She pinned him with a look.
Christ, he didn’t think she could even get this angry.
It was lowkey glorious.
He closed his mouth.
“We’ll talk when you’ve calmed down,” Elijah stated.
“Like you took a beat and got your shit together before youaccosted me at my store today?That kind of calm?Because if so, we can talknow, because I’mthat kind of calm right now, Elijah.”
That was a score.
“I’m not putting on a show for Haley and her girls and yournew beau.”Elijah’s voice was betraying a hint of impatience.
“Her girls?Her girls?” Archie’s voice was rising.“You meanour sisters?”
“Ohmigod, how sweet,” Liane whispered, but the whisper wasthick.
“They are not—” Elijah began.
“Do not fucking finish that!” Archie screamed, loudand shrill.
Whoa.
Jag moved in again and caught her on both sides of her neck.
She looked up at him, and the second she did, two tearstracked down opposite cheeks.
His gut started burning.
“Your sister is crying,” Jag declared, his voice crisp andsharp.
Nothing from Elijah but a hand came between Archie and Jagand nabbed Archie’s phone.
It was Andy.
Jag pulled her into his arms.
When he got her there, her arms curved around him and gottight.
Andy spoke into the phone.“We need to end this now.”
“Dad—”
“Twoof your sisters are crying, Elijah, and so ismy wife, who cares deeply for you whether you want that or not.She’s given itto you from the beginning.Now, Haley started preparing this dinner last night,Elijah, because she knew how important it was.And then she spent hours in thekitchen this evening because she wanted Jagger to know that too.Something I’veseen her do on countless occasionsfor you.And now that dinner isruined, as so many of them have been before, and I need to look after my family.We’ll talk later.”
“Take me off speaker, Dad.”
“I can’t, son, I have other things I need to do right now.”
And with that, Andy disconnected.
He looked to Jagger.“You have her?”
“Yes,” Jag answered what he thought was unnecessarily, buthe was not yet a dad.
Andy nodded and turned, “Liane, honey, come here.”
