Page 110 of Louder Than Words

Thank God I took him off after the accident fiasco.

Silence settles between us for a few minutes. Then footsteps enter the kitchen, and I look up to see Jax, his phone pressed to his chest. His eyes flick between us as he offers a tight-lipped smile.

“Hey… sorry to interrupt. The girls are watchingThe Grinchwith Ana. I just have to step out for this,” he says, gesturing toward his phone.

I nod. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. It’s just Don,” he says, shrugging slightly. I catch his overly dramatic eye roll and can’t help but smirk.

He offers one last small smile before backing away from the kitchen, leaving Trevor and me alone again.

Trevor’s eyes are still nowhere near mine, but at least they’ve lifted a fraction, now resting on the mug in front of him.

“I really am sorry, Allie. I don’t know what I was thinking,” he admits softly.

For the first time in months, I believe him. But I’m not sure if he’s sorry because his plan failed—or because he finally realizes how messed up it was.

“I’m not going to say it’s okay, because it’s not,” I say, biting my lip gently. I almost stop myself, almost avoid pouring salt in the wound, but I can’t. “You put our daughters in the middle of something that could have seriously hurt them, Trevor,” I continue. “Do you understand the pain that could have caused them?”

He nods, then finally meets my eyes. “I know. I… I can’t believe I did this either. I’m going to anger management and therapy starting next month. Six months, at least, so I can actually get it under control.”

I reach across the table, covering his hand with mine. “I think it’ll really help. You’re not a bad guy, Trevor. We know that.”

His shoulders slump slightly as he exhales. “Can we maybe go back to how things were? I get them for the summer?”

The audacity hits me like a slap. But then I remember—he’s still their father. And as much as it’s wrong to take their mother away, it’s also wrong to take their father away, especially when he’s trying to work on himself.

“Why don’t we take it slow? Let’s see how your classes go, and we can revisit it when you graduate before summer.”

He offers a tight-lipped smile. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

He rises from the chair, hands dipping into his pockets for his keys. Then a sudden, impulsive idea strikes me, and I scramble from my seat.

“Do you wanna stay?” I blurt out, immediately kicking myself.

Trevor looks at me like I have ten heads, hand running through his hair.

“We can make cookies with the girls, decorate the tree, watch a movie. All of us together,” I offer. “I think the girls would really like that.”

“Jax would be okay with that?” he asks.

I nod. “I think Jax would be more than okay with it.”

Before we can say anything else, Jax steps back into the kitchen, phone still in hand. His expression is tense, unreadable, and I freeze for a moment, caught off guard.

He raises a brow. “Jax would be more than okay with what?”

“Oh… if Trevor spent Christmas Eve with all of us,” I manage, watching him closely for any sign he isn’t comfortable with it.

His expression softens slightly, just enough for a small, genuine smile. “I think that’d be really cool.”

Trevor beams almost immediately, hiking a thumb over his shoulder. “Do you guys want to tell the girls, or…?”

I shake my head. “You go ahead. We’ll be right there.”

“Okay,” he says, his smile growing by the second. “Thank you… both of you. You really don’t have to open your home to me.”

Jax shrugs, moving closer until he’s standing beside me. “Anything for the girls.”