Ready to tell everyone to go fuck themselves.
But he scared Willow today, and that’s never going to happen again. Christ, just seeing her shaken up an hour after it happened hasmerattled, and this kid is standing there, looking like he doesn’t give a shit.
And that pisses me the hell off.
“I haven’t seen you much the past few years,” I say, mirroring his stance by putting my hands in my own pockets. “You kept to yourself last weekend when Wills brought you out. I have a question.”
He glances up and lifts his eyebrows.
“Why didn’t you come to Ray’s funeral?”
He shrugs, clenches his jaw. “I was busy.”
“Nah, man. I don’t buy that. Your Aunt Willow could have used you there, you know. It was a hard day for her.”
He shakes his head. “She doesn’t need me. She had you and Gideon.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Let’s walk to the barn. Come on.”
He falls into step next to me.
“So why’d you punch that wall today?”
He lets out a sigh. “She’s always on my case. So what if I stayed out all night with my friends? Who the fuck cares?”
“She cares. Are you fucking some girl?”
His gaze snaps up to mine, surprised, and I gesture to the hickey on his neck.
He shrugs again. That seems to be his go-to mode of communication.
“So you were out all night, doing things you probably shouldn’t with some girl, and you came home this morning and got pissed that Willow had plans for you today.”
“I’m tired,” he says, his voice hard with defiance.
“Tell me you’re using protection. Don’t get that girl pregnant.”
He lets out a gusty breath, and his cheeks darken. “I didn’t fuck her. We just fooled around.”
My stomach loosens with that admission.
“Here’s the thing,” I tell him as we step inside the barn. The other guys are still at the bunkhouse, having breakfast. “Your aunt is one of my favorite people in the world. One of two, now that my dad’s gone. Three, if we count you, but you’re pissing me off today.”
His lips twitch like he wants to laugh, but then he schools his features back into his signature scowl.
“You don’t get to bully her.”
“I wasn’t—”
“Yeah, you were. You thought you could intimidate her into getting your way. Don’t bullshit me—I’ve been you before. Shit, I wasworsethan you. But today’s the last day you treat her like that.”
“Sometimes, I just get so mad.”
“It happens. Come yell at me or use my gym. Hell, I’ll hang a punching bag out here, and you can go to town on it. But you won’t take your shit out on the one person in this world who has stuck up for you and taken care of you. She loves you.”
He blinks rapidly and turns away from me.
“Deal?”
