Jade pauses, her head tilting to the side just a little, like she hadn’t considered what that would look like. “I thought you wanted to step back.”
Skyla shrugs. “Yeah. But there are other ways to step back. I don’t need you coming in and taking over everything just because you think it’s the right thing to do. Joshua is helping more with the businesses.”
“Well…” Jade pauses, grabbing another ball and knocking down two of the last three pins. “I think I want to open my ownrestaurant. One day. I think it could be good for the family business too. It’d be good to run money through to clean.”
Ellie gets up, grabbing a ball of her own as the pins reset. “You know, you don’t have to do everything with the family in mind. You can live for yourself, and that’s perfectly fine.”
Jade sits down beside me, her foot brushing against my calf as she crosses one leg over the other. “I know I could. But culinary school is what I want to do, and it seems like a good idea to attach another restaurant to the business.”
Aiden scoffs and shakes his head.
Zoe digs an elbow into his side, not saying anything.
He grunts, his attention still on Jade. “Are you really sure this is a good idea? You were almost done with school, and now you’re back to starting over. Not to mention how hard it is to make it in the restaurant industry.”
“She’s really good. She’s talented, and she’s determined.” I fix him with a look, tension crackling through the air between us.
A muscle ticks in Aiden’s jaw. “Coming from the man who kidnapped her and kept her away from her family. You’re going to have to forgive me if I don’t believe every word that comes out of your mouth.”
“Sure, think I’m a liar, but are you really willing to do that at the cost of doubting your sister?” I sling one arm over the back of Jade’s seat.
My fingers brush against her shoulder, and she leans into my touch just a little.
Aiden’s gaze darts to my hand. “I would think you don’t know the first thing about her, and one day she’s going to wake up and realize that being with you is only asking for trouble. And when that day comes, she’s going to come home and finally see sense. She’s going to see that you’re nothing but another asshole, and she’s going to cut you loose.”
Jade scowls, her icy glare turning on her brother. “I’m sitting right here, you know that, right? You can’t just talk about me like I’m not here.”
“Stay out of this.” He doesn’t spare her a glance.
I stiffen. “You’re not going to speak to her like that.”
Zoe sighs and rolls her eyes. “Both of you need to calm down and learn to live with each other. And stop speaking about Jade like she’s not there. She’s perfectly capable of speaking for herself.”
“Thank you.” Jade shoots to her feet as Ellie gets a strike, clapping and cheering.
I get up for my turn, and as I grab the ball, I only consider spinning round and smashing it on Aiden’s head.
It’s a fun thought, one that eases a little more of the tension that’s got my shoulders up near my ears.
I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to last around her family, but if I can make it to the end of the night, then everything might be fine.
Jade givesme a happy smile as she passes her bowling shoes over the counter, exchanging them for her other ones. “Thankyou for coming tonight. And for letting me see them. I know this is not what you wanted to be doing with your time, but it meant a lot to me.”
My fingers brush against the small of her back as she wobbles while trying to put on her shoes. “They’re not as bad as they seem at first.”
“Well, you might still change your mind about that. They can be a handful, but at the end of the day, they really do care. I think the problem is that they just care a little too much, and since Aiden and Skyla basically raised us, we’re all a little…complicated…in the emotion department.” She puts on both shoes before heading for the door.
“Well, I’m not surprised about that, at all. I do have to admit I’m surprised to still be alive, though. Aiden looks like he wants to kill me.” I walk with her out of the alley and into the parking lot.
She turns and puts her hands on my chest, staring up at me. “Can you blame him? You did take me away from them, and none of them is going to take too kindly to that, at all. But in time, they’re going to get over it.” She shrugs. “All of them have done things they aren’t proud of, and you know as well as I do that they’ve all got their fingers in something illegal in one way or another, so kidnapping isn’t as black and white as they’d like to make it seem.”
“And how would you like to make it seem?” My hands fall to her hips as I stare at her, trying to decipher everything going on in that head of hers right now.
I know nothing is as it seems with either of us, but there’s something going on with her. Something is shifting between us.
That something is only going to cause more problems down the road, but I’m not sure I care if I get to keep her.
Jade’s tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip. “You’re not who I thought you were.”
