Dread filled him and immediately, he called his father. “Brock, where are you?”
“I’m out of town. I told you that. Why, son?”
The lilt in his dad’s voice sent alarm bells ringing in his head. “You’re not here in Boston? You didn’t just come to my house?” He spoke the words softly—anyone that knew him, knew he used that voice when he already had the answer.
“Now, son, I told you—”
A chipper voice cut his father’s response off. “Welcome to Boston’s famous McKinley Pub, may I take your drink order?”
“You sonofabitch!” Jacob squeezed his phone so tightly in rage, he was surprised it didn’t break in his hand.
“She is not good for you, son; she will only hurt you!” His father shouted into the phone, but Jacob hung up before he could do more harm.
Setting his phone onto the cabinet, Jacob struggled to stop the tremble in his hands. Sierra would never forgive him for this. For all the trust and vulnerability she offered him, he didn’tdo the same. At the first sign of trouble, he pulled away and shut her out.
“I’m an ass.”
He almost jumped and let out a shout when he heard “Youarean ass” behind him. Jacob barely had enough time to turn before she was inches away and breathed into his face. He blinked, stunned.
“Smell that? I didn’t take a drop of alcohol nor would I ever drink that foul stuff.” Her hand swung toward the decanter in disgust.
Hope filled him; she hadn’t left, he had a chance to make it right again. He reached out to touch her, but she smacked his hands away and paced the room. “It is clear you still have trust issues if Daddy Deficit could manipulate you so easily.”
He opened his mouth to argue and shut it. She had a point, and he hid a smile.But Daddy Deficit…..“Umm, Daddy Deficit?”
“Yes, he is deficient on how to love someone properly and has passed that gene to all his sons.” Sierra paused in her pacing and shot him a firm look. “But luckily for them, they have now met the right ones to help them fight it.”
“Including me?” He swallowed, grateful for his little spitfire.
“Yes, including you. Even though right now you don’t deserve it.” Sierra sighed, dropping her hand to rub the scar on her leg. Then she straightened her back. “But I won’t let him turn me into a liar. I warned him I was not going down without a fight.”
He wanted to go to her, but he didn’t want to upset her again. “Do you want to keep fighting?”
She walked up to him, grabbed hold of his t-shirt and the hair resting underneath. Without pause, she yanked both toward her and he groaned.
“Yes, but I am so mad and hurt. I could do some bodily harm right now.” Though her response had a tingle of thrill in it for him, her eyes lost their ire. The sadness that welled up in her gaze struck him to the core. “How could you believe that I would do something like that?”
He cupped her hands. “Sierra, I am sorry that I hurt you and didn’t believe you. I got so hotheaded and only focused on what my eyes saw, not what my heart was telling me.” He stroked his thumbs over her knuckles and bent his head lower in remorse. “When I calmed down, I knew I was wrong.”
Sierra narrowed her eyes, searching his gaze. “Really?” She loosened her grip on his shirt slightly.
“Yes.” He nodded, a lump swelling in his throat. “I was thinking of how best to come outside and beg you to forgive me.”
A smile threatened to cross her lips, but she seemed to hold it back, her gaze serious. “And if I had taken a drink?”
“I know this is not an easy, quick fix and boom, you are cured.” Despite his outburst, Jacob confessed his true feelings on the matter. It was something he’d thought about for a long time. “There might come a time when you could possibly take a drink, and I hope you never do. But we will get you the help you need and be there for you as a family.” He held onto her hands tighter, pressing them into his chest. “Even now just my understanding is not enough. I want to be there for you and attend your meetings to better know what type of support you need from me.”
She nodded her head, her eyes still teary. He leaned his forehead against hers and she let him. “I will always be there for you,” he whispered.
Sierra shook her head gently, their foreheads rubbing together. “Let’s not make promises that we can’t keep. We don’t know what the future holds, but promise instead to keep working on us and building our future together.”
He nodded and then bent to kiss her mouth. She pulled back.
“Ah, nawww, if you think you are going to get out of begging. Think again.”
He gave a chuckle before fixing a serious look on his face. He got down on his knees and reached out with his hands to grip her waist. “Sierra, I am so sorry for the pain I just put you through and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I am begging you to stay with me even though I was an ass and hurt you. I love you, Sierra.”
Her eyes opened wide in wonder, and she gasped. “You have never said that to me before.”
