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Chapter Twenty-Four

Then

Arriving at work, Moe’s eyes grow wide in shock as he looks at my jaw. It’s been a couple days, but the evidence is still there.

Turning to Trey, he grits his teeth. “What the hell happened to her?”

“Don’t know exactly,” Trey responds. “She won’t tell us.” Moe turns back to me, his eyes softening as he approaches.

“Sweet girl, you best be tellin’ me what happened.”

I bite my lip and look down. “It was just an accident, Moe.”

His hands clench at his sides. “Darlin’, I could put my fingers exactly where his were. It wasn’t an accident.”

Suddenly feeling defensive of Ryan again, I straighten my spine and look Moe in the eye. “It was an accident and I am fine,” I say, my voice hard and unwavering.

“I’m callin’ your daddy.”

“Sure, you know what, why don’t we just take out an ad in the fuckin’ paper so then everyone can know?” I snarl and Moe raises an eyebrow at me.

“Keep the spunk, girl. You’re going to need it,” he says before walking into the office and shutting the door behind him.

What the hell does that mean?

A commotion by the front door drags my attention away from the bar and I gasp when I see Ryan arguing with Trey. Ryan looks up, his eyes meeting mine, and I feel like I’m in a trance. I start moving toward him, unable to stop myself, and a small smile plays on his lips. Trey glances over his shoulder and sees me coming.

“Get in the back, Em.” I ignore him until he wraps an arm around my waist. “Em, please, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Turning to look at him, I give him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be okay, Trey. We’re just going to talk.”

Trey shakes his head adamantly. “No, I don’t like this.”

“This is between me and my girl.”

I shoot Ryan a look of annoyance. He is so not helping this situation.

“Yeah, I can see what conversations between you two look like on her face!” Trey snaps and Ryan takes a step in our direction.

“Enough!” I yell. “Ryan, outside…now!”

Spinning back to face Trey, I reach for his hand and give it a squeeze. “I’ll be okay.” He grumbles but lets me go. When I get outside, Ryan is leaning up against the side of the building.

“Ryan, why are you here? I told you I need time.”

“I know you did, baby, but I just miss you so damn much. I was sitting at home and it was so hard. The house is so quiet and it feels so empty now.” A desperate look crosses his face. “Listen, I was thinking today and I’m not sure that time apart is the best thing for us. We need to spend time together so you can see that things will be different.”

I have to admit that what he says makes sense but I still have a small bit of hesitation inside me. He must see this because he steps forward and cradles my face in his large hands as fear races through me.

“Baby, I need you. I’m going crazy without you. You mean everything to me.”

I don’t trust a single word that is coming out of his mouth. I can’t afford to. “I can’t do this anymore.”

A look of pure panic flashes across his face and he tries to pull me into him but I back away.

“Baby, please. I need you. I can’t live without you.”

I shake my head. “I’m sorry, Ryan, but I’m done.”