“You’ve always been a stain on our family,” Angela screams, vibrating with rage toward her sister. “I hate you! We all hate you!”
I’ll never put my hands on a woman, but if she even thinks about touching Abby, I will manhandle her out of here without a second thought.
“Dammit, Angela,” I growl. “Get the fuck out. This isn’t her fault.”
“It’s her fault for being alive! I should have been an only child! She ruins everything!”
Abby scoffs and snarls back at her. “Iruin everything?Youtook the boyIwanted! It was because of you Beau swooped in and took advantage of me.”
Angela launches herself toward the couch, freshly manicured claws bared, and hissing like a pissed-off cat. I hook an arm around her waist before she can get to Abby. It’s then a man comes bursting into the room.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he bellows. “Hands off the woman, sir.”
Shit. It’s a uniformed cop.
I let go of her, but not before giving her a gentle shove toward him, once again keeping myself between the two sisters.
“She’s trying to attack my…” I trail off.
“His whore,” Angela supplies, venom dripping from her lips. “He’s been cheating on me with my own sister, officer. Arrest her!”
The cop, whom I now recognize as Cole, who lives with Savvy, frowns at Angela. She’s eyeing the gun on his belt and he instinctively grabs it. This is spiraling fast.
“I’ll get her out of here,” I say quickly to Cole. “Please. I don’t want this to escalate any further.”
Cole nods and then steps aside. Angela hisses at me when I point out the door, but she obeys. I shoot an apologetic look over my shoulder at Abby and then get her sister out of here before someone gets shot.
“I’ll follow you to your house,” I tell Angela. “Go. Now.”
Seconds later and she’s peeling out of the parking lot. I’m strangely calm as I follow her back to her house. She’s driving like a lunatic running red lights and swerving. I owe it to her and her family to make sure she gets home safely. Eventually, she’ll cool down, but until then, I don’t want her to get herself or someone else killed.
By the time we reach her house and exit our cars, she bolts for the front door, hysterically crying. I sigh heavily with resignation and find her in her mother’s arms in the living room when I enter. They must have seen her leave the restaurant, assumed the whole engagement was off, and come back home.
“David,” I say, voice gritty with regret. “I’m sorry.”
His features are murderous. “Angela called us on the way home. You knocked-up her sister?”
Gulping, I nod. “I’m going to do right by Abby and the baby.”
David cracks his neck and then snarls, “You chose the wrong sister, you foolish fucking man.”
They’re pissed. Justifiably so. However, it doesn’t change the fact that I no longer want to be with Angela. I love Abby.
“I’m sorry for unnecessarily hurting you all,” I croak out. “Truly. But I’m not sorry about loving Abby and the baby.”
This has Angela turning up the hysteria. David’s nostrils flare.
“I hope she cools off and realizes this is for the best,” I say to David. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to check on Abby.”
As I’m leaving, David shouts, “You’ll never work for my company!”
That’s the least of my worries.
“And everyone at the country club will despise you for what you’ve done!” he continues to yell. “Your reputation is ruined! It’s only fitting you’re shacking up with a woman of your caliber!”
I don’t say another word and head back to my real future.
The happy one.
