was so over-the-top in that love it was smothering me.
I wanted to breathe.
“No.”
“Addy—”
“I said no.”
The creases on Trey’s forehead deepened. Wrinkles that just last night I had smoothed while sitting in his lap. This, after he’d sat sentry next to me through dinner with his muscles coiled tight, waiting to pounce on a member of his own blood family should one of them say something to annoy me. This, after he warned he’d show them to the door if they didn’t treat me right.
Me.
Not him.
From almost the first minute, CJ had been a total ass to Trey and Trey took it. He hadn’t batted a damn eye at CJ talking about the scars on his face. But the second CJ said something mildly offensive to me, he’d flipped and told them they could sleep in the car.
He’d let them be mean to him.
But not to me.
“Adalynn—” he tried again but I pressed deeper and shuffled us so we were facing my dad.
“Let’s try again, Dad. Hi. Nice to see you.”
“Not now, Adalynn.”
“Jasper.” This time my mother didn’t gently scold, she just did it outright.
“Dad,” Quinn gasped.
“Addy, baby,” Trey soothed. “I know what you’re trying to do. But it’s not necessary.”
“Yes, it is. Last night you made your point to your family. Today, I’m making mine. I’m a grown-up. I get to make my own choices, and not everyone has to like them but they better darn well respect them.”
“Takin’ my back,” he muttered, and started to say something else but I spoke over him.
“I told Jason I wouldn’t stand for him being a giant jerk, and if he couldn’t find his way to getting over something that is not his business, then he better find a way to hide it because if he doesn’t, I have no problem cutting him—”
“Absolutely not,” Trey growled and cupped my face. “Baby, love that you’re takin’ my back, love what that says about what you feel for me. But you will not cut him out. Whether he learns to hide it or not, I’ll deal with it—not you. He’s your brother and he loves you. I get why he doesn’t like me for you. If I had a sister who I adored, I wouldn’t like me for her either. Straight up, Addy, we talked about this. I knew going in what I was up against. Just so we’re clear, hear this—I eat shit, you don’t. I’ll deal with Jason, you won’t. Your dad wants a word, I’ll give him that time. And I’ll eat that, too, because, at the end of the day, I’ll take any-fucking-thing so you don’t feel it. But also, because he’s your dad, he loves you, he wants what’s best for you, and as the man in your life, I owe it to him.”
I was too mindless with irritation for Trey’s words to penetrate. My mom on the other hand had no such problem.
“It’s like looking through a crystal ball back in time,” she stated. “Here I stand decades later and yet weirdly I feel like I’ve heard those very things a time or two.”
“Em,” my dad grunted.
“Did you think she wouldn’t find you, Jasper?”
“Emily.”
“Addy?” Trey murmured, and my gaze went from watching my mom glare at my dad back to him. “I’m gonna go out and talk to your dad. Visit with your mom and sisters.”
“Fine,” I huffed.
“Cute.” His lips brushed mine, and I feared with all the anger rolling off my dad, Trey was putting his life in danger. But I figured he didn’t care.
The lip touch was meant just for me, and I was finding Trey would go to great lengths to make sure I knew how he felt about me.
20
The burn in my chest grew with every step.
I’d made it a point to exit the gym from the opposite side from where Jasper and Emily had entered. If Jasper wanted a word, I’d give it to him, but I sure as fuck wasn’t following him like I was a whipping boy being summoned.
Fuck that.
I’d eat shit. I’d put in the time. But I could only be me. And the man I was rejected the idea of being paged only to receive a dressing down. In front of my woman no less.
“Trey?”
I ignored Jasper’s call and continued to walk farther. I didn’t want anyone to overhear the conversation we were about to have. I was going to have to swallow whatever Jasper had to say but that didn’t mean I’d stand there like some pimple-faced kid and