Choosing Us (Pierced Hearts Duet #1)(31)

I spent the night at Danté’s, who spent most of the night laughing his ass off at my expense. Thinking the shit Jackson was putting me through was hilarious.

But Sean was my last straw.

Everyone had a limit, and I officially reached mine.

The next morning, Skyler handed me Journey and was on her way out. As soon as I got Little Miss down for her first nap, I went into Satan’s bedroom, not bothering to knock.

“What the hell?” he gritted, jumping off his bed in his gym shorts. “You can’t just barge in my room without knocking.”

“You cannot invade my privacy like that, Jackson!”

“Why not?” he countered with a snide expression. “You do ours.”

“I haven’t done anything to deserve this level of disrespect from you!”

“You sound really bitchy, Camila. Guess ‘Don’t Answer’ on your phone didn’t lay the D down right?”

My mouth dropped open. “You cannot talk to me like that!”

“Alright, then leave.”

“You’d love that, wouldn’t you? For me to just quit.”

“Yeah, I would,” he replied with no hesitation what so ever. Walking over to his dresser to grab a t-shirt.

“And then what, Jackson? You’re just going to treat the next nanny the same way? Until what? Your mom comes back? Is that why you can’t stand me? Why you want me to quit so badly? Because you think it’s going to make your mom come home?”

He stepped up to me, getting right in my face. “Shut your mouth, Mary Poppins. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You’re right, I don’t. All I know is, if I had a kid like you, I’d leave too.” I regretted the words that came out of my mouth as soon as they left my lips.

But it was the way Jackson’s eyes glazed over with so much hurt, that shook me to my core. Now I had crossed the line.

“I didn’t mean tha—”

“Get out!”

“Jackson, come on… you know I didn’t mean that.”

“I don’t know shit.”

“Exactly! Because you haven’t taken the time to actually get to know me. You spend all your time and energy hating someone you won’t even give a chance. I’m just trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your help!”

“Then what, Jackson? You’re just going to spend the rest of your life, not needing anyone? Is that the way you want to live?”

“I said get out!” he snarled through a clenched jaw. His fists pumping at his sides.

“Or what? Huh? What are you gonna do? I’m not scared of you. If anything, I feel bad for you. You push everyone away. Every single person. Including your own family. One day you’re going to need them, and I hope it’s not too late. Because regardless of the bullshit you keep putting me through, I’m not going anywhere. I love your baby sister, and if you gave me half the chance, I could be here for you too.”

He shook his head in disgust and disdain. “I don’t need your pity. So why don’t you go sell your spiel to someone who gives a shit about you? Because we both know, I sure as hell don’t.”

I jerked back, not hiding how much that hurt me. “I’m sorry your parents aren’t around, okay? But it’s not my fault. I didn’t make them go away, Jackson. I was hired because they’re not here. You need to realize that and stop blaming me for things that are out of my control.”

I took a deep breath, stepping back toward the door. Not allowing the anger rolling off my body to take over, even though I wanted nothing more than to shake the shit out of him. Make him see reason.

I wasn’t the bad guy.

He was just treating me like I was.

“Don’t ever touch my phone again. Do you understand me?”

He eyed me up and down, cocking his head to the side. Taking in what I just said with as much curiosity as I had about his parents.

“There’s a reason his name is under ‘Don’t answer’ in my phone. You could have…” I sighed, being at my wits end.

“Who is he?”

“Someone I want nothing to do with.”

“Huh, well then maybe now you’ll understand. Seeing as I want nothing to do with you. Now get out.”

“Alright.” I nodded. “I’ll get out of your room, but I’m not getting out of your life. I’m here to stay.”

“Yeah, for Journey.”

“And for you.” With that, I turned around and left him there, praying something I said may have gotten through to him.

Knowing I probably wasn’t that lucky.

I tried to calm down as best as I could before going back into the living room, but it was the look on Jagger’s face in the hallway that pulled my attention to him instead.

“He wasn’t always like this, Camila.”

I swear it was the first words this kid had ever spoken to me. And there I was, glued to the floor, waiting for him to say something else. Like he was the Dalai Lama who held all the answers. Jagger kept to himself, didn’t say much. Half the time, I forgot he existed, he was that quiet.

“He’s mad at my dad. It’s not you. Journey really loves you. You make her happy. My mom didn’t have the chance to do that, and Journey is one of the reasons my dad isn’t around.”