Devin
Before I can follow her, Jordan is in my face again.
“Would you fucking talk to me?” he demands, his voice soft and urgent. “I want to help you.”
“I don’t need your help, Jordan,” I snap. “Just go back to Seattle and your perfect little world with the love of your life and all that crap.”
“I’m the first one to admit my world is far from perfect,” Jordan replies. “I have no problem admitting that it was a whole lot of luck that brought Jessie back in my life. But it’s a whole lot of work that is going to keep her there forever. I would never give up on us. What are you afraid of—the work? Why are you giving up on Ashleigh?”
I take a step toward him. We’re literally toe-to-toe now, breathing in each other’s faces. My shoulders are so tense they ache and my fists are balled up at my sides, ready to strike. I have never punched Jordan, but right now it’s all I want to do. Jessie appears next to him and touches Jordan’s waist. It just makes me angrier to see her concern for him. Did Ashleigh ever have concern like that for me?
“It’s my fault? You think I just walked away because she didn’t want another kid or because marriage requires work? That’s how fucking shallow I am?”
“What else am I supposed to think? You won’t fucking tell me anything!”
“Umm, guys…can we leave and talk about this elsewhere?” Jessie begs softly.
I turn and look down at her harshly and back up at Jordan. “When you put that wedding band on her finger and she fucks another guy, then you can judge me. Until then, go fuck yourself, little brother.”
I shove him—hard. He stumbles into the table behind him and a couple of glasses full of beer tumble over. Jessie yells for Callie and grabs Jordan harshly by the arm, holding him back from going after me, because I can tell by the rage in his eyes he wants to slug me now as badly as I want to slug him.
Callie is there suddenly—right in front of my face on her tiptoes so she can come close to making eye contact. She grabs my shoulders and starts pushing me backward.
“Outside. Now!” she barks in my face. I could easily stand still—I’m way stronger than she is, but I also know Callie will never give up. She’d knee me in the balls and drag me out by my hair if she had to, so I turn and storm for the exit.
Chapter 18
Callie
I’m so upset by what just happened in there that I’m literally shaking. I can feel my pulse hammering in my throat and I can’t take a deep breath. I have never seen them go after each other like that. Never.
I have been witness to a lot of Garrison brother fights. They constantly tease each other and call each other names and push each other’s buttons. There have been a few times when lines were crossed and someone told someone else to fuck off and meant it. Jordan was the king of hurling sticks at his brothers in anger on the backyard rink. He’d also once thrown a lamp at Cole in the living room when Cole was picking on him about something and didn’t realize how sensitive Jordy was. And then there was the time that Devin totally schooled Cole on the rink and scored after sending Cole to his ass in a heap. Cole had promptly gotten up, skated over and punched Devin in the face. Cole was eleven and Devin was fifteen. That was the only time I’d heard of them getting violent with each other.
But tonight…if Jessie and I hadn’t stepped in, the two of them would have probably fought until the death. And that totally terrified me. Jessie, Rose and I didn’t have a lot of things growing up—like parents or a strong biological family—but we did have patience, love and respect for each other. I know my sisters would risk their lives for me and my happiness and I would do the same for them, without question. I know that Cole would do that for any one of his brothers, and Luc—the honorary Garrison brother—would do it for them too, but I always question whether Jordan and Devin would do it for each other. They are just so…intimidated by each other.
“You are out of control,” I tell Devin, fighting to keep my tone hard and even so he doesn’t know how rattled I am.
“Who the fuck does he think he is, accusing me of being the one to give up on my marriage?” he barks at me in his own defense.
“Well, maybe if you weren’t too fucking proud to tell him what happened and let him see you’re fucking human, then maybe he wouldn’t make assumptions!”
Seb and Alex Larue come out into the parking lot. They see us—Devin leaning up against the side of the building and me pacing furiously in front of him—and they both stop dead in their tracks.
Seb is the first one to step forward, which is very brave and makes me like him, unfortunately. “Callie, are you okay?”
“She’s fine,” Devin answers angrily.
I give him a death stare and turn and walk over to Seb. When I get there, he reaches out and takes my hand in his gently. Damn him, why does he have to be so likable? I may not be able to just fuck him and walk away now, which means I won’t let myself fuck him at all.
“I’m fine,” I assure him with a small smile.
His light blue eyes narrow with concern and he takes his free hand and pushes my hair back from my face. “You’re shaking,ma belle.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I argue and glance back at Devin, who is staring a hole into the pavement at his feet. His hands are still balled into fists by his sides. “I just need to make sure Devin is okay.”
He looks confused now. “I thought you were Garrison-free.”
I sigh. “I thought I was, too.”
