Riding Jamie (Montgomery Dreams #1)

Chapter Eighteen

JAMIE

Oakley texted me about seeing that scumbag when she was out shopping with her mom and Maggie. I didn’t take it well, which is seemingly exactly what Oakley expected.

It’s partially a desire to prove to her family that I can be a rational adult that has me standing from the couch when I hear a knock on the door. I won’t deny that it’s at least half because I want to get a good look at this piece of shit and make sure he knows how this is going to go. Oakley is washing her hands as I head to the door, and I ignore it when she tells me to wait for her.

I pull the door open with what I hope is an intimidating scowl, raking my eyes over the guy standing on my girlfriend’s doorstep. His blond hair is combed into loose waves, his eyes strikingly blue and staring straight through me like I’m not even there.

I hate him instantly.

Shane pauses when I hold my hand out, but takes it in a firm shake.

“Sean, right?” I ask, squeezing down harshly on his hand.

“Shane,” he corrects, squeezing right back. “You’ve got quite the grip on you.”

My nostrils flare in annoyance at the thinly veiled mockery of what I used to be. He probably doesn’t even know, but it’s a painful reminder. I pull my hand back, not offering him my name. Oakley rushes up seconds later, smiling widely at Shane. It looks a little strained as she glances between the two of us, but she shakes it off to make introductions.

“Shane, this is my boyfriend, Jamie,” Oakley introduces, smiling awkwardly as we stand in the doorway. “Jamie, this is my coworker, Shane.”

“We just met,” Shane says, a million watt smile lighting his face. “But you know I’m really here for some home cooking. My aunt’s specialty is tv dinners.”

Hearing Oakley laugh at his stupid joke makes a muscle in my jaw tick, but I swallow back the vitriol I want to spew at him.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone,” she says, waving him inside.

Hailey and David poke their heads around the corner at the sound of voices, and I stand back to watch as they welcome him in. It’s all warm and smiles and easy trust, nothing like they’ve ever treated me. They’ve seen me as a pest and a bad influence from day one, my father’s son through and through. Shane is syrupy sweet and charming toward Oakley’s mom and respectful to her dad. Both Bo and Maggie give him a wide berth, Bo watching the introductions idly from the kitchen with a bottle of beer in his hand. Maggie looks like she swallowed something sour, turning a sneer toward Shane when he holds a hand out to her.

My estimation of her raises several notches, even if she is a bratty teenager.

Everything is a whirlwind of questions and chairs scraping against the floor as we sit down to dinner. Shane is, of course, from a great family and his parents are both doctors. He’s loaded and gets perfect grades and I have to clench my fist under the table as I listen to Hailey coo over what a wonderful young man he is.

It’s like they’re replacing me while I’m still sitting here.

Shane is bragging about how good Oakley is at her job and how everyone in New York just adores her, and her parents are lapping it up. The light in his eyes when he looks at Oakley is way too familiar and affectionate for my taste, and I catch him staring for a few seconds too long every few minutes.

It takes a lot to stop myself from kicking him beneath the table.

I focus on my food and the fact that Oakley is sitting next to me , not him, but every word that comes out of his mouth tests my resolve.

“These last few weeks have been rough without you around,” Shane says, turning a smile Oakley’s way. “It’ll be good to have you back in the office after the holidays.”

I’ve been clenching my jaw so hard my teeth are on the verge of cracking, and the sight of him aiming that look at my fucking girl is enough to make me explode.

My fork snaps down onto the table with a crack. Oakley immediately reaches for my arm, digging her nails in through the fabric of my flannel as she forces me to stay in my seat.

“I’m sure you’ll manage on your own,” she says to Shane with an awkward smile. “I’ve actually decided to stay here. I’m transferring to the state college with Phoebe so I can be closer to home.”

Silence falls over the table like snow, bit by bit and then so heavy it’s impossible to move through. The clatter of cutlery slows to a stop as the air fills with shock and tension. Anger flickers over Shane’s face, but he masks it too quickly for anyone else to catch. It makes my lip curl up in a sneer.

“Oakley?” David asks, glancing between her and her mother with wide eyes.

“What are you talking about, honey?” Hailey asks tightly, an uncomfortable laugh coloring her tone.

“I just don’t think New York is for me.” Oakley is trying hard to sound casual, but she’s gripping my thigh beneath the table. “I’ve been thinking a lot while I’ve been there, and I’m just happier at home. All of my friends are here, and I know you didn’t want me all the way out there alone, right, Daddy?”

A million different emotions flit over David’s face, but Hailey answers before he gets a chance.

“You’re not alone.” Her lashes flutter over golden eyes as she blinks in confused frustration. “Kathy and Ricky very kindly offered you the spare room in the penthouse.”

Oakley’s cheeks color with embarrassment, and her fingers go slack on my leg as she struggles to find the right words.

“Yeah, and it’s been really nice, but?—”

“Why don’t we talk about this later, Oakley? Just the family.” Her mom’s eyes linger on my face before ehs she picks her fork back up. “Let’s finish enjoying dinner, hm?” hmm?

Her words hold the kind of finality that there’s no arguing with, and I swallow down all the words I want to say. Nothing I have to add will help right now, and Oakley can speak for herself.

Conversation slowly picks up , but it’s stilted and uncomfortable. Hailey tries to make small talk with Shane, and he does a pretty good job of it, but I can see the annoyance under the surface of his calm facade. Everyone clears their plates rather quickly, the air thick with tension. There’s no offer of dessert.

“Thank you so much for dinner,” Shane says, a wide smile on his face. “I’ve got a bit of a drive to get back home, so I should get going.”

“Of course,” Hailey says. “Can I send you home with leftovers?”

“That’s so sweet of you! I think I’ll get in trouble if I bring home food that’s better than my aunt’s cooking, though.”

Hailey laughs, charmed, as she stands and starts piling plates up.

“Alright, then, you just get home safe,” she says. “Kids, help clean up, would you?”

Everyone jumps at the opportunity to escape the still-awkward atmosphere, and soon Shane and I are the only two without a platter of food to help pack up.

“I’ll walk you out,” I offer, my smile all teeth and danger.

Shane meets it with a wide grin, a red flag to a bull if I’ve ever seen one.

“Sure thing, buddy,” he agrees. “It was lovely to meet you all! I look forward to getting to know you better sometime.”

Hailey tosses a goodbye and a wave over her shoulder as she and the rest of the family picks up the table. Oakley waves, too, but no one else answers him, and I wrap my good hand around his bicep as I practically drag him to the door.

“Awful kind of you to walk me all the way out to my car,” Shane says as the door closes behind us.

“Yeah, well, someone needs to make sure you actually fuck off,” I snarl. “You might have fooled her parents with your little golden boy act, but I see right fucking through you, buddy .”

His perfectly sculpted blond brows raise as he laughs right in my face. It takes every ounce of self control to stop myself from plowing my fist into his pearly white teeth.

“I’m sure you do, man,” he says with a chuckle. “I’m not doing anything but being a good friend to Oakley. If you think she’s going to stay with an ex bull rider without a penny to his name, you can believe that. I’ll be here when she realizes she deserves better.”

Fury flashes through me like wildfire, and I step right up into Shane’s face. My teeth are bared like a wild animal, and I can feel my muscles bunching, gearing up for a fight. He doesn’t flinch back, leveling me with an unimpressed glance.

“ Fuck you ,” I spit. “You have no fucking clue what Oakley wants. Stay the fuck away from her.”

Shane shrugs and steps back to pull his keys from his pocket. He reaches out to pat my arm, clapping his hand down on my bicep. Pain shoots down from the bruising to where the rest of my arm sits in the cast, but I refuse to show it. He shakes his head, looking at me with something that might pass for pity if not for the grin on his face.

“I’m not going to do that, Jamie,” he says. “I’m going to keep coming around until Oakley or her family tells me to leave her alone. And, well, I don’t want to be that guy, but I think her family likes me pretty well. Don’t think you can say the same, bud.”

He sounds so goddamn smug, but it’s hidden under a veil of casual nonchalance.

I curl my hands into fists as he climbs into his car and pulls out of the driveway, shooting me a cheery wave. There’s no any way for me to calm myself down right now, and I know what he said is true. He may be a fucking asshole, and I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him, but there’s a thread of truth in his words.

Oakley does deserve better, even if she insists that I’m what she wants. And her parents have never approved of our relationship.

Shane would be a perfect Prince Charming to come riding in and take her away from me.

But like fuck will I let that happen again.

I lost Oakley once, and I only got her back by the skin of my teeth. I’m not letting my girl go again, come hell or high water.

“You trust the kid?”

I whirl to see Maggie leaning against the porch railing, her arms crossed over her chest and a pout on her perfectly glossed lips.

“What?”

“Blondie,” she says, nodding her chin toward the driveway with a sneer. “I don’t like him.”

I laugh when I realize she was referring to someone five years older than her when she said kid . My gaze travels down the driveway, the vision of Shane waving at me with a wide smile on his face still seared into my mind.

“Yeah,” I say with a sigh. “He’s a dick.”

Maggie rakes her eyes over me, looking like she’s waiting for something else. She sighs when I don’t elaborate and turns back toward the house.

“I think he’s up to something,” she tosses over her shoulder. “I have my ways. If you don’t find out what it is, I will. I’m not going to let anyone fuck with my sister, Walker.”

Well, that makes two of us.