Jackson stood and offered his hand. “Jackson Knight.”
“Preston Iverson.” He sized Jackson up before accepting his hand.
“You should absolutely join us.” Jackson signaled to the waitress, and she brought over another chair. “Here, you can sit by me.”
“Perfect, Mr. Knight. I don’t really like you sitting by my wife anyway.”
“I’m not your wife.” Ryn glared at Preston and then at Jackson for encouraging him to stay.
Jackson gave her a playful wink which only infuriated her more.
“Try some of this scotch, Daddy.” Maddie slid over her glass while giving Jackson a challenging look.
Preston rested his hand on Ryn’s leg. Her heart exploded as fear coursed through her veins. “My, my, when did you start letting our daughter drink scotch?”
She couldn’t speak as tears stung her eyes.
Preston brought the glass to his mouth as Jackson rested a hand on the back of Preston’s neck, his fingers on one side and thumb on the other.
“How’s the scotch, Mr. Iverson?” Jackson asked.
Preston swallowed then coughed once before his eyes rolled back in his head. His limp hand slipped from her leg as the glass of scotch landed in his lap before his body collapsed to the side toward Jackson.
“Whoa!” Jackson kept him from falling to the floor.
“Daddy?” Maddie jumped up.
Jackson shrugged while gently easing him to the ground.
“Mom! Call 9-1-1.”
Ryn couldn’t move, let alone call for help, but a few seconds later one of the wait staff came over and let them know an ambulance was on the way.
“Is he breathing?” Ryn asked, not that she really cared. Preston Iverson had worked hard to earn her hatred to the point of wishing he were dead.
Jackson nodded. “I think he just fainted. Maybe he’s diabetic.”
Maddie hovered over him trying to wake him up as a path was cleared for the paramedics.
Preston came to as they loaded him on the gurney. Maddie insisted she follow the ambulance in her dad’s car. No one objected.
“I want to go home.” Ryn couldn’t stop shaking.
“Sweetie.” Her mom hugged her. “Don’t let him ruin your day. Stay and eat.”
“I can’t.” She shook her head.
“Maybe it is best to reschedule the party,” Jackson suggested.
Her parents nodded with a mix of concern and anger on their faces. “Okay, we’ll call you tomorrow, darling.” Her dad hugged her. “Nice to meet you, Jackson.”
He smiled, tossing a wad of cash on the table before taking Ryn’s hand and leading her from the restaurant. “Wait here while I get the car.”
“No!” She grabbed his arm and bit her quivering lip. “Don’t leave me.”
His brows knitted together. “Okay, I’ve got you.” Wrapping his arm around her waist, he led her to the car.
After they drove a few blocks from the restaurant, Ryn broke the silence. “Why did you invite the man who used to abuse me to eat with us? I still can’t hear his voice without feeling his fist. Why would you do that?”
Jackson sighed. “I hate how you let your daughter treat you. You know damn well she’s the reason he was there.”
“She just doesn’t understand.”
“Well maybe it’s time you explain it to her.”
“What I tell my daughter and when I tell her is none of your business. And Preston … you did something to him. I saw you with your hand behind his head. Did you inject something into him? God … you’re so stupid. Do you have any idea how much money that man has? He could destroy you.”
He smirked. “I didn’t inject him with anything. I simply applied a little pressure to his carotid arteries, causing him to take a little nap. The fact that Maddie chose to leave as well was just a bonus.”
“That’s my daughter you’re talking about! You have no right to judge her. I can’t be with someone who … who …” She searched for the right word as fire welled in her gut. Anger stole her voice, just as it always had with Preston. He beat her down, physically and emotionally, leaving her broken and mute.
“Don’t get out,” she warned, throwing open the door before the car came to a complete stop.
“Ryn—”
“I mean it.” She hopped on one foot and then the other, removing her heels on the way to her porch.
Jackson jumped out. A few steps later Gunner greeted him with no intention of letting him go any farther.
“Can we talk about this?”
She turned. “Talk.”
“Can you call him off?”
“Nope. Talk.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
An older couple walking by on the sidewalk stopped.
“Is everything okay, miss?”
Jackson gave Ryn a pleading look.
“Yes, I’ve got it, but thank you.” It pleased her that they stopped. Where were couples like them when Preston dragged her back into their house by her hair after she tried to flee?
“Well?”
He tipped his chin down but only for a moment before looking at her again. “I don’t sugarcoat things. It’s not my style, and it’s not how I was raised. So here’s the deal: I love being with you and it may sound crazy because we’ve known each other two seconds. But you’re the last person I think about before I close my eyes and the first when I open them. Every day I don’t see you feels like wasted time. But the look in your eyes when Maddie put you down and then again when Preston arrived at the restaurant … it’s like the light … the life inside you just vanished. They’ve been this one-two emotional punch of physical and verbal abuse.”