It’s understandable. “I can imagine. Sorry, I was going to call again when Brielle is settled. Have you seen her?”
“Not yet.” She holds onto her husband’s arm.
“Strange timing, huh?” Jim’s face is solidified, and accompanied by his dark polo and peppered hair, then he isn’t exactly the picture of peace.
I set the bag of food on a chair nearby. “What does that mean?”
“Jim,” Kerry nearly scolds him.
He shakes off Kerry’s hold. “No. Just when Brielle finally gets everything she’s waited for, he has to come right in and screw it up for her again.”
“What the hell? How is appendicitis my fault?” I’m quick to defend.
“Stress. Commotion. You couldn’t wait to throw a relationship at her until after the biggest exam of her life? The nurse let it slip that you two are engaged!” Jim is clearly pissed off at me.
My hands form fists at my sides, and I do my best to stay calm. I shake my head, choosing to ignore him, and instead my eyes catch my father giving Jim a stern eye.
“Why are you here?” I ask.
My father, with his blue eyes and near-black hair, quickly responds, “Violet explained the situation, and I was in the city for a meeting. They just went to the vending machine.”
“Probably to escape you all,” I mutter to myself. Scratching my cheek, I know I need to go into action mode. “Listen, Brielle needs rest. I’m not sure it’s a good idea that everyone is here. She probably wants to see Connor and then focus on getting out of here.”
“She must be devasted that she didn’t get to give her best shot at the Bar exam,” her father points out.
I glance to him, internally agitated. “Of course she is. But we can’t change what happened, since appendicitis can happen at any moment due to biology,” I grit out. “We can’t go back in time.”
He scoffs a sound. “Oh, that we know.”
“Let it go,” my father suggests.
I hold my hand to stop him because I’m capable of doing this on my own. “Go on, Jim, clearly you have a strong opinion on something.”
“I do. It’s so easy for you to stand there and bring our daughter flowers because everything you wanted career-wise you got, and now with your checklist of career goals all completed, the one moment Brielle may also get that chance, then you selfishly become a distraction, and now look where we all are.” Her dad is seething.
He pushes that sore point inside of me. I hate what he is saying because I believe almost all of it. Maybe he is fucking right.
But I won’t let him have the upper hand.
I step forward, puffing out my shoulders. “No. We wouldn’t be in this position at all if you just let us stay together. We followed your lead because we were young and confused. But the tables have turned, and we don’t need any of your support for anything, and I don’t have to stand here and listen to why you think I’m still hell-bent on ruining Brielle’s life when it’s the opposite.”
“You should have waited to throw all your intentions at her,” he informs me with his voice raised.
I scoff a sound as I slide the back of my finger along my upper lip. “She already knew my intentions; we just never said it out loud.” Inside I’m raging. “You know what,Jim? Today is about Brielle, but make no mistake that we were both miserable. I gave up the woman and family that I wanted to ensure they both had a good life. Do you have any clue what that does to a man?”
“I think we all need to take a breather,” my father recommends.
I side-eye him. “Why are you here? Like really, why are you here? Want to join Jim on the ‘I fucked up in some way’ train? Or are you here because you want to take the opportunity to point out some ridiculous flaw when Brielle is weak?”
He attempts to place his hand on my shoulder, but I shrug it off. “I’m on your team, I swear.”
“A little late. Could have used that ten years ago when you pointed out Brielle was going to ruin my career because we were keeping Connor.”
A twinge of pain flashes on my father’s face. For a second, I might even think it’s regret.
The sound of the door cracking open draws all our attention to Brielle who is standing in her hospital gown holding onto her IV stand, with the nurse behind her. She uses the door for support.
“What’s going on out here?” She looks near baffled when she realizes who is in attendance at this gathering.
