(Jasper's POV)
The silence that follows my words is thick enough to cut with a knife. James's face hardens, his jaw working like he's chewing on something bitter. The old me would have backed down, would have apologized for overstepping.
But I'm not that man anymore. Not after seeing what my cowardice cost me.
"Jasper," Blair's voice cuts through the tension, soft but firm. "Please. Let's not fight about this. We're all just trying to figure out how to move forward."
She moves between James and me like she's done a thousand times before, the peacemaker in a family that's been broken for too long.
"You're right," I say, forcing my voice to soften. "I'm sorry. I just... I need you to understand that Scarlett is my priority now. She always should have been."
The admission tastes like as
