“I haven’t touched it.”
Her mother’s eyes spat fire. “Don’t lie to me. I saw the way you looked at it today. You were jealous and wanted it for yourself.”
No…not here. Not in front of Jesse. “I didn’t—”
“First you turn the waiter against me. Now this. You’re an ungrateful little—”
“Don’t eventhinkabout finishing that sentence, Karen,” Jesse growled.
Her mother’s gaze shot to him. “Of course you’re defending her. Are you in on this too? You gonna sell my bracelet and split the profits?”
She was out of her mind. “Mom, you need to leave.” There was no anger in her voice, just an awful mix of disappointment and embarrassment and exhaustion. God was she tired. Physically. Emotionally. In every way a person could be tired.
“Aspen—”
“Now, Mom. I will not have you follow me across the country and pull the same shit you always pull.” Aspen crossed over to the door and pulled it open. “I do not have to put up with this behavior if you refuse to seek help for your mental health.”
Her mother’s cheeks reddened. “I do not need—”
“You do. And until you get that help, we can’t have a healthy relationship…or any relationship at all. Now leave, before Jesse calls his deputies to arrest you.”
“You wouldn’t—”
“I would,” he cut in. Then, as if to prove his point, he lifted his phone and moved to stand beside Aspen.
Her mother huffed. “Fine. I’ll leave this house, but I’mnotleaving town until you return my bracelet. You hear me?I’llpress charges if you don’t.”
Her mother stormed toward the door, and Jesse inched in front of Aspen. Which was fair. Her mother had never physically assaulted her but she was unstable, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities.
The second her mother stepped outside, Aspen closed the door, making sure she turned the lock this time. Then she leaned her head against the wood, and for the second time that night, she wanted to cry. She tried to hold back the tears. Lord knew she’d been embarrassed enough already.
But then Jesse’s warm fingers curved over her shoulder, and he turned her. Without a word, he tugged her against his bare chest and held her.
Finally, she let the first tears fall.
She let out the anger that her own mother would treat her like that. The frustration at the unfairness of it all. And the disappointment because, once again, she’d been let down by the person who was supposed to love her most.
Jesse lookedfrom the coffee he was preparing to Aspen on the couch. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked so sad, all he wanted to do was fix this. Make it better.
But he couldn’t.
His muscles tightened as he poured milk into the mugs. Fuck, he was angry. The anger crawled up his chest, burning his throat. But he was trying to keep it off his face. She didn’t need his anger right now.
He carried the coffees to the living room and handed one to her.
She slipped it from his fingers. “Thank you.”
She didn’t even sound like herself. She was too quiet, her voice too sad.
He sat beside her on the couch. “What are you thinking?”
“That I should have locked the door.” She half laughed, but there was no humor behind it.
Jesse didn’t so much as crack a smile. Another thing he was pissed as hell about. He usually checked every lock in the houseaftershe went to bed. Tonight, he hadn’t.
He wanted to kick his own ass.
“Can I ask you something?” he asked.
