43. Bay
FORTY-THREE
bay
Softly closing Dad’s room, Reeve is exactly where Levi said he was. His legs crossed at the ankles on the opposite side of the hallway, typing away at something on his phone as he patiently waits for me.
When he hears the click, his head lifts and a gentle smile comes off his face as he pushes off the wall and comes to me.
“How is he?”
“Sleeping,” I reply as Reeve stops within inches of me and reaches up to gingerly brush the pad of his thumb along my cheek. The movement is equally sweet and calming, just like Levi. But in a I want to snuggle with him forever kinda way.
“How about Torin and I take the girls home and we’ll stay put until you need a ride home.”
“That’s sweet, Reevie. But Juice and Hot Rod?—”
“No,” he cuts in before his brows clash together. “You think I’m gonna leave my girls with the enemy?”
My girls?
I guess it’s because I’m not used to a dude who actually gives a genuine fuck about me besides Levi because Reeve’s concern actually rattles me a little bit.
“They know them,” I divulge.
“And how the hell are you getting home?” he presses. “Wallace gonna do that?” I blink at him because that was probably the way that was going to go down. “ Fuck no.”
“Reeve—” His palm falls to my hip and gives it a little squeeze to warn the next stupid-ass suggestion from leaving my throat.
“I know you’re under a lot of stress right now, but my girl isn’t gonna be leaving with her ex who’s threatened to kill her multiple times.”
I open my lips to defend that fact, but I got nothing. So I simply nod.
Reeve rewards me with a simple and soft kiss on my forehead, causing my eyes to flutter closed in exhaustion and serenity. “I’ll go back to your house and grab you some things. And then I’ll be right back up.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s not a problem, baby. Just focus on your dad. That’s all I need you to do, okay?” I bob my head and his smile lifts a little higher. “What can I bring back?”
“Just some clothes.”
“And?”
“My phone charger. I think it’s in the front room. And could you bring me the Connect Four game and maybe some of his stress balls.”
“Yeah.” He wraps his arm around my waist. “I’ll get the house cleaned up and some food in the fridge.”
“Oh, you don’t?—”
“I fuck my girl,” he utters under his breath, those hazel cementing me to his gaze. “And I take care of my girl, you hear me?” Fuck. Reeve’s stare grounds me into a submissive state and all I want to do is please this guy. “That’s my baby.” He gives me another small kiss, and I find myself chasing it when he pulls away.
“You’re a tease.”
“Says the tease.” He pecks my nose. “I’ll get the house in order, and I’ll finally get that bullet hole fixed up.”
My whole body locks up, because that bullet hole from the night those two dudes broke into my house is still hidden under a My Little Pony poster.
That’s when recognition suddenly dawns on his face that he said too much. That he’s been in my house before and knows about it.
Do you want more visits at night, Miss Astor, or was one enough?
My stomach suddenly knots in devastation that, all this time, I’ve been with the man who’s violated my space.
Who was there on one of the worst nights of my life.
“You were there, weren’t you?” Reeve opens his mouth, but I beat him to it. “You were there with that other guy. You broke into my house.”
“Bay—” I haul myself out of his grip, feeling the immediate loss of his comfort and every brick I’ve allowed to crumple just to let him in.
“ Tell me that wasn’t you,” I order through my trembling jaw, fighting back the sob that wants to break free from my lips.
Deep in my gut, I know it was.
And I don’t want it to be.
He was there to hurt me and my family. And if it wasn’t for me breaking into their plan with my shotgun, who knows what would’ve happened.
“I want to hear you say it.”
Reeve averts his eyes, then releases a heavy and heartbreaking sigh. “Yeah, baby…it was me. I was there” I feel my heart crack inside my chest and loathe myself for getting too deep. I begin to step aside to get around his body, but Reeve’s hands seize my biceps, keeping me close and not allowing me the choice for space. “ Don’t do that.”
“You were there to kill my dad. You were there on Emilio’s fucking orders to hurt him.”
Reeve’s nostrils flare, anger tinting his features, but he does what he always does. He tells me the truth. “But I didn’t.”
“Let me go, Reeve.”
“I didn’t know you.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I carp out. “You would’ve killed him if it wasn’t for me coming out of my room.”
“I would have,” he admits, and it feels as though he slapped me across the face. That it would’ve been easy, quick, and nothing off his plate.
I jerk away from him, but Reeve only holds on tighter. His face hovers mine, and it takes everything in me not to smash my forehead into his. “Last warning…”
“C’mon, Bay. You know damn well I would never hurt you.”
“You almost did. You would’ve caused devastation to my family.”
“Like I said, I didn’t know you. I didn’t know him. I was just on a quick job?—”
“I hate—” The cool and collected man in front of me heaves me to his chest, knocking some of the air out of me when he bares his teeth at me.
“ Don’t say that,” he leers through a growl. “If I had the opportunity, I would change it. If I would’ve known you, I wouldn’t have done it.”
“But now you do.”
“And what the hell does that change?” he challenges back. “I lucked out, Bay. I didn’t kill your fucking dad.”
“I want you to leave.”
“Yeah, well?—”
“Who was the other guy?”
Reeve shakes his head, and I begin thrashing around in his hold to get free. “Bay, stop .”
“ Who ?” I get in his face, smelling the peaceful ocean off his skin, but my chaos is too powerful to be eased away by such a smell. “Torin?”
“Stop.”
My chest tightens and I can barely breathe when I ask, “Don’t you think I have a right to fucking know?”
“No.”
It’s final.
I’ve never heard him speak to me like this before, but the steel backing his one word has my outrage meeting new heights.
“What’s going on?” Torin suddenly asks at our side, bringing his bossy ass into everything. “You’re both getting loud.”
My neck snaps to him like I’m about to bite his whole damn head off. “Were you there? At my house that night. Did Daddy send you there to kill my dad?”
Torin flicks his mocha eyes to Reeve, sending a silent message of what the fuck. And after a painful few seconds, he replies with the same thing Reeve did.
“No.”
“Then that only leaves one more?—”
“ Drop it,” Torin carps back, steering his darken gaze back to me. “He doesn’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh well”—I scoff and, with all my might, finally heave myself out of Reeve’s strong grip—“as long as he doesn’t want to talk about it.”
“It was a mistake, Bay.”
I shake my head against Torin’s rebuttal and point down the hall. “I want you guys to leave… now. ”
“Bay—” Reeve steps up to me again, but I scurry back two steps, closer to the door of Dad’s room.
“Leave. Now .”
“We’ll take the girls?—”
“ No. Juice and Hot Rod will take the girls home. You two can fuck all the way off and give my regards to Cairo. I find either of you three at my house again, I’m not going to miss.”
Torin rolls his eyes, and Reeve stares at something along the wall next to me.
This is what stupid me gets.
I should’ve never opened myself up to them like I did. We’re rivals for a fucking reason.
I refuse to be collateral damage.
I just need to get the message across to my heart that’s currently beating in need for them to stay.