Page 132 of After All This Time

"She backed me into a corner, and I wasn't willing to lie about how I feel."

Jen's brows shoot up, hitting her hairline. "Wait, she knew?"

"She knew I wasn't on the couch at two a.m. when she got up to get a glass of water."

"Oh, please don't tell me you actually told her what you were doing with her daughter attwo a.m."

"Of course not!" I throw my hands up. "I just told her that sometimes Amelia and I sleep in the same bed.Jesus, you should've seen her face when I said that."

"Well, yeah," Jen interjects. "Without context, that sounds… uh, a little weird."

"Which is why I told her I'm falling for her daughter, and yeah, it's complicated as fuck, but I want to pursue this without having to hide it."

Jen's lips part, and she reaches across, gripping my arm supportively. "You actually said that?"

"Word for word," I murmur, slumping further into the couch, wishing it would swallow me whole. "Then she just stared at me like I'd grown a second head."

"What did she say?"

"What didn't she say would be faster?" I let my head fall back against the couch, my eyes tracing the shadows on the ceiling.

"Tobias, come on. She's in your head," Jen says softly.

"She said I've disgraced the whole familyby taking advantage of her daughter." I let out a humorless laugh. The words taste likepoison, but they're easier to say out loud than I thought they'd be. "That she wishes she'd never defended me to my father because I'm the selfish asshole he's always said I was. Then she brought up my mom. Said I should remember what it feels like when someone walks away, and if I don't end this now, the whole family's gonna make damn sure I know that feeling again."

"Thatdisgustingpiece of work!" Jen snaps, grabbing my hand. It's rare for her to be this affectionate, but I don't pull away. Because right now? I really need it.

"I couldn't give less of a shit about her opinion. But then she hit me where it hurts." My throat tightens as I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "She said that once Amelia's career takes off, she'll travel the world, and I'll be left without heranyway. And if I don't let her go, I'll hold her back and make her feel like she has to choose between me and her dreams. That's the part that fucked me up."

"Why does there have to be a choice?"

"There doesn't, Jennifer," I admit, but the words come out flat, lifeless. "I'd do anything to help her succeed. Move mountains, burn bridges, whatever it takes. But I know her. If I tell her how deep this goes—how much I—" I stop myself, shaking my head. "She won't want to leave. She'll think she's abandoning me, and I can't let that happen."

"That choice has to be hers, Tobias," Jen says, her voice softer now, but her words still carry weight. And she's right. Of course, she's right.

I nod, but the tension in my chest only tightens. The longer I sit here, the more I regret letting Amelia leave this morning. Kayla's words got into my head and twisted me up, and now I'm spinning, trying to figure out how to fix it.

"I should've just kept my mouth shut."

"You're not built for silence, man. And why the hell should you be? Because some manipulative bitch decided to twist the knife? Fuck that."

"I just can't believe you're in love.I told you it would happen to you one day, and what did you say?"

"I said I'd allow you to say, 'I told you so,' Jennifer." I give her my bestfuck-offsmile, and she mirrors it back, returning one of her own.

"Well." She crosses her legs and props her chin on her fist like the smug little shit she is. "I'm not going to say it. Because I actually like Amelia, which is shocking considering she chose your train wreck of a personality to fall for, but she's a nice addition to our little family."

"Well, right now, she's with her mom."

"You think she'll tell her?" Jen asks.

"Not a chance. She's too determined for us not to be the stepsiblings who hooked up and ruined the pristine family name, giving everyone in their circle of rich asshole friends something to lose their minds about over martinis. God forbid we give those soul-sucking social climbers something real to talk about between facelifts."

"Where is he?"

I hear Tessa's voice before I see her.

One second, I'm sitting beside Jen… the next, I'm on my feet, pulling her into a hug.

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