Gifted Connections #5

Chapter 17

Beside me, Drake stiffened. “Mom?” he asked hesitantly.

We had just returned to base and were making our way toward the entrance. I barely noticed the woman leaving the compact sports car until she straightened and buttoned the first two buttons of her knee-length black cashmere coat. At the sound of Drake’s voice, she turned and smiled.

She was a stunning brunette, her hair several shades darker than Drake’s and Jemmy’s. If I had to guess, I’d say she was in her early thirties or mid-thirties at max—not her early forties like I knew her to be. Her resemblance to Jemmy was uncanny, looking more like her older sister than her mother.

She was just as tall as Jemmy, if not an inch or so taller, and her figure was just as svelte as her daughter’s. Her cap-sleeved white sheath designer dress and fitted coat displayed a fit body—as if she spent time in the gym and religiously ate healthy.

If her looks weren’t enough to convince me that she was Jemmy’s mom, her eyes were a dead giveaway. They were the same brilliant blue color as her children’s eyes. On the outside, she was poise and sophistication personified.

“Drake, my handsome boy, how are you?” She smiled as she made her way toward us.

She walked with ease on stilettos that had to be three or four inches, moving like she was on a catwalk with confidence and grace most women would envy. I was sure she turned heads everywhere she went, and she knew it.

“What are you doing here, Tracey?” Pops took a few steps forward, placing himself between us and her.

She stopped short, and for a moment her confident smile faded. Annoyance and disdain entered her eyes before her mask slipped back into place. She gave an airy laugh.

“Will,” she said as if she were talking to a dense child and not a successful, brilliant older man. “I thought that would be evident. I’m here to see my children.”

“You’re over seven years late,” Troy dryly quipped.

Tracey flashed him an irritated look before a seductive smile curved her lips. She slowly perused his body before arching a brow at him. “Hi, Troy, you’ve grown up rather nicely,” she nearly purred.

From my understanding Tracey had attempted to stay in her children’s lives at first. She’d visited them a couple of times before deciding it was too much work. Managing both the two-hour drive and her career became too much for her, so she completely disappeared. This disregard for her children had caused long-term issues.

Jaxson gagged.“Gross.Cougar alert.”

“I thought time would have matured you in some way or another, Jack.” Tracey raised her voice slightly as the sound of the second helicopter landing above us filled our ears. She was still the picture of nonchalance, like the guys’ attacks were barely fazing her. If anything, their reception of her only made her fortify her defenses even further.

“Oh no, she forgot your name… Just like her children’s birthdays and Christmas.” Noah raised his eyebrows as if he were shocked, but his mocking tone conveyed his real feelings.

“What are you doing here?” Jace stepped forward next to Pops along with Remy. “And how did you know where Drake was?”

Tracey rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t need to explain myself to anyone, regarding my children. Come on, Drake. Come give your mother a hug. You used to give me the best hugs.”

“ Used to being the key phrase. You signed over your rights to your children,” Remy scathingly commented. “We already know the game you’re playing, so kindly get back in your vehicle and leave.”

“Drake, my sweet, sweet boy, tell your little friends to leave me alone. This is a family matter.” Tracey pouted, but her “deep hurt” was obviously pretend.

I leaned into Drake, determined to protect him from his mother. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t want to,” Drake adamantly responded, placing a protective arm around my shoulders. “What are you doing here, Tracey, and how did you know where to find us?” The coldness of his tone surprised me.

Tracey’s eyes narrowed on the arm wrapped around my shoulder before her eyes landed on me, then my baby bump. Her lips curled up in distaste before her fake smile was back in place. Before she could answer, I heard the arrival of the rest of our group behind us.

“Mommy!” Jemmy squealed, descending the steps.

My jaw dropped when Jemmy wrapped her arms around the other woman. It was now clear how she knew to come here. The question was why. The last time Jemmy and I were on the outs, she had admitted all the toxic behavior her mother was exhibiting and recognized the negativity her mother inspired within her. She was still attending therapy because of the abandonment and inferiority issues her mother had instilled in her, so why in Hades was this woman currently here?

Tracey winced, her nose scrunched in aversion, then she awkwardly reciprocated the hug, tapping Jemmy’s back before she leaned back and looked down into her daughter’s face. For a split second, I could almost believe she was happy to see her daughter, but that didn’t last, especially after I dropped my empathy barriers. Narcissism just rolled off the woman in waves. She was jealous of her daughter. She hated realizing how much Jemmy had grown, seeing it as physical proof of her own mortality.

“Look how beautiful you are,” she cooed. “Where on earth did you get that dress? It’s gorgeous! And I have the same Manolo’s in my closet at home!”

“Isn’t it?” Jemmy preened, stepping back to twirl in the dress Anna had made for her.

Jemmy’s dress was made of a pale blue fabric with a white gossamer overlay. Sierra had expressed a desire to have a photoshoot in shades of yellow, blues, and browns. She also wanted more of a whimsical fairy tale look, so Mercedes, Jemmy, and Lexus had tulle-like skirts attached to their bodices. The concept seemed too wedding-y and princess-y to me until I saw the vision come to life. With the help of Anna, Sierra’s “family” photos looked sophisticated and elevated.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind from Anna B!” Jemmy spun around again, showing off the intricate criss-cross pattern Anna had made in the back, her skirts swirling around her ankles. “And this was a gift from one of her personal shopper friends.” She lifted her feet one at a time.

“Anna B!” Tracey smiled, and this time it was authentic. “How in the world did you manage to get a dress designed by her? I had to sell my soul to get the one piece I have of hers.”

“You sold your soul long before that,” Jaxson huffed.

Jemmy rolled her eyes at Jaxson. “I can introduce you. She’s here. You must have just missed her.”

“Jemmy,” Drake said in a censoring tone, “why is she here?”

Jemmy whirled around and gave him a scornful look. “Well, Drake,” she drolly stated, “since we want to play happy family and pretend all is well, I wanted to invite Mom.”

“To a restricted area?” Pops asked in consternation. “How did you even get past the gate guards?”

Tracey gave Pops a saccharine smile. “Oh, Will, that was easy. Seeing as how my company is a subcontractor for some of the improvements you all have going on here, I’m free to come and go as I please. And right now, I please. Plus, my daughter wanted to spend time with me.”

“Cut the crap,” Megan hissed. “We all know why you want them in your life now. You want—”

Her words were cut off by the ding of the elevator. Some of the children spilled out, already wearing their play clothes. It was no surprise since Micah and Alex had relentlessly tugged on and complained about their outfits. They hadn’t cared for the suspenders, ties, or bow ties Anna had picked out for them.

“Oh good, you’re back!” Ella came running out of the elevator shaft. “Grandma says we can’t have cupcakes until after we eat. Can we eat now?”

“Patience, Elly belly,” Micah said with a laugh, having just come off the elevators with Kade, Victoria, and Patrick. He immediately noticed the tension in the area. “Everything okay?”

Kade and Vicky stepped in front of Ella protectively. Kade shot Victoria a grateful smile, but she gave him a deadpan look in return. My attention remained on them for a few moments until I saw the look on Patrick’s face. His gaze was on Tracey, a deep frown marring his face.

I didn’t have time to decipher his look before Megan let out a deep sigh. “We should get going. We have people waiting.”

And like it or not, it appeared we had an extra guest crashing the party.

η

“How does next month sound for a combined baby shower?” Megan asked as she sat down with her plate of food.

Megan, Miranda, Dawn, Rachel, Victoria, and Grandma Hazel had thrown us an amazing party. The food was delicious, and the desserts were second to none. The only fly in our ointment was Tracey. For Jemmy’s sake, we had all been cordial, but no one went out of their way to talk to her. I knew we were biding our time to talk to Jemmy and find out why she thought it would be a good idea to invite her here.

I knew she was hurting, but she’d gone way over the line once again. Her need to irrationally strike out was getting so old. Sure, she had been hit with a lot all at once, but we needed to stop enabling her immature behavior. At this point, I wouldn’t blame Gavin or the others for minimizing contact with her. She’d brought it on herself.

Jemmy and Tracey didn’t seem to mind our indifferent attitude toward her during the party since they spent most of the party sitting in the corner and animatedly talking. I intended to give Tracey the benefit of the doubt until she leaned in toward Jemmy, speaking to her in hushed tones.I only had to drop my empath barriers for a moment to realize pure maliciousness was pouring from her. Her feelings about me were also evident, and they weren’t positive ones.

“Are you still okay with a combined baby shower?” Sierra asked me. “I don’t want to steal any of your spotlight.”

I laughed after finishing my bite of food. “You know me, Si Si.” I shrugged. “I don’t care one way or the other. Our kids will be raised like family, and ultimately, it’s about them, not me. What about you? I don’t want you to feel like it’s not your special day either.”

Sierra laughed this time. “I don’t care either way either. It’ll probably be easier on everyone else if we have it together.”

Jace cleared his throat. “About that… The guys and I were talking, and we were thinking about having it at Remy’s. Would that work for you guys?”

I turned my head and looked at him with a frown. It was news to me. Why would they make the decision without me? Not that it mattered, but I was curious.

Sierra turned to look at Gavin, then Mercedes and Bentley.“Does that work for you guys?”

Mercedes seemed to appreciate being included in the decision-making process. “I’ll make sure I ask for time off from the clinic, and I can do my classes anywhere.”

Will had sat down with Bentley and Mercedes to find out their future plans. Their future seemed to be cemented here. Plus, Will believed their involvement with Horatio hadn’t been voluntary. Rachel’s gift went a long way toward proving their innocence. After the discussion, Will had helped Mercedes enroll in Knightstown College for the nursing program. While she was taking classes, she was helping in the clinic to get her clinical hours.

Since Bentley and Mercedes gifts worked better together, they were pretty much a package deal. Because of that, Bentley was sticking around as well, and he was in the training program to become a certified Knight. Both seemed to be adjusting well and fitting in with us with ease.

A shadow of grief crossed Gavin’s features before he smiled.“Whatever you want.”

“I’ve always wanted to see what the inside of that place looked like fixed up,” Bentley commented to Remy.

“You know where he lives?” Noah asked with a frown as Kade came up to our little circle.

“Micah and I are taking most of the kids to the rec room, if that’s okay with you all,” Kade stated.

We all exchanged looks, but it was Jace who spoke up. “That’s fine with us. Stop in to let Grandma Hazel know where you’re at just in case the girls want to join you.”

Hazel, Megan, Miranda, and Cora had taken the girls antiquing the other day, and they were eager to get back to their finds. The girls were so enthralled with Grandma Hazel’s stories. Before I left, they’d loved her stories, and now, with the added element to them, they were even more invested in them. Oftentimes, they would choose to listen to stories of the past relics over watching television or playing on their devices.

Since Lexus’ arrival, Ella and Nadia had easily fallen into a friendship with her despite her being a year younger than them. It wasn’t uncommon to see them attached at the hip. Kade and Micah hadn’t been fazed by adding her to their morning routine either. They swung by their apartment to grab Lexus as well, and I couldn’t be prouder of my siblings. They looked out and cared for each other, and when someone else was added to our family dynamic, they took it in stride.

“Okay, thanks.” Kade smiled before turning to leave.

I watched him gather most of the kids up to leave. Almost everyone had already dispersed, leaving my guys, Gavin, Sierra, Mercedes, Bentley, Pops, Megan, Randy, and Greg. Rachel, Dawn, and Anna had cleaned up nearly everything before informing us that they were hitting up the club a few towns away. They swore up and down the clubs stamped under eighteens, but I also knew Rachel had a fake ID now. I was sure Mr. Moore could see through the lie, but since Marcel and Terrance had invited themselves, he probably felt more at ease. We all knew Terrance wouldn’t allow anything to happen to them.

“Was that in Horatio’s intel briefs?” Troy asked in concern, bringing us back to the conversation we had been having. “Where Remy lived?”

“Nah.We used to live in those apartments on Seventh Ave.” Bentley grinned before he grimaced.“I heard they knocked them down.”

Mercedes snorted. “They needed to. The landlord was a slum lord. The elevator hadn’t worked in years. The smell of cigarettes and weed permeated the whole place. It wasn’t the best place to raise a baby, but it was the only place that would rent to us.”

I could see the shame in Mercedes’ eyes, and the guilt she carried for the circumstances she’d been relegated to was evident in her face. Life hadn’t been easy on her, and her hardened shell was a defense mechanism to protect herself. She was prickly and she could be overly sarcastic, but she was an amazing mother. Mercedes would do anything for her daughter, and for that I respected her and was even beginning to like her.

“Lexus is loved, and you did what you could to provide for her.That’s all that mattered,” Sierra reassured her.

Seeming to understand the need to to change the subject, Remy spoke up. “When the new mayor took office, he was serious about his initiative to clean up the city. I saw the opportunity to purchase a few of those warehouses in that area. I rezoned one into my home, and another was excellent for my restaurant.”

“And I’m thinking about buying one of them off of him for my security firm that doubles as a gym,” Troy nonchalantly added.

“What?” I asked, feeling even more out of the loop.

First, they decided to have our baby shower at Remy’s. Then it was evident more discussions were being made for our future that I was unaware of. I realized they had their businesses before me, but I thought I would be made aware of major changes such as that.

“So, we were talking…” Jace leaned back and placed his arm behind my shoulder. “We already know this isn’t forever.” He waved his hand around us. “With our babies on the way, we’ve been doing some research. I’m purchasing land approximately ten miles outside the city limits. It’s equal distance from Knightstown and Remy’s place. Remy talked to his builder friend, and he’s going to get the land prepped for homes to be built.”

“Homes, plural ?” Megan asked, mystified.

“We didn’t think Dad would want to be away from his grandbabies,” Jaxson explained.“And we know you were never crazy about our last home.”

“You wouldn’t mind us being that close?” Pops was clearly choked up by the sentiment. “You’re all adults now and building your own family.”

“A family you’re a part of, old man,” Troy teased him.

Pops glared at him despite the joy in his eyes.“I’ll show you old man.”

“We already know you need a blue pill to launch the rocket, Pops,” Noah teased. “By the way, your prescription should be ready to pick up. I had Dr. Wyatt place a script for you.”

A surprise laugh burst out of me as the others began to laugh.

“You did not!” Megan giggled, digging her head into Pop’s neck.

Lincoln smirked. “Did you forget who you’re talking to?”

Megan let out a loud squeal and jumped off the armchair they had been sharing. “You pinched me!” She scowled between giggles, and once she calmed down, she turned to the guys. “Is your builder willing to take design ideas? This time, I want more of a say.”

“Dad and Alison designed the last house,” Jace explained to those of us that weren’t in the know.

“In my defense,” Pops said, chagrined, “Alison made me believe that they had collaborated on the design. I was spending so many hours at the institute that I didn’t know Megan had had very little say.” He patted his lap for Megan. “And I will spend the rest of my life apologizing to you for my blindness.”

Megan perched herself back into his lap. “We all knew she used her gift on you often.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste. “You never used your barriers against her because you never realized you needed to.”

“A fact I warned him about when we were teens,” Greg dryly stated.

Pops gave him a peeved look.

“What?” He chuckled. “There was a reason she hated me and tried to come between our friendship all the time. But you were just young and dumb. We all know it takes men longer to grow up.”

“True story.” Megan smiled at Pops before they shared a sweet kiss.

“So, we’re building houses nearby?” Pops turned to the guys, returning us to the original question.

“With a few acres separating each one,” Lincoln said, finally chiming in. “How would you feel about Anna building a home on the acreage as well? We were thinking about building a gated community of sorts for our close family and friends.”

My eyes immediately fell on Gavin and Sierra.I would love for them to be our next-door neighbors too.“I love that idea!Do you?”

“Me? Us?” Gavin asked in a choked whisper.

“Our kids can’t grow up together if you’re not nearby,” I teased, rubbing an affectionate hand over my bump.

“We have so many children and more on the way.” Noah interlocked our fingers and rubbed my belly just as lovingly. “We’d kind of like to keep this village together.”

“I’m not sure I would get approved for a home loan just yet,” Gavin wryly stated. “I’ve been saving money for a down payment. Well…” He laughed bitterly. “I had been.”

“Money’s not an object,” Pops immediately said. “Plus, I never paid you for your contributions to the simulations.” He turned to Sierra. “How far did you get with your business proposal?”

“Were you serious?” Sierra asked dubiously before she explained to the rest of us in the dark. “Pops thinks we can sell our simulation programs to the other gifted communities. I sent them short simulation scenarios, a few suits, and the equipment they would need to complete them. We’ve been receiving a lot of inquiries about giving them the full use of them. They also suggested improvements for our gear, and I’ve been working on them with a small team.”

“That’s amazing.” Gavin’s eyes lit up with joy.“But I don’t feel right taking money from you, Pops.”

“Then call it a loan,” Pops insisted. “If my preliminary numbers and estimations are correct, the program is going to make you very rich people—especially if you roll out the program to the non-gifted community.”

“What?”

“How?”

Sierra and Gavin were both stunned.

“Escape rooms are such a craze right now.” Remy’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I’ll invest in it and allow you to use one of my warehouses. Imagine how many people will flock to a business like that! We can make escape room concepts using virtual reality simulations. The customers would feel like they’re actually in a ‘real-world’ scenario and could safely experience the error of their ways.”

“People book appointments for those places, and some of them get booked for the entire day,” Troy said, catching on to the excitement. “I’ll become an investor as well.”

“Me too,” Greg stated before he nervously cleared his throat.“How much land are we talking about for these homes?”

It took me a moment to realize why he was asking. My initial reaction was to deny him the opportunity of moving so close by, but I couldn’t deny liking him and Hazel and loving my little half-brother. I didn’t want to deny them the opportunity to breach the chasm that was still there between them. Whatever I felt for Miranda shouldn’t affect their relationships.

“Well…” Jace seemed to be searching for the right words to be as diplomatic as possible.

“If we have space,” I reluctantly stated.

“Really?” Miranda said with excitement as Jaxson, Troy, and Jace looked at me with concern.

“Really,” I firmly stated.

“Then we have the room,” Jace reassured him.

“Are you in?” I hopefully asked Gavin and Sierra.

Gavin and Sierra still seemed to be in a state of shock.“Well…” Gavin looked over at Mercedes and Sierra.

Mercedes was the first to speak up. “Where you go, I go.”

Sierra immediately began to tear up. “I would love to own a house near them. Lexus and the baby should have their own rooms. Maybe Mercedes and I could go shopping together to get ideas to decorate the rest of our house.”

“Are you sure?” Gavin hesitantly asked.“We don’t need to rush anything.”

“Why prolong the inevitable? I don’t want to raise our child in two households. No matter what skin you wear, you’re still the man I fell in love with,” Sierra said through her sobs.

Gavin braced her face with his hands as his own tears began to spill from his eyes.“Do you mean that?”

“With my whole heart,” Sierra confirmed, leaning in to kiss him. “And I think,” she gave Mercedes a firm look, “you need to make your connection with Mercedes. Horatio is still after us, and we all should be at our strongest.”

“We don’t have to live together,” Mercedes insisted although her eyes were full of tears. “I don’t want to encroach on your time or space any more than you want me to.”

“We’re family,” Sierra immediately insisted.“We’re under one roof unless you want to live separately.”

Soon, all three of them were hugging, and Gavin was passionately kissing Sierra while he held Mercedes’ sobbing body to his chest. Fervent whispers were shared between them, and I began to cry. I was beyond ecstatic for Gavin to find his joy again. I knew it wasn’t easy for Sierra to consent to their new circumstances, but, like always, she was accepting it with grace.

Soon, Drake was pulling me into his lap and making soothing noises to me.

“I don’t want or need a room in the love shack,” Bentley joked, and I was glad to see that he was fitting into their family dynamic too. Even though Bentley and Mercedes could work their gifts independently, they were more formidable together. At the moment, Bentley seemed unwilling to move too far from his sister.It was evident that he and Gavin had formed a bromance of sorts. Gavin didn’t seem to mind his presence, and Mercedes was very close to her twin.

“I should start carrying boxes of tissues with me,” Jaxson jokingly grumbled.

“Does anyone feel like we’re on a set of a Hallmark channel movie?” Noah quipped. “Oh, I know, Linc, you should pitch this movie idea next. If all the women are crying, it must be a good one.”

A loud oomph was made before Troy laughed.“He’s not lying.”

“Are you really making fun of hormonal women?” I glared at the men.

I knew they were trying to alleviate the high emotions. In a way, I was thankful for their interjections, but I was also miffed they weren’t allowing us to have more than five minutes to be in our feels.

“My future brother-in-law can have a shack in the back of our home,” Gavin joked.

A loud disdainful snort came from behind us, and I turned to see an enraged Jemmy poised behind the couch, her arms crossed over her chest. She was fuming.

“What home?Is this just another decision made without me?”

Gavin immediately looked guilty, but before he could even stand-up, Sierra stood up and sneered at Jemmy. “You gave him an ultimatum. You wanted him to choose you over Mercedes, knowing he can’t choose between his connections.”

Jemmy looked momentarily stunned before Tracey jumped in, reminding us of her presence.

“I’m going back to the city tonight, Jemmy,” Tracey said. “You shouldn’t be any man’s second choice, let alone third. It’s just so debasing to you as a strong, beautiful female. This community ,” she wrinkled her nose in distaste, “is no better than a cult. Let me take you away from it.”

“I’ll pack my bags right now,” Jemmy said without hesitation.

“Jemmy,” Gavin pleaded with her, “can we please talk?”

Tracey stepped between Gavin and Jemmy, her lips curled up in disgust. “I think you’ve said enough. She doesn’t want to be a part of your disgusting harem.”

“Enough, Tracey,” Drake barked out. “You can stop pretending you care about us for a promotion. You already got rid of us once. What are you going to do when Jemmy’s served her purpose? Get rid of her again?

“Jemmy, you’re already going through therapy for what she did to you in the past. I know your new situation is hard to deal with, but you’re not a quitter.”

“She doesn’t want to drink the Kool-Aid, Drake.” Tracey sneered. “Frankly, it’s even more disgusting that you’re all shacking up with one girl. You’re celebrating the birth of bastard babies! None of you even know who the daddy is.”

Up to that point, I was trying to be like Switzerland and remain neutral. It wasn’t until she dared to bring my children into this that my blood pressure rose. My anger went to volcanic levels when I saw Jemmy cover her mouth to hide her laughter. I began to lean forward, and my guys were so shocked by Jemmy and Tracey that Lincoln and Drake didn’t even try to stop me.

Before I could fully get up, Miranda wrapped Tracey’s hair around her fist and began pulling down on it. If the situation wasn’t so surprising and shocking, I would have laughed. Seeing my five-foot-nothing biological mother bring a five-foot-nine woman damn near to her knees wasn’t something you saw every day.

“I know you didn’t just insult my daughter and my grandbabies,” Miranda hissed. “Keep their names out of your mouth, especially when you have no clue what you’re talking about.”

Jemmy began to scream and attempted to intervene, but Megan and Remy held her back.

“The daughter you abandoned!” Jemmy hysterically yelled.“Let her go.” She whirled on me. “Tell that bitch to let my mom go.”

“No.” I stood and unconsciously rubbed my stomach. “She’s defending me, which you should be doing. Regardless of how you feel about your relationship with Gavin, you thought it was funny for her to call your nephew and niece bastards.

“Be angry about your situation. I understand how you might not even like me all that much right now since I’ve defended Gavin. However, your brothers,” I pointed to Drake, then Jace, Jaxson, Remy, Noah, and Troy, “don’t deserve your vitriol. Even if my son or daughter isn’t Drake’s, they will be your brother’s in every way that counts. You’re going to allow your egg donor to verbally attack your innocent nephew and niece?

“Before I was taken, you apologized to me for lashing out at everyone and told me how it was due to insecurities stemming from your mother. Why would you allow that toxic woman back in your life?”

“Everyone deserves a second chance.You allowed that druggie near your siblings!At least my mom isn’t on drugs,” Jemmy spat back.

Never once did I think about defending Miranda until that moment. There was no doubt that she’d screwed up time and time again, but I knew she wasn’t that woman any longer. My guys, Pops, and Megan saw no signs of relapse in her yet. I was sure she still struggled every day, but I knew the presence of Greg, Harry, Alex, Ella, and Kade helped. They reminded her of all the things she could lose if she ever slipped up.

“She went to rehab and has a strong support system now,” I shot back. “Miranda’s been clean for the last five years.She apologized for her shortcomings. Tracey abandoned you and your brother and still feels zero remorse. She just wants to use you, and you’re allowing her too.”

Tracey finally tore herself away from Miranda.“I’m suing you.”

“Go for it,” Pops coldly stated. “I have the best lawyers on retainer. Jemmy, if you need to get away for a while, I understand. I’ll even send you someplace nice, somewhere away from your mother. She’s not someone that deserves your time any longer.”

“I’m leaving,” Jemmy snarled, helping her mother up.“ She’s the only one on my side right now.”

“Maybe you should,” Sierra wearily responded.“I love you. We love you, but clearly, you’re determined to remain on this path of self-destruction.”

“Thanks for fighting for me,” Jemmy tearily rasped.

“We can’t fight for you. I can’t fight for you if you can’t and won’t fight for yourself,” Gavin gravely responded before embracing a tearful Sierra. “You know I love you and I always will, but I’m done begging. Our whole relationship, I’ve fought for you, and I’m tired of you eviscerating me and tearing me down when times get tough.

“It takes two people to work on a relationship, and I can’t always be the one putting the work in. I know it’s hard sharing me with two other people, but after our last heart to heart, I have never made you feel less than. I have always made sure to spend more time with you than most couples have the luxury of doing so.

“I took you on dates, and even when I was supposed to spend time with Si, she often gave up some of her time to you, knowing you needed me more. There were times you would pout and sulk, knowing Sierra would cave. She always put you first. She allowed me to put you first.

“I hope the time you spend away from us puts things in perspective and you find the clarity you’re seeking. When you choose to return, I hope you understand I can’t give you one hundred percent if you’re not willing to give just as much.”

Jemmy opened and closed her mouth several times before she spun around and stormed out. This time, no one even attempted to stop or reason with her.