16
JUNO
The loud chatter and clinking of glasses muffled the moment I rounded the corner, dipping into the dimly lit hall that led to two single-stall bathrooms. While all the locals loved Dave’s, it was well known around town that you came for the food and drinks, but if you needed to pee, you held it until you got home thanks to Ches, Dave’s owner, not putting cleaning the bathrooms high on the priority list.
My thigh muscles twitched from either the stress of the day or adrenaline, making me unsteady. Halfway down the hall, I spun, pressing my spine against the dark paneling for support. I tipped my head back to stare at the water-stained ceiling. Heart racing, pulse fluttering at an unhealthy speed, I squeezed both eyelids shut and inhaled, my nostrils flaring with each deep pull of oxygen, hoping that would calm my body down before I stroked out.
Engaged.
My former fiancé was, in less than six months after I called off the wedding and bolted, engaged, and to mystepsister, who he cheated on me with and then swore up and down it was over.
Not caring about my perfectly fixed hair, I rolled the back of my head along the wall, wishing like hell I would wake up from the nightmare already. This was what soap operas were made of, not real life, so why the fuck was it happening to me?
My thoughts raced, none of them finishing before moving on to the next, as every imaginable feeling swirled and fought for dominance. It was difficult to unravel how I really felt about the two of them being in Anchor Bay and finding out about their engagement, but there was one overriding emotion that I didn’t expect: worry. You’d think rage or grief would be prominent considering the circumstances, but no, it was concern—for Stephanie.
I couldn’t give two shits about him moving on. I’d rather tickle a shark than be with Eric again, even in a friend capacity. But his moving on with my stepsister, someone who I cared about despite the whole cheating thing, had dread weighing heavy in my belly, making me nauseous. Eric wasn’t a good person and was an even worse romantic partner. When we were together, I knew deep down that the way he treated me, his selfish nature, and impossibly high expectations weren’t normal, but what relationship was, right?
He never hit me, so it wasn’t abuse. So what if the relationship revolved around him? It wasn’t like I had it as bad as others who showed up at the ER every other month.
Right?
The last few months far away from Eric and his constant belittling comments had helped me see the actual truth, not his version of it. I didn’t want any of that for her. No one deserved to be trapped with someone like that for life, to have your own wants and dreams dismissed so many times that you began to do the same.
It was scary how close I got to losing years of my life tied to that man. He almost had me convinced that I had it good, thatthe little effort he put in was so much more than other men. All those years of chipping away at all the pieces of me that made me Juno Jones, he almost made me believe that his lies were the truth. Then I came to Anchor Bay, saw how real men treated their partners—hell, even their friends—and realized that while it wasn’t physical abuse, it wasn’t healthy either.
A roaring laugh echoed down the hall followed by a group cheering, snapping me out of memory lane.Time to wrap up the mini breakdown and get back out to the table, hopefully before West murders Eric with his bare hands. Well, with him being down one, I guess it would be bare hand?I shook my head, smirking at that random thought.
I needed a few more minutes to secure my walls again so Eric’s jabs wouldn’t hit home, at least not like they used to. As long as he stayed on the topic of degrading me, everything would be fine, but if he started after West, all bets were off. Though murder was off the table. I liked Oliver and wouldn’t want him to feel bad about arresting me.
Exhaling a loud sigh through my nose, I rubbed my lips together, still unable to process how I felt about him and Stephanie. Sure, we weren’t blood-related, but she was my sister. Yes, I was still hurt that she went behind my back with Eric, but did that mean she deserved a lifetime of being degraded and minimized? Incurable crabs or IBS where she pooped her pants every time she sneezed, sure, but a life with a man like Eric? That felt like too much for even my worst enemy.
“What the fuck did that asshole say?”
The deep voice and harsh tone had my lids popping open, finding a pair of emerald-green eyes gazing down at me, an inch from my face. I sucked in a breath, scanning his furrowed brow and the tight line of his lips.
“You’re here,” I whispered, more to myself than to him. Without thinking, I rose onto my tiptoes to wrap my armsaround his neck, drawing me flush against his chest. Cheek pressed to his sternum, the steady thump of his heart soothed my frayed nerves, easing the stress flowing through my tight muscles.
“Are you okay?” Langston asked. “What do you need?”
His arms wrapped around my shoulders and tightened, squeezing me even closer. I couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at the corners of my lips. Who would’ve thought that being in this man’s arms, Captain Asshole himself, would be exactly where I needed to be during one of my most stressful and emotional moments.
“I was worried about you.”
His scoff sent rogue locks of my hair floating.
“Youwere worried aboutme,” Langston stated in utter disbelief. My hair rasped against his long-sleeve T-shirt with my slow nod. “Why in the hell would you be worried about me?” The confusion in his tone made my smile grow.
Pulling back, I gazed up into his searching green eyes. Fuck, he was so damn hot. Tan skin, dark hair, muscles for days, tattoos?—
“Juno?”
I blinked a few times and shook my head, realizing I was just staring at him instead of responding. But when you were in the arms of someone like Langston, who would blame me?
“I was worried because West and I just left you alone in an unknown situation. We shouldn’t have done that, should maybe have stuck around?—”
“No. I needed you away from the danger and somewhere safe.”
“But aren’t I safe with you?” I arched a sassy brow, which made him chuckle.
