Take a Chance on Me(67)

Couldn’t believe what he saw.

Claire Gibson was crouched beside Tiger, painting rocks with him, and beside her . . . Jensen Atwood. Feeding Darek’s son cotton candy.

“What the—?” Darek sucked in the words, but they fueled the burn in his chest as he strode toward the tent. “Get away from my son!”

Ivy somehow beat him to the tent and now stood between Jensen and Tiger. She gave Darek a look that stopped him, made him blink. “You’re scaring Tiger,” she hissed.

For a second, he felt slapped.

Then she crouched beside Tiger. “Hey, bud, how about we wash those hands, maybe get some ice cream, huh?”

Tiger was staring at him, his hand sticky with red cotton candy. He got up with Ivy, who glanced again at Darek.

He forced a smile, feeling as if he’d been read his rights. “Go with Ivy, Son.”

He watched her lead Tiger out of the tent, then rounded on Claire and Jensen, the rush of fury back, flooding his mind, his chest.

“Stay away from my son,” he said, keeping his voice low, taut.

Jensen wore a hard glint in his eyes. “I was just talking to him—”

“You have no right to talk to him.”

“Dare,” Claire began. “It’s my fault. I saw him painting, and he looked so cute with his apron. He has Felicity’s nose, and—”

“Don’t talk about Felicity.” His gaze hadn’t moved from Jensen’s. “Ever.”

“She was my best friend. Of course I’ll talk about her,” Claire said. “You’re not the only one who lost her.”

He tightened his jaw. “I don’t want to see you in my town, Jensen.”

“Believe me, I don’t want to be here. But I am, and I’m just trying to enjoy this festival with Claire. Sorry we upset you—”

We? Darek felt as if someone took a scythe to his body when he saw Claire put her hand on Jensen’s arm.

Were these two . . . together?

Jensen made to walk away, and Darek should have let him. But he couldn’t. Not with so much steam inside, not with Jensen walking around, a free man, unpunished.

Unapologetic.

And even worse, with Claire.

He grabbed Jensen’s arm.

It was a fight just waiting to happen. He saw it in Jensen’s eyes, the way he whirled around, yanking his arm out of Darek’s grip. He wasn’t sure who started it then. If it was Jensen’s fist in his face that made him launch himself at him in a full body check, or if Jensen had simply been trying to protect himself.

Whatever the spark, Darek had enough fuel inside him to light up the entire place. He took Jensen down on the painting table with a crash, rolled, and landed beside him on the pavement. Jensen slammed an elbow into his jaw as he struggled to get up, and pain strobed against Darek’s eyes. He reached out, clawed at Jensen’s collar.

He heard ripping but didn’t stop, flinging his arm around Jensen’s neck.

And then Darek simply held on. He’d stopped thinking, just acted on pure adrenaline. Closed his grip on Jensen, squeezing out his air.

But Jensen had always fought dirty—Darek forgot that. The man landed another elbow in Darek’s gut, this time enough to wheeze the breath out of him. Darek gasped, let go, and Jensen scrambled away.

His former best friend stood above Darek, his shirt ripped, breathing hard.

Darek pushed himself up, still wheezing, his heart slamming against his rib cage.

Around them, even the seagulls had gone quiet. Save for one lonely, wretched cry.

“Daddy!”





The entire date had been a bad idea, and Ivy knew it. Especially as she pulled Tiger away from Darek, who lay sprawled on the ground, covered in paint, so much anger in his eyes, it even scared her a little. She turned Tiger around, crouched down to pull him against her, to hide him from Darek’s violence.

His little body shook, and she didn’t blame him.

No child should see a parent disintegrate. No matter the reason why. Parents were required to be strong, capable, in control.

Her throat tightened. Tiger had wrapped his arms around her, breathing into her neck.

Okay, maybe there had been a few good parts to this date. After all, she couldn’t remember the last time someone had held on to her like this, so tight, as if they needed her. She breathed in his cotton-candy, sun-soaked body trembling in her arms. “It’s okay, Tiger. Shh. Your daddy’s fine.”

She looked at Darek then, fire in her eyes, hoping he could read her mind.

Get up. You’re scaring your son.

And worse, Your mother-in-law is watching.

She glanced over to where Nan Holloway stared at Darek, her mouth open, not even bothering to conceal her horror.

Not such a great way to meet Felicity’s mother, perhaps. Ivy had been washing Tiger’s hands in the fountain when the woman came up behind them and introduced herself. Tiger had flown into his grandmother’s arms as if in confirmation.