Dangerous Love: You Are My One and Only Bride novel Chapter 591

The duo’s arrival at the West family residence was immediately welcomed by a banquet-sized feast that almost exclusively served Tiffany’s favorite dishes.

As Tiffany’s eyes took in the food laid before her, she realized how much she enjoyed being cared for by someone. The notion of being seen as important warmed her heart.

Time passed, but Atticus West continued to be absent. Knowing Jackson was avoiding the question, Tiffany took it upon herself to ask Summer, “Where’s Uncle Atticus, Auntie Summer? I don’t see him.”

Summer snuck a glance at her son. “Oh, he’s around alright… All cooped up in his study upstairs. He’s concerned that Jackson might be upset if he shows up, so that stubborn old man has shut himself in after ignoring my advice. Well, Tiffie dear, would you take Jackson with you and invite him over for dinner?”

Jackson did not attempt to hide his repulsion. “Nope, no can do. I’m not gonna beg him to eat with us. To eat or not to eat — it’s none of my concern.”

Tiffany jabbed his leg with a swing of her foot under the table. “What are you talking about? This isn’t what you promised on our way here! We are going right now. To-ge-ther.”

Knowing full well that he could not win, Jackson (very) reluctantly followed Tiffany upstairs and stood woodenly outside the door, clearly balking at the idea of going in. Tiffany, quietly enabling his compromise, reached out and gave a knock. “Uncle Atticus? It’s me, Tiffany, with Jackson. Come have dinner with us!”

The door opened, revealing Atticus’s kindly, amicable smile. “Ah, hello! I’ll be joining you shortly.”

Jackson turned on his heels and left without a word. A little embarrassed, Tiffany flashed the older man a quick smile before following Jackson downstairs.

Atticus took his seat soon enough, completing the picture of a facilely happy family with an unstable undertone. The air had gelled so much, Tiffany could not come up with anything to thaw the growing frost.

She bit the tip of her fork and stared blankly. If this frightening atmosphere was what was in store for her in the future, then she would rather have no part of it —

Summer placed a spoonful of mashed potatoes on her plate. “Oh, Tiffie sweetie, please do come have dinner with Jackson and us more often, okay?”

Tiffany had become Summer’s only hope now. Without Tiffany, Summer knew that her husband and son would not even attempt to sit at the same table and have a meal together.

Tiffany met Summer’s incredibly loaded gaze and felt the weight on her shoulders. “R-Right! Will do! I mean, it’s bothersome to cook our own meals anyway, so yea, we’ll definitely come around for food… If you don’t mind us, that is.”

A quiet blizzard had seized the air once more.

Tiffany was simply not trained to defuse this. Unable to bring herself to sit through one more second of it, she stood up, excused herself, and went outside.

“Jackson West! How could you do this? Didn’t we just establish the need to look forward and stuff?” she chastised him. “Can’t you just be a smidge better to your dad for once? We’re gonna be married, for Christ’s sake! Going to your parents’ place for meals is gonna be a thing — a very frequent thing! If this is how you’ll act every frickin’ time, you’re gonna doom me, the middlewoman, to endless awkwardness! Please, sweetie. Your mom really looks to me to help you forgive your dad, and I want to help her. I want to make that happen, but you… You’re making this so damn hard!”

“I’m not asking you to adore him or respect him. I’m not even asking you to be all smiley or friendly with him,” she muttered. “All I’m asking is that you stop making things awkward for everyone. Please?”

Jackson could insert jocularity in their banters if it was about virtually any topic under the sun — but this was the sole exception. The trauma gnawing at him was more than two decades old, for crying out loud. No matter how much strength he managed to muster to forgive him, none of it ever survived the moment he laid his eyes on his father.

Jackson puffed smoke after smoke to hide his complete loss of explanation.

He wondered if the conflict he was experiencing was something dear Tiffany could ever understand.