It’s do or die.
As I get out of the car, the back door to the kennel opens up and Brody walks out. He makes immediate eye contact with me, and I’m relieved to see a slow smile come to his face. He walks toward me with purpose. Two feet away, he offers me his hand.
I reach out to shake it, returning a smile of my own. His shake is firm. He pumps my arm twice, and then pulls me in for what I think may be a man-hug, which is weird, but then I see his other hand balled into a fist and flying toward my face.
He catches me square on the jaw, rocking my head hard to the right, and releases his hold on my hand at the same time. I go flying backward, completely caught off guard by the sucker punch. I stumble back into my car and slump halfway down the driver’s door before I catch myself.
Brody isn’t done though. He’s striding toward me, anger blazing out of his eyes.
Rubbing my jaw gingerly, I flex it and find it’s not broken. I hold one hand out in front of me, a silent plea for him to hold up, because I didn’t come here to fight with Savannah’s bestie.
“Okay… I deserved that,” I admit.
Brody at least stops his advance, but he looks like he wants to murder me. “You deserve a lot more than that, you piece of shit.”
I drag myself up the car and get into a standing position, because I’m pretty sure I’m going to need to defend myself at the least.
“Probably,” I tell him. “But do you really want to pound me into the ground before I can make things right with Savannah?”
“You can’t make things right with her. It’s done, and you need to leave.”
“I love her,” I tell him simply.
Brody snorts and throws his hands out to the side. “Oh, well gee… that just makes everything better, doesn’t it?”
“Look, mate,” I try to reason with him. “You can beat me to a pulp, but I’m still going to see Savannah, and she is going to listen to me. I’m not going to let up until she forgives me and lets me back in. So, if I have to take an ass-whooping from you to get to Savannah, so be it.” I hold my arms out and to the side. “Take your best shot.”
“With pleasure,” Brody snarls, and then lunges at me.
“Enough,” Savannah says from behind me, and Brody immediately stops his forward progress. I turn and there she is.
My Sweet.
Looking like she wants to murder me as much as Brody wants to.
Sighing… because this looks to be a long day, I say, “Hey, Sweet. What does a gent have to do to get a few moments alone with you?”
Oh, God.
He’s here.
He actually came after me.
The realization of what that could possibly mean almost knocks me over. Did he come after the peanut or me? Both?
Gavin walks past Brody, eyeing him warily, and approaches me. Then he’s there… in my space, inches away from me and staring down with unfathomably beautiful and tortured eyes.
“We need to talk,” he says quietly.
I feel the pull of him… I’m in danger of being mesmerized, and my broken heart is afraid of getting crushed. “There’s nothing to talk about anymore. That time is gone. It expired twelve weeks ago when you walked out.”
“Don’t say that,” he rasps out. “Don’t fucking say that.”
“Well, what do you want me to say, Filthy? Welcome back. Glad you could spare me some time?”
His lips curve upward slightly, and he looks amused. “You called me Filthy?”
“So what?” I grumble.
“That’s an endearment. You should be calling me any number of vile names, but you chose not to. You gave me an endearment. I think you’re still sweet on me.”
I want to slap that look off his face, and I want to kick myself in the ass for that slip of the tongue, because Gavin sees me a little too well. He always has.
Reaching down, he takes my hand softly in his. “Let’s go to our house. Let’s talk.”
Not missing the way he says “our house,” which causes all kinds of weird feelings to stir up inside of me, I start to pull away, but his hand tightens.
“Gavin… I don’t want to.”
Gone is the amusement and his look goes hard. He turns and starts walking back to his car, pulling me along behind him. “And I don’t really give a fuck, Sweet. Give me the damn courtesy of an hour of your time.”
We walk past Brody, who is leaning back against his truck, his arms crossed over his chest as he intently watches this play out. He pins Gavin with a deadly stare and then lifts one hand to point at him. “You and me, boy. We’re going to finish this later.”
Gavin gives him a curt nod, and I wholly surprise myself when I snap at Brody. “Oh, knock it off, Brody. You’re the one that wanted him to come back, you dumbass.”