Jag looked again to Archie.
She caught his gaze and tipped her head a bit to the side in unnecessary confirmation he was something special.
He felt his lips twitch.
“Hellen, sweetheart,” Andy murmured.
Well…
Shit.
That did it.
Two words, and Hellen shut up.
Now he needed the story about Haley’s ex because Andy didn’t strike Jag as an authoritarian.
That was respect, love and possibly gratitude that closed Hellen’s mouth.
“Maybe we should talk about it, Dad,” Archie suggested.
“Oh boy,” Liane mumbled.
“We don’t have to, Li,” Archie said to her quickly. “And if it’s making you uncomfortable, we won’t.”
“I’m sorry he’s being a dick to you, but—” Liane began.
“Now you with your mouth, I won’t say it again.” Haley was coming to the end of her rope.
“I’m sorry he’s not being cool with you,” Liane amended, aiming this Archie’s way. “But can we have one family night when it’s not all about Elijah?”
“Too late for that,” Hellen pointed out the obvious.
It took a lot, but when Jagger’s chest started bouncing with suppressed laughter, he was able to stop it.
Seriously, he liked Arch’s stepsisters, particularly Hellen. She was the shit.
Then again, he’d always liked a woman who spoke her mind.
Archie gave him another look, that one said, Behave.
“You know…”
Everyone turned to look at Andy who was standing at the head of the table, still holding a big plate of cupcakes.
“In a perfect world, my son would be sitting at this table with us,” he went on.
Jag didn’t feel much like laughing anymore.
“He’s not,” Andy continued. “And this is not the first night where I’ve sat with my girls, my son not here, and felt light in my life, because I have all of you, at the same time felt the pain of not having my son be a part of it. And that pain never fails to cut sharp, clean through my heart.”
Total silence.
But something made Jag stop looking at Andy. He turned his attention to Archie, and the second he saw her, he felt his neck muscles constrict.
And he opened his mouth immediately.
“Arch, don’t.”
“Fuck…that,” she bit off.
Oh shit.
Jagger stood.
But she took the last step to the table, dumped the plates on it and was on the move, he knew, to her bag.
Jag took off after her.
Her bag was in the living room, which was off the dining room through opened double doors, so they had an audience.
He didn’t think about that.
He got close as she hit the couch where she’d left her purse. By the time he got there, she’d already snatched it up and was digging in it.
“Take a breath, baby,” he said quietly.
“No,” she clipped toward her bag.
He wrapped a hand around the side of her neck and advised, “You don’t want to say something you’ll regret.”
She tipped her head back, her black hair flying, and asked, “I don’t?”
“Maybe you do in this moment, but you won’t—”
“Tell me you would not lose your fucking mind if your mother said those words,” she demanded, her arm slashing up, finger pointed toward the dining room, indicating her dad.
He couldn’t, so he didn’t.
“Tell me you wouldn’t lose it if Hound said those words,” she pushed, dropping her arm.
Jag again couldn’t, so he didn’t.
“Right,” she snapped, engaged her phone, hit some buttons, and as she did, he realized the others had joined them.
“Archie, honey, I think—” Andy started.
“I’m not even gonna start with you,” a male voice came over the speaker on Archie’s phone.
Jag let her go and stepped back.
“You’re on speaker, with your entire family listening,” she announced.
“Then I’m definitely not—” Elijah tried.
“I don’t care what you’re not. Jagger’s over here, Elijah. Jagger is sitting down to dinner with your family, and I bet Dad asked you to join us, and you blew him off. This man is important to me. He’s mine. And tonight, I gave him to my family. But not you. No, when Jagger first met you, you were in my face so bad, he thought he had to protect me from my brother. You could have pulled that together if you’d been here tonight to show him you were a decent guy, but you’re not here. You. Are. Missing. Everything. YOU! Because of what?”
“I’m not doing this now,” Elijah said.
“You absolutely are because I swear to fuck, if you don’t, I won’t speak to you until you apologize to me, to Haley, to Hellen and Liane, and most of all to Dad for breaking his heart over and over again.”
Elijah didn’t say anything, but Jagger could see the screen, and he hadn’t disconnected.
“What’s your goddamn beef?” Archie demanded to know.
“I’m not going to say it again, I’m not doing this now.”
“And I’m not going to say it again either, Elijah. I’m done ignoring your shit. I’m done putting up with your shit. I’m done excusing your shit. It’s now or never, Elijah.”
Fuck.
An ultimatum.
Not good.
“Baby,” Jagger whispered.
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 you accosted me at my store today? That kind of calm? Because if so, we can talk now, because I’m that kind of calm right now, Elijah.”
That was a score.
“I’m not putting on a show for Haley and her girls and your new beau.” Elijah’s voice was betraying a hint of impatience.
“Her girls? Her girls?” Archie’s voice was rising. “You mean our sisters?”
“Ohmigod, how sweet,” Liane whispered, but the whisper was thick.
“They are not—” Elijah began.
“Do not fucking finish that!” Archie screamed, loud and 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 tears tracked down opposite cheeks.
His gut started burning.
“Your sister is crying,” Jag declared, his voice crisp and sharp.
Nothing from Elijah but a hand came between Archie and Jag and nabbed Archie’s phone.
It was Andy.
Jag pulled her into his arms.
When he got her there, her arms curved around him and got tight.
Andy spoke into the phone. “We need to end this now.”
“Dad—”
“Two of your sisters are crying, Elijah, and so is my wife, who cares deeply for you whether you want that or not. She’s given it to 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 the kitchen this evening because she wanted Jagger to know that too. Something I’ve seen her do on countless occasions for you. And now that dinner is ruined, as so many of them have been before, and I need to look after my family. We’ll talk later.”