46. Burn The World Down
Burn The World Down
Dani
Erin called as I was leaving my meeting with Mark and asked if I wanted to come over for drinks. There was no way I was turning that down after the afternoon I had. I dropped my shit off at home and changed into some more comfortable before heading over.
I don’t bother knocking, I just walk in. "Put your dick away, Jakey, I’m here!" I holler, kicking the door shut and strolling into the kitchen.
In all the years they have been married, I have only walked in on them once. And that’s only because they were fucking in the kitchen. I refused to eat at that table until they decontaminated it with hospital grade disinfectant.
"You missed it by ten minutes, Doll." Jake answers. "But I can give you a peek, if you'd like."
I snort out a laugh and find Erin sitting at the table, cramming her face with stuffed peppers. Her red hair is a wild mess and her pale skin is flushed.
"You’ve got sex glow." I tell her.
Erin winks with a grin and points to the chair across from her with her knife. I sit and a plate with two stuffed peppers appears before me.
"Thanks, Jakey." I smile up at him.
"You know I aim to please, Doll." He kisses my forehead and leaves the kitchen. I cut into the massive pepper and shove it in my mouth.
"Luke called me," Erin says with her mouth full.
"Why?"
"We talk."
I narrow my eyes. "You lie."
"Nope. We talk once a week. He wants to make sure you and Mason are okay and that Josh has been leaving you alone."
I don’t like them talking, she knows too much. "I would appreciate it if you stopped talking to him. He doesn’t need to know what’s going on with me."
"Do you know what the first thing out of his mouth is every time we talk?" Erin asks, completely ignoring what I just said. She’s on a mission and will ignore everything I say until she gets her point across.
"Is she safe." Erin smacks the table with her hand, rattling the dishes and making me jump. " Is she safe! That man is madly in love with you. I have told you this before, and yet, you refuse to believe me."
She shoves another piece of pepper in her mouth and reaches across the table, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. "That man has done more for you and Mason in the short time you were together than any man you've ever been with. He still feels like shit about what happened over two months ago."
"I don’t want to talk about this." I mutter.
"I do. And I will keep talking about this until it gets through your thick skull."
Now she’s pissing me off. "He ignored me. I told him to come get me if Mason needed me and he didn't. The safety of my child will always come first. Always."
Erin nods calmly. "I understand that. I truly do."
"Do you?" I bark.
"I’ve been in Mason’s life just as long as you have and while I didn’t give birth to him, he’s my boy. He’s aunties boy and he always will be."
"Would you forgive Jake if he did what Archer did?"
"I would beat his ass for doing something like that." Anger at the thought of Jake holding down a child flashes in her emerald green eyes
"Exactly."
"But, I would eventually forgive him. After a ton of groveling, that is." Erin grins. She does love making Jake grovel when he's done something wrong.
I sigh, placing my fork and knife on my empty plate. "I miss him." I confess.
"I know. I can see it in your eyes and it breaks my heart to see you this way. Why not talk this out with him?" she questions. "That man would burn the world down for you."
I look down at the table. "I’m scared."
"Of what?" Erin asks, getting up and moving next to me.
I drop my head back. "I’m scared of getting hurt again." I glance at her. "Josh hurt me with his hands and his sleeping around. Antoni hurt me when he left me for another woman when our relationship was going so well, or so I thought." I take a shaky breath. "I don’t want to get hurt again."
"Oh, babe." Erin wraps her arms around me, stroking my hair. "He’s not going to hurt you, Dani. You know that, right?"
I sniffle. "He did the minute he broke his promise."
"Thanks for the ride, Jakey," I say as I fight with the door handle of his truck. "Why won’t the door open."
"Hold on Doll, I’ll let you out." He laughs as he gets out and rounds the truck.
The door flings open, and I am eye to eye with my best friend’s handsome husband.
"I like you, you’re cute." I boop his nose.
He chuckles as he helps me down. "You and Erin are going to be so hungover at work tomorrow."
I stumble a step. "Are not."
Jake takes my elbow and helps me inside. "Thanks, Jacob." I snort out a laugh and he shakes his head.
Mason comes down the stairs. "Hey, Uncle Jake."
"Hey, big man."
I spin, bumping into the wall. "Hi Bubba!" I squeal and rush him, wrapping him in my arms.
"You drunk, Ma?"
"Pshh, no." I give him a shake, but he doesn’t move.
"She had a few with your auntie," Jake says over my head.
Mason laughs and hugs me back.
"I better get going. I left Erin on the bathroom floor." Jake kisses my hair. "She still can't handle tequila."
"Bye Jakey! I love you!" I yell.
"Bye Dani! I love you!" Jake yells back, closing the door behind him.
"C’mon, Ma. Time for bed." Mason says.
"I’m hungry." I whine.
"If you eat, you’ll barf."
"Nah-uh."
"Ya-huh." Mason turns me towards the stairs and helps me up.
"You’re a good boy, Bubba. Anyone would be lucky to have you." I tell him.
He opens my door and I stop dead. There is a bouquet of roses on my bed. I wave a hand at the bed. "What’s all this."
Mason pushes me into the room. "Axe bought you flowers."
I blink up at my huge son. He winks and I smack his chest. "That’s not funny, Mason! After he saw me naked, I’ve been showering in my clothes just to be safe."
Mason shivers. "Please don’t remind me."
I smack his chest again. "So, who really sent the flowers?"
Mason shrugs. "No idea. Found them leaning against the front door when I got home." He leaves the room. I pick up the bouquet and look for a card. I find the small envelope and open it.
I’m going to own your ass and you’ll never see Mason again.
My blood freezes, my heart oozes into a puddle under my feet, my hands shake and sober up quickly as I pull my phone from my pocket and snap a picture. I fire a text to Mark and open Amazon. I order myself a ring doorbell camera and a set of four indoor/outdoor cameras. I should have done this years ago but I never thought I’d have to deal with Josh again.
My phone dings.
Mark: when were these dropped off?
Me: no clue, I just got home. Mason said they were here when he got home.
I throw the flowers onto the floor and kick them out the door. I want them nowhere near me.
Mark: he’s not to have contact with you, it states as much in his casefile. Do you have cameras in or around your home?
Me: just ordered some.
Mark: good. We’ll talk more tomorrow about our next move.
This day has been a shitshow.