Ready or Not (Ready #4)(61)

Clare pouted. “Well, yes, I’m the hostess.”

“The pregnant hostess,” Leah added. “Come on, friends, let’s get dinner on the table.”

We all put on oven mitts and began plating food onto large platters and in serving bowls

before carrying our feast out to the table.

“It all looks amazing, Clare,” I commented, giving her a squeeze.

“Thanks. Logan did most of the cooking.”

“You didn’t let him touch dessert, did you?” I asked as we made our way back to the dining room to take our seats.

“No.” She laughed. “Dessert is safe.”

Food and dishes were passed around until plates were piled high. Laughter filled the air.

“Oh, Liv! I almost forgot!” Clare said, jumping out of her seat. She rushed out of the room and returned seconds later with a newspaper clipping. She dropped it next to my plate. “You and Jackson made the news. You’re celebrities now!”

“What?” I looked down at the black-and-white print. There, looking up at me, was the photo that had been taken of Jackson and myself at dinner with my parents.

Below the photo, the caption said, Senator Prescott enjoying dinner with wife, Michelle; daughter, Olivia; and boyfriend, Richmond attorney, Jackson Reid.

It had been ages since I saw a picture of my family and me together, and I spent a moment looking down at the grainy photo, memorizing the faces and happy smiles of my parents sitting with me.

I slowly looked up to see my friends staring at me with curiosity. I caught Jackson sneak a glance over at Declan, and the two men seemed to be exchanging something between themselves.

Jackson’s gaze returned to me, and I found myself questioning him for the first time.

“What’s going on?”

Taken aback, he asked, “What do you mean?”

“You and Declan—what’s going on?”

“It’s not important right now,” he said with a wave of his hand.

“I want to know.” My tone was clipped and to the point.

He let out a deep breath of air just as Declan spoke up, “It’s not a big deal, Liv. Jackson’s just worried about you. He told me about the newspaper journalist from the other night and—”

My temper began to rise, and my heart rate accelerated. “You were talking about me?”

The room went dead silent. No one was touching the food anymore, and I felt terrible for disrupting the meal Clare had put so much effort into, but I just couldn’t stop pushing.

“I asked Declan what he thought of the situation because of his background with reporters. That’s all,” Jackson said.

“You think my father is using me, don’t you?”

My eyes darted around the room and saw a sea of blank faces. Did they all think that?

“I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

The tiny room began to spin and my stomach churned with embarrassment. “I don’t feel well all the sudden. Clare, do you mind if I leave early?” I tried to plaster on my best smile.

She gave me a weak smile as she began to rise from her chair.

“Don’t bother, honey. I can show myself out.”

There wasn’t enough air in the room. I felt like everyone was staring at me, judging me.

I had to get out.

~Jackson~

We drove back home in silence.

The sheer fact that she was even in the same car with me right now was a miracle. I could feel the anger and hurt radiating off her body like an overworked furnace.

I spent every second between Clare’s house and ours thinking, contemplating, and figuring out my plan of attack. With Liv, it was always about strategy.

Going into this relationship, I’d known that it wasn’t going to be easy. Both Liv and I had been single for far too long, but her situation was vastly different than mine.

She’d basically been abandoned by the two people in her life who were supposed to be there for her. The results of this experience had made Liv’s strong personality even more so. She had been fiercely determined to prove to the world just how capable she was on her own two feet.

Making a partnership with someone who’d spent years living on her own and asserting her independence was no easy battle, but it was one that I was willing to fight because she was worth it.

Together, we would always be worth it.

I pulled into my driveway, and she jumped out of the truck the second it came to a stop.

“Liv, wait,” I hollered after her, once I’d shut off the ignition and pushed open the door. I raced after her.

“I’m done talking tonight, Jackson,” she hissed as she walked across the grass between our houses.

“Well, I’m not.”

“You don’t want to know what I have to say, so drop it and go home. We can talk tomorrow,” she said.

Somehow, I knew that if I let her walk away, there would be no talking tomorrow.

We reached the sidewalk, and her heels clacked against the concrete as she tried to outpace me to her front door. I sped up and cut her off, blocking the entrance.

“What the hell, Jackson?” Her eyes were narrowed into slits as she angrily folded her arms across her chest.

“I’ll let you pass, but you have to talk to me,” I said.

“Fine,” she said.