Page 104 of Family Bonds- Jarrett & Andi

“I used to,” she said.

“No,” he said. “Don’t hold it against him what he told you about your father. I’m not saying this for anything other than I believe it. If I were in his shoes, I might have made the same call. He was grieving your father with you. He was blaming himself on top of it and now he had to protect you. He had a lot on hisshoulders. Telling you what he did would have put guilt on your shoulders. Maybe he couldn’t handle it anymore. Or maybe he didn’t want you to feel what he was.”

The tears were rolling down her cheeks.

“I didn’t think of it that way.”

“There is no right or wrong answer here,” he said softly. “It’s what someone did at the time, and looking back and having doubts doesn’t change anything about where we are right now.”

She ground her teeth. “I don’t like how reasonable you are.”

“Yes, you do,” he said. “I believe him when he says there is no danger, but trust me when I tell you, I’ll be the first that has to know if there is. Before you.”

“Not what I want to hear,” she said.

“That’s just too bad,” he said. “It’s a fact. Sometimes ignorance is bliss and you don’t need that worry.”

“But I don’t want you to have it alone either. Don’t do that to me, Jarrett. Promise me right now. If you love me as much as I love you, you won’t shoulder it by yourself. People who love each other do it together. Support and comfort each other. If what you’re saying is true that Jack couldpossiblynot want me to feel what he did, then I don’t want you to do it either.”

“I can’t promise you something that I don’t know I can deliver, Andi,” he said quietly.

“So you’d lie to me?”

“No,” he said. “But if I keep something from you for yourowngood and because I have to for my job to keep everyone safe, then that is what I’m doing. If you ask me a direct question that I can’t answer, you’ll know I can’t. It’s no different than when we started to date. I asked you things you couldn’t say.”

“But I said enough that you could figure it out without me saying it. I did that because I can’t lie. I didn’t want to hurt you. I knew I was falling for you and it didn’t sit right with me to not be honest.”

“Then trust I’ll do the same thing with you if it ever comes about.”

Andi moved into his arms and held him because it felt like the only thing she had complete control over in her life.

“I guess it’s all I can do,” she said. “That’s the only reason Jack called you?”

“He might have wanted me to assure you that he’s not going to just drop in.”

“He said it’s not a fast trip,” she said.

“It’s not. And you two have to work that out, but I think he was just as embarrassed over finding me here as you were.”

She knew that. Jack had finally admitted it to her, but she didn’t share that with Jarrett.

“I don’t know how I feel about him being this close,” she said. “He has no one in his life. For a solidyearwe only had each other. All the holidays we spent together. I’m going to feel bad if he’s sitting in a tiny apartment by himself while I’m with you and your family.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” he said. “If he’s invited here, my family will welcome him. Or we could go to Boston. You’re worrying over little things.”

“It seems like the little things are all I can make decisions on,” she said, forcing a laugh.

“One day at a time,” he said. “Jack asked if I could give him recommendations to places. I reached out to Drew andtoldhimyourcousin was moving to Boston and if he knew of any places.”

“Now Amanda will know,” she said.

“Since Jack came here so fast when you got hurt, I don’t think anyone is going to question a thing. You’re reading a lot more into it than others will. Someone being in Witness Protection doesn’t happen often and most people don’t even think about it.”

“I know,” she said. “I’ve never said what my father did for a living. I mean I said he was in law enforcement but not a US Marshal.”

“Don’t create questions or problems where none exist,” he said.

“I’ll try,” she said. “I guess this is why you wanted to come over tonight? Not to see me?”

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