Chapter 8 - Jade
I scanned the ground looking for various plants to bring back home. We were running low on herbs, and I could only hope I would get lucky like the last time and find something to sell. Previously, I had managed to sell several items at the market, which allowed me to buy extra meat.
I continued to walk, taking in the vegetation. I walked through different parts of the woods, trying to learn where certain plants grew. I knew that near the library, there was a ton of wild blueberries and raspberries, but they were getting pretty thin when I was there.
I knew that there was prickly lettuce around here, and occasionally I could find wild spinach. I froze when I spotted a huckleberry bush ahead of me, and it looked full. I smiled, hurrying my step as I walked closer to it.
The bush was plump with berries, so I started popping them into my net bag. I popped a few into my mouth, allowing the flavor to fill my mouth.
I picked enough to fill the bag and moved further into the woods. I managed to pick enough to make a small salad, and Ilsa was going to love the berries.
I was moving past a large bush when someone stepped into my way. My body slammed into it, and everything I had picked fell out of my grasp. I tumbled backward, but an arm wrapped around me, catching me before I could fumble back into the bush.
My eyes widened as I stared at Brandon. He held me closely, seeming a little surprised to startle me as easily as he had. Once my feet were settled, he took a step back. “What are you doing?” he asked calmly.
“What are you doing?” I snipped back. “You scared the shit out of me! You should know better than to sneak up on people.”
I looked down at the berries that had now scattered across the ground. I frowned, knowing picking them up was going to be a pain in the ass. Brandon took a step back, and I watched him step on the lettuce, bruising it under his feet..
I looked back up at him and crossed my arms. Brandon looked at me, just as irritated. “You shouldn’t be out here alone, Jade. It’s not safe.”
I gave him a confused look. What exactly did I need to fear in the woods? It was our land. The only people I came around were people from the pack, and normally, I was good at avoiding them.
“Oh, please. Don’t you have more important things to worry about besides me walking in the woods? Which, by the way, everyone does. I’m in our pack borders, and I’m not straying out.”
“You can’t shift, and you know you have no way of actually protecting yourselves.”
I rolled my eyes and tried to just brush him off. I didn’t understand what was making him so worried. I bent down, grabbing my bag off the ground. “If you’re done scolding me, I have stuff to do. So, you can go jump someone else.”
He moved again, and I watched a berry burst under his foot. I frowned, thinking of how much Ilsa would have loved it.
I started picking the berries I could see, knowing I wasn’t going to have as many as I had before. Brandon tilted his head. “What are you doing out here anyway?”
“I’m just foraging. Is it that big of a deal?”
Brandon scowled. “Why? I don’t understand why you would find the need to. Just go to the store and buy what you need.”
I walked past him, bending down and grabbing some of the lettuce. I frowned, knowing I couldn’t sell it. It was too bruised.
“Jade, answer the question.”
I grumbled as I tried to pick the rest of the vegetation that I could. My mind instantly thought of what money I would have earned, and I questioned what I was going to do now.
“Jade, are you listening?”
I sighed as I pulled myself up and stared at him. I didn’t see the point in lying since he was likely going to catch me doing this again or continue to ask me questions until I told him.
“I sell what I don’t want at the market to local vendors, depending on what I have and the time of year.”
Brandon scowled. “Don’t you have a job?”
I felt my eyebrows go up, and I crossed my arms. “Yes, I have a job, Brandon. But the money only goes so far. Raising a child is expensive. Extra bills pop up, and suddenly I’m unable to pay everything. Ilsa was sick over the winter, and I still have some medical bills to pay. This helps.”
Brandon went still, and I figured he would stop questioning me. So, I looked back at the ground, trying to see if I could see anything else.
“Are you telling me that neither of our parents helped you? Neither stepped in to give you money? Offered you a hand when you need it?”
I stiffened, realizing what I’d revealed. I had made it appear before that I had help, which hadn’t been true. I swallowed, picking at a few more berries I found. “I didn’t say that,” I whispered, feeling my voice hardly came out.
“Then what exactly are you saying? Because from what you just said…”
I pulled myself back up, trying to think of a quick response. “I’m the mom. So, it’s my responsibility to raise Ilsa.”
I watched Brandon’s face shift. “Are you kidding me right now? You’re out here picking plants to sell to make ends meet, and our parents are both living in luxurious houses? Is this why you wouldn’t let me see your apartment? You didn’t want me to see the state you guys lived in?”
I felt both angry and insulted at the same time. “Are you saying I didn’t do a good enough job raising her?”
Brandon shook his head. “That is not what I’m saying, Jade! I’m saying you’re out here trying to figure out how you’re going to do this, and neither of our parents stepped in? Neither of them offered to house you while you figured things out? What happened when I left?”
“Why do you care?” I snapped back. “You left.”
We both fell silent, and he ran a hand over his face. I watched him move, and I swallowed as I took in the way his shirt clung to him tightly.
“I just…Jade, it’s not just you anymore. I’m here, so let me understand. Let me help. I’ll cover the bills for now on. Put all your money away or pay off whatever debt you have.”
I quickly shook my head at him. “No, that’s not fair. I’m not going to have you start paying all of the bills.”
“You’ve been doing it for three years,” he said. “And this isn’t about fair. This is about me contributing to Ilsa. She’s my child, too. I want to care for her.”
I shook my head. “I understand that, but you can’t pay for everything. That’s… I’m not doing that.”
“Jade, you have quite literally run yours into the ground.”
“Insulting how I look is not going to get this conversation anywhere you want it to go,” I grumbled. I knew that I looked different from before. I had spent less time caring about my appearance and more time focusing on everything I needed to accomplish that day.
“I’m not insulting you.”
“Well, you’re not complimenting me,” I said.
Brandon rubbed a hand over his face. “My point is, you’ve worked so hard to provide for Ilsa. Let me help. Let me take care of it.”
The thought was tempting, but I knew better. It wouldn’t be fair to put the burden of everything onto Brandon. He had a house that was expensive to maintain, buying food wasn’t cheap, and daycare was sometimes highway robbery.
“Half,” I said. “You can pay for half. That’s fair.”
Brandon scowled. “That’s not fair.”
“It is, you have the house payment. I imagine that’s pretty hefty.”
Brandon took a step closer to me. “I get paid well, so don’t worry about what money I do or don’t have.”
I swallowed, taking in his strong, firm frame. I wanted to be disgusted, but I couldn’t. I inhaled his scent and felt my body heat at the close contact. I hated how my body reacted all these years later.
“Half is fair, Brandon. I’m not a charity case. Do not treat me like I don’t know how to handle things. I’ve done just fine taking care of myself and our daughter.”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
“That’s what it feels like,” I snapped back. “I struggled, but I made it work. She is happy and healthy. That is what matters the most.”
“And what about your needs?” he asked, tilting his head at me. I hated how he was looking at me, the way he had such a concerning look. It confused me. Why did he care? He was the one who left.
“They come last,” I stated. “She will always come first.”
“Well, that’s not happening anymore,” he said simply. “You and I have to work as a team for this to work.”
I knew that. I knew that we needed to get along. I knew that we were now living under the same roof and that it made sense to split the costs.
“This is new,” I sighed. “And this is going to take work.” I waved a hand between us. “Give me time.”
Brandon smiled, and it made my heart skip a beat. “I know. We will learn together.”