“I didn’t expect,”he said quietly,“that someone your age could forget how condoms work.”
Lynn’s head snapped up, her cheeks bright red.
“Dad, you promised!”
Nina felt the air tighten between them like stretched wire. Instinct told her to intervene—but she didn’t get the chance.
“Anyway,”Nolan continued, straightening up,“Lynn and I are getting married. The wedding’s in two months. I hope you understand, Jasper. We both love her more than anything, and we both want what’s best for her, so I don’t see any reason for us to be at each other’s throats.”
“Funny,”Jasper murmured,“because I’m not seeing a ring on my daughter’s finger.”
“I have it, I just took it off this morning so you wouldn’t see it too early,” Lynnsaid with a shy smile as she dug through her purse.
After a few seconds of rummaging, she pulled out the ring box, opened it, and slipped the ring back where it belonged—on the ring finger of her left hand.
“Isn’t it gorgeous?” Her eyes were shining with happiness as she turned her hand towardNina, proudly showing off her diamond ring.
“It’s stunning. Nolan has good taste. In jewelry… and beyond,”Nina said, taking a sip of water to soothe her dry throat.
The rest of lunch passed in clipped phrases and half-hearted attempts at conversation.
Then Nolan’s phone rang. He apologized, said he had to rush to work, and Lynn left with him.
In the end, Nina and Jasper were left alone at the table, staring at plates they hadn’t touched.
“Are you angry?”she asked, watching through the window as Nolan held the car door open for Lynn.
Jasper let out a short breath that might’ve been a laugh.
“I’m just… trying to let go.”
She smiled faintly. She understood him more than he knew.
He sprinkled salt onto his pasta and said:
“I don’t think he’ll be a bad husband.”
Her brows lifted.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”He exhaled.“Nolan’s a solid guy. Stubborn. Reliable. Careful with people. He really does love her. It’s obvious. And Lynn… she’s different with him.”
He paused, reached for a napkin.
“It’s just… he knew. From the very beginning, he knew who she was to me. He watched her grow up. He was supposed to see her as a sister. Not as a woman you—”his voice faltered,“you ache for.”
Nina stayed quiet. His voice didn’t carry anger now—just pain. And jealousy. A feeling she understood a little too well.
“We can’t always control what we feel,”she said softly, stirring the ice in her drink. Most of it had melted, but the flavor stayed cool and refreshing.
“Sometimes the feelings control us.”
Jasper froze. Then turned toward her.
Something shifted in his eyes—slowly, deliberately. His gaze dropped to her lips, lingered there, then lifted again.
The air thickened.
