Zoey didn’t wait on a response before trekking inside. After issuing Maggie a warning glare, I wasn’t too far behind Zoey when I went inside to say my goodbyes properly and walk them to the car.
When I saw Sarah to the driver’s side, she reached up and patted me on the cheek. “Don’t let anyone back you into a corner. When you do, you don’t perform well. When you don’t perform well, people sense it and don’t react to it well.” She tossed a glance over to the passenger side of the car where Zoey and Jordan were, leaving me wondering which of the two she was referring to, or if she gestured to both. “You’re a good man with nothing to prove. Goodnight, dear.” Her smile was warm and gentle as ever. How in the hell Sarah Barrett was able to remain so poised through obvious turbulence was beyond me.
I walked back into the house, feeling fucked up inside. I knew this was a bad idea, but just had to go through it to quiet ole girl’s curiosities about Zoey and Jordan. She’d been asking for time with him since just before Brazil, and when she finally met him, she’d continued requesting time since then. The problem had been I didn’t involve Jordan in my dating life. There was no need to. He had a solid support system with Zoey and her peoples; there was no need to drag him into the bullshit-ass relationships I’d engaged in while I waited for his mother…or whatever the hell I was doing, because at that point I’d lost my way.
All I knew was she was angry and I was fucking miserable. Knowing I’d caused the pain in her eyes and the confusion in her mind, did shit to me. It wasn’t my plan. I didn’t know where to go from here. I only knew I was miserable, and Zoey was someone I didn’t recognize.
“That didn’t go too bad,” I heard from behind me and turned to find Jenna grinning coyly.
Then Maggie entered the foyer, on her way up to her bat cave.
“Oh, you don’t think so?” I asked calmly. “I’ll tell you this: Don’t ever invite them over if your mother is going to antagonize Jordan’s mother and grandmother. It took everything in me not to intervene.”
“What did I do?” Maggie asked aghast, stretching out a few wrinkles in her face.
“What did you do? You belittled Zoey and disrespected her mother.”
“Zoey’s no angel, sweetheart. You heard her tone and choice of words with me,” Maggie defended.
“Two things that would have never surfaced had it not been for your claws coming out. When it comes to my family, if your fucking fangs are hanging from your mouth, stay the hell away. Next time I won’t be so patient.”
“Who in the hell do you think you’re taking that tone with, young man?”
“The same woman who disrespected someone sacred to me, “I shot back.
“Which one? Mother, son, or daughter?”
“Okay, Momma, now that’s enough!” Jenna warned.
“Yeah…yeah…yeah.” Maggie waved us both off as she started up the stairs, pilt to the max. I didn’t know why Jenna had never addressed her excessive drinking. It had been obvious to me from day one.
When Maggie was on her way up, Jenna took me by the arm.
“Hey, I’m sorry about that, but your behavior was a bit strange, too. You clammed up when I was trying to make a pitch to them. You damn near bit my head off at my proposal.”
“That’s because you sprung it on everyone, Jenna. Jordan has never spent time with anyone in his life. Shit like that has to be planned, not spurred.”
“Zoey didn’t seem to be offended by the gesture.”
“Would you expect an accurate response to such a surprise? She was being polite.”
“There’s a bigger issue here, Stent. I want a future for us.”
“And about that: kids? When did we ever agree on that?”
“It’s a natural progression.”
“For what trajectory?”
“So you don’t want a future with me?”
“Oh, so you’re giving me a choice now? Because you weren’t giving me one in front of my toddler about half an hour ago.”
Jenna’s eyes dropped to the floor.