“This is the one place I can meet Brax. It’s been Switzerland.”
“So, involve him in the changeover. Daphne will be happy to include him,” Gale suggests.
“Did you ask her? Because you seem to have some pretty weighty opinions.” His know-it-all tone grates on my nerves.
“Unlike you, we haven’t ignored her,” Law mumbles.
“You can’t be jealous and indifferent. Pick a side,” Gale says sternly.
“Keep pushing your luck, and it will run out.” I caution him.
“Are you going to take the anger you feel at yourself out on me?” Gale stands his ground.
Furious, I look away. Starting a brawl with my brother in the middle of the bar won’t win me any favors. Besides, Laurel is just waiting for proof I’m unfit to get Brax full time. Downing my beer, I slam it on the counter, rise, and walk over to the woman turning my life upside down. Standing behind her, I nod to Fey, who gulps down the last of her beer.
“Looks like you have a visitor. I’m going to go get a refill.”
Daphne turns and the smile parting her pink pout fades away. “I thought we were doing well sticking to separate sides of the building.”
“I want to talk.”
She rolls her eyes. “I don’t.”
“Too damn bad, Daphne.” I step into her space and bend down. My lips brush her ear, and she shivers. “We can do this privately or publicly. The choice is yours.”
Her eyes narrow, and she purses her lips. “And if I choose neither.”
“You’ve gotten a lot mouthier.”
“I grew up and learned how to stand up for myself. I had to.”
“I didn’t mean to leave you hanging like that.”
She blinks at me owlishly and tilts her head back. The shrill laughter that erupts from her parted lips strikes a chord. “What did you think would happen, Newton?”
“I’m done with this.” Bending, I grab her around the thighs and heft her over my shoulder. Resting my hands on the tops of her thighs to keep the black skirt from rising up.
“What the hell.” She braces herself against my back and lifts up. I slap her ass and stalk through the room and out the back door ignoring her angry tirade. Away from prying eyes, loud music, and the expectation of our friends, we can rip the Band-Aid off the festering wound. Crossing the road, I stop at the small park and set her down on a swing. Scrambling for balance, she grips the chains.
“What the fuck is wrong with you!”
“We can’t keep going like this.”
“Because you say so?” Planting her feet, she springs up in front of me.
“This town is small, and we’re making ourselves and those closest to us uncomfortable.”
Placing her hands on her hips, she glares up at me, nostrils flaring and eyes narrowed. The lights surrounding the bar cast shadows over us. “You’ve spent years ignoring me—.”
“It was a two-way street.”
“To a war, you started.”
“That was never my intention, Daph.”
“Oh, Bullshit.” She sneers.
I take a shaky breath. Daphne has always driven me crazy. “Watch your tone.”