"Oh shit," Kyle muttered, raking his hands down his face. "Here we go."
Grandmama nodded. "Sure is. He looked awfully smitten too. If I didn't know better, I'd reckon to say—"
I stormed out of the room and jogged down the hall.
"Look at him!" Grandmama shouted from behind me. "He's running faster than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking competition!"
A cackle of laughter followed as I sprinted through the bay and outside.
Reaching my truck, I popped open the door and jumped inside.
Anger like I hadn't felt in a long time swirled in my chest.
My blood pressure skyrocketed in response.
"I'm going to end up in prison," I told myself as I started the engine. "Cause I'm about to kill that son of a bitch."
The moment I shifted into drive, the passenger door opened and Hendrix, of all people, jumped inside. "What are you—"
"No way am I missing this." He smiled from ear to ear. "If somebody is finally gonna shove their foot up that pretty boy’s ass, I'm going to be there to see it."
I said nothing as he slammed the door and I stepped on the gas.
My truck's wheels squealed, leaving a trail of burnt rubber as I sped past Cap, Grandmama and Kyle, who now stood on the sidewalk in front of the station.
"You know Grandmama did that shit on purpose, right?" Hendrix asked, buckling his seat belt. "She's always stirring the pot."
I didn't care why she did it.
Only thing I cared about was getting to Heidi before Weston tried to claim something that wasn't his to claim.
"If he touches her..." I shook my head. I couldn't think of the words, much less say them.
"Heidi won't let him touch her," Hendrix assured me. "Look at what she did to your nose when you grabbed her the other night." He had a solid point. "I've got a feeling she'll do a lot worse to Weston if he even thinks of making a move, especially since my niece is with her. Bug isn't weak, man. She's just like Shelby," he said, referring to his younger sister, and Ashley's adoptive mother. "She's tough."
He kept talking, but I tuned him out.
With the need to reach my woman consuming me, I pressed the pedal to the floor like I was trying to outrun the devil himself.
Three minutes later, I slammed on the brakes and slid into the last remaining parking spot in front of the Coffee Hut.
Hendrix and I jumped out of the truck.
When my eyes found Heidi and Weston through the window, my vision bled red.
Madder than hell, I started to move.
Seven
Heidi
The Coffee Hut was packed.
And I mean packed.
"Do you see a table anywhere?" Ashley asked from beside me, her head turning from side to side as she tried to spot a place for us to park our behinds. "If not, we can just go outside and—" She smacked my arm lightly before pointing at a small table by the front window. "There's one. Hurry before someone grabs it."
Wasting no time, we hustled across the room, weaving in and out of the sea of bodies surrounding us, and sat down opposite each other.
Blowing out a breath, Ashley plopped her small purse next to my Iced Coffee. She then reached forward and poked me in the arm, grabbing my attention.
When I looked at her, she pointed at her lips, knowing full well I needed to read the words she spoke if we were going to carry on a conversation.
I'd inserted my hearing aids before leaving the house, but the noise level in the Hut made it hard for me to comprehend what she was saying.
I'd been lucky to understand her moments before, but now that more than a few inches separated us, it would be more challenging to process her words over the background noise.
"I'm ready," I whispered, hoping no one around us would hear me speak. Most people didn't pay me any mind when they heard my voice, but there was always that one person who felt the need to say something, no matter how hurtful or demeaning it may be. "Start talking, Dimples."
Smiling at the nickname I'd given her when we met three years before, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "So, did you hear what happened to your boyfriend the other night?"
I rolled my eyes at her teasing. "Boyfriend my butt. Pigs will fly first."
"You keep saying that"—she lifted a brow—"but I don't believe you."
I waved my hand in a dismissive gesture, and she giggled.
"Anyway,” she continued. “Did you hear about what happened or not?"
I shook my head and signed a single word, one which I knew she'd understand. No.
"Well," she said, a smile stretching across her pretty face. "Chase told me that Ty got his butt kicked by some girl in front of Chen's Garden."
I coughed, nearly spitting the sip of coffee I'd just taken all over her. "He what?" I shrieked, drawing more than one pair of eyes. I sunk down in my chair, my cheeks flaming in fiery humiliation.
Unphased by people staring at us, Ashley kept talking, her head bouncing the slightest bit with each word. "She kicked him in the gonads," she said, giggling. "Then she stole the bag of takeout he'd just picked up for Chase and him."
Forgetting about the embarrassment heating my skin, I frowned and wrapped my arms around my belly. "Who was she?" A new feeling, one which made my chest ache the slightest bit, blossomed inside me.
Ashley's eyes widened. "You look upset."
I felt upset.
I didn't enjoy hearing that some girl had kicked Ty, and I'd be lying if I said the million and one questions racing through my mind didn't cause my skin to bristle.
Feeling my hands shake, I dug my fingers into my sides, trying my best to appear nonchalant. "Is she some girl that he…"
I sealed my lips, unable to finish the question I wanted to ask.
With the way I pushed Ty away, placing copious amounts of infinite space between us, I had zero right to get upset if he was involved with someone else. Yet thinking about him with another woman made my insides burn with an emotion that felt an awful lot like jealousy.
Ashley snapped her fingers in front of my face, pulling me out of the thoughts running rampant in my head. "You okay?"
It was a question I didn't have an answer to.
"Who is she?" I repeated, my heart in my throat. "Some girl he's dating?"
Ashley's chocolate-brown eyes grew to the size of saucers. "You have got to be kidding me."
I wasn't.
Not the least bit.
She scoffed. "You think Ty would date somebody else? You're his entire world, Heidi. Seriously"—she shook her head—"y'all may not be official, but he's like… obsessed with you. Far as I can tell, I don't think he knows other women exist."
I took a sip of my coffee, hoping the caffeine would help calm my frayed nerves. "You're crazy."
Shaking her head again, she leaned back in her chair. "I am not. Ty and I may not be close, but I've spent enough time at his apartment to know that he doesn't mess around with other women. The only things he ever talks about when I'm around is work, Chase and you."
Stupid tears filled my eyes.
I didn't have the slightest clue why.
"Are you about to cry?"
I sure as heck felt like it.
"No." I shook my head. "I'm fine."
"Heidi—" she started before snapping her mouth shut and jerking her head up. Following her line of sight, I lifted my face and looked up.
Then, I sucked in a small breath.
Ashley said something, but I didn't understand her. With my gaze focused on the unfamiliar pair of hazel eyes that were staring down at me, I couldn't see her lips nor expression.
My spine stiffened when the man—yes, man—who stood next to our table, pulled out the chair next to me and sat down. Turning sideways so he faced me fully, he draped one muscular arm over the back of his chair and rested the other on the table.
I leaned to the side, pressing my shoulder against the glass window. Though he didn't scare me per se, I didn't like how
close he was. His knees were almost touching the sides of my thigh for heaven's sake.
His lips curved upward as he openly gawked at me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ashley curl her hand around the oversized sugar shaker that sat at the end of the table.
I glanced at her, a questioning look on my face. Ignoring me, she glared at the man next to me and asked, "Who are you?"
I swung my gaze back to him, and his smile grew.
After tapping his knuckles against the tabletop three times, he leaned his upper body toward mine, further encroaching on the small amount of space between us. "My name is Weston," he said, speaking to me and not her.
I didn't know anyone named Weston, but I'd heard Ty cuss and fuss about someone with that name before. For the life of me, I couldn't remember how Ty knew him, but what I did know is that they didn't get along.
Like, at all.
Surely this wasn't the same person. I mean, that would be one heck of a coincidence. Then again, we lived in a small town. How many Weston's could there be?
Crap.
"I hope this seat wasn't taken," he said, dipping his gaze to the sugar shaker Ashley still had a white-knuckled grip on. "You planning on hitting me with that, darlin'?"
Ashley scowled. "If need be."
Weston smirked and turned back to me. "Heidi Johnson as I live and breathe."
I had no idea how he knew my name. Small town or not, I wasn't known by a lot of people. Unlike my sister, I avoided most people like the plague. I didn't stop and talk to everybody I met, nor did I smile at total strangers. My circle was small, and the list of people I associated with daily even smaller.
"I've been trying to catch up with you for the past few weeks."
Not giving me a chance to react, Ashley snapped her fingers again, wanting my attention.
I gave it to her.
"Do you know him?" she asked, thinning her lips into a straight line.
Locking my voice down, I shook my head and signed, no.
We both looked back at Weston.
Eyes still on me, he pinched his bottom lip between two fingers before speaking again. "Ever since I saw you at Sugar Babies a ways back, I've been searching for you all over town. Guess today is my lucky day."
He saw me at the bakery and had been looking for me all over town? What the heck had I done? Backed into his vehicle without knowing it?
Again, crap!
Reading the confusion written all over my face, he kept talking. "Got frustrated there for a bit, but I was praying like hell to run into you again, especially since you may just be the prettiest thing I've ever laid eyes on."
My eyes bulged, then narrowed.
Was he making fun of me? I'd been told I was beautiful a time or two before, but other than Ty, who was sporting his own special brand of crazy, men never approached me.
Since I'd never met Weston until that moment, I couldn't read him worth a hoot, something I desperately needed to do. If he was picking on me, I swore to myself that I'd slap the taste right out of his mouth.
I would not be the source of someone's sadistic entertainment. I'd been there, done that, and owned the t-shirt.
Never again, I told myself.
Pushing aside every bit of trepidation that possessed me when I thought of speaking to him, I sat straight and squared my shoulders.
I allowed myself a breath before saying, "Are you trying to be funny?"
"Pardon me?" he asked, seemingly confused.
"I said," I reiterated, a dose of bitchiness coloring my voice, "are you trying to be funny?"
"Why would you think that?"
I pursed my lips, refusing to tell him that people had a tendency to toss backhanded compliments my way. If he was being a dick, I didn't need to give him more fuel. I'm sure he'd find plenty of that on his own.
Heck, he'd already heard me speak.
It would probably be no time at all before he tossed a jab at me, mocking my tone, and thus making me feel two feet tall.
"You haven't had a good experience with people in the past, have you, gorgeous?" Was I that transparent? "Hell, I don't blame you for being suspicious of me. I'd feel the same way."
He smiled, and I relaxed.
The longer he sat there, and the more he spoke, the less on edge I felt. I still didn't like him being so close, but I no longer felt like he was about to crack at a joke at my expense.
Ashley nudged my foot under the table and hissed something that sounded an awful lot like my name.
I turned my head, and our eyes met.
"I don't like this," she said, shaking her head. "There are a lot of people in here, and all it will take is one phone call to you-know-who for all hell to break loose."
She was right.
I knew that.
Still, I didn't have it in me to shoo Weston away. I may not have been interested in anything he had to say—even if he does think I'm beautiful—but I wasn't rude either. As long as he remained well-mannered, he could sit next to me all day long.
I swung my gaze back his way, watching as his brows rose in curiosity. "Would one of you fine ladies care to explain exactly who you-know-who is? If me sitting here will cause trouble, I'd like to know who I'm about to have a problem with."
Ashley didn't hesitate in replying, and even though I couldn't make out the name she spoke, I saw the darkness that clouded Weston's eyes upon hearing it.
His face twisted, becoming harder. "Ty Jacobs?" he asked me. "Didn't see you being involved with trash like him, Heidi."
My hackles rose.
Ty may have been an asshole who carried around enough baggage to break a mule's back, but he wasn't trash. Not even close. Weston was trash for saying such a thing to begin with.
Teeth clenched, I gripped the edge of the table and squeezed. Hard. "Ty may be a lot of things," I dang near growled, madder than I had been in a long time. "But he is not trash." I picked up my coffee, more than ready to leave. "And it sickens me you would say such a thing."
I started to stand but stopped when he wrapped his fingers around my wrist. My skin burned beneath his touch. Angry as could be, I ripped myself free of his hold.
"I didn't mean—" he started.
"I. Don't. Care," I snarled, interrupting him. "Do you even know Ty? Because if you do, I don't understand how you could say something so harsh, not to mention untrue."
"I know enough. So trust me when I say that a woman like you has no business with a man like him."
"A man like him," I parroted his words. "And what kind of man is Ty pray tell?"
He leaned forward and fisted his hands. "One who comes from a long line of scumbags. Don't believe me? Go find Ty's father and have a conversation with him. You'll find out real quick what kind of toxic blood Jacobs has running through his veins."
That sealed it.
Weston was full of it.
I had never met Ty's dad, but I knew his grandfather well. The man was the furthest thing from a scumbag. One look at all the things he'd done for the shelter and its residents over the years was irrefutable proof of that.
This asshole…
Ashley picked up the heavy-bottomed sugar shaker and slammed it down, drawing everyone's attention, mine included.
"How dare you?" she said with tears in her eyes. "How dare you tear that man and his family down when you don't have a—"
Her eyes widened, and the tirade she was about to go on died on the spot. She looked at me, an oh shit expression etched on her face.
Two seconds passed before I realized why.
I froze when Ty appeared at the end of the table, his hard gaze locked on me. He didn't look at Weston, but I had zero doubt he'd seen him. "You okay, Angel?" he asked, those blue eyes I loved so much filled with unimaginable rage.
I lifted my hands. I'm okay, I signed. Just ready to leave.
He nodded before glaring down at Weston, an almost animalistic expression on his face. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
My insides twisted into a knot. There was no way we would get out of there without Ty beating the crap out of Weston. As mad as he seemed to be, it would be a miracle if I could keep him from committing murder.
Weston stood but remained turned so that I could see both his and Ty's faces and thus read their lips. "It's a public place, Jacobs," he replied, undeterred by Ty's obvious fury. "And I damn sure don't need your permission to be here."
Ty smiled, but there was no kindness behind it. "Maybe not, but you sure as hell need my permission to sit next to what's mine."
Hold up.
"Excuse me," I said, raising a hand. "I hate to interrupt this pissing contest that y'all have going on." My confidence wavered when I noticed that nearly the entire Hut was watching the scene before them unfold. I swallowed past the tightness in my throat, my eyes on Ty's. "But I am nobody's property." Weston chuckled, but Ty remained mute. "And I dang sure don't need you or anyone else's permission to sit beside someone."
Even though I tried to deny it, I liked Ty. But at the same time, I was tired of his caveman act. The whole 'Me Tarzan, You Jane' crap he always pulled was driving me insane.
We weren't a couple, and at this point, I doubted we ever would be. He had no business acting that way, especially when he wouldn't even tell me why he cared so much about me in the first place.
He called me Angel, but I couldn't think of a thing I'd done to deserve that title. If anything, I felt more like the devil since I caused him pain each time I refused to hand him my heart. It tore me up inside, and I hated myself a little for it.
I tapped Weston's arm. "Would you move, please?"
When he smiled at me, Ty growled.
Swear to God, he growled.
"Sure thing, darlin'." He took a step back.
"Call her darlin' again, and my fist will be in your face. The only reason it's not already is because there's a table full of kids on the far side of the room," Ty said as I squeezed between him and Weston.
I stared up at him, surprised.
It was the first time I'd seen him rein in his temper.
"You know where I live, Jacobs. You want to take that route, then swing by for a visit. I'll be more than happy to add to the ass beating someone already handed you judging by those bruises."
Every Wrong You Right: A Redeeming Love Novel (Book 6) Page 6
