Page 49 of Baby for My Billionaire Rival

“Now hold on –” Chase says, throwing his napkin down. “If you’re judging Jake for where he comes from, how do you feel about Jude?”

Jude’s cheeks flush. “Chase –”

“That’s different, honey. Jude has been family for many years.”

“She grew up in a trailer park. She’s a teacher. I mean –”

“I’d appreciate it if you don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Jude snipes.

Chase clenches his teeth. “I’m trying to prove a point. You’re creating a double standard, Gram.”

“I have known Jude since she was a baby. This young man stumbled into my granddaughter’s apartment out of the blue and –”

“With flowers, Gram!” Jude interjects. “Jake’s nothing but a gentleman. He sent her an Hermes scarf for Christmas!”

I cover my face with my hand as chaos erupts at the table.Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop.

“Richard, control your son,” Gram growls.

I nearly laugh. As if he’d be able to rein us in, two grown-ass adults with minds of our own.

“You promised after what happened with Jude and me you wouldn’t get involved in our personal life like this. You wouldn’t –”

Gram slams her fist on the table. The glasses and silverware clink. Mom gasps, clutching her string of pearls. “I will not be spoken to like this in my own home,” she says with the severity of a king ordering a beheading.

She gets up and leaves the room with her normal gravitas.

“Oh God…” I mutter. “I should go talk to her, shouldn’t I?”

Everyone just looks at me. They all begin to clear their plates, murmuring to one another as if total devastation didn’t just occur.

“Okay, I’ll go talk to her.” I start to stand, but Jake catches my arm. He tugs on my arm and I lean down to listen to what he has to say.

“I should go,” he says, jaw straining to stay composed. “Will you come with me?”

I want nothing more than to go with him and give him what he needs. But it would make Gram even angrier if I left with him.Best to not create more animosity between the two of them. “I think it’s best I talk to Gram first. Then we can go.”

“I can’t stay if I’m not wanted.”

“Everyone wants you,” I say, eyeing Jude across the way who is snuffing out the taper candles lining the table runner.

Jake pushes himself out from the table and slides his hand down the front of his polo. “This was a mistake.”

“What was?”

His blue eyes have gone dull. “I’m going to go, Caroline.”

“But…”

“You couldn’t manage to say anything in my defense. I don’t know what speaking to your grandmother in private is going to do for my cause,” he says, with more than a hint of frustration in his voice.

I gape at him. “I can talk to her. I just need to let things cool down and –”

Jake bites his lower lip, shakes his head, and walks out of the dining room into the front hall.

“Jake!” I call after him.

He doesn’t look back.

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