Page 16 of Twister

Marshall

Rose was quiet in the car on the way back home and again when Daniel suggested we all sit in the home theater and watch a movie.

Bucky barely left her side, preferring to snuggle into her thigh and let her absently scratch his ears as Myrrh Hound , a relatively recent Ruben Steele action-comedy, played.

About halfway through, she got up and told us she was going to bed, even though it was barely eight. The tub of popcorn we’d microwaved before we’d settled in remained untouched on the coffee table.

Begrudgingly, I wished her a good night and paused the movie before Daniel walked her to her room, an arm draped over her shoulder, while Bucky followed her, loyal as ever.

Sitting in the semidarkness of the room lit only by the TV screen, I thought back over the events of the night. I hadn’t expected to ever meet Daniel’s ex, Jackson, and from the look on Daniel’s face when he heard Brett’s voice, Daniel had been surprised too.

It had been hard to miss the startled look on Jackson’s face as Daniel went up against Brett. I didn’t think that was because he still held feelings for Daniel, due to the way Daniel had described Jackson leaving, but stranger things had happened.

Brett was an asshole. That fact was indisputable, at least. He’d immediately pissed me off by the way he’d cut Rose off before she’d even gotten a full sentence out.

But the way he’d also talked at Daniel….

I sucked in a deep breath to settle the anger sparking along my veins.

Was this what Daniel had been up against this whole time?

Yet he, too, had seemed alarmed by the way Brett had spoken tonight. Maybe this was unusual behavior?

I chewed on my lip as I thought. Was this something I even should be worried about? In about a week, my Jeep would be fixed, and I’d be on my way. What right did I have getting involved?

My heart wrenched at the despondent look on Rose’s face after we’d left Malone’s. I’d only known her a couple of days, and I already felt taken with the usually effervescent young girl. How could anyone live with the knowledge that they’d dulled her sparkle?

I was startled out of my thoughts when Daniel returned, shutting the door behind him before he moved the remote from his spot on the sofa to the arm so he could flop down on the seat next to me and tilt his head back to stare at the ceiling. “Is she okay?”

He rolled his head to the side to glance at me before he returned his focus to the ceiling. “She will be.”

Nibbling on my bottom lip again, I let the silence settle, figuring he’d either feel the need to talk more or he’d pick up the remote to restart the movie. This needed to be his call.

“What did you say to Jackson?”

Talking more it was. “When?”

He rolled his head to look at me again. “Before you took Rose back inside. You said something to Jackson that made him flinch. I was wondering what you said.”

Ah. I nodded in understanding before I leaned forward to grab the glass of water that I’d left on the coffee table. I sipped a mouthful and settled back before I responded. “I told him that he was allowing Brett to scare his daughter.”

“You said that?”

With one eyebrow raised, I glanced at him and held his eyes. “Should I not have?”

Daniel let out a quiet chuckle as his eyes softened.

“I’m glad you did. He was.” He shook his head and sighed.

“I don’t quite know what to think…. Jackson and Brett have been together for a couple of years now, and I always thought their relationship was normal.

” The corners of his lips turned down sadly.

“Even though Jackson left us, he still claimed visitation with Rose in the divorce. He doesn’t see her a lot, like one weekend every month and for a couple of weeks during the summer break, but he does want to see her. The last few months, though….”

“Things changed?”

“Yeah.” He pressed his lips together hard and frowned.

“She started trying to reschedule their catch-ups, come home early, delay pickup times—stuff like that. She didn’t do the full two weeks with him at all this summer.

Instead, she bartered Jackson down to more weekend visits throughout the summer, claiming her volunteer work at the animal shelter would be disrupted.

I thought it was just her growing up, establishing more independence, but now… .”

I hummed. “Was Brett different tonight than what you’re used to?”

“He’s always set my teeth on edge, but I’d thought that had more to do with me being annoyed about Jackson moving on.

But tonight… I’ve never seen Brett cruel like that before.

” Daniel sucked in a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

“Whenever I dropped Rose off at their house over the last few months, I’d only ever talk to Jackson.

Brett would be inside, or I’d see him in the garden from a distance.

He’d never be with Jackson. Not like he used to be.

” He chewed his lip. “Tonight was the first time I’d seen them actively be together in months. ”

I ran my fingers through my hair before I leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees. “If it helps any, I don’t think Jackson was happy about being there with Brett tonight.”

“Mm….” He scratched his jaw before he sat up next to me. “I caught that too. Originally, I’d figured it was because he didn’t want to interrupt our dinner, but now I think Brett’s been hurting Jackson.”

My eyes widened. “What do you mean? Why do you think that?”

“Jackson winced like he was in pain when I patted him on the shoulder before I left.” Daniel looked down at the carpet while he gathered his thoughts.

“He’s also lost weight. It hadn’t properly dawned on me until I felt his shoulder under so many layers tonight.

He’s always been slim, but his shoulder…

. It felt too thin, you know?” He shook his head.

“The way he flinched…. Something isn’t right. ”

Leaning over, I placed my hand gently on his knee, giving it a quick squeeze of support. “What do you want to do?”

“I’m not sure. There’s a difference between wanting to help and butting in where I’m not wanted.” He shrugged and looked up at me with sad eyes. “Before I left, I reminded him that he had my number and to use it if he needed to, but is that enough?”

Answering that question wasn’t something I had a lot of personal knowledge or experience in.

Being a frat president came with a whole raft of responsibilities and duties, one of which was being someone my brothers could talk to if something was eating at them.

In the time I was president, more than one person had come to me after each of our semester breaks to talk about family members that had been in or were still in a domestic violence situation.

Unfortunately, the numbers always swelled after the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.

Each time, I’d done what I could to help, but it never got any easier being only able to give out helpline numbers and pamphlets before I patted them on the shoulder to assure them that they weren’t alone.

The closest I’d physically been around something that sounded even remotely close to what Daniel was describing was about a year ago when one of my frat brothers had discovered his overbearing girlfriend had cheated on him at a family wedding, only for her to show up a couple of days later like nothing at all had happened.

All I could think to do at the time was offer support to him, like I had with all our other frat brothers, and follow his lead on how he wanted to handle her.

As far as I was aware, she’d never physically abused him.

Would my response have been different if she had?

Should I have done more than I had? Not just for that one frat brother, but for all my frat brothers who had reached out to me?

Had the pamphlets I’d handed them been helpful at all?

To any of them? Or were my closed-door meetings with them all just lip service—nothing more than a waste of time and glossy paper?

Regardless and more importantly in this instance, I didn’t know Jackson, not like Daniel did.

The best I could probably do to help would be to act as a sounding board for him to talk things through and support him if he wanted to do something to help his ex-husband get free from a dangerous situation.

I gave him a gentle smile. “I don’t know Jackson the way you do, but maybe that’s all you can do for now?

You’ve offered him a lifeline he can use if he wants to, but if you want to do more while I’m here, I’m happy to help where I can. ”

He gazed at me, his eyes soft. “You’re not worried about me still being in love with him?”

The corners of my lips twitched. “Nope. It’s obvious to anyone with a functional brain that you adore your daughter and would move mountains for her.

Given the way he left, I can’t imagine any respect you had for Jackson would have survived intact.

Without unconditional respect, you can’t love unconditionally.

” I shrugged. “With how long you two were together, I’d be surprised if you didn’t still care for him.

But in love with him? Nah. Not anymore. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t worth helping if he’s in an abusive relationship. ”

A long silence draped comfortably over us until Daniel said quietly, “I think I was wrong about you.”

I tilted my head to the side curiously. “How so?”

“I kept fighting whatever this thing is between us because of your age,” he said.

“I kept thinking you were too young for me. But you’re not too young.

Not really.” He lifted his hand to cup my jaw, his thumb stroking my cheek softly when I leaned into him.

“You might be young in age, but you’ve got an old soul.

” His pupils dilated as he looked me over.

“You really are so fucking beautiful, Marshall. Inside and out.”