Knox sipped his water, recapped it, and then leaned his elbow on the table we were lucky to snag. “You’re not acting like yourself.” He placed his chin onto his hand. “What’s going on, and it’s not just this whole Hutch, Madison, and baby shit that’s got you fucked up either.” He raised his brows.
“Damn, just stab me in the heart.” I tossed my empty straw wrapper at him. “It’s that, plus a whole lot more that I don’t want to talk about.”
“New York?”
I scrunched my nose and made a face. “New York, dancing, my shitty life, the fact that I left the love of my life behind—” I stopped to look at him. “Sorry, Knox, I’m not talking about you,” I teased.
“Ouch, babe, you hurt me.” He held his hand up to his heart. “I never thought we were endgame, Jill, but we had fun for a little while, right?” Knox gave me a small smile.
“Sure, until you started fucking Madison,” I reminded him, then held up my hand. “Sorry, we’re not here to talk about that.” I sighed and let my gaze drift over to the water. “I never should have left,” I murmured. “I had plans to stay here with Hutch,” I admitted aloud for the first time, and I had to admit, it felt good. The look of shock on Knox’s face was priceless.
His blue eyes were wide. “You, what?” He leaned forward. “He asked you to stay and give up your dreams? Jill, that’s fucking selfish.”
“You think Hutch would actually do that? Hutch is anything but selfish. He’s the kindest, nicest man I have ever met.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “No, Knox, I wanted to stay because I couldn’t imagine being away from him. I just...” I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. “Shit, hold on.”
Jo:What happened? Hutch is here freaking out!
Jo:He said something about you taking a job at the Egg?
“Knox, this has been great, but I have to go defuse death con five back at my mother’s place.” I stood up from the table. “Thanks for lunch. It really hit the spot.”
“Can I walk with you?” he asked. “As friends of course.”
“Sure, Chandler,” I teased just to watch his dimples pop. We used to watch that show together all the time.
We dropped our garbage in the trash and began to head back to my mother’s house, which only took a few minutes. I wasn’t surprised to find Hutch standing on the front porch, but the second he spotted me with Knox, he looked mad enough to spit nails. Maybe having Knox walk me wasn’t the best idea.
“This is fucking perfect.” He threw his hands up in the air. “You run off from me and right back to him? Is this why you left me in the first place?” He glared at Knox like he was Lucifer himself.
Knox pushed me behind him. “I happened to be at the beach, so cool your jets, bro.”
Hutch got right into his face. “Was I fucking talking to you,bro?” he roared. “No, I was talking to Jillian.” I watched as he clenched and unclenched his hands at his side. I guess, he really had changed because the Hutch I knew wasn’t always so ready to hit someone, but then again, he never really liked Knox much.
“Hutch.” I peered around Knox. “You need to tone it down just a little bit,” I admitted. “Knox is just a friend, you’re with someone else, and I can hang out with whoever I want,” I reminded him.
“A friend.” His brows dipped as he looked at me. I nodded. “Well, that’s fucking great. Does he know why you left?” he demanded.
Knox shook his head. “I have no fucking clue, man.”
I moved between the two men. “Maybe you should go,” I suggested to Knox. “I’m sure I’ll see you before the wedding. It’s a small town.” I didn’t want Hutch to start a fight or get arrested over this either.
“You’re sure?” Knox’s eyes went behind me.
“Yes,” Hutch answered for me.
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be fine.” I patted Knox’s arm and waited until he was out of vicinity before I faced Hutch again. “What the fuck was that?” I folded my arms over my chest. “You’re acting all alpha asshole which is not the Hutch I know.” My brows dipped as his browns flashed angrily.
“Knox Carson, Jilly? Really?”
“You have the balls to question me when you’re with Madison?”
His jaw clenched. “She was here when I needed you,” Hutch reminded me. “You left. She helped mend my broken heart, and now—” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, does it? You’re never going to tell me the truth.” His hate boiled over like an open wound. “What did Mads mean when she said you took a job at the Egg?”
I was not doing this now. Not outside with my sister and the neighbors gawking. “I can’t.”
“Of fucking course, you can!” Hutch exclaimed. “Jesus fucking Christ! Who even are you?” He spun around, yanking his hands through his hair. “God, I haven’t done that.” He pulled his hands through his hair again. “You show up again, and guess what? The mute is back!” He glanced up into the sky as I winced at the nickname he used on himself. “Damn, I really thought you were it for me, Jillian.” Hutch bit down on his bottom lip. “Guess I really am as stupid as everyone though I was back then. Do me a favor?” he asked. “Don’t talk to me the rest of the time you’re here, and I’ll do the same.”
It felt like my heart was breaking all over again just hearing Hutch say those words, and my knees threatened to give out from under me. “I...”
