“Contrary to what you think, Jacob, the world doesn’t revolve around you and what you want,” Lori returned, her back straightening.
His attractive face turned ugly, twisting into a petulant scowl. “My dad said my trust is void until I ‘step up’ and become a father. I’m not letting a brat or some bitch drag me down. How much?”
“How much what?” Lori massaged her temples. “How much of an idiot I must’ve been to have even entertained the idea of sleeping with you? A lot, I’m thinking. By the way, it had nothing to do with you and everything to do with trying to forget a man who is twenty times the person you are.”
I restrained my smile, proud of my friend. Even though Lori was afraid, unsettled, she didn’t back down. It was immensely horrible that men like him existed and worse still to have to be on the receiving end. Lori was rightfully scared. Men like him were dangerous. She had two people to protect now.
But she was still speaking up. Still alluding to the man I hoped she’d get her happily ever after with.
A vein in Jacob’s neck pulsed. “To get rid of it. How much? I’ll write you a check right now.”
Lori gaped at him. I did too. Even though I knew what men were capable of, it was sickening to hear it firsthand. The true arrogance and ownership he thought he could wield over a woman’s body. Her choices. Her child.
She shook her head slowly, lip curled in disgust. “No amount,” she said quietly. “No amount on this earth. Though I’ll admit I wish he had a different father, I’ll never regret this choice.” She rubbed her stomach protectively.
“Bitch,” he seethed again.
I rolled on my heels, noting the change in temperature in the exchange, the thickness in the air. This was going from bad to worse.
“You should leave now,” a voice said from behind Jacob.
Jacob turned, sneering to where Nora was standing, glaring at him. I’d never seen Nora glare before. She was soft-spoken, kind, always offering a smile.
To gain a glare from Nora, you had to be a pretty shitty person.
“I’m not listening to you, fat bitch. Fuck off.”
Nora didn’t bat an eye at the insult, though I knew she recognized how dangerous this man might become. It was ingrained in women to sense that.
“Oh, you’ll wish you didn’t say that.” She shook her head. “Now leave before my husband or the sheriff gets here. Both are en route, and one of them will merely treat you to the letter of the law. The other…” She trailed off, shrugging. “I don’t condone violence, but my husband doesn’t always listen to me.”
I smiled, big this time. Nora was naturally shy, but she was not afraid. Not when she knew her husband would always have her back.
“What areyousmiling about?”
It took me a second to realize he was talking to me, his hideous expression pointed in my direction.
I continued grinning. “I just like it when bullies are shown what cowards they really are.” I looked him up and down. “And I’m thankful that you won’t be able to buy yourself any more of those horrible clothes since it sounds like daddy is going to cut you off. Have fun in the real world. May it grind you up and spit you out, overpriced sneakers first.”
I barely got the words out of my mouth before pain exploded in my nose, and the table smacked into my back.
It took me a second to realize I’d been punched. My eyes watered like crazy, and my nose was a burst of agony.
Warm liquid poured down the front of my face as I instinctively forced my hands upward.
I tried to breathe through the pain, acutely aware that we were now in the vicinity of a man who was not afraid to be violent toward women, and that the pregnant source of his ire was behind me.
I saw his shape moving forward and tried to stumble in between him and Lori.
“Oi!” an accented voice yelled, followed by a grunt. By the time I could see out of my waterlogged eyes, Fiona had, obviously, appeared and was now on Jacob’s back.
He was running around, trying to get her off, smacking into tables as he did so. Fiona held fast. She was pregnant. On the back of a vicious man.
Holding my nose with one hand, I picked up a chair, intending to do what with it, who knew.
But then there were more figures rushing into the bakery. Much bigger and decidedly more masculine than Fiona.
First was Kip, who grabbed his wife without pause. Then Rowan, who promptly punched Jacob square in the face, sending him toppling to the ground, out cold.
