Page 51 of We Thought We Knew It All
“No, it’s really not.” Colby wouldn’t budge. I looked helplessly at Jay, but his face showed his agreement with Colby.
Jamie stepped closer to me.
My dad, who’d known Dylan longer than anyone, spoke up. “She’s selling the rights, Dylan.”
“I’m not even going to fight you on it, Dylan,” I said. “You get half, so you can go back to L.A. and your fancy job at Hendrick’s.”
Dylan looked to my father. His eyes narrowed. “Your dad fired me. I work for A&P now.”
“Dammit, Dylan!” It burst out of me, and I suddenly couldn’t control myself. “That’s why they’ve been hounding me so hard and not going through Nicole?”
When I calmed down again, I found my three boys staring at me with wide eyes and was suddenly ashamed. My dad seemed to read my mind because he came to take Declan out of my arms and herded the other two outside to play.
“So, you sold to Hendrick’s,” he sneered. “Of course.”
I stepped closer and lowered my voice. “I wouldn’t let you or A&P near my mother’s story.”
“Oh, nice. It’s good to hear what the mother of my children thinks of me.”
“You don’t want to know what I really think.”
He moved even closer until Colby stepped between us again. Jamie was at my side in a heartbeat and I let him wrap an arm around my waist.
“Who the hell is this?” Dylan asked.
“Jamie,” I said. “I’d like you to meet the reason my two-year-old says things like ‘eat shit’.” I paused. “Scratch that. I really don’t want you to meet him, but here we are.”
Jamie didn’t extend his hand. Instead, he tightened his grip on me.
Dylan thought hard for a moment, placing the name, then a look of disgust cross his features.
“Is this the guy?” he asked.
I suddenly couldn’t breathe. My lungs expanded, but no air entered the space. All I could hear was white noise. I stumbled back out of Jamie’s grasp and shook my head vehemently, willing him to stop speaking. Not now.
“It is, isn’t it?” Dylan accused. “You left me and ran back to him.”
“She left you long before she came back.” Colby knew exactly what was going on. Dylan had come as a bombshell, ready to blow my life to pieces.
“You should leave,” Jay said. He too knew. It seemed everyone did except for the one person who it would affect the most.
“She hasn’t told you,” Dylan continued, his eyes still on Jamie. “Has she?”
Jamie looked from me to Dylan and I felt a tear roll down my face. It was like a freight-train coming down the tracks. I could feel the earth rumble and hear the howling horn. I should have been prepared. Instead, I found myself standing in the middle of the tracks, feeling the wind from the oncoming impact.
“Callie was pregnant when I married her.” I could smell the burning fuel.“And we didn’t know who the father was.”
Crash.
* * *
“I have an announcement to make,”Morgan called, walking back into the room. She was oblivious to the tension. Dean followed close behind. “I’d like you all to meet my husband, Dean.”
I couldn’t muster the surprise or excitement or whatever else I knew I was supposed to feel. Instead, my eyes stayed on Jamie, waiting for his reaction.
Morgan looked around, finally catching on to the tension. For the first time, she saw Dylan and her mouth formed an o.
I reached for Jamie’s hand, needing to touch him, but he stepped back. His forehead scrunched up as he regarded me. He clenched his jaw, and I knew he was trying to stop himself from flying off the handle like he would’ve done when we were younger. His temper was still there, but now he kept it bottled up.
