I shook my head. “Nope. I was hungry, so I ordered some food. I figured you’d wanna eat while it was still hot.”
Jackson nodded, but he didn’t move, not even an inch. He just stared unseeingly at the back of the house.
“Come on, man. If you plan to win her back, you’re going to need all your energy,” I said as gently as I could, resting a hand on my shoulder.
He studied him for a moment, then asked, “You think it’s possible?”
I knew what it cost him to ask me, of all people, that question. It only made him stronger in my estimation because I wasn’t sure I could do it.
I looked at him, hoping what I was going to say didn’t cause him to take another swing at me.
“From what I’ve heard, you turned an ice princess into a sexpot, so if anyone can do it, it’s you.”
I exhaled a sigh of relief that he took it in the humor I intended. The sound of an approaching car drifted on the breeze toward us, and Jackson held his breath and took off, not toward the car that held his heart and mine, but instead toward the house.
My confusion must’ve shown on my face because he said, “If I go to her now, which is what she’s expecting, she’s going to get her dander up, and she will push back as hard as she can. If I give her a bit, then she’ll be more subtle until she can’t take it anymore. That’s when she’ll lose her shit, and we can fight this out.”
Amusement and disbelief at the guy’s plan hit me. “You really think that’s going to work?” I asked.
He rubbed the back of his neck and muttered, “It has to because it’s the only fucking plan I’ve got.”
As we stepped into the house from the patio, Katie and the others entered the front door. Declan and Marcie looked just as I thought they would—fucking exhausted.
I went to the kitchen island where I laid out all the food and started making up plates. Jackson did just what he said he was going to do. When she stepped toward him, he moved away from her, grabbing the non-Liam-approved meal I ordered him—after being shot and his girl trying to break up with him, he deserved a decent meal—and took a seat at the table with Asher and Bauer.
I turned my attention back to the two people who had my heart in a vise. Declan stood next to me at the island, his hand resting on my back right above my ass. But it was Marcie’s pretty-in-pink flushed face that my gaze was locked on. When I glanced at Declan, his was as well.
Remembering Scott’s words from earlier, I looked around the room and noticed Jackson staring at me with his brow cocked.
Shit! The cat was outta the bag. We’d have to address our relationship with Jackson and Katie sooner rather than later. At least in my opinion, but at the end of the day, it would be Marcie’s decision.
Katie, with her red-rimmed sleep-deprived eyes, came back into the room. Jackson ignored the girl, focusing instead on his food. Watching them was like watching two trains collide in slow motion. A glance around the room told me I wasn’t the only one glued to the scene playing out before us as if it was a blockbuster movie and we were the lucky assholes who’d been given a ticket to the prerelease early viewing.
“Jackson?” Katie called his name.
“Yep.” I had to hand it to the guy; he stuck to his plan. He was making her come to him.
“Can I speak with you?”
I thought for sure he’d cave, but he still didn’t look at her. “I’m eating. Maybe later.”
“Jackson!” Katie yelled.
“What do you want from me, Katie? You made your choice. I’m only here to make it easier on the teams protecting us.”
He stood, walking toward Declan, Marcie, and me. He threw his dishes filled with his half-eaten meal in the sink, then turned and walked out of the house, Katie hot on his heels.
Through the patio doors, we could see them fighting. Declan turned to me and said, “Let’s get the hell out of here. I’m in no mood to watch their relationship implode.”
Another glance around the room gave me the opportunity I wanted and needed. I pushed Declan ahead of me and grabbed Marcie’s hand, threading my fingers with hers as I pulled her behind us.
39
HAYDEN
“Where are we going?” Marcie asked, but I ignored her.
If she wanted us to be discreet, I needed to get us behind a closed door.
