Page 122 of Family Bonds- Jarrett & Andi

“I’m not sure how any of that came about or where it’s going. Jack has turned it back over to the Denver office. Leo isn’t in Massachusetts. I’m not sure where he is.”

“Not Colorado or California,” she said.

“Most likely not. What we got out of it all was that he honestly believes you’re dead.”

Andi let out a breath. “When you told me he was here I thought for sure somehow my picture got out there. I can’t keep it away no matter how much I try.”

“You have to live your life. But you’ve done a lot to change your appearance, and you normally stay out of the way of a camera. You don’t put yourself in vulnerable positions either.”

“That’s right,” she said. “Just remember that. Even when you got upset over the influencer taking pictures. I wasn’t in them. I made sure of it. And when I think someone is taking pictures around me, I have sunglasses on or a hat or I turn my head.”

“I’ve seen all those things,” he said. “But I can’t help the fact that I’ve worried. I love you. This isn’t a concern that you’re going to twist an ankle tripping. This is your life I was worried about.”

She didn’t need it voiced like that. The same way her father had done for years when she got in trouble for being a typical teen.

“I need to be able to live my life. I’ve been spending most of it in fear. It was horrible in Tulsa. Every move I made Isecond-guessedmyself. I worried someone would see me or one of the lies I’d be telling would get tripped up.”

“You don’t like to lie,” he said. “I know. It’s not easy. And you’re mad because you think I lied to you when I didn’t. I might have omitted things, but you know why.”

“It doesn’t make it any easier,” she said. “You know I want to trust you.”

“I need you to know youcantrust me. You think you can’t because I set up a layer of protection on this island. But you don’t realize it wasn’t just for you. I’ve got family here too. As Mac lectured me for not letting him know, he had no plan in place prior. He knew what I told him when it happened. He hadto not only keep an eye out for you but also for his family and the rest of the island. I put him in a bad spot.”

“You felt the burn on that, didn’t you?” she asked. She was glad he was getting some of that. That it wasn’t okay to just do his own thing and leave everyone in the dark.

“I did and I’ll continue to. I’m not going to say I messed up because if I didn’t think to do what I had, then we wouldn’t have been able to put this to bed with you.”

She couldn’t argue that point, but it didn’t stop the hurt.

“I’m thrilled to know that that threat is gone. Ireallyam. And maybe I shouldn’t be so mad that Jack did what he had when I thought for months he overreacted.”

“He didn’t,” Jarrett said. “Believe that. None of us can predict what is going to happen, but we can only do the best we can with the information we’ve got.”

It just reminded her of the conversation she had with Jack prior.

There were no guarantees in life. Her father was a prime example.

She’d never know what he was thinking back then to do what he had. She had to stop dwelling on it too.

“I know,” she said. “But it feels like most times the information I’ve got ishalf assed.”

“Listen, Andi. You’re pissed at me.”

“I’m hurt! I’m upset. You didn’t trust me enough to tell me these things.”

“It’s not about trust!” he shouted. “It’s about protecting you. It’s about your mental ability to live with this shit hanging over you. How do you think it would have been if you thought the threat was greater than what you were told? If you knew we had all these things in place? Would it have relieved you or would you have been looking over your shoulder even more rather than trying to blend in and just experience life as Andi Benson?”

She blinked a few times. He’d never yelled like this before. Never got this angry either.

“I would have been scared,” she admitted. “I would have thought that even though you were telling me everything was fine,that youwere keeping things from me.”

“That’s right. What I had Griffin do would have only added to your stress and anxiety and it wouldn’t have changed a thing that happened other than make you miserable during that time. Aren’t I allowed as the man who loves you totake that into consideration?”

“He’s right, Andi.” She turned her head when the front door opened and Jack was standing there. “I won’t even give you shit about not having your door locked right now.”

She threw her hands up in the air. No reason to ask why Jack was here. It felt like the two of them were ganging up on her just like they had when Jack told Jarrett first he was moving here.

Because they wanted to make sure she wouldn’t worry or get upset.

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