Jenna turned toward Mason. “I’m leaving. If you want to stay with these hoity people, be my guest.”
Mason stood, his chair scuffing the hardwood floor loudly as he jumped to his feet. “Let’s all be reasonable here. I don’t know what you all have fought about in the past, but you’re family. You need to reconcile and let bygones be bygones. If you don’t, you will regret it sooner or later.”
Jenna’s face flamed, and she pursed her lips before she spoke again. “You’re right. You have no idea what you’ve stepped into. I’m sorry you got dragged into this mess, but I won’t be treated like a child, and I won’t be told what to do with my life. Not by my parents and not by you, either. Stay. Enjoy dinner. My dad has always wished I were a boy. Maybe you could move in and fill the role as son extraordinaire.”
Jenna turned toward the door so fast her hair flared out around her. She stomped from the room with her head high, although he’d seen the glossy look of tears in her eyes at the last second.
Mason turned toward her parents. “Pardon me.” He stepped away from the table and headed to the doorway. As the front door slammed shut, he turned back to Jenna’s family. “She’s right. I have no idea what argument you four are in the middle of, but I do know how important family is, and I hope you can find it in your hearts to reach out to each other and work things out before you lose your daughter entirely. I hate to see you all fighting. She’s a fantastic woman, and she’s hurting. I’m sure you can see that.”
Joann gave a single chuckle. “Jenna is a spoiled brat.”
Mason was taken aback. The woman he’d grown to love was anything but spoiled.
“She needs to get her head out of her ass and move back home.”
Mason swallowed, hoping his voice would stay strong. “Is it so wrong of her to want to make it on her own?”
“Yes. It’s absurd. She’s a Mathews. She’s making a fool out of us.”
“By running a flower shop? You’ve been to her shop. It’s fantastic. She’s got a good business going.”
“She doesn’t need a business. She needs to give up that farce and get her ass back on Mathews’ territory. She’s played around long enough, and we’ve made all the excuses we can to everyone we know, including her fiancé.”
Her what? Mason’s eyes shot open wide. He squeezed the doorframe until his knuckles hurt. No way. He couldn’t believe it. He cleared his throat. “Excuse me?”
Joann smiled, a twinkle in her eye. “She’s engaged to a family friend. His name is Charles, and he’s perfect for her. It’s time for her to give up her little playtime and move home.”
Something seemed terribly off to Mason. Engaged? He’d heard mention of this Charles dude moments ago, but engaged? “Has this Charles asked her to marry him?”
Joann sat straighter, her mouth in a firm line. “That’s beside the point. It’s been planned for years. As a member of this family, she will follow our instructions to maintain her birthright.”
Planned? What century was this, anyway? Hell, what country? “So this engagement with Charles is arranged?”
“Or course.” Joann set both elbows on the table and pointed at him. “And if you care about her at all, you’ll warn her to get her ass in gear before Christmas. She’s making a fool out of both her and Charles. He will only wait so long. After Christmas, if she isn’t back on the right path, she will be cut off entirely. Disowned. Do you know what that means to Jenna financially? Total ruin.” She narrowed her gaze again. “Do the right thing, Martin, or whoever you are. Steer her back to the family and leave my daughter alone, or she will regret it for the rest of her life.”
Mason couldn’t believe his ears. He glanced at the stern face of Jenna’s father, who said not a word but stared at Mason as though he had the plague.
Seconds went by. Mason was so stunned he couldn’t move. It took several heartbeats for him to gather nouns and verbs. “I’ll talk to her. I can assure you of that.” He knew they would misinterpret his words, but he no longer cared. His head pounded, and his face burned with anger. How dare these people treat their daughter like some kind of commodity?
For the first time in his life, Mason realized family wasn’t everything. Not this kind of family. His chest hurt thinking of Jenna as a child in this home.
He loved that woman. He wanted to spend his life with her. Grow old with her. Have kids with her.
Never could he imagine bringing a child into this house, even to meet these grandparents. He shivered and stepped back.