Chapter 20
EDDIE
“Go on!” Tyler stood beside my round stainless-steel table, apron slung over his shoulder, while an anxious furrow dug into his brow.
Red had her hips cocked to the side and her arms crossed.
Her typical black clothes had been traded out for a green sweater dress dotted with candy canes.
Her hair was up in a braided bun and a sprig of holly was stuffed artfully in the side.
The coffee line was to the door, but there were three employees behind the counter darting around making drinks and taking orders with the frenetic energy of elves on crack.
“What is this?” I asked, wrapping my hands around the large red mug. The heat felt amazing against my palms. I couldn’t help but smile as I inhaled the warm scent of holiday spices. Whipped cream was piled on top and red and green sugar made the peaks shiny.
“It’s a gingerbread latte with a kick—” A smile took over Red’s face as the point of her high-heeled black boot met the air. “—of rum.”
Tyler nudged the mug toward me and bit his lower lip in the most adorable way possible.
Grinning, I inhaled as I lifted the mug, then took a sip and moaned at the pure flavor parade in my mouth. It was just the right amount of sweet.
Tyler covered his eyes, acting silly in a way that had only recently come out of hiding.
“It’s good, baby. The best thing I’ve ever tasted.”
He flashed a relieved smile at Red, who slapped his shoulder.
“Told you, kid. You’ve got it down pat. You’ll be running this joint in no time.”
“I should know what I’m doing after all the drinks I made this morning. But Eddie has bad luck sometimes, and it could’ve rubbed off on me.”
I snorted. “I have something else I’d like to rub off on you.”
Red pointed her finger at me but didn’t go so far as to tell me to behave. She chuckled and clapped her hands. “Come on in the back, Tyler. I have a Christmas Eve present for you, but you earned it.”
My heart swelled at the kiss he pressed to my temple before he rushed after her.
“Is this the best drink I’ve ever had? It is.
” Shifting around happily in my seat as the upbeat piano music from A Charlie Brown Christmas came over the sound system, I took another sip, and this time the pleasant hint of rum socked my taste buds.
My eyes closed so I could focus on how good my life was.
I had Tyler.
I had the best drink ever.
I was going to take Tyler home and curl up in front of the tree.
Life didn’t get much better than this. Despite Tyler’s joke, I was the luckiest man alive.
Things were going to turn out all right.
Excitement twirled through me and I felt light.
Were Tyler and I going to have a good life together? Yes, we were.
Guaranteed.
Unfortunately, when I opened my eyes, I met Dad’s horrible scowl. He was a couple of spots from the back of the line, waiting to order.
I coughed, sloshing some of my drink on the table, and Dad took that as his cue to stomp over to me. No, no, no.
“What was that shit with Tyler? Are you really together?” he asked, slapping my back.
To an outsider, it probably looked like he was helping, but as he did it again, he almost knocked my face against the table.
The third time had my face pressing the wood.
He didn’t let go until I slapped at him, and then all I got was a mean laugh.
Nausea swamped me, and I froze as a hundred different terrifying moments from my childhood swamped me.
Dad telling me off before a school play, then me fucking up my lines.
Dad shouting at me when I fell off my bike, as if I’d wanted to scrape my elbows.
Dad shoving Mom down the basement stairs because she hadn’t moved fast enough to get his work clothes out of the dryer.
Fuck, where did that one come from? I blinked. I hadn’t thought about that in years, hadn’t even remembered he’d done shit like that when I’d had a therapist, but it was all coming back, a sick sludge that had been buried at the bottom of my brain.
Guilt swelled up in my throat, choking me. I couldn’t believe I’d abandoned Tyler with this monster.
Dad dragged out the chair across from me and sat down.
“He’s my boyfriend. I told you that.”
Dad stared at me and his upper lip curled as a stony silence built between us that ruined the holiday music.
He looked respectable, a deep red shirt under his blue leather NGPD coat, like perhaps he was getting ready to go to a Christmas party.
Was he taking that new girl with him? For her sake, I hoped not.
“I love Tyler.”
At that, he shook his head slowly and leaned forward. “Son, the gay thing doesn’t bug me, but you can do better.”
“No, I can’t. He’s special inside and out. There isn’t anyone like him anywhere. It’s too bad you never saw that.”
He glanced around and grimaced. “I need some of that money you got from your uncle. He owed me after what he did to your boyfriend’s whore of a mother.
He owed me big, and he left it all to you after the cancer got him.
My lawyer said I didn’t have a chance in hell of getting that cash, but you could give it to me. ”
Anger had me sitting up straighter. Had he followed me here? I’d thought it was just my bad luck rearing its ugly head again that he’d showed up.
“Gee, I can’t imagine why she fucked someone else. Oh, wait, yeah I can.”
It was Dad’s turn to breathe fire.
I took a well-deserved sip of the perfect drink my loving boyfriend had made for me.
Dad swiped the mug away, and someone shrieked as the ceramic shattered on the floor.
In a heartbeat, I was on my feet, but so was he.
“Perhaps if you weren’t such a fucking prick, Charlene wouldn’t have cheated.
Perhaps if you weren’t a born asshole, your own brother would’ve respected you more and included you in his will.
Perhaps my mom would still be alive.” My chest hitched like I’d been running a five-minute mile.
People abandoned the tables around us as Dad growled, and I wasn’t prepared when he charged me.
“Red!” someone nearby yelled, urgency lacing their tone.
Dad’s fist met my face faster than a train, and I tried to punch back, but I was out skilled. Dad took me to the floor, my chair getting knocked aside, and landed a punch to my gut. Another one to my side.
“Fuck, stop!”
He laughed, eyes wild and bugging.
A loud crack filled the room, and he collapsed on top of me harder than a ton of bricks.
Red stood there with a bat in both hands, an avenging Christmas angel, and she must’ve brought it down across his shoulders.
“Get your ass out of this business, now,” she said, pointing at the door with the bat.
She didn’t raise her voice. She was terrifying enough that those sorts of theatrics weren’t necessary.
Murder gleamed in her eyes. I’d only ever seen this woman smiling and kind, but right now I believed she would happily break every bone in his body.
“I’m a cop,” he bellowed, jumping to his feet. I rolled away as he tried to kick me.
“I don’t give a damn if you’re Santa Claus and five of his fucking elves. Go!”
He took a step toward her.
Big mistake. She jammed the end of the bat into his chest, firmly knocking the wind out of him. “Let me tell you who I am. I’m a Harlot Queen, and your buddies can’t watch your back all the time. You aren’t welcome here.”
He straightened. His glare could’ve stripped paint off a car as he stumbled toward the door.
“Tyler, why don’t you hand out some free Christmas cookies to these nice people who didn’t punch anyone in my coffee shop.” She shook her head as she glared after Dad. If she could shoot laser beams out of her eyeballs, she would’ve singed his ass.
Laughter and a short round of applause broke out as she took a bow, then tucked the bat under her arm to gather the shards of my former mug from the floor. She was able to do that girl thing where despite wearing the short dress, she didn’t flash anything important as she crouched.
“I’m so sorry,” Tyler said to her, already carrying around a plate of cookies as one of his coworkers followed along behind him with a stack of paper holiday plates.
Misery washed over me and I righted my chair before flopping down on it.
After the floor was clean, Red brought me a replacement drink with a sympathetic smile, and when I’d tasted it, I coughed a bit because she’d clearly doubled the rum.
As I sat there, guilt coiled in my stomach—or perhaps that pain was from Dad’s fist?
My jaw ached, so I worked it, and when I touched my right cheek, it was hot and puffy.
Some unpleasant memories surged out of the sludge in the bottom of my brain, and I shook my head, not wanting to get caught up in them.
Any time the topic came up, I always said Dad never hurt me.
But that wasn’t exactly true. He’d just stopped shoving me around when I outgrew him.
When he thought I might swing back. Fuck, how did I manage not to remember watching a baseball game when I was nine with a throbbing cheek because he’d backhanded me in the parking lot for asking too many questions?
My thirteenth birthday, when he’d shoved me to the ground for not thanking him well enough for my presents?
I shivered.
There were more memories, worse ones, deep down in the muck, but I ignored them. I’d always been good at that. Too good. But it let me function.
Tyler threw an envelope on the table, and I had no choice except to scoot back because he plopped down on my lap.
“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled against his neck, resting my forehead on his jaw.
Tyler kissed my temple. “You didn’t do this. None of the customers even left.”
“I mean for leaving. I was scared and left New Gothenburg. What kind of man does that? A bad one.”
He gently cupped my cheeks and tilted my head up.
I’d never had anyone look at me with so much love. I hadn’t lied to Dad. I couldn’t do better. Not with a hundred years to search. “I love you.”
He smiled. “I love you, too. I don’t blame you anymore. I mean that.”
I crushed him closer, ignoring the ache in my jaw, and he chuckled.
“I’m so lucky to have you. Let’s go home.” I glanced out the front windows at the gentle snow drifting down. Night had fallen, and at some point, perhaps while we’d been fighting, the holiday lights wreathing the windows had popped on, and a happy glow burned away the darkness.
Tyler grabbed the envelope from the table, twisting in a way that warmed up my cock. He booped me on the nose. “My first check! As promised before Christmas!” He stared outside, and when I noticed what had caught his eye, my insides cramped.
Dad was out there staring at us, but he turned and stomped away.
“Let’s go home,” I murmured. “We’ll lock the door and stay inside till New Year’s Day.”
“No, I’m not letting him scare me away from my plans.” He kissed me, and I rubbed circles on his firm back. I loved how solid he’d become now that he was eating right. “I want to buy you a present with my own money. I’ll take a rideshare home.”
“I don’t like it. Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’ve been in the same city as Chuck this whole time. But I’m done letting him control my life. I go where I want. You saw what Red did. He’s just a coward when someone hits back as hard as he does.”
“Like the sound of that.” I dragged him down and sucked on his plump lower lip.
“Okay, you two turtle doves. Out.” Red handed Tyler his coat, breaking up our love fest. “There are only a few shopping hours left before Christmas. That’s cash in there, so you don’t have to hit the bank.
You have a thousand dollar signing bonus.
An exclusive deal for future managers. Don’t lose that envelope. ”
“Red, you shouldn’t have.” His voice trembled.
“I do what I want in my business. Didn’t you hear?” She smirked.
“Aye, aye, Captain.” Tyler saluted.
She rolled her eyes, but she was grinning as she walked away from us.
He hopped up. “I’m going to have fun shopping. Go home and get out the wrapping paper. And bows!”
I stood and dropped a kiss on his nose, warmth kicking out the lingering anger and grief simmering in my chest. “I can’t wait to spend Christmas with you. Be careful.” I glanced out into the cold, but the only thing there was pretty snow and holiday cheer.
“I will. I promise.” His tone was a bit off, but when I turned back, he was putting on his coat with a small smile curling his lips. He tucked the envelope in his inner coat pocket.
We left together, holding hands against the cold.