Page 114 of Fierce-Jax

“She does,” Trent said, smirking. “But she’s right on with that question. You of all people should know no relationship, let alone a person, is perfect. Something always happens. Did you think you’d never fight or have a disagreement?”

“No,” he said. “We had a conversation not that long ago about Gianna throwing a temper tantrum. I said she was confusing me. I said she was the boss when Gianna wanted me to go against her mother. She frowned and later we talked. On one hand, she said it bothered her when she was the boss and her mother didn’t listen to her, but on the other hand, said it was tiring and she wished someone could make decisions.”

Trent laughed. “What mothers want is someone else to make a decision and have it be the same one they would have made so they aren’t the bad guy. It doesn’t work that way.”

Roni’s lips pursed. “Yep. He’s right. And we’ve had that conversation too.”

“So what is your advice?”

“You know what you need to do,” Roni said. “You know how you feel. You tell her that. Tell her what you told us, that you were hurt and stunned and needed to think. Be honest that you told us and asked for advice if you want. It just proves how much you value honesty.”

“And aren’t afraid to ask for help. What your sister is trying to say is sometimes women need to know that.”

He saw Trent narrowing his eyes at his sister. “Yeah. I’ll do those things. If she’ll talk to me.”

“She will,” Roni said. “Because she messed up too and she’s smart enough to know that.”

36

GET IT OVER WITH

“You need to apologize to Jax,” her mother said on Sunday afternoon.

Dillion had finally worked up the courage to let her parents know what was going on.

It wasn’t that she was keeping it from them. They knew everything else.

Most of it.

She remembered her mother’s surprise months ago when she said that Alec’s parents didn’t even know she existed.

Her parents didn’t know Alec’s parents weren’t aware she and Gianna existed. They probably just assumed since Alec shut his parents out of his life they chose not to come to the funeral.

Not that Dillion had any way to reach them and didn’t bother to try.

She honored Alec’s wishes there.

“I will,” she said. “But he didn’t have to get so upset with me.”

Her father was sitting in his chair and looked over. “If he didn’t get upset with you I’d think you controlled it all and that’s not good either. At least I know he can put his foot down.”

Her head twitched while she resisted the urge to stick her tongue out like Gianna did at times.

Childish, sure, but she hated when she was wrong and mirrors were being shoved in her face.

“I always knew he could,” she said.

She didn’t expect it’d be like that.

“You hurt him,” her mother said. “You know what it’s like to be in a relationship with someone who has secrets. You should have learned from that.”

She ground her teeth. “I wasn’t purposely not telling him about my relationship with Alec. It hadn’t come up. He’s never asked. I told him right away how Alec died. He even admitted he looked him up online.”

“You still could have talked some more about it,” her father said. “Let him know you weren’t crying over the guy. At least not in terms of love. He probably felt he was giving you time to come to terms with being in love with someone else. You don’t know because you never brought it up.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not getting into this with you both again. I had a complicated relationship with Alec. I loved him as Gianna’s father. We didn’t plan the pregnancy, but we were making the best of it. Maybe I felt some guilt that he was doing what he was because he wanted to prove to me he could support us.”

“Don’t even go there,” her mother snarled. “You’ve never been one to throw your weight or money or background in anyone’s face. Ever. You’d never lord it over anyone either and I refuse to believe you did with Alec.”