Chapter 26
Hell in a Handbasket
? Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You (With Megan Maroney) - Brooks & Dunn
Ruby
Ihaven’t been sleeping well since Breanna showed up out of the blue, my mind plagued by a heavy mix of guilt and foreboding. It’s my fault we’re even in this position. Liam tried to warn me, but I didn’t listen.
Aiden’s been surprisingly ok, even though his dad had to take an extra shift to make up for leaving early. While Liam was away, we had our guitar lesson and spent some time with Connor. Aiden fell asleep with his head on my lap like he often does.
The last two days have passed in a haze, and the whole time I’ve had this sinking feeling in my gut that won’t go away.
I don’t know enough about Breanna to anticipate what she might do next, and the unknown has always been unsettling to me.
It’s like I’m caught in a current dragging me out to sea, unable to swim back to shore.
All I can do is let it happen and hope someone throws us a life raft.
After dinner, Liam clears the table while I head into the kitchen and fill the sink with warm, soapy water. I start working on dishes from earlier in the day, just as he comes in with the stack of dirty dinner plates.
He places them on the counter and snatches the sponge from my hand. “What are you doing?”
My brow furrows. “Cleaning up. You cooked. I clean.”
He takes the dripping wet bowl from my hand next and places it back in the sink. “No.”
“Yes.” I move to take the sponge from him, but he holds it out of reach. I jump, hoping that’ll help bridge the gap, but it fails.
“No. I’ll do it.”
“Liam.” I grit out his name between clenched teeth.
“Ruby.” His voice is growly and so fucking addictive. “You’re already stressed. Let me handle this.”
“I’m capable of doing dishes. I know my dad calls me Princess, but you don’t have to wait on me hand and foot.”
He tosses the sponge into the sink and cages me against the basin with one hand on either side of my hips. “Good. You’re not a princess. You’re a queen, and you’re too goddamn stubborn for your own good.”
I roll my eyes and shove him back, but he doesn’t budge.
Instead, he grips my chin and brings my defiant gaze to meet his molten one. “Do you have any idea what you do to me when you’re being a little brat like this. Do you know what I want to do to you?”
My breaths turn ragged as he keeps me pinned to the counter, and my heart might beat out of my chest from the desire pulsing through my veins. There’s no logical reason for the way my body reacts to his every demand. I’m at his mercy, and he knows it.
“Tell me,” I murmur.
He leans in next to my ear, his voice little more than a gruff whisper.
“I want to bend you over the counter and devour your perfect cunt until you’re soaking wet and begging to come.
I’d fuck you with my fingers and tongue, listening to your cries and whimpers as I deny your release over and over again.
You’d beg so prettily for me, wouldn’t you, baby?
You’d take your punishment like a good little whore, and when I finally give you permission, you’d come so hard you wouldn’t be able to stand, let alone do dishes. ”
He pushes away from me and crosses his arms over his chest. “Pour yourself a glass of wine and relax, or I’ll make good on every single promise.”
I open my mouth to speak, a challenge on the tip of my tongue, but I’m interrupted by my buzzing cell phone. The name on my screen is enough to sober me. There’s only one reason he’d be calling me right now. “It’s Adam. I should take this.”
I step out into the backyard and darkness envelops me, only the glow of my phone and the moon overhead lighting my path. I sit on the back steps and swipe to accept the call. “Hello?”
“Hey. I have that information you asked for.”
“I’m listening.”
“Breanna Morgan, formerly Breanna Astor, has been arrested under several aliases. She’s a grifter.
Married four times. She’s been conning men for the last ten years as far as I can tell.
She recently ended a long-term relationship with Mark Morgan after he accused her of embezzling funds from his fortune five hundred company where she worked as his personal assistant. ”
My ears perk up like someone threw me a damn bone. If she’s on the run, we can turn her in and be done with the whole ordeal. “Charges?”
“Dropped.”
All hope vanishes with that one simple word, and I let out a resigned sigh.
A door clicks shut on the other end of the line, and I hear what sounds like a cork being popped. Fuck. I could really use a drink right about now.
“Do you want my advice as a friend or from a legal perspective?”
I pinch my eyes shut and rub my temples. “Just give it to me straight. I’m tired.”
“Pay her. I can write up paperwork to have her officially sign over all parental rights to Liam’s kid. You can have her destroy the videos and photos in front of you, but she could have other copies.”
“What’s stopping her from trying it again in the future?”
“Nothing. Shitty people are going to do shitty things.”
Great. Haters gonna hate isn’t exactly what I wanted to hear from my lawyer. “Do I have a choice?”
“You can try to have her arrested, but there are no guarantees even if we do everything right.”
“Ok. Thanks, Adam. I appreciate it.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“I have to talk to Liam. Can you draw up the paperwork just in case? We meet with her tomorrow.”
“Of course. Take care of yourself, Ruby. And no more public displays.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “I learned my lesson. Talk soon.”
The call ends, and I lean back on my hands, replaying the conversation in my mind.
I feel like I’m walking on a tightrope that’s slowly unraveling at one end.
The only way I’ll get to safety is if I keep moving forward.
The truth is, I’m tired of fighting. Part of me wants to let her release everything, to hell with the consequences.
The door creaks open behind me, and Liam’s soft footfalls sound as he joins me on the back porch.
He takes his seat next to me and hands me a glass of wine. “You ok?”
I take a long sip of my favorite wine and shake my head. “Adam thinks we should pay her off. Force her to sign over her parental rights and hope she goes quietly.”
“Is that what you want?”
“Honestly? I don’t know what I want anymore.”
Liam pulls me against him, and I go willingly, resting my head on his shoulder. “Let me handle it. I’ll meet with her tomorrow and give her the ultimatum.”
“How can you be so chill about this?”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m used to my life being a dumpster fire. Being blackmailed by my ex is hardly the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Regret settles like stone in the pit of my stomach.
I should’ve known better than to let my guard down.
If I’d had even a modicum of forethought, this could’ve all been avoided.
Typical, impulsive Ruby. Years in the spotlight and the worst that’s ever happened is a few relationship rumors and internet trolls calling me fat.
The second I ditch my label, I manage to make a mess of everything.
My life, Liam’s life—it’s all going to hell in a handbasket because I can’t control my fucking impulses.
“Let’s go inside. The mosquitoes are eating me alive.” I down the rest of my wine and stand.
Before I can get far, Liam grabs my wrist and whirls me around. My palm lands flat against his hard chest. His hand slips into the hair at the nape of my neck, and he tugs at the roots, angling my face upwards.
“We have unfinished business.” His beard tickles my neck as he speaks, his voice low and resonant. “In thirty seconds or less, it won’t just be the mosquitoes eating you alive. Run.”
Liam
We lie in bed with our limbs intertwined, my back against the headboard as Ruby traces the wings of my phoenix tattoo. Her hair is beautifully mussed, and her face is tinged pink. The four orgasms seem to have relaxed her.
“I didn’t get a chance to thank you,” I murmur.
“For what?” She glances up at me, propping one hand on her chin against my chest.
I glide my knuckles down the side of her face, and she gives me a lazy smile. “For how you handled everything with Bree. Don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there.”
“All I did was call you.”
“It’s not just that. You’re a fucking godsend, Ruby. That you even thought to call me is the bare minimum, but you made sure Aiden was safe. You stayed with us while he broke down. You always know exactly what we need. I’ve… never had that before.”
And I’m gonna be lost without you when you have to leave.
Her smile fades, and she kisses my chest. “You deserve that and so much more. I know you don’t like to ask for help, but I’m always here when you need it.”
“Until you’re not.”
She stiffens against me and moves to sit up. “What does that mean?”
“Someday Nashville is gonna call you back, and you’ll be Ruby Lynn Hayes again. I’ll be just another memory.”
“Is that what you really think? You think that after all of this, I could just go back to the way things were? I told you I’m yours. I’ve whispered it, screamed it, said it without a single word. Why don’t you believe me?”
I don’t respond. I can’t, but I don’t have to because she fills the silence for me.
“I want you, Liam. Is that so hard to believe?”
When you’ve spent your whole life never being anybody’s first choice, self-doubt becomes second nature. Ruby wanting me seems wholly impossible, and yet here she is, offering me everything I’ve ever wanted.
I’d like to think that my old wounds don’t affect me anymore, but that would be a damn lie.
They’ve made me wary of relationships—reluctant to let anyone close—but Ruby has broken through every barrier but one.
Now she’s asking me to tear it down for her.
Can I do that? Can I finally let someone in?
“You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
Her gaze levels on me. Gone is the tender-hearted Ruby from moments ago, replaced by my sassy spitfire.
“Do you know what I think? I think you’re terrified of letting people in.
I think you see yourself as hardened and jaded, but what you really are is a fucking dumbass, Liam Murphy.
A big, dumb, loving, wonderful man who has no idea how much I care about him. ”
For better or worse, she’s always seen right through me. I should probably feel insulted by her harsh accusations, but I can’t fault her for calling me on my bullshit.
An involuntary smirk forms on my lips.
She rolls her eyes at me.
“Yeah?” I say. “And what does that make you?”
She jabs a pointed finger at my chest, holding back a smile. “The only woman in the entire world who’s willing to put up with your bullshit.”
I capture that finger in my fist and tug so her face is barely an inch away from mine.
“The only woman in the entire world I want to put up with my bullshit.” I release my grip and pull her onto my lap, slipping one hand beneath her hair to caress her neck and jaw.
“I don’t know how we make this work. I want to.
Fuck, you have no idea how bad I want to.
But your life and mine aren’t exactly compatible. ”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t try. Don’t you think we’re worth it?”
I stare into her hopeful eyes, knowing I would go to the ends of the earth to call her mine forever. “You are worth it.”