Always Us (The Jade Series #8) Read Online Free

that. At all. It’s not like she’s telling me she wants them right away. Neither one of us wants that. But to have her admit to wanting them at all is a huge deal.
    Ever since we got married, I’ve been telling myself I might just have to accept the fact that kids aren’t in our future. Before today, Jade didn’t really act like she wanted them. She’d joke about having them, but she was never serious. But just now, she was serious. She even seemed a little excited about the possibility. Maybe it’s because she’s around family and it makes her think of us having our own family someday. Who knows? But whatever the reason, it made my heart jump a little. Who knew a simple ‘yeah’ could have so much meaning?
    “I love you.” They’re the only words I can come up with after hearing her say that. I’m too shocked to come up with anything else. I hope this isn’t just temporary and that this really is what she wants. Because it’s definitely what I want. I love Jade so damn much and I want to have kids with her. One. Two. Six. Triplets. Doesn’t fucking matter to me. I’ll take whatever she’ll give me.
    “I love you, too.” She flips around and pulls my arm down around her middle. “You need to sleep. Let’s just take a short nap.”
    A few minutes later, she’s asleep. But am I? Hell, no. My body is freaking exhausted but my mind is wide awake, even more so now that Jade’s agreed to have kids. Well, almost agreed. We’ve got this whole future ahead of us. We’re making plans. A new house. Kids. Holidays with the family. And instead of being happy about it, like I should be, I’m scared shitless that it’s nothing more than a dream. A dream that will never come true because of my psychotic, controlling grandfather. I don’t know why he won’t just leave me alone. I don’t know why he’s doing this. What the fuck happened in his life to make him this way?
    A half hour later Jade’s still asleep and I’m still lying here, wide awake. My phone vibrates on the nightstand. I carefully take my arm off Jade and reach over to get it. There’s a text from my dad asking if we made it to Iowa. I text him back that we did. Then I slowly move off the bed.
    “Garret?” Jade turns over and notices I’m gone.
    I lean down and kiss her. “I’m just using the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
    “Okay.” Her eyes are closed and she curls herself into a ball and goes back to sleep. I stand there a moment and look at her. She’s smiling as she sleeps. She’s so freaking happy right now that she’s smiling in her goddamn sleep. All I ever wanted was to make Jade happy, and now she is, but it’s all going to come crashing down if I don’t fix this shit with my grandfather. Or if my dad doesn’t fix it.
    That’s why I got up. I need to call my dad. I need to know if he has a plan. I go in the bathroom, shut the door, and call him.
    “Dad, what’s going on?” I ask when he picks up. “Did you decide what to do?”
    “Garret, I told you I’d take care of it. I don’t want you involved in this.”
    “I already am involved. So just tell me.”
    “This is between my father and me. I told you that yesterday. I also told you to stay out it. And I mean it. Do you understand?” He’s got that threatening tone he always used when I disobeyed him in high school. I can’t stand that tone. I always feel like a kid when he uses it.
    “No. I don’t understand. This isn’t just about you. This has to do with—”
    “I am NOT going to say it again!” His threatening tone is replaced by something darker, more ominous. It doesn’t even sound like him. “Stay the fuck out of it.” He pauses, but I hear him breathing. “Now I’m asking you again. Do you understand?”  
    My heart’s pounding in my chest. I notice my hand’s shaking a little. What the hell? My hand never shakes.
    “Garret. Answer me.” He lowers his voice, but it’s still fucking scary. “Do you understand?”
    “Yes. I