Page 26 of The Manny

He stiffened and moved away. “I’ll get them in a bit.”

“I simply don’t want you to forget again.”

“You don’t need to worry.”

I held one of the plates under the faucet to rinse the bubbles off. “Looking through old photos together would be a great way for you to bond with Mia.”

“Your bossiness is showing, Thomas,” he mumbled.

My cheeks warmed. “I’m not trying to boss you around. You’re the one who volunteered that you had the photos.”

“Yes. Then I decided maybe seeing the pictures would be too painful for Mia. So I planned on waiting.” He shifted his annoyed gaze to me. “But then you had to go and bring them up again.”

I narrowed my eyes. “How would I know you’d had a change of heart? You don’t communicate anything to me.”

“If you minded your own business, it wouldn’t be an issue.”

I gave a hard laugh. “Are you sure you’re not stalling because seeing the photos will be painful foryou?”

His face flinched. “Fuck off.”

I scowled. “Oh, really? That’s your response?”

He tossed the hand towel he held down on the counter. “They’re my photos. I can do what I want with them.”

“I know that.”

“Then stop being so pushy.”

Feeling exasperated, I hissed, “You’re the one who suggested showing them to Mia. Why are you getting mad at me?”

A muscle worked in his jaw. “Because…”

“That’s not an answer.” I faced him. “If you don’t want to see the photos, then give them to me. I’ll go through them with Mia.”

“I thought you said it would be a good bonding experience for me and Mia.”

I frowned. “So, now you want to bond with Mia? Honestly, Jack, I can’t keep it straight. One second you’re a cold fish, and the next you’re wanting to bond with Mia. I wish I knew which side of you was the real one.”

His mouth thinned. “You’re the most infuriating person.”

I raised my brows. “Me? I’m infuriating?”

“If anyone is going to show Mia the photos, it’ll be me. You’re already close enough to her.”

I blinked at him, trying to read between the lines. Was he jealous of my relationship with Mia? Did he simply not like me, so anything I did was annoying to him? I took a deep breath and calmly said, “Do you want to be closer to Mia? I’m all for that.”

“I don’t know what I want.”

Now that I believe.

I studied him, taking in the confusion and pain in his eyes. I needed to remember that, despite his prickly exterior, there was a man who’d lost his sister in there somewhere. “Grieving is complicated. Of course this is difficult on you.”

He just stared at me in silence.

“Maybe a part of you wants to be closer to Mia, but another part of you hates that idea. It’s obvious you’re conflicted.”

“I don’t want to start something I can’t finish.”

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