Chapter Twenty-Three Family Drama
JAYCE
Standing in the locker room after practice, I’m pulling a t-shirt over my head, just finishing getting dressed, when Jensen suddenly exclaims, “Holy shit! Jayce! Check your phone.”
Frowning, I look over at him and find him staring down at his own phone, wide-eyed as he scrolls frantically through whatever has stunned him.
I feel a coil of dread form in my stomach as I dig my phone out of my locker.
God, what now? My mind briefly wonders if something has happened in my family, especially when I see I have a ton of messages from everyone from our company’s PR manager to my sister.
What the fuck?
Sinking onto the bench in front of my locker, I open Hallie’s messages first, honestly trusting her to have more information than anyone else.
Hallie: Jayce! WTF? What is Ryan trying to do? Is he out of his mind?
Her message has several images attached—screenshots from media sites and social media—and as I look through them, I immediately recognize them as the pictures his PI took of me that he dropped on the family in the middle of that awful dinner weeks ago.
To quote Hallie: What the fuck?
Hallie: Thank God for Sutton! She saved your ass!
What? What did Sutton do?
Hallie’s sent me a video on top of everything else, and when I click on it, Sutton’s face comes onto the screen.
She looks gorgeous, poised, and completely confident as she speaks.
Turning from my locker, I make my way to the nearest bench and slowly sink down onto it as I watch her start to speak.
Her statement is short and to the point, but within just a few moments, she totally undermines the credibility of the pictures and eviscerates the person who leaked them.
“Dude, Sutton’s a total badass,” Carson murmurs, his voice right next to my ear.
With a start, I look up and realize that the guys have gathered around me and are watching the video as well. They all look impressed, and Wilder gives my shoulder a nudge.
“That’s a good woman right there,” he says. “A ride or die.”
I look back down at the screen and slowly nod. “Yeah…yeah, she is.”
“Her statement is all over the place,” Jensen declares, showing me his phone. “News outlets are even showing it. It’s completely overwhelming the pictures and people are singing your and Sutton’s praises. There’s even a hashtag trending.”
I frown when he points to the screen and I see #Jaytton4Eva.
“Oh, you’ve got a couple name,” Carson chuckles. “That means you’re gonna go the distance.”
I ignore him because my mind is buzzing.
I’m torn between awe and gratitude toward Sutton for running such immediate and thorough damage control, and rage at Ryan for leaking these pictures in the first place.
How big of an idiot is he? Leaking pictures he already showed our family?
Of course there’s no message from him, the fucking coward.
I need to deal with him right away and make sure he doesn’t pull this kind of shit ever again.
It’s one thing when he tries to make me look bad in front of our family, but this isn’t just about me.
This is putting Sutton in the line of fire as well, and he’s not going to fucking get away with that.
A text suddenly comes in from my grandfather.
Grandfather: You have an amazing woman there, my boy. Don’t worry about your brother. I’ll take care of him. Just focus on your incredible fiancee for the time being.
Gritting my teeth, I give my head a sharp shake. I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ll definitely be handling Ryan myself.
I stand up, dispersing the other guys and making them scatter like startled seagulls.
I want to leave and find Sutton, but I know I need to hunt down Ryan first and make sure he regrets pulling this shit.
Still, I need to reach out to Sutton to assure her I’m aware of the situation, and to thank her for cleaning up the mess.
I’m still so amazed by her and I have no idea how I’ll possibly show her my gratitude.
I don’t think I’ve ever had someone go out on such a limb for me before…
she could have easily played into the situation.
Used it as a reason to end the engagement, but she didn’t. She stood up for me. Protected me.
It’s fucking humbling. Sucking in a deep breath, I pull up Sutton’s number and send her a text.
Jayce: Hey, I’m done with practice. I’ve seen the pictures already, and I just want you to know my brother’s the one who leaked them.
He had them taken before we even met at the gala and tried to use them against me before.
Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him, but thank you for what you did.
I saw your video and you were amazing. I owe you, and I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.
Once I send the message, I tuck my phone away and grab my jacket out of my locker.
“Where you going, Jayce?” Owen asks with a furrowed brow as he watches me walk with purposeful steps toward the door.
“I’ve got something I need to handle,” I growl without looking back. “I’ll see you all later.”
Ryan still lives at home, so I drive straight to my parents’ place. I park in the driveway and jump out of the car, rushing up to the front door. Without bothering to knock, I burst into the house.
“Ryan!” I bellow once I’m in the entryway. “Where the fuck are you?”
I’m met with silence. Is anybody home? If he’s not here, I’ll scour the whole city to find him and beat his weasley little ass…
“What the hell, Jayce? What are you doing here?”
I snap my head up and spot Ryan standing on the second floor landing at the top of the staircase. He’s gripping the wooden railing, glaring down at me.
Gritting my teeth, I rush to the stairs and take them two at a time to get to him.
His eyes go wide as I draw near and he stumbles back. “Stay away from me! Mom and Dad will be home soon, so don’t lay a goddamn hand on me…”
I don’t stop and I don’t hesitate, pulling my fist back and slamming it into his face. He lets out a pain filled cry and nearly loses his footing, but he’s more solidly built than he looks and stays standing.
“What the fuck?” he shouts, cupping his jaw.
“The hell kind of stunt was that?” I demand to know. “Releasing those pictures on social media? Are you out of your fucking mind?”
His eyes narrow and he hisses, “I need to make the world see you for who you really are.”
“Are you serious?” This petty little prick. “You try to sabotage my reputation and humiliate my fiancee, and that’s the best you got? You sound like a basement-dwelling bitch boy.”
He snarls like a rabid dog and shoves a finger into my chest, tears welling up in his eyes.
“Mom, Dad, and Grandfather won’t listen to me about you!
I was sure releasing the photos would make them realize how unfit you are to run the company.
But, of course, it didn’t work! The family golden boy always gets what he wants, no matter how much of a fuck-up he really is. ”
I smack his finger away and shake my head.
“Why are you going after me this hard? You’re my fucking brother!
It’s not like I was planning on pushing you out of the company once I took over.
Can you honestly tell me you even want to be CEO?
You hate responsibility, so why shoulder the brunt of it all and not just continue mooching off everyone else’s hard work? ”
He jerks his gaze from me as he growls, “It’s none of your fucking business…”
I grab the front of his shirt with one hand and pull my other hand back into a fist, ready to punch the truth out of him if I have to. Before I get that far, though, he throws up his hands, his eyes going wide and momentarily flashing with fear.
“All right, fuck!” he shouts. “I’ll tell you, just let me go!”
It takes me a moment, because I really want to hit him again, but I slowly lower my hand and release his shirt. He looks away, awkwardly smoothing out his collar and clearing his throat.
“There’s…there’s a woman,” he mumbles.
My jaw drops. “What?”
Releasing a long, exasperated sigh, he confesses, “I’ve fallen in love with someone. She’s a supermodel, so has high expectations, and will only date me if I’m first in line to inherit the company.”
I stare at him, stunned. That’s it? That’s the reason? Is he fucking kidding me?
Disappointment washes through me, and suddenly, I’m not angry anymore. I’m just disgusted.
“Seriously?” I scowl at him. “You’re doing all this to try and impress a woman too shallow to date you as you are? Don’t you have any self respect?”
Ryan has the audacity to look affronted. “It’s not like we have any good role models in regards to relationships. Marriage is a transaction for us. That’s what we’ve grown up knowing. You can’t suddenly be pissed at me when I act upon that idea.”
Goddamn it, I can’t argue that point. Mom and Dad have basically set us both up for failure when it comes to finding healthy, balanced relationships. Shit, I had the exact same mindset as Ryan…before Sutton.
Thinking about what she’s done for me, though, it’s becoming more and more obvious that our way of thinking about relationships is actually pretty fucked up. Not everyone is like our parents, focused solely on their own greed and materialistic desires.
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” I say, holding Ryan’s gaze. “Sutton isn’t with me for my money. Shit, after what she did for me today, she’s proving to me just how fucked up Mom and Dad have made us.”
Ryan frowns, his skepticism clear. “Do you even actually love her? Or is she just another shield for you to hide behind?”
The questions hit me like physical blows, but I don’t answer him. It’s clear I won’t be convincing him of anything with a single conversation. Still, I really don’t want this feud between us to continue because there’s really no point when it comes down to the bare bones of things.
For a moment, I think back to when we were kids again. When he looked up to me, and I would do anything to protect him. Is it even possible for us to have a relationship like that again? To not be constantly at each other’s throats? To actually be close and have a genuine connection?
I don’t know, but I’m so tired of fighting with him. I just want it to end.
“Look, Ryan,” I sigh, shaking my head. “I’m not your enemy, and I don’t want to fuck you over, but you better come clean to Mom, Dad, and Grandfather before I have to point out the obvious.
You showed them those pictures before, and they’ll see I didn’t do anything to embarrass the family since then. ”
Ryan’s face drains of color, but he doesn’t say anything. That’s fine. I don’t really need to hear anymore of his pathetic bullshit anyway.
Turning, I walk away from him and make my way down the stairs and back out the front door. I get back in my car and take off, shooting Sutton another quick text as I leave.
Jayce: I’m heading home. Meet me there.
She hasn’t responded to my text from earlier, which has a knot of worry forming in my stomach.
Is she okay? Thinking of Ryan’s words, I feel a weight of guilt pressing down on me.
I’ve put her through so much because of my fucked-up mindset, and she’s been so selfless toward me, jumping to my defense without hesitation.
When my phone suddenly buzzes, my heart leaps and I look, hoping it’s Sutton. I feel a small stab of disappointment when I see it’s the guys.
Wilder: Jayce, you good, man?
Jensen: Looks like the heat really has passed on those photos. All anyone’s talking about is Sutton’s response.
Carson: Shitshow dodged!
Owen: Have you seen Sutton yet?
I quickly respond to assuage their worries.
Jayce: On my way to meet her now. All good on this end. I’ll keep you guys posted.
Silencing my phone, I throw it onto the passenger seat next to me.
As I drive and still receive no response from her, a new fear pops into my head, and I can’t help but wonder if I’ve fucked this up beyond repair.