Jason jerked in his chair. Surprise registered, then it turned into something ugly.
I didn’t have time for any more games, so this ended today.
“Straight up, no bullshit, I’m gonna marry her. So I’m sitting here across from you out of respect—”
“Doesn’t—”
“No bullshit, out of respect, even though you haven’t shown me any,” I spoke over him. “You know me but not well, so I’m gonna put this shit to bed once and for all. So I can move on to what’s important—and that’s making Adalynn happy. You’re all fired up to hold to and call me out on my past, specifically who I’ve fucked. It’s not your business but I’m gonna give it to you. I’ve been with a lot of women, all of them shallow, all of them users, all of them after one thing, not one of them looking at anything beyond my face, my body, my job. There has not been a single fucking time I’ve entered a bar since I was twenty-one that I didn’t have a woman at my side within five minutes.
“In the beginning, I took advantage of that. Later, it was tiresome and I’d fend ‘em off. Then I became more discerning, but only in that I only took home what I liked when she didn’t fall all over me. Shallow women who wanted my dick and couldn’t care less who I was. Users. Bitches. Drama queens. So, yeah, I’ve run through them all. Can’t go back and change it, and really, I don’t think I would.
“All of that taught me something, and that’s what I wanted when it came time to find a woman. Something else it taught me—there are women you fuck, then there’s Adalynn Walker. There’s a big fucking difference. Told you once I knew the difference and I don’t like having to repeat myself, but out of respect for you, I will. I am not fucking your sister.
“Now that’s done, Jason. Serious as shit, I won’t allow you to continue to hurt her. This ends now.”
I paused to catch my breath and stared at the man who would one day be my brother-in-law. I had one more thing to say, then this could be done.
“I need to apologize to you.”
Jason shifted in his chair and held my gaze but remained quiet.
“Last time we spoke, I was a dick. I said a lot of shit I shouldn’t have. I brought up Kayla and that was a dick thing to do. I’m sorry for that. You told me Mercy was having a tough time and I should’ve had a mind to that and I didn’t. Again, I was a dick about that, too, and I’m sorry. There’s never a good enough reason to gut a good man the way I did. All I can tell you is my head wasn’t in a good place. The night before, my parents and brother had shown up out of the blue, and Addy was treated to the Durum dysfunction. Before you ask, no one said jack to her and I made it clear I’d kick them out if they so much as looked at her funny. But she still saw, something I wanted to prepare her for and hadn’t yet.”
“Durum dysfunction.”
“Not lucky like you, Jason. I didn’t grow up with good parents and siblings that I was close to. I grew up dodging insults, and when I wasn’t dodging them, I was stepping in front of them so CJ wouldn’t feel ‘em.”
Jason’s face screwed up in disgust and he asked, “Your mom didn’t step in?”
That was hilarious in the sense that it was so fucking sad, my heart clenched.
“Paige Durum is not Emily Walker. I can’t remember a time when my mom tried to shield me from my dad. But I do remember her hiding behind me to get herself clear. Like I said, dysfunction. I’ve put up with a lot of my family’s shit out of what I thought was duty. And that’s what I was dealing with when you approached—knowing that I have a shit family but I still have one. After the bullshit they pulled in front of Addy, that’s done—long overdue. I will not have her around that poison and I sure as shit will not have my children around it.”
“Unfortunate timing,” Jason mumbled. “Addy called last week and handed me my ass. Told me to cut my shit or she cut me out. Told me she’d take your back against me and