Chapter 51

TARA’S POVI stared at Daniel, my mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. My heart was hammering so hard I was certain everyone could hear it. The silence stretched impossibly long, heavy with expectation.Jeremiah's gaze burned into the side of my face. I could feel it like a physical touch, whatever he was waiting for me to say.Say something! My mind screamed at me. Say anything at all! "Jensen," I blurted out and and the table erupted."Jensen?!" Daniel practically shrieked. "Our Jensen? My dad Jensen?""He has a certain... charm," I stammered, my face burning so hot I probably looked like a tomato. "Despite being, you know, older. There's something refined about him.""Oh my God, she has daddy issues!" Joshua crowed, slapping the table."I do NOT have daddy issues!" I protested, but my voice came out too defensive.Eren was cackling. "Tara likes older men! This is amazing!""I didn't say I liked him, I said he was attractive!” I countered. “There's a difference!"

Chapter 52

TARA'S POVJeremiah ignored them and looked at me. "Come on."I followed him out into the cool night air, the relief of escape mixing with a new kind of nervousness.His truck was parked in the back lot, and he unlocked it without a word, and I climbed in, the physical discomfort making me squirm slightly in my seat.The engine rumbled to life, and we pulled out onto the empty street.The silence was immediate and oppressive. I tried to find something to say, anything to break the tension that seemed to fill every inch of space between us."That was fun," I offered weakly.He bobbed his head. "Mm."I smiled tightly and added. "The guys are really great. I'm glad I came.""Good." Was his clipped response. His jaw was set and his eyes were fixed firmly on the road. Whatever openness had existed between us at the bar had vanished, replaced by this cool distance.I fidgeted with my purse, trying to distract myself from both the awkward silence and the increasingly urgent pressure in my b

Chapter 53

TARA’S POV"Jesus Christ!"Jeremiah's voice cut through my panic, followed by a pained grunt.My fist had connected with his face, I realized with horror as the panic started to recede and my other senses kicked back in.My hand went up to my mouth. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I didn't… I couldn't see and the lights suddenly went off.""It's fine," he said, his voice strained. "Stay right there. Don't move."I heard him moving through the darkness with, followed by the scratch of a match, then a small flame bloomed to life. He lit a candle on a nearby table, then another, and another, until soft golden light filled the space.When he turned to face me, I gasped becauae blood was trickling from his nose.I shifted closer. "Oh God, Jeremiah, I'm so sorry.""Power goes out sometimes," he said calmly, tilting his head back slightly. "Old wiring. I've been meaning to fix it.""Let me help." I rushed forward, all my earlier awkwardness forgotten in the face of actual crisis. "Do you have tis

Chapter 54

TARA'S POV No. No, it couldn't be him, right?I pressed closer to the crack in the door, trying to see, but they were positioned just out of my line of sight in the living room."You have responsibilities to this family too," the brother continued. "I’ve always been there for her while you were off trying to revive the construction company. Why can I have this break?”There was a loud thud that made me flinch, followed by Jeremiah’s growl. "You know why I had to fucking do that! And we had a deal but you broke it, why?”"I had things to do. A life, remember? You're not the only one who-""Things to do?” Jeremiah snapped. “Or someone to do?"There was a sharp intake of breath. "That's not fair."Jeremiah scoffed. "Isn't it? How many months has it been since you actually showed up for a family dinner? Since you spent more than five minutes with Nana?"There was a heavy silence that pressed against my ears then angry footsteps heading toward the door."You know what? Forget it. I came h

Chapter 55

TARA’S POVI was walking through a garden bathed in golden afternoon light, flowers bloomed in different bright colors, and the air smelled like honeysuckle and freshly cut grass. I felt... happy. Genuinely, deeply happy in a way I couldn't remember feeling in years."Mummy!"I turned to see a little girl running toward me, pigtails bouncing, her face split wide with joy. She couldn't have been more than five or six, wearing a yellow sundress covered in butterflies.My heart swelled with a love so fierce it nearly brought me to my knees. I knelt down and swept her into my arms, covering her face with kisses as she giggled."Mummy, guess what! Guess what me and Daddy caught!"I smiled, leaning back to stare at her. "What did you catch, sweetheart?""A butterfly! A real one!” She was bouncing excitedly on her toes now. “It was blue and so pretty and Daddy said we had to let it go but first we got to look at it really close and-""That sounds amazing," I said, smoothing her hair back fr

Chapter 56

TARA’S POVI opened my mouth, but no words came out. My brain had completely short-circuited.He removed his hand, and I could finally breathe again, although part of me mourned the loss of that warmth."You've been jumpy since we got in the truck," he observed, his tone maddeningly casual. "Won't look at me. Keep fidgeting with your purse strap. That's three tells already."A nervous laugh escaped me. "I'm not nervous.""Liar." But there was no heat in it.I finally risked a glance at him. He was focused on the road, but there was the hint of a smile playing at his lips.He shifted gears into work mode. "The mayor's office called yesterday. The town hall renovation is going over budget. We want to renegotiate our bid, see if we can bring the costs down without compromising quality."I blinked, turning his words over in my head. "How much over?""Fifteen percent. Which is actually reasonable given the foundation issues we discovered.” He said and clicked his tongue against the roof of

Forbidden Ties; stuck between two brothers のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 51 - チャプター 56

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56