With that thought, I know it was Nate. I don’t know what the message said, but I’m sure he’s dangling our secret over her head to get what he wants. That’s the only thing that would make her rush out of here the way she did. She thinks she can talk to him, come to some kind of agreement. She can’t. Doesn’t she see that? Nate is just using this to get his way. It’s time to end this for good.
I get up and pull my clothes back on. I grab my phone and call Drake.
“Hey, who was it? Was it him?” he asks, still in the dark about who came in my house when I was over there.
“It was Brennan,” I answer. “But listen, I think something is going on. She rushed out of here real fast when she got a text. I think it was from Nate. I think she went to try and come to some kind of agreement with him. There’s no way I’m letting him go again. You got Milly?”
“Yeah, man. She’s fine, but do you want me to come into town and help you?”
I laugh. “Nah, I won’t need help with this guy. I might go to jail though. You’ll come bail me out later?”
His deep chuckle fills my ear. “You know I will. Be careful and don’t get yourself killed.”
I scoff. “I’ll be fine,” I assure him, disconnecting the call. I grab my keys and head for the door. Not even thinking, I swing it closed and dash for the truck. I jump inside and twist the key. It roars to life. Just as I’m about to throw it in reverse, another truck pulls up behind me. I see an older man get out.
Who the fuck?
I climb out and meet the man at the back of my truck. “Can I help you?” I ask.
The man looks up at me and something about him lets me know exactly who he is. Brennan’s father. The shape of their eyes are the same, even though they’re not the same color.
“Where’s my daughter?” he asks.
“Who’s your daughter?” I ask, just because he didn’t bother to introduce himself.
The man takes a deep breath. “Brennan. Where is she?” His back is straight, and his hands are tightened into fists at his sides.
“Brennan isn’t here. She’s my daughter’s nanny. My daughter isn’t here, so she isn’t here. What’s this about?”
He points his index finger at me. “You know exactly what this is about. How dare you take advantage of my little girl?” he asks, stepping around me and heading for the house.
My stupid ass forgot to lock the door, I was in such a rush. He lets himself in, leaving the door open behind him. I take a deep breath and rub my temples before following him inside. He’s coming out of the kitchen, back into the living room. He gives me a deadly look as he walks past me, checking Milly’s room, the bathroom, and then, finally, my room. When I walk into my room, he’s exiting my bathroom.
“Are you satisfied? I ask, throwing my hands in the air. “I don’t know what you think you know, but you’re wrong.”
“I’m wrong?” he asks, bending down and picking up her bra that I ripped off. It must have somehow gotten kicked under the bed.
I shake my head. “That isn’t hers,” I lie.
He knows it is and he’s insulted about my lying. “Don’t bullshit me,” he spits out. “What is it with you people?” He tosses the bra onto my unmade bed.
“You people?” I ask, offended.
He gestures toward me. “The Slades! You think you own this damn town, that you can take anything you want. That’s what your granddaddy thought when he stole that land your brewery rests on today, and now you think you can take my daughter?”
I shake my head. “Look, I know what this town thinks of my family, but I’m not stealing your daughter. She’s my daughter’s nanny. That’s it.”
He scoffs. “You think I’m stupid?”
“No, sir,” I reply, trying to keep my cool.
He pushes past me, marching back outside. I follow him, this time locking the door behind me.
He’s walking to his truck, but he turns around, pointing his finger at me. “Stay the hell away from my daughter. She’s not working for you anymore.”
Anger swells in my chest. He thinks he can take her from me, from Milly? “With all due respect, sir, she’s an adult. You don’t have a say in where she works. And for that matter, I don’t believe you have a say in the men she sees either.”
He comes marching over and I stand a little straighter. Her dad isn’t a big man. He’s tall, almost as tall as I am, but he’s thin and much older. When he’s only a foot away, he lifts his fist and swings, landing a solid hit to my face. My lip splits on impact. As hard as it is to allow another man to punch me in the face, I don’t raise my hands. I won’t.
We’re not exactly seeing eye to eye right now, but I won’t hit Brennan’s father.
“I said…Stay. Away. From. My. Daughter.” Without another word, he climbs behind the wheel and shifts into reverse. Stomping the gas, the truck flies backward until he has enough room to drive away, his tires screeching off the pavement.
When his truck is no longer in sight, I climb behind the wheel. Flipping the visor down, I check out the damage. My bottom lip is swollen and turning purple, a spilt down the center that’s already stopped bleeding. The anger I felt earlier only doubles. Looks like I’ll have to take it out on poor Nate.
I shift into reverse and make my way to the bar, the only place I could guess they’d go. I force myself to drive slow, giving myself a chance to cool down. I’m angry enough that I know I’ll kill him if I get my hands on him. I don’t want to kill him—I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in prison while my brother raises my daughter. I just want to teach him a lesson, a good and hard lesson: don’t touch what’s mine.
As I’m pulling into the gravel parking lot, I find her car parked up front. Next to it sits that piece of shit blue car of his. I park on the side of the bar and shift into park. I take a deep breath to cool off. I pop my knuckles and crack my neck, preparing for a fight I’m sure will come. Turning off the truck, I hear nothing but silence. Birds fly overhead, squawking as they pass. A breeze picks up, causing the tree limbs to sway from one direction to the other. The sun is still high in the sky. It’s a beautiful, cloudless day. Under any other circumstances, it would be a nice day. But right now, it just feels like my world is about to end. I finally managed to crawl out of the dark hole I’ve been living in for almost two years and it was all because of her. Now I’m about to lose her too? I barely survived losing Ashley. I don’t know if I can lose Brennan too.
I climb out of the truck and slam the door behind me. As I walk across the parking lot, dust wafts up around my feet, covering my brown boots. The crunch of gravel beneath my feet grounds me. I feel every step, and I take each one with determination.. I pull the door open and the sound of soft music filters out. I step inside and give my eyes a moment to adjust to the dark barroom. I look to my left where the tables are, but they’re all empty. The bar is in front of me. It only seats a few older men, each with a beer in front of them. I look to my right, where the dance floor is, and that’s where I find them.
Her back is to me, but Nate’s eyes are locked on me. He’s wearing a wide grin. As I start in their direction, his hand moves from her lower back to her ass, squeezing.
I see red.
I see her pull back and say something, but the blood rushing through my ears has me deaf to everything else. Just as I’m about to reach out and pull him away from her, he steps back and she looks over her shoulder.
Her green eyes meet mine. They’re bloodshot and glassy, full of fear. She spins around and puts her hands on my chest. “Colton, don’t,” she pleads. Her breath hits me, and it smells like she’s drunk everything behind the bar.
“What do you mean don’t?” I ask, trying to contain my anger.
She sways on her feet, and I have to reach out and steady her. “We’ve come to an agreement,” she tells me. “He’s leaving. He’s not going to tell my father,” she says, but her words are slurred.
Why in the hell is she drunk? Brennan doesn’t drink.
/> He’s already told her father, but she doesn’t know that. “What does he want in return?” I ask, just trying to get to the bottom of the pile of shit he’s sold her.
She shakes her head and pulls her eyes away. He steps up behind her, putting his hand on her hip and dragging her back to his side.
“I just want the date I was promised before you showed up and ruined it.” He grins—fucking grins.
My blood begins to boil as my anger rises. “Oh, I see,” I say, smiling and rubbing my hand over my jaw. “So you think, you’ll trick her into this ‘date.’ You’ll get her drunk off her ass, get close on the dance floor, and then what? Slip her something so you can take what you’ve been working towards for the past year? No, I don’t think so.” I reach out and pull her to my side. “Come on, I’m getting you out of here.”
She comes to me willingly, and I wrap my arm around her as I lead her outside and to my truck. I open the passenger side door and help her inside. I close her door, and as I’m walking around the truck to get in, Nate’s walking up.
He’s still wearing that smart-ass grin. “What’s your problem, man?” he asks, holding his arms out at his sides.
“You have a death wish?” I ask, stepping up to him.
He laughs. “You keep saying shit like that, but this is all you ever do: talk. I don’t think you’re going to do shit. I might as well run back to Daddy and tell him about how his only daughter has been getting paid to ride your dick. And we both know how he feels about you.”
“You already have, you little shit.” I pull my fist back and drill him in the face. He falls back a couple steps, but he’s scrappy. He comes right back, wrapping his arms around my waist. He’s not big enough to take me down, but I fall back a few steps, smashing into the grill of my truck. The metal digs into my spine and I let out a growl.
With him bent over, I bring my knee up, hitting him in the gut. He grunts and releases me. He’s doubled over now, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. I take a step toward him and hit him with an upper cut. My fist smashes off his face, and he falls to the ground with blood spilling out of his nose. His eyes roll back in his head and he’s out. I’m nowhere near done. I want to bring my foot back and kick him time and time again, maybe even stomp on him a little, but I don’t need attempted murder charges either. Battery, I can handle.
I get behind the wheel and start the truck. Throwing it into reverse, I back up so I don’t run the motherfucker over. I leave the parking lot so fast, my tires spit out dirt and tiny rocks behind me.
Eighteen
Brennan
“LET’S go inside,” Nate says after he parks next to me and climbs out of his car.
I open the door and step out. He opens the door to the bar and watches as I walk in ahead of him. His hand comes up and latches onto my elbow, guiding me to the tables on the side rather than sitting at the bar.
I sit in the booth and he sits on the opposite side. The bartender comes over and asks for our order. I wave her off, but Nate orders a beer.
“What am I doing here, Nate?” I ask when she walks away to retrieve his beer.
“We’re going to make a deal,” he says, leaning forward.
I don’t like the look that crosses his face. “What deal?” I ask nervously.
“You don’t want me to spill your little secret, right?”
I nod.
“And you want me to leave, right?”
Again, I nod.
“Well, I want something too.”
I take a deep breath. “What?”
“I want that date I was promised. A real date. We’re going to have some drinks, talk, laugh, dance, have a good time.”
“That’s it? A date?” I ask, not quite believing him.
He nods. “That’s it.”
The waitress comes back and sets his beer down. “You know what? She’s changed her mind. She’ll take a Long Island iced tea, and bring us both a shot of tequila.”
The bartender nods and rushes off to get the order.
“I don’t drink, Nate,” I remind him.
“It’s part of the deal, sweetheart.” He shoots me a grin and a wink before picking up his beer bottle and taking a long drink.
I take a deep breath and sit back, thinking everything over. “So, you haven’t told my dad?”
“I haven’t even seen your dad today,” he says, looking me right in the eye.
“Just a date?” I ask again.
“That simple. You give me the date I was promised, and I’ll leave, taking your secret with me. My car is already packed up,” he promises.
Just a date. I can do that. I can pretend for a little while if it means he’ll leave and I’ll never have to see him again.
“Okay,” I agree.
He gives me a smile as our drinks are delivered.
He picks up a shot glass and holds it in the air. “To our date. May it always be memorable.”
I pick up my shot glass and clink it against his. I quickly throw the liquid back before I can change my mind. The tequila tastes awful and burns the whole way down. As I chase it down with the tea, I wonder why in the hell anyone would voluntarily drink that shit. I can taste the alcohol in the tea, but it’s much better than the tequila, sweeter. It goes down much easier.
I suck in a long breath, hoping to cool the burn in my throat.
“That wasn’t that bad, now was it?”
“The tequila is nasty. This tea isn’t bad though. What’s in it?”
He laughs. “Everything but the kitchen sink,” he jokes. “Hey, you remember that time we went to that frat party?” he asks, smile still in place.
“The one where you got trashed and puked all over my shoes?” I ask. “You still owe me a new pair of heels,” I tease.
He laughs. “No, not that one, but that one was good too.” He takes a drink. “I was talking about the Halloween one. You dressed up as a sexy nurse and I dressed up as the doctor.”
I smile, thinking about the memory. “Yeah, I remember.” That was one of the few good dates we’d had. He didn’t get trashed that night. Instead, he stayed by my side the whole night. We talked, laughed, and danced. It was like we were a normal couple. If every time we went out was like that time, I never would’ve broken things off with him.
“That’s what I want. I want that night back.” He reaches over and takes my hand in his. I try to jerk it away out of reaction, but he raises his brow. “This is okay, right? I mean, this is perfectly acceptable date behavior.”
I get what he’s doing. I force myself to nod while trying to push Colton from my mind. Colton and I have only been together a short time, but I only ever want his hands on me. Nate’s feels wrong, dirty.
Nate runs his thumb back and forth across my skin, something completely normal, but the simple touch makes me want to gag and go wash my hands. The fact that he’s using this secret to get what he wants only makes me hate him more than I already do.
Time passes, and before I know it, I’ve sucked down two of these mixed drinks, and I’ve had another shot of tequila. My vision is doubling, and my stomach feels queazy.
“Come on. Let’s dance,” he says, taking my hand and pulling me to the dance floor. I don’t bother fighting him. I just go along with it in hopes of ending this date. He pulls me against his chest and everything feels wrong: his smell, his hands, his chest. It’s not Colton. That thought makes my stomach flip, and I fight back the gag that’s trying to come out. His hand move up and down my back as he pulls me closer.
“God, Brennan. You feel so good. So warm.” He presses his lips to my neck. “I don’t care if you’ve been with him. I still want you. I’ll always want you,” he whispers into my ear just before his teeth graze it. A shiver runs up my spine. “You smell so good. You always smell good. And your lips are always so soft.” His hands come up, cupping my face as his lips press against mine.
I freeze, unsure of what to do. I don’t want to kiss him, but I don’t want him to use me pus
hing him away as a reason to go back on our deal. I have to give this everything I have. Reluctantly, I kiss him back. My tongue dances with his. All I can taste is beer, and it makes my stomach tighten in hopes of holding back the vomit trying to make its way up. Everything about him is the complete opposite of Colton. Where Colton’s kisses always feel like he’s giving to me, Nate’s feel like he’s taking.
I pull back and rest my head on his shoulder, not wanting him to see the tears forming in my eyes from thinking about betraying Colton. His hands move down to my ass, and my head pops up.
“Nate, please don’t go there,” I say, feeling myself sway back and forth from the quick movement.
Instead of saying anything, he pulls away completely. I turn and find Colton. Relief washes over me. My knight in shining armor is here to rescue me.
I wake in the middle of the night in a panic. Where am I? I can’t remember anything. My head is killing me, my ears ringing. My throat burns and feels raw. My stomach is still doing flips. I sit up quickly in the darkness. I suck in a deep breath, preparing to call out in hopes of someone answering me and telling me where I am. But the smell of the room fills my nose and I know immediately I’m with Colton.
He sits up. “You okay?”
I nod as a tear slips out of my eye and down my cheek. “How’d I get here?” I ask, laying back down and curling into him.
“I found you at the bar, pretty drunk. You don’t remember?”
“I remember you being at the bar, but I don’t remember anything after that. What happened?”
“Well,” he says, pulling me closer. “I got you out of there. Nate met me in the parking lot, and after I knocked him out, we left. Then we came back here where I held your hair while you puked for about three hours and begged God to kill you. You swore to never drink again if he’d just let you die—I’m not sure how that makes any sense, but then you fell asleep and here we are.”
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