“But that’s not what this is about, Roy,” I said. “He attacked her. That’s all that matters.”
He looked at me like he wanted to say something but instead jotted down some notes on his notebook. Glancing up at me again, he shifted his weight impatiently.
“You can go ahead and give me your statement,” he said.
It was a formality rather than actually caring what I had to say, but I did it anyway. When I was done, he went around and asked a few people in the crowd what they witnessed. It was almost like he was asking as many as he could get to, hoping he would get a different story. He probably hoped at least one person would say I was the aggressor. When he didn’t get what he was looking for, he thanked everybody and told them to disperse. Then he collected the knife from inside the café and left.
“I want every charge possible pressed on him,” Gia said. “And I want to file for a protection order.”
“We’ll just take this one step at a time,” Roy said. “I’ll bring him in tonight and see what he has to say for himself. Then we’ll figure out tomorrow what we’re going to do moving forward. As for you.” He looked at me. “I don’t want to have to warn you again. You’re not going to pull this kind of shit in my town. I don’t want to have to keep coming out here cleaning up messes after you. Garrett is the Montgomery known for acting up like this, not you.”
My shoulders pulled back and anger shot up my spine. “Don’t talk about Garrett. You don’t know anything about him.”
I hadn’t seen or heard from Garrett in months, probably getting on close to a year. But that didn’t matter. He was my brother and I wasn’t going to let somebody talk like that about him without defending him.
“I know enough about him,” Roy said. “Enough to know he’s nothing but trouble and he did Green Valley a favor when he took off. He’s nothing but a black sheep, and that’s saying a lot when it’s talking about a family like yours.”
“Stop,” I said. “Tonight’s not the night for you to pull this.”
“What?” Roy asked, taking a step closer. “Can’t stand to hear the truth about your brother? Does Gia know about Garrett? How he tucked tail and fled when the going got too tough for him in Green Valley? He knew he couldn’t cut it here anymore, so he ran off?”
I got closer until we were nose to nose, my eyes burning into his and my jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. My hands flexed and balled into fists. I finally forced myself to step back. If I tried anything, Roy would haul me in right beside Matteo. Gia needed me that night. I couldn’t afford another fight. Not when she was the one who would pay the price for my recklessness.
So I held my tongue. I didn’t need any more conflict with Roy Hayes. He already made my family’s lives miserable in every way he could at every chance he got. That night, I just needed him to do his job and get out of my sight.
The deputy finally got in his car and drove off. I went back into the cafe with Gia and helped her close up. When everything was locked up and the lights turned down, I went into the kitchen and warmed her up a turkey and gravy sandwich. Alongside a cup of tea, it would comfort and strengthen her. We sat down at a booth and I reached across to rest my hand over hers.
I didn’t know what to say to make her feel better. Or even if there was anything that would. Going through something like that couldn’t be fixed with just a few kind words. So I stroked the back of her hand with my thumb and sat quietly with her. Her hands were still shaking, but after a little while, she calmed down enough to start eating.
“Maybe you should call Darcy,” I said. “You don’t want her to hear about this from somebody else. Gossip spreads like wildfire in this town.”
Gia nodded. “You’re right. She would be so upset and worried if she found out without knowing I was all right.”
Chapter 32
Gia
As much as I didn’t even want to think about going over the evening’s events again, I knew Clayton was right. It seemed like the day had worn on for hours and hours, but in all reality, it was still early. That meant Darcy could still overhear town gossip or get caught up in a conversation with a neighbor and hear about the fight. I didn’t want her to worry about me or immediately jump to conclusions.
I needed to tell her what happened. It would probably worry her and might even scare her. After all, we came all the way out here to get away from Matteo and not have to deal with him anymore. Knowing he found out where we were so quickly, and even had the gall to come out here, was deeply unsettling.
Wiping my hands on a napkin, I took out my phone and called Darcy.
“Hey,” she said. “I thought you’d be back here by now. Gabby and I are all ready to go.”
“Well, there was sort of an incident,” I said.
“An incident?” Darcy asked, her voice dropping. “What do you mean? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I said. “At least physically, I’m fine. And I’ll be okay otherwise. I don’t want you to freak out, okay?”
“What do you mean freak out?” she asked, her voice rising another tick higher.
“I just want you to tell me you’re not going to freak out,” I said.
“Gia, what’s going on?”
“Matteo was here,” I said.
“What?” she snapped, her voice breaking in the middle.
“It’s fine,” I said. “He is in custody. But it was really scary there for a minute. I was closing up and was going to come home and get ready, but all of a sudden, he showed up.”
I gave her a quick overview of what happened. I tried not to get into too much detail. I didn’t need to scare her any more than she already was. All she needed to know was that Clayton got there before my ex was able to do any serious damage.
“And he was arrested?” Darcy asked when I was done. “Like he is at the jail right now? That sheriff didn’t just take him in and is going to let him go?”
“The deputy came and arrested him. He said he was going to keep him overnight, and then we will figure out what to do next. I already told him I want to press as many charges as possible, and I want to file for a protection order. That’s the most I can do for right now.”
“I can’t even believe this. How could he possibly have found us? You must be so scared. Just hold on. I’m going to come meet you at the cafe so you don’t have to come home alone. Just give me a couple of minutes.”
“No, it’s okay,” I said. “Clayton is still here with me. He’ll get me home safely. I just want to put on some pajamas and curl up in front of the TV for a little while.”
“No, you should still go to the ranch with him,” Darcy said. “You can’t let Matteo come in here and ruin everything for you. That’s exactly what he wanted to do. Don’t give him that control, Gia.”
“No,” I said. “I really don’t want to go out. I’m just exhausted and shaken up.”
“You should go,” Darcy insisted. “It would be good for you to put the whole thing out of your mind by going with him and meeting his family.”
“Then you’re coming too,” I said. “He wanted you and Gabby there.”
I was very aware that I was talking about Clayton as if he wasn’t sitting across the table from me. But he didn’t look like it bothered him. He was holding one of my hands and occasionally stole little bites of the sandwich he’d warmed up for me.
Him giving me the food made me feel like he was resigning himself to the idea that our original plan for the evening wasn’t going to happen. If I had already eaten, obviously I didn’t need to go to the ranch with him to have dinner.
But there was still a bit of a hopeful glint in his eyes as I talked to Darcy.
“Some other time,” Darcy said. “I want to meet his family, too, but I think that tonight should just be about the two of you. Give yourself some time to just relax and enjoy. I will stay home with Gabby and hold down the fort. You just go and spend some time with Clayton.”
“I don’t want you to feel like you always have to take care
of Gabby so I can go out,” I said.
“I don’t feel like I have to,” Darcy said. “I want to. You need this. Not just tonight. But in general.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Matteo coming here is terrifying. I’m not going to deny that. But it also means you can have closure. You aren’t just running from him anymore. You made him face actual consequences for what he’s done. Now you can close the door on the chapter of him in your life and start the next one on the right foot. It isn’t just about you being here trying to avoid him anymore. This is your real life now.”
“I guess you’re right,” I said.
“Exactly,” she said. “Now, don’t come home. Just go with Clayton. Let him bring you to the ranch, okay? Meet his family. See his home. Enjoy looking into a life that doesn’t involve having to be afraid all the time.”
“All right,” I agreed. “But if anything happens, you need me, Gabby needs me, or anything, call me. Don’t hesitate even for a second. I will come home.”
“We aren’t going to need you. Everything is going to be just fine. Just go. I will talk to you when you get back.”
I got off the phone with Darcy and looked across the table at Clayton. “She says I should still go with you to the ranch.”
“Good,” he said. “I was hoping you still would.”
“Just let me grab my stuff from the back room. I keep a change of clothes in there in case I spill something on myself or I need to run errands after work or something. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s not my work clothes.”
“It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing,” Clayton said. “You will look beautiful.”
Carrying that sentiment in my heart, I went to the back room and got the bag of clothes I kept back there. I changed and did my best to fluff up my hair and fix my makeup a little bit. I didn’t look anywhere near as good as I wanted to when I met his family, but at that point, all that mattered to me was being with Clayton.
He brought me out to his truck and held the door open for me as I climbed inside. He gave me a quick kiss before closing the door and walking around to his side. We approached the property from a different angle than we did when he brought me to the hill. It was even more beautiful than I remembered, and I marveled at it as we drove up.
The sun had set, but the sky was still light enough to see the silhouette of the mountains against the purple and blue backdrop. Solar lights glowing on fence posts down the long curving drive looked like stars leading the way. As we got closer, I saw the beautiful sprawling home. It was lit up from the inside, looking warm and welcoming against the darkness.
That sight was enough to help put me at ease. But I still had a bit of nervousness about going in and meeting his family. I would have been nervous at any time. But doing this right after such a traumatic event felt even more intimidating.
We parked and Clayton turned to me. He cupped my cheek with his hand and leaned in for a soft kiss. It was reassuring, comforting without him having to say any words.
He got out and came around to open my door. I was getting accustomed to that. Never in my life had I had a man take the time to open doors for me and help me in and out of cars. It felt almost overwhelming when Clayton first did it. But soon, I got used to it, and now, I liked the way it made me feel. It wasn’t that I wasn’t capable of opening my own door. It was that he wanted to show me respect and care.
Opening his hand to me, he took mine and helped me down from the truck.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“As much as I’m going to be,” I told him.
He smiled and held my hand as he led me into the house. We walked into the kitchen and I saw Jesse and Shannon there with two men I didn’t know. It was good to see the familiar faces.
“Gia, these are my brothers, Cassidy and Sawyer. Guys, this is Gia.”
“It’s good to meet you, Gia,” Cassidy said.
“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Sawyer added.
I glanced over at Clayton, then back at them. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Thank you for having me tonight.”
“Come on,” Shannon said. “It’s a gorgeous night, so we’re going to eat out on the back porch. Help me bring some things out.”
She reached for my hand and I gave it to her, letting her tug me away from Clayton. We went over to the counter, and I helped her pile little morsels of food onto trays. There were crackers and a bowl of pimento cheese, horseradish cream dolloped onto small medallions of beef, homemade cheese straws, some of the marinated olives we had at our picnic, and more. Everything looked delicious.
I followed Shannon through the house to double doors that led out onto a massive deck overlooking the ranch. It was gorgeous and I took a moment just to admire it before setting the platters in my hands down.
“All this looks really good,” I said, looking over the plates already there.
“Thank you,” Shannon said. “I thought since we were all getting to know each other, maybe putting massive plates of food in front of these boys wasn’t a good idea. We’d lose them for the rest of the night, and you’d leave here not knowing anything but how frightening it can be to watch them compete over food. Now full disclosure, I didn’t make most of it. That would be Cassidy. But I’m going to steal credit for at least a couple of things.”
I laughed. “Works for me.”
“A couple more trips should do it,” she said, and we headed back into the kitchen.
As I was loading more food from baking trays and packages onto the platters, I overheard Clayton talking about the encounter with Roy Hayes.
“The way he was talking about Garrett, I almost punched him right then,” Clayton said.
“It’s a good thing you didn’t,” Cassidy said. “He wants to get under your skin so he can cause you even more trouble. Don’t let a Hayes ruffle your feathers.”
“Have you heard from Garrett recently?” Clayton asked.
Cassidy sighed. “The last I heard of him, he was in Vegas partying like he only has a year to live.”
“Why don’t we go track him down and bring him home?” Clayton asked. “He needs to stop acting so foolish and get his ass back here.”
Cassidy shook his head. “That would be a bad idea. Garrett would put up a fight.”
“There are more of us than there are of him. We could make him.”
I left the conversation there and kept helping Shannon carry out the food. When everything was outside, I accepted a glass of wine she poured and settled down at the table. As we relaxed and talked, I thought about what life might be like here with Clayton.
The longer we sat there, the more I realized I wanted that more than anything. I could picture Gabby growing up there, the amazing life she could have. It was wonderful, more than I ever could have dreamed of.
I just wondered if I could ever really have it.
Chapter 33
Clayton
We sat around on the back porch for a few hours before everybody started going their own way. But it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted more time with Gia. As she helped Shannon do the dishes, I thought about how good it was to hear the two of them giggling and talking together. Gia looked less tense and uncomfortable. She actually looked like she had relaxed and was having a good time.
That was good for her. Darcy was amazing and I was happy she had her best friend in her life. But it did Gia good to know there were other people around her as well. Having another good friend gave her somebody else to talk to and helped her start to build more of a life. She deserved to know there were people who cared about her and that she was worth that love.
After Jesse and Shannon left, I took Gia by the hand and brought her outside. A blanket folded up under my arm, I walked her out over the fields. There was enough moonlight to guide our way and we walked slowly, just enjoying the chance to be together in the quiet. Finally, I found a good spot and spread the blanket out so we could lie down and look up at the stars.
At this time o
f year, the constellations were gorgeous. There were so many stars scattered across the sky, it looked like we could sweep them up and hold them in our hands. Gia cuddled close to me as I pointed out the different constellations to her and told her about them.
“I never knew all that,” she said. “Where did you learn so much about the stars?”
“It was something I was interested in when I was little,” I told her. “I don’t really remember when it started. Probably something we did in school. But I came home and told my mother about it. She jumped right into encouraging me to learn as much as I could. That was one of the most wonderful things about her. She wanted each one of her sons to not just be happy but be happy because we were who we were supposed to be.”
“That sounds amazing,” she said. “I never had anything like that. It wasn’t that my parents made me feel like they didn’t love me when I was little. It was more like I felt like they only did if I lived up to something specific. Like they didn’t love me because I was their daughter, but they loved me if I was what they wanted me to be. That got more and more as I got older. It was how I knew nothing was going to be okay when I found out I was pregnant. They would accept me and love me again if I dealt with the situation the way they wanted me to.”
“I hate that you had to go through that,” I said. “I can’t even imagine someone not wanting their grandchild. You were so courageous to go against them.”
“It wasn’t courage,” Gia said. “It was love. I couldn’t imagine handing my baby over to someone else. She was my whole world even before she was born. My love for her and wanting to give her a life she deserved are what gave me the strength to stand up to them and walk away.”
“I still think that’s amazing,” I said. “You are amazing.”
I pulled her in close and gave her a kiss. Her mouth was soft and sweet against mine and she sighed into it. When the kiss was over, she rested on my chest for a second then lifted her head again and looked into my eyes.
His Dirty Hands (The Montgomery Boys Book 2) Page 19
