“Trent. Don’t,” Wood pleaded. “Adam was in the car I crashed all those years ago… I owe him more than five minutes of my time.”
Trent’s jaw trembled. “Can’t argue with that. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.”
“Trent, don’t overact,” Wood said, his voice sounding clipped as if he had any fucking right to get upset. “It’s not what it looks like.”
“Do you think I’m a fucking idiot?” Now Wood was talking down to him as if Trent was some kid that needed checking. And what was worst was he was doing it in front of that smug asshole, who was watching the exchange with a look of satisfaction. Trent shoved Wood in his chest hard enough to send him back a few steps. Adam made a move toward them, but Trent shot him a glare that said “you better stay the fuck out of this.”
“Stop cursing at me like that. You need to calm down.”
“Get off my goddamn truck, Wood. Don’t fucking tell me what it looks like! I know what I saw, and I know what the hell I heard, man.” Trent shoved him again. “So he saved your goddamn life, huh? He’s your angel now?”
“No.” Wood said more forcefully.
“It was him this whole time that was there for you?” Trent snarled at Wood. “You ungrateful, disrespectful motherfucker.”
“Enough!”
“Fuck you!” Trent snapped back.
“Don’t talk to me like that you damn, foul-mouthed bastard!” Wood’s eyes flared with anger as he bellowed in Trent’s face.
Trent sucked in sharp breath and held it, not sure what or how to respond. Wood had never called him out of his name, not in that way. He’d never called him a bastard… and meant it like he did now. Trent blinked away the tears, refusing to let them fall.
“Dangit. I didn’t mean—” Wood sighed. “Trent, I’m sor—”
“I better get outta here,” Trent said numbly as if Wood’s final strike had been a TKO and he had no more fight left in him. He climbed into his driver’s seat and started his raggedy engine. “You keep that motherfucker out of my house. I mean it. You can take your stuff with him when he leaves.”
“No,” Wood growled. “You’re not leaving like this, and neither am I. I don’t do misunderstandings, Trent. Come back inside so we can talk, or do the neighbors have to know all of our business?”
Trent didn’t care who was watching. He was dying slowly inside. That’s the only reason he could come up with for the pain in his abdomen and his inability to take a full breath.
Wood was turned away from him with his chin tucked against his chest and his hands clasped behind his neck. “You’re taking this all wrong. You know damn well how important you are to me.”
Money was important to millionaires, property was important to developers, likes were important to TikTok creators. Trent didn’t care how fucking important Wood said he was, because importance didn’t have a damn thing to do with love.
“I am, huh? Well, if he’s not the one you want, how come he wasn’t tossed against the wall and choked the way I was… Woody?” Trent wished there wasn’t so much hurt and betrayal radiating in his tone. He pulled out of his driveway without glancing backward and burned rubber out of his neighborhood. He needed to get as far away from Norfolk as a half a tank of gas would take him.
Chapter Forty-Six
Wood
Wood bent over and braced his hands on his knees, trying to take deep breaths of cool air into his lungs to calm himself down. He’d never used that kind of language, especially on a Sunday. But he couldn’t believe how angry Trent made him by calling him disrespectful. Still, he didn’t call people he cared about bastards. What the heck was wrong with him? Yes, Trent had been doing a lot of cursing, but Wood knew he was hurt and that’s what Trent did when he was feeling wronged. It was stupid to respond the way Wood did. Now he had to fix it and fast.
Wood pulled himself together when he heard Adam coming toward him. “Is this what you’ve been dealing with since you got out? Stress. Dealing with a lovesick boy that throws a temper tantrum anytime he doesn’t get his way?”
Wood exhaled slowly before he spoke. He didn’t want to end up having to apologize twice in one day. “Adam. I really do appreciate what you’ve done for me by keeping my belongings and protecting them. I meant it when I said I’d never be able to repay you or your brothers.” Wood stared down the street where Trent had disappeared. “But the man you just insulted has been my world since I got out. Not my stress. I care about him very much, and I’m not walking away from him and I’m sure as hell not moving anywhere.”