Page 29 of Guarded from Corruption

Jade goes silent, just looking at me with a pensive expression. Finally, she says quietly, “My parents were never proud of me.”

What? That can’t be possible. How could they not be proud of Jade?

“I know.” She somehow reads my mind. “Shea didn’t understand, either. But my parents… they’re nothing like me. My mother cares about social events and wearing the newest designs and playing tennis with carbon copies of her at the country club. The idea of getting an advanced degree? Working? Being single over thirty? She can’t understand it.”

With a sigh, she continues, “And my father; he thinks I’m a disappointment. In his mind, I should have gotten a bachelor’s degree in art history—not to get a job, but so I could sound educated at museum benefits. I should have gotten engaged in college and married right after. Not to just any guy, but one he approved of. Rich. Connected. And then stayed home and spent all my time looking pretty and having babies I’d pass off to nannies. Just like my mother did.”

Shit. A flare of anger heats my chest. The way Jade talks about her father thinking she’s a disappointment… It’s not right.

“It’s okay.” Jade lifts her chin. “I’m glad I had nannies. They were smart and well-traveled and they’re the ones who made me dream of other things. By the time I was ten, I knew I wanted to be something different. My mother’s life seemed so empty. Her entire identity is being my father’s wife.”

That’s definitely not Jade. If we were married, she’d have her career, her own interests, and we’d share them with each other. I’d work on crossword puzzles with Jade, and she’d trawl through vintage comic book shops while I search for rare editions to add to my collection.

Not that we’re getting married. It’s purely hypothetical.

Yanking my mind away from that tangent, I ask, “How did they react? When you told them your own plans?”

A smile lights her face. “Not well. They said they wouldn’t support me financially if I did it. But I didn’t care. I got scholarships and loans and worked part time so I could go to Brown instead of staying in Texas where they wanted me. And then I paid my own way through PA school at George Washington. And when I graduated and told them I was staying in DC with Shea, I think they gave up trying.”

Jade pauses to inspect my face, and I must not be hiding my feelings very well because she gives my arm a reassuring squeeze. “It’s fine, Niall. Don’t look so mad. I’ve accepted it. Now, I see them occasionally and we just talk about my mother’s parties and how well Bell Pharmaceuticals is doing that quarter. Then I go back to my apartment feeling completely certain I made the right decision.”

“You did.” I hold her gaze. “But it had to be hard. Going out on your own like that.”

“It was. But it taught me how to be strong. Independent. And confident in my own decisions. So I’m glad I made the hard choice.”

Every time I think I can’t like and respect Jade more, she proves me wrong.

There’s a moment when a dozen things I want to say get stuck in my throat.

“Okay.” Jade’s voice pitches up, signaling a change of topic. “I’m ready to finish this movie. And I know it's your turn to pick, and you like all those superhero movies, but”—her eyes widen hopefully—“maybe we could watch Bridesmaids? Please?”

Right now, Jade could ask to watch The Sound of Music—which my mom and sister tortured me with several times a year until I had literal nightmares about it—and I’d agree cheerfully.

Jade tilts her head, her gaze narrowing. Then a wicked little smile curves her lips. “Unless you’d rather watch The Sound of Music? I seem to remember Shea telling me how much you love it?—”

Shea! She’s getting coal for Christmas this year.

Without thinking, I loop my arm around Jade’s shoulders, giving her a little side hug. “That’s okay. Bridesmaids sounds perfect.”

A millisecond later, I think, shit. I touched Jade without asking; aside from holding her hand I haven’t done that, I don’t want to trigger her.

But then she leans against me and rests her head on my shoulder. With a smile in her voice, she says, “Don’t worry. I don’t like that movie, either. All the singing. And those creepy puppets? No thanks.”

That feeling of rightness comes over me again.

Like all these years, I’ve been waiting for this.

But it’s the wrong time. It’s not what Jade needs.

I need to do the right thing.

Then Jade tilts her head to look up at me, and there’s a softness in her gaze that makes me wonder.

Maybe I should stop making excuses.

Maybe I should let Jade decide what she needs.

CHAPTER NINE

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