Page 18 of Then Came Love
“She didn’t have to tell me anything. I’m your father. I see you and sense everything you go through. You have always been so driven and focused, nothing and no one has ever been able to distract you from your work. You are relentless in your pursuit of never letting anyone down, creating impeccable gowns for famous people, and you put that same effort into gowns for the girl next door. That’s admirable, son.”
“I’d never half-ass a gown.”
“Maybe that’s why I noticed you’ve seemed different these last several months. You haven’t half-assed anything as far as I know, but your attention span and enthusiasm have seemed off.”
He didn’t even try to deny it.
“I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what was going on. Then you walked outside with Jordan, and just like that, my boy was back. Only you aren’t the same person you were before you started acting different. You shine brighter with her by your side. When I saw that, that’s when it hit me, and I remembered that you canceled dinner with me and your mother to meet with one of Trixie’s friends about a wedding dress last summer, and after that is when things changed. Was that Jordan?”
Jax slid his hands into the front pockets of his slacks, meeting his father’s gaze. “Yes.”
“She’s taken, son.”
He gritted his teeth against that hard truth, his entire being readied for a battle, and suddenly the desire to have his father talk him out of wanting Jordan went out the door.
“In a few months, she’s going to be another man’s wife,” his father reminded him. “And I didn’t raise you to be a homewrecker.”
“No shit, Dad. I’m not going to lie to you and say that I don’t wish it were different. But damn it, there’s something real between us. I felt it the moment I first met her, and yes, I’ve been messed up for months because I couldn’t get her out of my head. I can’t—I won’t—walk away and act like there’s nothing there, and I’m sorry if that disappoints you. It hurts me to say that, because I respect the hell out of you, but it’s the truth.” He took his hands out of his pockets, straightening his spine. “I won’t make a move on her, and I will not ask her to end her engagement, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to stand by and watch her marry the wrong man without treating her how she deserves to be treated and showing her what real love looks like.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game, son, and I worry that you’re going to get hurt.”
“Then so be it. At least I’ll know I’ve given it my all.”
