Page 111 of The Jack*ss in Class

“Trixie? What are you doing here?”

Trixie laughed, stepping forward to give Tempest a hug that seemed to surprise her. “I guess I never mentioned that my fiancé is the quarterback for the Mustangs.”

“You didn’t,” Tempest confirmed, looking between them with new understanding.

“And I didn’t mention that I run a plus-size book club that meets right here,” Trixie added with a significant look that made Tempest blush. “A club that happens tobe very enthusiastic about a certain sports romance series.”

Before Tempest could process this, we were surrounded. Hayes and Willa arrived with drinks, Everett dragged Penelope over for introductions, and Dad clapped a hand on my shoulder, giving me a nod of approval that meant more than words ever could.

“Mr. Kingman,” Tempest began, but Dad waved her off.

“Bridger, please. And I’m glad Flynn brought you. Family belongs together during tough times.”

I watched her face carefully at the word ‘family,’ saw the flicker of emotion cross her features. Her own family was likely bringing a storm of disappointment and judgment instead of solidarity and support. That really fucking pissed me off.

Trixie linked her arm through Tempest’s, leading her toward a table where a striking blonde woman was setting up a board game with elegant precision.

“This is Kelsey Best,” Trixie explained, seeing Tempest’s wide-eyed recognition. “Dec’s fiancée.”

“The pop star?” Tempest whispered.

“The very same,” Trixie confirmed. “And that’s Penelope Quinn beside her—Kelsey’s assistant and Everett’s fiancée. She’s also got about three million followers on her body-positive social channels.”

I could see Tempest processing this information, trying to reconcile these celebrities with the casual family gathering around her.

“Can I steal my son for a minute?” Dad asked Tempest, who nodded, still looking a bit overwhelmed.

“You holding up okay?” Dad asked quietly, drawing my attention back.

“Me? I’m not the one whose privacy just got shredded.”

“No, but you care about her.” It wasn’t a question. “That makes this your crisis too.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “I just wish I could fix it for her.”

“Some things can’t be fixed, son. Only faced.” Dad’s eyes held a wisdom earned through all of our family’s trials. Ones we always faced together. “You know, I suspected there was something special about her work when Jules wouldn’t stop talking about those books. The way she described the writing—passionate, honest, fearless—sounded a lot like how you described Tempest.”

I stared at him. “You knew?”

He chuckled. “I had my suspicions. Didn’t matter either way. What matters is that she’s important to you, which means she’s important to all of us.”

Across the room, I saw Tempest sink into a chair beside Willa, who leaned over to say something that made her shoulders relax slightly.

“I want to protect her,” I admitted. “From all of it. The press, her family’s so far shitty reaction, everything.”

“You can’t.” Dad’s hand squeezed my shoulder. “But you can stand with her while she faces it. You don’t need to fight someone’s battles for them. Just make sure they don’t fight alone. That’s what Kingmans do.”

The wisdom of his words settled into my chest. I’d been thinking like a linebacker. Tackle the problem, eliminate the threat. But that wasn’t what Tempest needed.

She needed what everyone needs when their world iscrumbling, someone to stand beside them in the ruins. And my dad was right. When our world had crumbled had fallen down around us seventeen years ago, the only way we’d made it through was the support of each other.

I rejoined the group as Willa was saying to Tempest, “I get it. I was completely overwhelmed by all of this at first too.” She gestured around at the Kingman chaos. “I was just a barista when I started dating Hayes. But they’ve never once made me feel like I don’t belong.”

“It’s a lot,” Tempest agreed, her voice small.

“But a good lot,” Willa assured her. “Trust me.”

Jules appeared suddenly, plopping down on the arm of Tempest’s chair with the casual confidence that only the baby of the family could possess.

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