Chapter 20 #2
He doesn’t look at her, eyes fixed on me. “How could you let this happen, Tyler? You’re old enough to know better. You all are. And you”—he gestures at Alexander—“were supposed to look out for her, not—” His voice cracks, fury and betrayal clear.
The room is thick with everything we can’t say. My chest feels like it’s full of broken glass. I want to defend what we have, what Mia means to us, but nothing I can say will sound right. Not to him. Not now.
Jarrod paces, raking a hand through his hair. “This ends here. Whatever’s going on between you three and my daughter—it ends. Tonight. Do you understand me?”
No one answers. Not Marcus. Not Alexander. Not me.
But Mia’s grip tightens on Alexander’s hand, defiant, and I can see her pain. “You don’t get to talk to me like I’m a kid,” she says, her voice shaking with anger and hurt. “You weren’t here for any of this, Dad. You don’t know what it’s been like.”
Jarrod rounds on her, his eyes wide. “And whose fault is that, Mia? If you’d called me instead of sneaking around with men twice your age—”
She cuts him off, voice rising. “Don’t you dare make this about them. This is about Jason. About Sarah. I was trying to help, and you’re too busy being furious to even ask why!”
Jarrod’s face turns red. “I don’t care what your intentions were. What matters is what you did! You made a scene, you humiliated yourself and your family, and now you’re, what…” He shudders, not able to complete the rest of the sentence.
Mia’s free hand is clenched at her side. “I made mistakes, but at least I was here! You want to know why I’m so close to all of them? Because they were the only ones who ever actually listened to me. You think I wanted things to be like this?”
“All of them?” he says, turning to face me and my brothers.
I swallow. Fuck, this isn’t how I planned on Jarrod finding out that she’s with all three of us.
Hell, I never wanted him to find out at all—certainly not like this, in the middle of a fight, with Mia this upset.
My brain reels with images of his shock, his rage, what it will do to his trust, to our friendship, if he realizes she’s with not just me but all three of us.
It’s surreal. I know there’s no way he could ever understand it.
Not Jarrod. Not with how much he loves her and how much history we all share.
I try to step in, voice low, hoping to defuse the explosion before it can start. “Jarrod, look, Mia’s had a rough few days, and we—”
But he cuts me off, barking, “Stay out of this, Tyler. I’m talking to my daughter.”
Mia’s cheeks are flushed, eyes brimming with emotion. “Don’t talk to me like I’m a child. I make my own decisions—”
I lift my hands, trying to calm things down. “Look, everyone’s upset. Let’s just—”
“Stay out of it!” Mia and Jarrod shout at the same time, both rounding on me, unified for the first time all evening.
Jarrod turns back to Mia. “You think I haven’t given up enough? I brought this wedding here for Sarah because I thought it would make you both happy, Mia! I wanted you surrounded by family. I wanted to give you girls the perfect start.”
Mia’s voice shakes. “You keep saying that, but you never asked me what I wanted. You just assumed—”
“I assumed because I’m your father! It’s my job to make things right for you. To fix things before you even know they’re broken.” He throws a look at Marcus and Alexander. “I trusted these men to look out for you, to respect you. Instead, you end up in the middle of a scandal—”
“And what about Jason?” Mia interrupts, wiping her eyes. “You like him so much, Dad? He’s the reason all of this started. He’s the one tearing Sarah and me apart!”
Jarrod’s face goes dark. “I never trusted Jason, Mia. Not for a second. But Sarah loves him, and I tried to give her what she wanted. I tried to make the best of it for both of you.” He sighs, exhausted, his voice almost pleading now.
“I just wanted my little girl to be happy. That’s all.
That’s all I ever wanted for either of you. ”
He pulls Mia into a rough hug. She clings to him, shoulders shaking. “I know you want what’s best,” she whispers, her face rising from the crook of her father’s arm to look at me.
She gives me a look, and I give her a small smile.
Fuck, I’m falling for this girl. Falling hard.
Jarrod lets her go, anger wrestling on his face again as he glances between me, my brothers, and his daughter. He pulls back, eyes narrowing.
“I don’t know what the fuck is going on here, but this stops now,” he says, gesturing between us and Mia.
The words gut me. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Mia recoils, tears starting up again. “No, Dad, that’s not what—”
“Don’t. Don’t defend them. Don’t defend any of this.
” Jarrod’s glare pierces me, my old friend now just a furious father.
For a second, I can’t even breathe. I want to protest, to tell him that I would never hurt Mia, but nothing comes out.
He’s staring at me like he doesn’t even recognize me—like I’m just another threat, another disappointment.
I want to reach for her, but my hands stay at my sides, useless.
Mia sobs, her words tumbling out. “Dad, I love you, but you don’t get to choose for me. Not anymore.”
“Watch me,” Jarrod growls. “Because if you can’t see what’s wrong here, I will.”
I try to say something, to defend myself, but the words catch in my throat. “Jarrod, it’s not—”
But Alexander is suddenly there, stepping between us. He puts a firm hand on my chest and pulls me back. Marcus moves to my other side, both of them bristling with tension, their eyes hard as they face Jarrod. I can feel my pulse hammering in my ears.
“We get it,” Alexander says, his voice clipped, all the warmth gone. He gives me a look that’s full of both warning and regret. “Let’s go, Tyler.”
I look back at Mia, her eyes shining with tears, her lips parted like she wants to beg me to stay. For a heartbeat, I almost refuse, almost push past Alexander, but Marcus grips my arm and steers me away.
“Goodbye, Mia,” Alexander says over his shoulder, his voice flat, defeated.
The finality of it hits me like ice water. I let them pull me out, barely able to breathe, my whole body shaking with the effort not to look back. The last thing I see is Mia, standing small and alone in the middle of the lounge.