  It wasn’t long before his car was blazing down the street and she was left standing in the yard with Chris and Brad.  “Mama,” Chris said and reached out to her.  She took him in her arms and Brad put his arm around her waist.  They started walking to the front door.  “I think I might have been a little hard on him.”

Brad didn’t say anything, confirming that Val was right.  He picked up the car seat off the front porch and then opened the door for Val and Chris.  Once they got inside, he said, “You did what you thought was best, right?”

“Well, yeah.”  She sat on the couch, holding Chris in another hug.  “I just think maybe I was a little hard on him…I assumed the worst.”

“And why’d you do that?”  He sat next to her.

She touched Chris’s cheek with her finger.  “I guess I was worried about Chris.”

“Then don’t let it bother you.  Your concerns were coming from the right place.”  She shook her head, ready to protest, but he pressed his finger against her lips.  “Your instincts are usually right, Val.  Don’t feel bad.  Ethan’s Chris’s dad, and a little time will help him realize you were right in your concern.  He loves him too, Val.”

She nodded.  That was the one thing she didn’t doubt.  “Yeah, he does.”

“So let it go.”  He kissed her forehead.  “Just let it go.  It’ll be all right.”

She trusted Brad more than she trusted anyone else on the planet.  “Okay.”  She leaned into his chest.  Chris turned his head and touched Val’s cheek with his hand.  He was the reason why she could take Brad’s advice, to just let go, and as he wiggled off her lap to get down, she smiled, feeling the worry start to slip away.

 

BEST SELLING AMAZON AUTHOR ~

Jade C. Jamison was born and raised in Colorado and has decided she likes it enough to stay forever. Jade's day job is teaching Creative Writing, but teaching doesn't stop her from doing a little writing herself.

Unfortunately, there's no one genre that quite fits her writing. Her work has been labeled romance, erotica, suspense, and women's fiction, and the latter is probably the safest and closest description. But you'll see that her writing doesn't quite fit any of those genres.

You'll have to discover Jade's writing for yourself to decide if you like it.

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