I’d back Emma to the ends of the earth—whether she was right or not.
Especially if her opponent was a five foot ten, skinny jean wearing asshole.
Candace reached for his hand, trying to calm him, but he snatched it away, eyes narrowing in warning. “Don’t touch me,” he bit out, all traces of humor gone.
The fracture was instant.
My mother’s voice. My father’s rage. That sound—the helpless begging—echoed like ghosts in the back of my skull.
All the stories Emma had told me didn’t do this man justice—the arrogance, the volatility simmering just beneath his skin.
I ground my teeth. The air between us felt heavier, tighter, charged with something that begged for a spark.
“Hey, man—” I started.
“Hey, man—” Garrett mimicked, voice twisted with contempt.
My pulse thundered in my ears. I took a step forward before I even realized it.
Emma’s hand caught my wrist. “Don’t,” she whispered, voice tight. “When he gets like this, nothing helps. He’ll just get louder—and then he’ll turn on Candace.”
“All bark, no bite with this one, huh, Em?” Garrett’s sneer turned triumphant. “You really know how to pick them.”
“Garrett, please,” Candace pleaded.
“What?” he shot back, incredulous. “The guy’s acting like her bodyguard, and she can’t even look me in the eye.”
“Because you’re humiliating her,” Candace snapped.
He laughed. The sound mean and biting. “Humiliating her? Jesus, Candace, you treat her like a child.”
Emma’s lips parted like she might respond, but no sound came out. Her eyes shimmered.
“Garrett, stop,” Candace said again, louder this time. “You’ve said enough.”
He turned on her then, the sneer curdling. “You always do this,” he hissed. “Jumping in to save her. You’d think you were dating her instead of me.”
Then I heard it.
Emma’s shaky inhale. The breaking exhale that followed.
I looked down. Tears glossed her eyes, catching the light like glass about to crack. My hands found her shoulders before she could fold in on herself, guiding her back—around the corner, where the chaos dulled to a muffled hum. I pulled her against me, her head falling against my chest, her small frame trembling like a leaf in a storm.
How fucking dare he.
How fucking dare he do this to her—especially now. Especially after last night.
I ran a hand through her curls. “I’m so sorry,” I murmured into her hair. “This isn’t what I planned.”
“It’s fine,” she said quickly, wiping at her face. The word cracked halfway through. The quiet, defeated sound gutted me. “This is how it always is…”
From the other side of the aisle, their voices rose again. Garrett’s sharp with fury, Candace’s fraying under it.
“I told you I didn’t want to come.”
“I wanted you to get to know Damien more. He means a lot to Emma.”
“The man’s a fucking pussy,” Garrett spat. “Perfect fit for her though, huh? All talk, no spine. Just like her.”
