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"Your manipulation won’t work There is no way in hell I’d spend Christernails plucked out with pliers," Ash bit out

Jace sighed Sa year He was convinced they only wanted Ash around so they’d have soer, he’d ood son and brother He’d attended the fas--such as they were

The first two years, he’d gone alone Gabe and Jace had immediately noticed a difference Ash had brooded for weeks after and it had taken a long tiet back to himself After the second year of that shit, Jace and Gabe put two and two together and the next year, they’d insisted on going with him After that experience, they both had vowed never to allow Ash anywhere near his family without a solid support network

Itpoison

After a few years of either Jace or Gabe or both acco firsthand the dysfunction that was the McIntyre faone back Not for lack of trying on their part Jace knew that Ash was deeply sha them continue to see his fa Which suited Jace just fine Ash was a better person when he wasn’t around the cesspool He was happier

"We’re done with this conversation Don’t call back I won’t take your call next ti up the office phone and then swiveled in his chair He did a double take when he saw Jace standing in the doorway and then he frowned

"What are you doing here? Would have thought you had shit to do"

Jace sighed again and sauntered farther into the office He slouched in one of the chairs along the wall and put his hands behind his back, leaning so he could pull Ash into his gaze

"Look, man, I was an asshole You know it I know it I also know you just got finished talking to your bitch of a mother and now you’re in a shitty mood so you’ll bite at me I deserve it, so I’m okay with it What I’m not okay with is this space between us"

Ash’s lips tightened "You put it there, ize here, Ash Don’t be a hard ass Let me do it"

Ash leaned back and drawled in a fahty, arrogant, de hiotta see"

"Fuck you," Jace

Family

Just as he’d observed in Gabe’s office Just as he knew--had always known This was his family And it was a family he wanted Bethany to have too

"Now that’s an unusual apology," Ash said "Fuck youI’m sorryThey sound alhed "God, you are such a dickhead"

Just as quickly, he sobered and aze

"I’m sorry,to help Trying to look out for ood I promise You may think I’ot this I’m solid"

"What do you have?" Ash asked curiously "You have to see this from my perspective, man We have a threeso Not unusual The only atypical part of this equation is that she walked away instead of us issuing her the walking papers So when you go apeshit over the fact she left, I’, okay, he’s pissed because he wasn’t the one cutting her loose this tiet it Maybe you weren’t done with her You’re a control freak like me You like to make the rules She broke them when she walked out What I did not expect was for you to turn the city upside down looking for her"

Jace sighed Yeah, when Ash described it, things sounded bad

"If you could have seen yourself these last teeks, Jace You looked like shit You were absent on your mind ork Mia came in to see you twice and you blew her off both tiether "Bullshit She didn’t cohed "You don’t even re a dick to her?"

"Christ She really ca head off, which prompted Gabe to want to bash your skull in I told hi a bad day"

"Shit"

"So there you are, barely existing in those teeks Acting like so Then you find her and go off half-cocked Then I don’t see you again until a fewhappened All of this after you told me to stay out of it and that it didn’t concern me"

Jace blew out his breath and rubbed his hand over the top of his head "Okay, you’ve made your point I was a dick That was out of line and we both know it"