“You two are cute together. Will there be another wedding in the future?”
“Yes.” He looks at my bare finger.
“We’re living together now,” I blurt out. Why do I feel the need to defend myself? I know Beau and I are in this for the long haul. Things have been near perfect. Our parents are excited and so is my best friend. We even went on a double date last weekend. I’m loving that Beau and Logan are getting along so well too. They are even working on a new project together. Angel is helping as well.
“A ring might help keep Riggs at bay.”
I roll my eyes. “He’s going to get himself fired one of these days.” I drop my voice. “I overheard two moms fighting about him this morning in the main office. Then Principal Hall took them to her office. She did not look happy. I think she’s over his shit too.”
“About time.” Peter snags another grape. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Crew and Hawk said they had someone they wanted to set me up with. I forgot to give them my number. Do you think you could…”
“On it!” I cut him off, snagging my phone off my desk. I am starting to put it all together now. Peter was truly asking me to hang out before because he wanted to be friends.
Crew and Hawk have been over twice for dinner. I love them. More than anything I love how much they care about Beau. They give me a glimpse into Beau’s life that not many people know. It doesn’t hurt that they enjoy telling me how happy Beau is now that he finally has me. He can still be a bear at times, but he’s better now.
“We could do a triple date!” I suggest, making him laugh.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he says as the bell rings and he has to head to his first class.
The rest of the day is pretty slow. One tummyache and a scraped knee were the biggest disasters I had to deal with for the day. At least I get to slip out as soon as the last bell rings, dismissing the school. I text Beau, letting him know I’m going to swing by my dads’ on my way home and grab a box of stuff I’d forgotten. I’ve already moved most of my stuff to our place, but there always seems to be more.
I head in the direction of my parents’ place since it’s not that far from the school. I try to remember what we have in the fridge to cook dinner for Beau tonight. He told me he might be working late tonight with Logan. So I figured I’d surprise him with a home cooked meal and maybe a little dessert too.
When I get to my parents’, I text Angel, seeing if she wants to hang out since both of our men might be working later than usual. I’m surprised Beau hasn't texted me back. I slip my key into the front door to unlock it.
I pause when I open the door slightly, and the alarm doesn't go off. I glance to the driveway to see if one of my dads is home. A hand wraps around my wrist, jerking me into the house. The door slams behind me, and a sense of fear that I’ve never felt before fills me.
My stomach drops when I finally see who has grabbed me. Brock. He has a wild look in his eyes and doesn't seem to have bathed in a while. I can smell the stench of alcohol on him too. I’m stunned for a moment, my mind racing on how I should handle this.
“This is all your fault,” he shouts in my face. “I can’t get near my own house. Because of you they have a cop stationed outside.” I swallow, not sure what the heck I should do. “You’re going to call Julia and tell her to come here.” I know there is no way that I’m going to do that. I need to buy myself some time to come up with a plan.
Brock is at the point of no return when it comes to rational thought. So I know that denying that I’m the reason for all of his troubles won’t help at this point. It will only anger him more. I need to try to defuse this situation, but I’m unsure of what my next move should be.
“Call her!” he shouts in my face. He grabs me by the shoulder and slams my back into the wall, knocking the air out of my lungs. He starts searching for my phone. He dumps my purse out onto the ground. When he bends down to grab it, I know this is my chance. I shove him as hard as I can before I bolt through the house, running through the kitchen toward the back door.