Page 45 of 40 and Flirting (with Disaster)
It took a moment for Jamie to realize what Krista was intimating. He could practically hear Iris counting to ten in her head, but the implications got his protective instincts aroused. He was less inclined to be patient.
“Krista.” He hoped his acknowledgment of the young woman would draw her attention away from her mom. Considering the disdain in her eyes when she shifted her focus to him, he didn’t think he was going to be that lucky.
“Are you trying to ruin her reputation?” Krista asked.
Jamie felt the leash he held on his patience give way. “I thought I was doing a damn good job of exactly that.”
“Well you were wrong.”
“Krista, stop.” Iris frowned at her daughter, and Jamie felt like she was searching her daughter’s face, either for an answer to why she was acting this way, or a solution. “We weren’t doing anything wr—”
“You were kissing right here, out in front of everyone.”
“So?” A summer breeze blew Iris’s bangs into her eyes, and she pushed them back, shaking her head. “There’s nothing scandalous about kissing.”
“People will believe—”
Iris stiffened. “Believe what?”
Krista hesitated, then seemed to gather her courage. “They’ll believe you are…loose…just like Daddy said.”
Iris gasped, the sound holding a world of pain and disbelief.
Jamie stepped between her and Krista, blocking out her daughter, blocking out the world. Iris latched on to his shirt with both fists, her devastated gaze rising to meet his, silently begging him to tell her Krista hadn’t said the words. But she had. He knew she’d been aware of the statements Kirk had made around town, but to hear them parroted from her daughter… He felt a tick start up in his jaw. Cupping Iris’s cheek, he held her stare. “Would you excuse us for a moment?” He leaned in, brushed a kiss across her lips in what he hoped was reassurance. “I’ll be right behind you, don’t worry.”
Iris opened her mouth, maybe to protest, maybe not, then closed it abruptly. “I’ll see you inside.” She barely brushed her glance over Krista as she passed.
Krista watched her mom go, protest in her eyes. “Mom!”
When she would’ve followed Iris, Jamie casually took her elbow, being certain to keep his grip open and easy. He had no intention of hurting the girl, but he was done with her hurting Iris.
“We need to talk.”
Krista whirled back to face him. “We have nothing to talk about. You don’t belong in our lives.”
“Not in yours, but when it comes to your mom, that’s where you’re wrong.” He dropped his hand, narrowing his gaze on Krista’s pouting face. “Your mother has accepted me into her life. I do belong there. I hope to belong there for a very long time. You, on the other hand, are running the risk of being pushed away if you keep this up.”
Anger twisted Krista’s mouth. “What do you know about it?”
“I know you’re causing her pain. If you’d open your eyes and really look, you’d see it too.”
Krista shook her head. “You don’t really know her. You met, what, a couple months ago? You don’t know our family.”
“I don’t know you because you won’t give me the chance,” Jamie corrected. “But I do know Iris, and I know her heart breaks a little bit more every time you do this. I also know I’ll do anything to stand between her and what’s hurting her. Right now, that’s you.”
Krista stuttered. “You don’t— How could you—”
Jamie sighed. “Krista…look. You’re an adult. You’ve been in relationships before. Just because your mom is older, just because she is a parent does not mean that Iris doesn’t deserve the exact same things in her life that you want in yours. Acting like a spoiled little girl who isn’t getting the attention she wants doesn’t change that.
“She deserves to be happy. I hope I make her happy; she says I do. The only thing making her unhappy right now is your attitude.” He deliberately softened his voice. “I know you’re afraid of losing her. Believe me, I have no desire to separate her from you or from Adam. She loves you both, and she wants you in her life. I would never stand in the way of that.”
“But you just said—”
He held up a hand. “I said you’re hurting her. And yes, if you hurt her, I’ll defend her. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Just get to know me. Give me a chance. Give your mother a chance to be happy. She deserves that most of all.”
For a moment he thought the anger in her eyes wavered, thought maybe he was getting through to her. But the emotion solidified once again even as tears dripped down her cheeks. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Just leave us alone!”
Before he could get out another word, Krista spun away from him, marching across the grass. She stumbled, righted herself, and continued on, but that single moment sparked concern in Jamie’s chest. Iris would never forgive him if something happened to her daughter. He would never forgive himself.
