This was because he’d discovered that fathers of daughterswith dead mothers had long memories.
Jagger had won the guy over years before and Andy wasn’teffusive about that, but he also didn’t hide it.The rest of them fell in withthat from the moment Jagger walked in the door.
So he wondered what was up with the disappearing act.
He turned his attention to Haley, who was fidgeting with thenapkin in her lap.
Instinct, or more aptly, the vibe of her attitude took hisattention to Hellen, who did not miss her mother’s manner, which seemedsuddenly anxious, and Hellen didn’t like it.
Liane, the baby, didn’t notice it.
Shit.
Archie had told him she’d finally begun to bond with herstepmom, and she was super happy about it.But she also told him that she’dalways liked Haley.
She wouldn’t want her anxious.
And she probably wouldn’t keep this from her stepmom anyway,it was just likely that she didn’t want to get into it and drag down what hadbeen a good meet-the-boyfriend night.
“It’s not my place to say,” Jagger started.
All three women turned their eyes to him.
“But Archie has been having some issues with the way thebuilding she co-owns with her brother is being handled,” he continued.“Sheconfronted him with that today and it didn’t go too good.It’s a guess, but Isuspect she’s sharing that with her dad right about—”
“It’s entirely unacceptable!”
Everyone at the table jumped, including Jagger, as theyheard Andy’s thundered words coming from the kitchen.
“No!” he roared.“You absolutely do not treatyour sister like that!” A beat then, “Absolutely not!This is done!Your stepmother and I will buy your share!”
Okay, well, first, he wasn’t yelling at Archie.
And second, apparently Andy wasn’t hip on what happened withElijah that day either.
He also didn’t hesitate to share with Elijah that he wasn’t.
“Think on that!”Andy shouted, the thunder muted, but theman was still pissed so he was also still loud.“Yes, it would have been yourmother’s.Now it’s yours.And if you don’t get your goddamn head out of yourass, half of itwillbe Haley’s because she’s amember of thisgoddamn familyand evenyour grandparents treated her like that!”
Fucking hell.
“Uh…” Haley said, hands to the arms of her chair like shewanted to get up, but she wasn’t getting up.
“Go, Mom,” Hellen encouraged.“It’s your house, your husbandand E being a douche is ruining another one of your dinners.You should knowwhat’s going on.”
Haley looked to Hellen, Hellen nodded, Haley then said toJag, “Sorry, I—”
“Go, me and the girls are good,” he assured.
She looked relieved and then she took off.
“He’s not even here and he’s fucking things up,” Hellenmuttered under her breath.
“H, chill,” Liane replied.
“I’m not gonna chill.”Hellen was no longer mumbling.“Imean, you just heard Andy.I’m sure E is acting like the world revolves aroundhim with whatever’s up with him and Archie, because that’s what he does, like,allthe time.Then Andy mentions Mom, E’s got some shit to say, it’s his usualnot-nice shit, and I’m tired of it.She’s not a homewrecker, for God’s sake.Bryn had been dead for years before Mom entered the picture.”
Liane gave up on Hellen, who was getting worked up, andturned to Jag.
