His rude comment forced the older man to tug his fingers back quickly like he’d been stung. Hudson snorted, and Molly placed a hand over her mouth in shock. Phoenix just chuckled with an eyeroll, and Harper dug her elbow into his side.
“What would you like?” Harper suddenly questioned, breaking the tension slightly.
Everyone’s head moved in her direction, and I realized she was talking to me. “Sorry?” I replied, feeling flustered.
“From the bar?” she explained with a wide-eyed look.
“Oh, a Cosmo, please.” The request tasted funky in my mouth.
“Come on, Molls, will you help me?”
Hudson nodded his approval of his foster sister's suggestion, having seen how pale his girl had become. Molly did not cope well in awkward situations.
As the two girls left, the look they sent me suggested that they knew more about what was going to happen than I did. I wasn’t sure whether I felt relieved. I was so fucking confused. I watched as my mother ambushed them on the way to the bar.
And then the gloves were off as that tension came back. The other guests were buzzing around behind us, none the wiser, and then the music started up, cloaking that sound of annoyed voices.
The forced smile that graced my fiancé's lips collapsed into a glare. “What the hell are you doing here, Prescott?” Jasper hissed. His father placed a hand on his son’s arm.
“Easy, son. We don’t want a scene,” Theo blustered, eyeing Phoenix warily. It was no secret that the big man liked to throw his weight around.
“You might want to listen to Daddy,” Nix warned, taking a step towards Reed. Hudson rolled his eyes, sensing Phoenix’s shift in temper, and placed his beer on the edge of the head table. A wave of dread rolled through me. Were things going to get physical in the middle of the party?
“Look, I don’t understand what’s happening here. I take it you two know each other?” Theo bumbled, waving his hands between his son and Reed.
“Not particularly,” Reed replied in a bored voice.
I could feel the tension curling around my neck.
Nix cracked his knuckles, something he did when he was ruffled.
Lowering his voice, Jasper added. “I thought my fiancé had explained that she wants nothing more to do with you?” His voice was angry but hushed so as not to alert anyone standing outside of our group. We were now all in a huddle, almost shoulder to shoulder in front of the main table. There was still a substantial gap between the guests and us, but we would easily attract attention, especially if things got nasty, and from Nix’s expression, that wasexactlywhat he wanted. And I had no idea why. What the hell had they found out? Phoenix had always been civil with Jasper, but from his glare, that ship had sailed.
“Then you thought wrong. And in the next few minutes, you’ll find out why,” Reed snarled, forcing me to grab his arm to hold him back.
“Another threat, Prescott?”
“No, a fucking promise, Remmington.”
“If you don’t leave now, I’ll have security throw you out,” Jasper threatened, fiddling with his bowtie. I could see sweat beading on his forehead.
“They can try,” Nix snarled, flexing his shoulders.
“You stay out of this, Carter. It has nothing to do with you.” I found it interesting that he second-named Phoenix.
“It does when you’re threatening my brother,” Nix batted back, scrubbing a hand over his jaw.
Jasper sniggered, clearly braver than usual, being in the middle of a crowded room. “Ah, of course, I’d forgotten that you're both rejects from the care system.”
“Who are you calling a reject?” Hudson seethed, suddenly coming to life, aggressive waves rolling off his body. He stared Jasper down with the same level of disdain he used on most people who weren’t part of the Sawyer circle.
I stepped into the center of everyone, holding my hands out to stop things from becoming violent. “Please, everyone, just stop. We have guests.”
“Yes. I agree with Storm. I feel there is some bad blood here, and I suggest we take this discussion somewhere more private?”
Jasper turned to glare at his father, looking horrified. The man wasn’t stupid; he realized that the only reason he still had his teeth was due to the witnesses mingling in the background.
“I won’t be taking this discussion anywhere. As my fiancée mentioned, we have guests,” Jasper seethed, making as if to move around Reed and me. Hudson stepped in front of him, stopping his exit.
