“It seems I already am, so …” I shrug as I tuck my damp button-up into my pants. “I won’t be going anywhere without you, and I’d like to celebrate Violet’s engagement, but if you want to leave, I have my bike.”
“He knows Violet?” the douchey guy asks. “Are you … you aren’t just working there … you’re seeing him?”
“You must be Hunter.” I stick out my hand because I’m in some bizarre space where I want to impress Tessa, and this guy is about to be devastated when he realizes she’ll never be his again. The least I can do is be a well-mannered prick, stealing the girl he’s chasing.
“I am.” He hesitates before finally shaking my hand. “And you are?”
Maybe I do like this guy. He knows damn well who I am, which he proved when he questioned her, so that was a grade-A dick move, and I would have tagged him as a weenie.
I wink and give him a nod of respect for holding his own. “Maddox Noire.”
“We are making a scene. Can we do this somewhere else?” Tessa grits out, reaching for my hand to pull it from her ex’s.
It’s just a means to guide me away from her family, but I gladly thread our fingers together anyway.
Hunter steps in front of her. “You and him, or you and me?”
Brazen.
“Both … I mean, neither … Hunter, listen—”
“I got this, baby,” I interrupt her cute, flustered blabbering, and the guy has steam coming from his ears as I continue, “Didyou tell her how beautiful she looked when you saw her today? Or better yet, that she was the kind of radiant that men should fall to their knees for?”
“What?”
His answer should’ve been,Of course. Then I’d know that this guy was fighting for her, that he deserved to be in the ring. Not that he’d stand a chance because I’ve decided I’m keeping her. No idea what that means or looks like. Regardless, I won’t even pretend to be sorry about it with someone who doesn’t know how to treat her.
“How long were you two together?” I probe, switching gears.
“Two years—”
“A year and a half,” Tessa clarifies.
It’s unclear as to whether that correction was for my benefit, his, or just Tessa owning her queen-of-snark role.
Pain washes over his face as he stares at her but speaks to me. “Twenty months, but I’ve known her and her family since we were twelve.”
He’s defensive because he doesn’t get it. He needs more than a backstory.
Tessa digs her nails into my hand until I’m fairly certain she’s drawing blood. “Maddox, let it go.”
I pump her hand a few times in return, silently assuring her I’ll be gentle on herfamily friend. “That’s a lot of history, something worth going to war for. So, did you tell her whatever drove you apart could be fixed because there was no one in this lifetime who could compare and nothing you wouldn’t do to keep her?”
“What drove us apart?” He scoffs, flinging his arm toward me. “Youare what drove us apart. Her working there or …” He abandons his accusation, swallowing, terrified, like he realized who he was yelling at and thinks I’m going to kill him.
I’m not. He seems harmless. In love with a girl who is no longer his. That’s a terrible fate.
His momentary breakdown illuminates something I didn’t think of before though, and my stomach wrenches, but I brush past it to end this.
“Tell ya what, Hunter. I’m gonna let that disrespect go. But here’s a tip: next time you’re trying to hold on to someone, start with all the reasons you can’t bear to live without them.” I lean into him, grip his shoulder, and offer him a hushed, friendly warning. “You lost her. It’s over. Text her, and I’ll cut off your fingers. Call her, and you’ll lose your tongue. I’ll let you imagine what will happen if you dare touch what’s mine.”
He bobs his head, but there’s an air of defiance shrouding him, like he’s brainstorming another way. This isn’t the place to deal with that.
When I glance at Tessa, she’s dazed, so I kick my chin toward the house and tow her with me, addressing Hunter as we pass him. “If you’ll excuse us, I promised her dad I’d make him my favorite cocktail.”
That wakes her up. “You talked to my dad?”
“Yes.” I don’t intend to be short, but my mind is spinning.
