“I’m not wrong? That’s the ex whoreallyhurt Maurice, and he just went over there with him?” Anger and pain warred in me. “Why would he do that?” Maurice looked so nice tonight in a gray suit and a black bow tie. After the shitty day we’d had, I wanted him with me, not talking to some asshole who’d dragged him through the mud backward.
Lacey sighed and sipped her drink, jumping in surprise when the umbrella on top shifted and smacked her on the nose. She pulled the decoration out and kept guzzling until the beverage was nothing but ice. I opened my mouth to ask her to slow down, but she slapped the glass on the table and pointed at Matt with the umbrella, almost like it was a sword and she was rallying everyone to charge. “Maurice always gave that piece of shit a million chances to tap dance all over his feelings. Maurice is too—”
“Sweet.”
“Yes!” She pointed at Matt again with the umbrella, jabbing hard enough I thought maybe she was imagining driving it through his head, and her curls bounced against her cheeks.
I ground my teeth as Maurice nodded along to whatever Matt was saying, then sat back and rested his hand on his chest like he’d never heard anything so terrible in his life. I leaned forward when his face crumpled as if he might cry, utterly captured by his expressions.
Lacey pummeled my shoulder with her hand. “Go over there! Don’t let this happen! He’s doing it all over again. Maurice was a wreck after Matt. If Maurice cries, I’m going to rip Matt’s head off!”
I was out of my seat in a heartbeat, not needing any further encouragement, and Lacey followed right after me. I stormed over and grabbed Maurice’s hand, tugging on it. “This is finished,” I said, only meaning to be loud enough to be heard over the music, but I ended up close to shouting.
Maurice rubbed the back of my hand and frowned at me. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” The tears sliding down his cheeks into his beard said otherwise, and I was ready to murder his asshole ex, who glared at me as if I were interrupting.
“We need a few more minutes,” Matt said.
“No, he needs to stop talking toyoubecause you’re upsetting him.” I pointed at Matt, but Maurice shoved my hand down to my side again.
Lacey jammed her umbrella in Matt’s direction, nodding along with what I said. “Yeah.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Matt asked, staring directly at me. “Not your name, who are you to Maurice?”
“He’s my boyfriend.”
Matt scowled and ran his hands through his hair, messing it up and yanking strands free of the ponytail so that they swayed around his face. Just my luck, he looked even better that way. “I finally see you again,” he said to Maurice, “and some controlling dickwad has glommed on to you.”
Rage spiked through me, and for a moment all I could see were gray spots in front of my vision. “I’m a dickwad? He’scryingbecause of you.” My free hand curled into a fist.
Lacey smacked my shoulder while glaring at Matt.
“Wick, it’s okay.” Maurice smiled up at me.
“Like hell it is. We’re leaving. Lacey’s right.”
Matt stood.
I tugged my hand free of Maurice’s and squared off with Matt.
“Maybe you should back up.” He poked my chest.
“Why don’t you go to hell,” I snapped back.
Lacey giggled and slapped her hand over her mouth as she stared between us, then rushed around to tug on Maurice’s arm. “Come on.”
Maurice didn’t shove Lacey, exactly, but he yanked his arm out of her grasp. “I need to give Matt a chance to talk.” Now he sounded as if he was getting pissed off with us, and that only made this all worse.
“Thank you,” Matt said, and I couldn’t stand the gloating smile that took over his face. My fist tingled with the desire to punch him.
“We’re leaving,” I said, shifting my focus to Maurice.
He didn’t budge.
Matt shoved me, and I wasn’t prepared so I stumbled back a few steps. “You replaced me with a possessive jerk. I thought you wanted to do better than me, not worse!”
Lacey huffed. “You’re a dick! Let’s go, Maurice!”
Matt turned an accusing scowl on her. “You never liked me.”
