16. Chapter 16 #2
“Don't think about it.” My voice comes out rougher than I intend. “He's gone, and we’re all safe.”
Zach releases her and pulls out his phone. “I'm calling our lawyer. They need to know about this. We might need to get a restraining order—”
“Zach—”
“No arguments, T.” His voice is gentle but firm. “We're not taking chances with this asshole.”
Tiff nods weakly, then looks at Ella. “I should take her.”
“I've got her,” I say softly. “Let's get inside first.”
Tiff fumbles as she unlocks the door, but when it’s finally open, we file into the house.
The warm, safe interior feels like a haven after the confrontation outside.
I carry Ella straight to her room, laying her carefully in her bed and pulling the covers up over her small form.
She doesn't wake, just curls into her pillow with a contented sigh.
When I come back downstairs, Zach is on the phone with the lawyer, pacing the living room and explaining the situation in clipped tones. Tiff is sitting on the couch with her face in her hands and the baby monitor on the table next to her.
I don’t even hesitate. I need to comfort her, so I sit beside her and rest my hand on her knee, letting her know I’m here.
“Hey,” I say quietly. “You okay?”
She lets out a sound that's half laugh, half sob. “No. Not even a little bit.”
That’s when she leans into me, and I freeze for a second, but I can’t hold back when it comes to her. I wrap my arm around her, pull her into me and let her sob into my chest.
I rub her back in an attempt to calm her, feeling terrible that there was nothing I could do to make this different.
Tiff takes a deep breath before backing up to look me in the eyes.
“Thank you, Jamie. You didn’t have to do that,” she whispers.
“Yes, I did.” The words come out simple, factual. “He was threatening you, and Ella. You’ve severely misjudged my intentions if you ever think I’m going to let anyone hurt you again.”
I think that comment takes her by surprise. It surprised me too. Not because I didn’t mean it, but because I was willingly opening myself up to her again.
“But that doesn’t mean you have to fight for me.”
“Tiff.” I turn to face her fully. “You're the mother of my child. That means everything to me. I'm not going to stand by and let anyone hurt you or scare you. Not your father, not mine, not anyone. I’m here now, and if anyone wants to fuck with you, they have to go through me first.”
Her eyes fill with fresh tears, and before I can second-guess myself, I reach out and take her hand. She doesn't pull away. Instead, she rests back into my chest and lets me comfort her.
Zach ends his call and comes back into the room. He looks at our position but doesn’t comment.
“Our lawyer is looking into what we can do to keep your dad away,” he says. “We'll get this handled, Tiff. He won't bother you again.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
Zach nods once and heads toward the kitchen to open the fridge. “I’m heating up pizza,” he says. “It’s not great, but it’s food.”
Tiff shakes her head, already standing and taking the baby monitor. “I’m not hungry. I think I’m going to lie down.” She hesitates, then adds, quieter, “I’ll sleep in Ella’s room tonight.”
Thank fuck. There’s no way I want Ella on her own tonight either.
Zach doesn’t question it. “Okay. Jamie? You gotta eat.”
“Sure,” I say as he puts the slices in the microwave.
“You should stay tonight. It’s late, and after that shit—I'd feel better knowing there are two of us here if that asshole decides to come back.”
“I don’t want to impose.”
“You wouldn’t be,” Tiff adds.
“Then I’ll stay.”
She gives me a small smile before wrapping her arms around me. I hold my own away from her for a second, hating how much I like the feel of her.
She can’t be mine.
I slowly rest my hands on her back, stroking them up and down until I feel her relax.
“Thank you,” she says, muffled against my chest.
“Always.”
I kiss the top of her head as she backs away, and I so desperately want to pull her back in and kiss her fully, but I don’t. It’s not my fucking place.
“Good night,” she says quietly before turning to the steps and heading up to our daughter’s room. I watch her the entire way, wishing I could be the one to comfort her through the night.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The microwave goes off, drawing my attention back to Zach. I head into the kitchen and have a seat at the island just as Zach pushes the pizza in front of me.
“Thanks,” I say.
Zach nods, then looks at me. It’s the first time since I arrived in Hope that I don’t see hatred or contempt in his eyes. More like a grudging respect. I’ll take it.
“No. Thank you, Jamie,” he says gruffly. “For having her back out there.”
“Always will,” I reply, meaning it with every fiber of my being.
We sit and eat our pizza in a somewhat comfortable silence. I never thought I’d get to this place with Zach, but dare I say, I’m almost enjoying his company.
“So,” he says when he’s finished his final slice. “The guest room.”
“Right.”
He leads me upstairs after Tiff’s already in her room and shows me to a door at the end of the landing. “Bathroom's across the hall. Towels in the closet, and there are toothbrushes under the sink. Help yourself to whatever.”
“Thanks.” I pause. “And Zach? Thank you. For letting me stay, and for having Tiff's back all these years. You're a good guy.”
He looks uncomfortable with the praise. “Yeah, well. She's family. That's what you do.”
“Still. You took on more than most would.”
He nods once, then heads back downstairs, probably to do one more security check before bed.
I open the door to the guest room and am excited to sleep in what looks like a warm and comfortable bed. Yeah, this room definitely beats the hotel.
I take a quick shower and brush my teeth before heading back to the room in just my boxers. It’s only when I’m placing my jeans in the closet that I see frames stacked carefully on top of one another. The first picture I see is of Honey and Zach in black and white.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I start to look at the frames, one by one. To my surprise every single one has Honey in it.
Honey laughing at a football game with a ‘SM’ painted on her cheek. Honey studying in what looks like the library. Honey and Zach from prom night our senior year. Honey curled up in a bed with her dark hair spread across the pillow as she looks at whoever’s taking the photo with a smile.
The frames are ready to be hung, but they’re just sitting there. Waiting—for what?
“Fuck,” I breathe.
They really aren’t together, are they? Honey told me they broke up, but I don’t know.
I didn’t really believe it. I kind of thought they were just having an argument and she’d pop up again quickly.
There’s clearly something more going on, which sucks for The Scholarship Kid.
I can’t imagine him with anyone else—not that I’d tell him that.
I close the closet door carefully and turn back to the room, ready to sleep. There’s no point questioning their relationship when I can’t talk. I literally suggested to the girl I’m interested in go on a date with someone else.
I sink onto the bed, groaning at how good the mattress feels on my back, and then pull the blanket over me. I want to go to sleep, but something about the night feels unfinished. So I grab my phone from the nightstand and scroll for Tiff’s number, and type out:
Jamie: Your dad won't bother you again. I promise.
Her response comes almost immediately, like she's been lying awake waiting for it.
Tiff: Thank you for today. For everything. Sleep well.
I set my phone on the nightstand and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep well. Yeah, that feels impossible after the night we had.
The second I close my eyes, all I can think about is how much I want to be with Tiff and Ella right now. How being with them is the only thing that feels right, and I finally feel like I’m worth something. A first in my privileged, fucked-up life.
I fall asleep to that thought, surrounded by the evidence of Zach's heartbreak and the fragile hope that things might end differently for me.