Chapter 257
Jace’s tone was harsh.
“Jace, I get it. Your mom doesn’t like me, and nothing I do is gonna change that. I’m sorry you’re stuck dealing with this because of me,” Tanya said, finally realizing the truth.
Her apology was way too humble, almost like she was beating herself up.
But what had she actually done wrong? If anything, she was guilty of loving him too much, putting up with all this drama just to be with him.
“It’s my choice to deal with this crap, but stop making it worse,” Jace snapped, sounding more annoyed than ever.
“Wait, Jace, what are you talking about? I don’t get it,” Tanya said, her voice turning softer, almost like she was trying to appear more delicate.
“What’s going on with Brad?” The way Jace said it made it clear he was blaming her for something.
“What about Brad? Did he mess up again? Did you have to clean up his mess?” Tanya asked, her voice a little shaky.
Jace scoffed. “You really don’t know?”
“Jace, seriously, I have no clue what you’re talking about,” Tanya said, sounding super anxious, like she thought she was being accused of something she didn’t do.
“Brad’s chasing after Keira,” Jace revealed, and I felt Hayden’s grip around me tighten.
I glanced up at Hayden. He was looking right back at me, his eyebrows drawn together.
I was about to explain, but Tanya beat me to it, trying to defend herself. “No way.”
“Oh, really?” Jace shot back. “He sent her flowers. To her office.”
Tanya paused, and when she finally spoke, her voice was barely there. “He’s probably just playing around. I mean, Keira molested him, didn’t she?”
I was stunned.
I’d already cleared that up. The police had checked the security footage, and it proved Brad lied. I couldn’t believe Tanya was still trying to pin this on me.
“Do you really think I don’t know what’s going on?” Jace’s voice was tight with
anger.
“Let’s just drop it, okay? I swear, I had no clue Brad was after Keira. I’ll call him right now and tell him to knock it off,” Tanya said, sounding desperate.
Jace didn’t say a word. Tanya hesitated, then softened her tone. ‘Think about it. Why would I ever tell him to go for Keira? What if she said yes just to mess with me? That would totally blow up in my face.”
At least she got that much.
“But how did he know Keira likes white wild roses? That’s not exactly common knowledge,” Jace pushed, clearly not convinced.
Chapter 257
+25 BONUS
“I have no clue. I didn’t even know she liked them. I’ve only ever seen you give her white roses,” Tanya said.
Jace
e went quiet, and I felt my mind racing. How did Brad know about the white wild roses?
Had he actually been stalking me?
As soon as that thought hit me, Ron’s voice broke in, “Are you two planning to keep hugging, or what? If you don’t stop, the food’s gonna get cold.”
It was only then I realized I was still wrapped up in Hayden’s arms. My face went red, and I quickly stepped back.
“Uh, you guys go eat. I should get going.” I mumbled, trying to make a quick exit, but I didn’t realize Hayden still had his hand on me.
When I turned around, I caught Jace and Tanya staring at us. Jace looked pissed, like a thundercloud, and Tanya’s face had gone pale.
I pretended I didn’t notice and turned back to Hayden “Seriously, go eat. I need to go.”
“Alright. We’ll head out together after lunch. I’ll wait for you,” Hayden said, his eyes soft and warm.
I nodded and pulled away from him. He and Ron went to their room, and I made my way to the one Lindey had booked.
But to get there, I had to walk past Jace and Tanya, which meant I had no choice but to face them head- on. Awkward.
ww
