Dangerous Love: You Are My One and Only Bride novel Chapter 592

Watching him go into a stone-like silence abruptly sparked an ugly blaze within Tiffany. Suddenly, she despised the man standing in front of her. She despised him so much that it harkened back to the last time they had an altercation that stung enough to make her consider splitting.

It was not like she wanted Jackson to surrender to her demands or go through hell to make her happy or even completely absolve the faults Atticus had made as a deadbeat dad. All she wanted Jackson to do was to put at least an ounce of forbearance; to summon a little bit more grit — just enough that when he was in the same room as his father, no one had to feel terrible.

Among the four of them, Tiffany was the outsider, the tack-on. That alone was enough ground for trepidation that could easily escalate into crippling anxiety. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in the middle of a cold war while already embroiled in discomfort. It mortified her. It made her want to quit and never bother with it again. However, she could not possibly do that because the man before her was the love of her life. They were going to get married.

Tiffany needed him to let go of his baggage and all of the past attached to it, so that they could face the future together. But now, Tiffany felt as though she had poured her heart and spirit into an unfillable abyss. Tried as she might, she’d changed nothing.

The worst part of it was that Jackson-bloody-West was not even going to try talking to her about it! She hated it when people retreated into silence. Everyone was obviously nursing some opinions in their minds right now, so why did they not just voice them out altogether? Was communication not the staple of human interaction? How could people expect anything to be solved without any communication?

“Jackson West! What is it that you’re thinking?” Tiffany fumed. “I, at least, tried walking in your shoes, so why can’t you show the same empathy for me, huh? Can you, at the very least, start with some baby steps? I don’t know, maybe treat your father like he’s a total stranger for a change! Because at least, you wouldn’t give a stranger an ugly glare when you’re eating with him before suddenly storming out of the door, would you? My God — I’m not asking much, Jackson. I just wanna make sure that every frickin’ time we eat with your parents, this goddamned awkward environment isn’t what’s waiting for me. Can you do that, at least?”

Unfortunately, Jackson had become just as uncharacteristically crotchety as she. Right now, Tiffany’s words had become trying noise in his ears, while his brain was too exasperated to reflect on any of them.

“Lay off. This was never any of your business!” he snapped coldly. “And here’s a fact: I never wanted to come here.”

Bitterness welled up in Tiffany’s chest. They made a promise just a few hours ago amid cheerful banters and chatters! But now, their dynamic had twisted into something beyond recognition. For the first time, he had snapped at her with an attitude he had never used before.

What went wrong back there that stung his sore spot? Tiffany had not the slightest clue. What she knew, however, was that he had exhausted all of her patience.

“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be? Fine! I’ll lay off. I’ll lay off forever! From now on, if you hate going somewhere, then count me out too. In fact, I’m not even gonna accompany you even if you want to go to your parents’ place!” She seethed. “God knows how tired all of this is making me. I’m going home.”

Hearing his apology did wonders in putting out some of Tiffany’s fire, but the girl maintained her pace. In response, Jackson continued to tail her with his car at snail speed.

“Aww, come on! Canst thou talk to me, m’lady? I mean it when I said I know I am wrong. Please, throw me a bone here… I swear I’m not gonna do that again, alright? I really lost it back there; that’s the only reason why I was blind to how you feel. But listen, Tiffie — I’m not going back on my promise to you, I swear. I just need time. Would you give me that?” he pleaded. “Frankly, there’s no way that old man and I could ever become some sort of happy father-and-son pair, but I’ll be damned if I don’t work hard to see him as, well, an acquainted stranger. I’ll do my hardest to maintain a cordial distance between ourselves. I might not be close to him in the end, but I also won’t act offensively, either. Is that good?”

That was more like it, Tiffany thought, before finally turning to him and getting into the car. “I’m in only because I’m wearing heels and it’s not easy to walk on them,” she said, feigning steeliness. “Send me home — my home, not yours. I’m not in the mood to talk to you, and I’ll pay you for the trip.”

Jackson, however, pulled over by the roadside. “Oh, such blasphemy! Do you think I’m in need of money? No, mademoiselle, what I need right now is a beautiful wife to warm my cold, cold bed… Seriously, please stop being mad at me. You can vent off your frustration — deck me across the face or shout at me, whatever you fancy — once we’re home, ‘kay? Wouldn’t you forgive a man who apologizes so quickly? C’mon, come to my place, will ya? I mean, when you think about it, what we both need right now is some ‘teambuilding’—”

“Dream on, Romeo!” Tiffany rolled her eyes. “You’re quick to apologize every frickin’ time, anyway. I know you, Jackson ‘Master Skirtchaser’ West. You always apologize no matter whose fault it was because that usually solves the problem for you. You do it at the drop of a hat; you don’t mean it. God, this is so frustrating that I just wanna go home! Seriously, did you take a good glimpse of your mother when you stormed off? And your father, who withdrew into silence with guilt all over his face?”