28. Chapter 28 #2
“I'm not coming back,” I say defiantly, squaring my shoulders.
“You aren't?” My father tilts his head with almost a hint of amusement. “So you are going to let her go through years of torment just to prove you can say no to your father?”
The worst part is, I know they'd follow through with it.
Years.
I picture courtrooms I’ve never stepped into. Letters I’ll never see. Tiff sitting across from a lawyer who doesn’t care about the truth, just what sticks. Ella growing older while strangers dissect her mother’s life because of me.
My chest tightens. This is how he wins. Not all at once—but slowly. Relentlessly.
I can’t outrun him. I can’t outspend him. I can’t outlast him.
I get it now. This is exactly how he learned to survive. Trade people for security. Love for leverage.
The realization turns my stomach.
“I will not let up, Jamie,” my father adds. “I will keep pushing her until she has no choice but to leave you behind for the benefit of your daughter.”
It's at that moment that I realize just how much my father hates me. One week of happiness. That's all I'm allowed to have.
If I walk away, Tiff pays for it. If I stay, I become him.
There’s no version of this where I win. Just one where my daughter doesn’t lose.
I need to protect them, and there’s only one way I know how to do it.
“Fine,” I grit out.
“What?” My father says.
“I'll join the firm, but only on my terms.”
I hate myself for it. I'm giving them up.
Something I promised I'd never do, but it's for their safety.
For their well-being. If I can't be the father I want to be, then I need to at least make their life easier.
It's not the end. I'll still send them money and see them when I can, but I'm not going to let them go through the torture of being stuck in the Nicks-made hellhole I grew up in.
“Jamie. Stop,” Honey says, pulling me out of my misery. “You don't need to do that.”
“Uh oh,” my father says with a raised brow. “Is Hunniford pushing herself into places she doesn't belong again?”
I'm just about to speak up and defend her, but Honey takes a step forward, dropping her leather bag onto the mahogany table before leaning both of her hands against the wood.
“You're right, Mr. Nicks. That is a pesky habit of mine.”
“Honey—” her father warns, but she completely ignores it. She’s too busy glaring at my father.
“One that's helped me find out a few things I probably shouldn't know,” she says with mock innocence.
She pulls out two files I've never seen before and pushes them in front of them.
'brOADCHURCH' and 'NORTON' are printed on the front. I have no idea what they contain, or what the hell kind of power move Honey is maneuvering at the moment since she didn't mention this to me on the plane, but the way both our fathers stop talking suggests she's on to something big.
“You remember these cases?”
They stay silent.
“Guess you thought everything from it was destroyed, right? Maybe you shouldn't have put little old me in charge of it.”
“Honey, the information in those files—”
“Could what? Ruin the firm?” She scrunches her nose.
“Yeah, that's what I thought. That's why I didn't want to completely destroy them.” Her voice goes a little higher.
She's mocking them. “Thought I should keep a record in paper format and also on several different hard drives, but come to think of it, I can't really remember which hard drives I put the files on.
Who knows, they might end up somewhere they don't belong.
Might end up reported to the bar, if we're not careful.”
Wow. I'm staring at the girl I grew up with, only to realize the strong and confident woman she's become. No longer does she need me to hold her hand under the table. She's fucking flipped the table and is threatening our fathers.
Here I was ready to sacrifice myself, and then my merciless ex swoops in and blackmails them.
Where the hell did this badass come from?
My father’s jaw is tight, and he glares at Honey’s father before looking back at me. “If you don’t do this, Jamie… I’ll have issues with your grandfather. Not only that, you’ll ruin the legacy that we’ve been trying to build.”
“We haven’t been trying to build anything.
You just want the money Grandfather promised you.
It has nothing to do with me, or my happiness.
It never has. The only reason you bought me in the first place was because of your selfish need to prove yourself to a father who only cares about what you can do for him.
I’m not playing that game anymore. I’m fucking breaking the cycle. ”
Honey takes in a sharp breath. The room goes quiet. Guess Honey isn’t the only badass in the room.
“Drop any current and future legal proceedings against Tiffany Bright and I’ll make sure to find those pesky USB files that went missing,” Honey says, almost casually. “If you don’t by the end of the week, well, I guess we’ll find out on Monday what happens.”
Our fathers don’t say anything, but shit, whatever Honey has in those files must be worth keeping a secret if they’re conceding.
We start to back out of the room, but just before we leave, Honey turns. “Oh, and by the way, if you haven’t figured it out yet, consider this conversation my resignation. Find some other chumps to fulfill your half-assed legacies. We’re not in the fucking dark ages anymore.”
“Jamie.” My father's voice stops me.
I look back.
“If you walk out that door—if you choose them over us—I won’t be able to protect you.” I stop for a beat, turning. “You’ll lose all your privileges of being a Nicks.”
“And what privileges are those?”
“Money, access, a career. You’ll have everything you ever dreamed of if you stay. I’ll make sure of it.”
Everything I’ve ever dreamed of…
For a moment, I almost let myself picture it—the money back in my bank account, the protection, the ease of a life in privilege where nothing is ever denied to me.
But I see the trick.
He isn’t offering me everything—I already know the cost, and I won’t pay for it with my daughter’s future.
“Funny,” I say, watching my father coldly. “I already had all that, and I’d rather walk away than let my daughter grow up thinking this is all her father is.”
He scoffs. “You really think this is about money?”
“No,” I say. “It’s about you needing me to stay useful long enough for Grandfather to sign the check.”
I give him nothing else. Not another glance, or another word.
I just take Honey’s hand, and we leave.
When the door closes behind us, we know it’s the last time.
My entire body is shaking from adrenaline and fear as we walk through the hallway to the elevator. It’s only when the doors to the elevator shut that we dare to look at each other.
“Holy shit,” Honey breathes with a wide smile across her face. I get it. I know the feeling.
Freedom.
No ties. No legacy to fulfill.
Just us.
She glances up at me, and asks, “Did we actually do that?”
“No.” I lean against the wall, my legs barely holding me. “We didn’t. You did. I was ready to crawl back and beg.”
“No, you weren't.” She looks at me, and there are tears in her eyes. “You were ready to sacrifice everything for two people who are more important to you than anything else in this world. I just gave you an out.”
“They're going to fight back,” I say. “Find some loophole, some way to—”
“Let them try.” Her jaw sets. “I have enough evidence to bury them ten times over. They know it. That's why they barely fought back. Bet they never thought little Hunniford would have the balls to stand up to them for once.”
When we’re finally outside, I'm hit with fresh air that feels like the first real breath I've taken in hours.
“Well, well.” Asher's voice drawls from beside his sleek, black car. He dips his sunglasses down to take us in. “Look who survived. with myself that they'd kill you.”
“Maybe we should've let them,” Honey mutters, stalking toward the car. “Then I wouldn't have to suffer through another four-hour flight with you.”
Asher laughs, pushing off the car to open the back door. “Aww, come on. I know I’m not as hot as your quarterback boyfriend, but I have my strengths.”
“HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!” Honey shrieks from inside the car, and I can see her face has gone bright red.
Asher's grin widens. “Works every time.” He gestures to the open door. “Come on, man. Let's get you home.”
Home.
My home.
Finally.
I hesitate. “You sure? We can grab a commercial flight—”
“And use the last few dollars you have left? Please.” Asher shakes his head. “Get in. Besides, someone needs to protect me since I doubt Honey and I are about to turn this into an enemies-to-lovers thing.” He jerks his thumb toward the car where Honey is already glaring at him through the window.
I climb into the back seat next to Honey, and Asher slides into the front passenger seat while his driver pulls away from the curb.
“So,” Asher says, turning around to look at us over the seat. “How badly did you destroy them?”
“Completely,” Honey says with grim satisfaction.
“That's my girl.” Asher grins. “Though, I still think you should've let me come up with you. I would've loved to see their faces.”
“You would’ve made us lose,” Honey mutters. “In the same way you lost the only girl you have any real interest in.”
Asher takes in a sharp breath. “Damn, you know how to hit someone hard, don’t you?”
My phone buzzes, and I pull it out to see a text from Tiff.
Tiff: Please tell me you're okay. Please tell me you're coming back.
Finally, I can respond to her and not feel like I’m lying. My hands shake as I type.
Jamie: I'm okay. I'm coming home. Should be there in a few hours. I love you so much.
Her response is immediate.
Tiff: We'll be waiting. Ella's been asking for you all day.
I stare at the message. The adrenaline has started to go, and I’m hit with an overwhelming feeling of happiness. I don’t have to let them go. I can be with them for as long as they’ll have me.
“You good?” Honey asks softly.
“Yeah.” I look up at her. “Thanks to you.”
She shakes her head. “We did it together.”
Silence settles between us.
Honey stares out the window, and I realize neither of us is smiling anymore. The adrenaline has burned off, leaving this raw feeling in my chest behind.
“I don’t know who I am without all of that,” she admits softly.
The honesty hits me straight in the heart because it mirrors exactly what I’m feeling.
“Yeah,” I say. “Me neither.”
I knock her shoulder, giving her a wry smile. “At least we get to pick what’s next for us. Not them.”
With tears welling in her eyes, she gives me a small smile back before focusing her attention on her still shaking hands.
I knock her shoulder again.
“Also,” I add, “I like us better like this—unmarried and not resenting each other, even if I still have a lot of shit to make up for.”
“Just make her happy, Jamie. Make this worth it.”
“I will. I promise.”
The words matter more than any vow ever could, because they’re the first promise I’ve ever made as the man my daughter deserves.
Asher interjects from the front, “I think this calls for celebration. I've got a very nice bottle of scotch on the plane—”
“Aren’t you just eighteen?” Honey asks.
“Your point? We’ll be in the air. No one’s going to check.”
She answers with a muffled grumble of annoyance, one that reminds me so much of Zach, it’s a little eerie.
“Suit yourself.” Asher shrugs. “More for me and Jamie.”
“I'm good,” I say. “I just want to get home.”
Asher studies me for a moment, then nods. “Fair enough. So what's the plan now? You gonna lawyer somewhere else?”
“I don't know.” The admission should scare me more than it does. “Maybe. Or maybe I'll do something completely different.”
“Like what?”
“I have no idea.” I laugh, and it sounds almost hysterical. “I have no money, no job prospects, no family name to fall back on. I'm starting from zero.”
“Not zero,” Honey says firmly. “You have Tiff. You have Ella. You have us.” She gestures between herself and Asher. “That's not nothing.”
“You’re right. It's everything,” I correct quietly.
My phone buzzes again.
Tiff: Ella wants to know if you will come watch Zach in his game tomorrow. It’s kind of a tradition to go to all his home games.
I smile. This is my life now, and I’m so fucking happy about it.
Tiff, and my daughter.
Yeah, I’m here for the long haul and no one can stop me.
Jamie: Tell her I wouldn’t miss it for the world.