Page 50 of My Fiancé's Brother 2

“When you came back from New York for your arbitration review you told me that we were going to sit down and talk about our future. You told me that we were going to have a fresh start.”

The day after I had found out I was pregnant, Jackson had come back to Virginia. Everything was different when he got back from that trip. He came back different. He had told me to marry Matt after making it clear that he didn’t want the same things as I did. He had been resolute about ending things with me. Now I know why.

She was standing in front of me.

I had ruined his plans by telling him that I was pregnant. I instinctively put my hand on my stomach and stepped back. Poor Alien. Such a traumatic, unwelcome start to this world.

Jackson’s eyes narrowed, and I felt his fingers wrap around my arm, holding me in place. Her eyes went wide as she observed his possessive action.

She took a step towards me. “That should be me wearing that fucking ring.”

“Harper. Come on.” Jackson’s voice sounded terse.

Her voice escalated five notches. “You married her? That should be me. You know it should be. You said that it'd happen if I were patient with you. You told me that you needed time and so I gave you time. I was patient. I was so fucking patient.”

“Do you want to talk about this here?”

She yelled. “Three fucking years. I gave you three years of my life, and she comes along, and you marry her in three months? How does that even happen? She stole you from me. She stole my life. She has everything to do with this.”

“Leave her out of this,” Jackson’s voice cut through her tears with force.

Brown eyes turned to me, a mixture of hatred and pain. “Fuck you.”

Then she turned around and walked down the aisle and disappeared. I looked up at Jackson. He was radiating energy, but I couldn’t read what he was thinking. He felt like a coiled spring, all wound up and tight.

Avoiding my eyes, he rolled his shoulders. “Come on. Let’s shop.”

I could feel how hot my face was. I wanted to walk out of this store. I wanted to walk out of this marriage, walk out of this life and never look back. This was a nightmare of epic proportions.

We started to shop again, this time in silence. All the playful teasing and joy had disappeared. I tried to get a feel for what Jackson was thinking or feeling after that exchange, but he was completely closed off. Stoic. In control. I was no longer grocery shopping with Jackson. I was grocery shopping with a Navy SEAL who was focused on getting the job done. I didn’t even care what we were putting in the cart. I just trailed after him, lost in my thoughts.

Harper. Despite her tears and emotions, she had been incredibly beautiful. Tall and blonde. Athletic. Exactly the kind of woman Matt told me he preferred. I tried to wrap my mind around the fact that Jackson had dated her for three years.

I stopped in my tracks remembering her words. The week that Jackson had returned to Virginia he had told her he wanted to discuss a fresh start. Could this get any worse? What was I doing here?

He looked over his shoulder at me. Assessing me. Something close to frustration flashed in his eyes. His annoyance probably stemmed from the fact that he would rather be with her and instead, he had me meekly trailing after him. I dropped my eyes, not wanting him to see how destroyed I felt at this moment.

Without saying anything, he pushed the cart to the checkout and started unloading the groceries onto the conveyor belt.

“Oh my God, how young is she?”

“He left Harper so he could marry her?”

I could hear the whispers around me. My face was on fire.

“Can I help?” I asked Jackson in a small voice.

He glanced at me and ignored my question while he continued to unload the cart. I watched as he started to bag the groceries. When the clerk rang up the total, I fumbled in my purse for my wallet.

He scowled at me. “Don’t.”

My face burned hot while he took out his card and paid.

He loaded up the truck and then we just sat there in the truck, neither of us moving. If I didn’t have Jackson’s child growing inside of me, I would already be on my way back to New York. Instead, I felt vaguely trapped and unsure of my next steps.

“Jackson,” I started, unsure what to say or how to say it.

He glanced over at me, something dangerous in his gaze. “Not right now.”

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