Page 151 of A Little Crush
Tears gather in her eyes, and the fight seeps out of her. “I can’t believe you would choose to be with someone who doesn’t even think to reach out to the mother of your childwhen she’s in need.” She peers around Jaxon and shakes her head. “Get out of here. You’ve done enough.”
Jaxon’s head falls forward, but before he can even turn to me, I press my hand against his lower back. “It’s okay,” I whisper. “I’ll, uh, I’ll be in the waiting room.”
“We’ll wait with her,” my parents announce as I make my way toward the hallway and into the empty waiting area.
Covering my mouth with my hand, I try to steady my breathing, but it’s so. Freaking. Hard. Maybe it’s the combination of everything from tonight. Maybe it’s the combination from everything over the past few months. Honestly, I don’t know, but I’m not sure I can do this. I’m not surehowto do this.
“Hey.” My dad wraps his arms around me. “It’s okay, Squeaks. It’s okay?—”
“I swear I called her, Dad. I swear?—”
“I know, baby. I know.” He squeezes me tighter as I fall apart even more.
“I just, I don’t understand how someone can hate me so much, you know?” I cry, still in shock. “Like, I understand that I’m around her daughter, and that I’m in a relationship with her ex, and that she has to put up with me, but why does she have to be so…mean?”
“I don’t know, Rore,” he mutters. “I don’t fucking know, but she’s lucky I’m not calling our lawyers right now to have her charged with assault for that move in there.”
“Maybe we can ask Ash if she has any suggestions? Or Kate,” my mom offers beside us. “I know your Aunt Kate has to put up with your Uncle Mack’s ex every once in a while.”
It’s only half-true. Miley and Hazel were teenagers when Aunt Kate came into the picture, so she never had to deal with Macklin’s ex. Not really. A run-in here and there is so much different from weekly drop-offs and pick-ups. So, even thoughI know my parents are trying to help, it doesn’t work. It only makes me feel more hopeless and overwhelmed. My teeth dig into my wobbling bottom lip in hopes of stopping the tears from streaming down my face, but I’m a mess. A big. Fat. Mess.
“Want my two cents?” Colt asks.
I turn to face him, surprised he followed us into the hallway instead of staying with his wife, granddaughter, and son. Hands tucked in his pockets, he moseys toward me, looking so much like Jaxon, it makes me want to cry even harder.
“Hey, Uncle Colt.” I sniff. “And I’m pretty sure I can use all the help I can get, so, yes. I’d love your two cents.”
“Nah, you’re doing great, sweetheart.” He moves closer to our little circle in the waiting area. “But not all exes are the same. It seems Jax got the short end of the stick on this one, which means you did, too.”
“Not helping,” my dad grumbles beside me.
“Just saying it like it is, Henry.” Colt squeezes my shoulder. “Eleanor was easy. She was willing to work with us. Willing to accept Ashlyn after realizing she wasn’t the one for me. Willing to share her little boy and the title of mom because she knew it was best for him in the long run.” He glances behind him, making sure we’re relatively alone. “I have a feeling Iris doesn’t agree with that sentiment.”
“Me, too.” I sniff. “And just to be clear, it’s not that I want to replace her, but if she could just hate me a little less?—”
“I know.” He steps closer. “Trust me, I know. You don’t need to defend yourself. Ash and I were the evil in-laws, so we know what it’s like to be on Iris’s shit list.” He pauses. “And maybe it’ll get better. Maybe I’m being an asshole for not giving Iris the benefit of the doubt, but…” He squeezes the back of his neck. “I guess I just want you to know that I’ve been where Jax is, and it isn’t a picnic even under the best of circumstances. Add Iris to the equation and…he needs you. Needs you more than he knows. And I know that’s a selfish take on everything. He’s my son, so I know I’m biased. I know you’ll have to put up with name calling and being blamed for shit you didn’t do. And I know that isn’t fair,” he adds, his eyes flicking to my dad’s for the briefest of seconds before returning to me. “It isn’t. But, uh, stick with him, all right? It’s in our darkest moments when us Thorne boys like to beat ourselves up the most.”
He’s right. And boy do those Thorne men like to beat themselves up and take blame for things that are out of their control. The reminder manages to quiet the chaos inside of me, bringing with it a fresh, yet somehow familiar perspective. Because if that was rough for me, I can only imagine how hard it was for Jaxon.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I promise. “As long as Jaxon believes me and doesn’t buy her lies, I’ll be right by his side.”
“That’s my girl.” He pulls me into a side hug. “You’ll get through this.” And for some reason I can’t explain, his promise makes me feel a little bit lighter.
53
JAXON
As soon as Rory leaves, Iris collapses against me, wrapping her arms around my neck and sobbing like the world’s been ripped from her. In a way, I guess it has. She has every right to be frustrated. I should’ve called when I left the arena, but the only thing I could think about was getting to Poppy. I guess I assumed Iris would be here when I arrived.
“Sh, sh, sh,” I murmur. “She’s okay, Iris. She’s okay.”
With a soft sniffle, Iris lifts her head and peeks at my mom, still holding a resting Poppy.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call when I found out,” I tell her. “I should’ve, and that’s on me.”
“You’re right,” she says. “You should’ve.” Her expression hardens and she shoots her gaze toward the hallway. “And your nanny should’ve, too.”
My nanny.
