Chapter 20
TWENTY
I WILL RUIN ANY MAN
H olden
A knock on my door hauls me from sleep. The light filtering in through the window tells me we must have slept in.
Briar’s back is nestled against my chest, my leg slung over her hip.
Last night I learnt that Briar is a cuddler. She fell asleep next to me, but not before nuzzling her ass into my groin and pulling my arm around her. I didn’t think I’d be able to fall asleep in that position, but it’s morning, and it appears that I slept like a baby.
I reluctantly peel myself from her warm skin, trying not to wake her. But when I shift the blinds to see who’s at my door, she stirs.
“Holden. Is someone here?”
“I’m not sure, baby, but go back to bed. I’ll take care of it.”
Tugging on a pair of athletic shorts, I pad down the hall, dragging my hands through my hair .
I glance at my watch. 10:10 a.m. It must be Birdie wanting to kick a soccer ball around. That kid is obsessed.
Another knock raps against the door. When I look out the large living room window, there’s an SUV I don’t recognize in my driveway. That’s weird. Haven Harbor is a private street. The only reason you would be here is if you live here or if you know someone who does.
I open the door to a guy I’ve never met. He’s tall, about two inches taller than my 6’1” frame. He’s wearing a polo shirt, jeans and a pair of Nike Blazers. He glances behind my right shoulder before looking at me.
“Can I help you?”
“Who are you?” he gruffly commands.
What in the fuck?
“This is my house. How about you telling me who you are.”
“I’m looking for Briar Moore,” he says. “Where is she?”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, my jaw muscles instantly tightening. I have no idea who this guy is but there’s no way I’m letting him anywhere near Briar.
“Briar doesn’t live here. Sorry, I can’t help you.”
“Well, do you know where I can find her? It’s important, I need to see her.”
I fold my arms across my chest, shaking my head. “Sorry man, not a clue.”
Anger radiates off him, his eyes bouncing around the room, looking, I assume, for my girlfriend.
Before he can say anything more, I shut the door and lock it, then turn to find Briar stepping out from the hallway. She’s pulled on one of my T-shirts, the hem tucked into a pair of shorts. She looks beautiful—she always does—but the expression on her face stops me in my tracks .
“What was he doing here?” she asks, wrapping her arms around her middle.
“Looking for you.” I swallow hard. “Briar, who was that guy?”
Her chin lowers, and she takes two steps towards me, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the couch. I sit and pull her down into my lap. “Are you alright?”
She nods. “I’m fine.”
She doesn’t seem fine.
“That was Justin… my ex. I had no idea he was even in Reed Point. I’m sorry he showed up at your house.”
“Well, I’m sorry you had to date him. That guy is a total asshole.”
“I know,” she sighs. “He’s terrible. I hate that he knows where I’m staying.”
“How does he know that you’re staying with me? Who would have told him? Does he talk to Daisy or your mom?”
“No, never. I honestly don’t know. I don’t get it. It doesn’t make—” Briar stops mid-sentence, her eyes suddenly going wide. She jumps up from my lap, walking towards her bedroom. When she returns, she has her phone in her hand. “He tracked me. I am so stupid.”
She drops down onto the couch beside me and I can see that she’s shaken.
“He was tracking you?”
She nods. “When we were together, he set up a location label for me without telling me so he could track me. I found out he did it when he accused me of cheating on him. He wanted to know why I was out at one of our favorite places for dinner one night, and who I was with. When I asked him how he knew I was there, he didn’t have an answer for me until he finally admitted he had tracked me. The ironic part is I was just out with a girlfriend that night— but I found out later that he was cheating on me. Stupid ass.”
She places her phone on the coffee table with a sigh. “I can’t believe I didn’t think to delete it and now he knows where to find me.”
“So, he essentially stalked you, then he accused you of cheating, then he slept with someone else?” I seethe. “Asshole is an understatement.”
There’s a pause before she speaks again. “It gets worse. He didn’t just cheat on me. He broke my trust in the worst way, Holden.”
“What did he do?” My jaw clenches.
“He humiliated me,” she says, her voice shaky. “He shared personal photos I sent him with his friends. In a group chat. One of the guys knew it was shitty and sent me a screen shot.”
“I will kill him,” I growl, shooting up off my chair, pacing the floor like a caged animal. I doubt I’ve ever been so angry in my entire life. What kind of a guy betrays a woman’s trust like that?
“Holden, come here. Sit down. Please. Being angry isn’t going to change things. I’ve moved on. I won’t give him that kind of power over me and neither should you.”
I reluctantly sink back into the couch beside her—I’d much rather jump in my truck and go find the guy, but I don’t want to make the situation even more stressful for Briar.
She turns to me, hugging the throw pillow to her chest.
“Justin isn’t a nice guy. I don’t know why I didn’t see it sooner, but eventually it became clear. He made me feel small. He controlled me. He liked feeling powerful. I accepted his shitty behaviour because I wanted to see the good in him, and I know it sounds silly, but I thought he would change. I always made excuses for him—he was just stressed out, or tired, or he had a hard week at work. I wanted to believe that deep down he was a good guy and that he loved me, but I learnt the hard way that I was wrong. He’s selfish and mean and I’m still mad at myself for accepting the way he treated me. Honestly, I think that’s why he wanted me. He knew I always try to see the good in people and he took advantage of that. He thought I would stay forever, that I would just keep forgiving him. But he was wrong. I left. And when I moved back to Reed Point, I promised myself I would never allow another person to treat me the way he did.”
I knew she was doubtful of men and relationships when she moved back here, and now that I know the reason why, I don’t blame her. Anyone in her shoes would feel the same way. Hearing this, I’m glad we decided to go slow. She needed time to believe that she could trust me.
“You know I would never hurt you, right? Tell me you know that.”
“I know that, Holden. You have always been good to me. You accept me for who I am. You build me up instead of tearing me down. You make me feel good. I think I’ve spent the last few months letting myself believe that I deserve this. That I deserve you. I’m making myself whole again, making myself better.”
She leans into me, and my heart does a flip inside my chest. “Thanks for listening. But can we please forget about all of this? I’m done talking about him.”
I wrap my hand around the end of her ponytail and pull. Her face tips up to mine. “Let’s talk about something else.”
I kiss her. She smiles.
“Should we talk about how turned on it made me to see you get so protective over me? ”
“I will ruin any man who tries to hurt you.”
She wraps her hands around my nape and straddles my thighs. I kiss the underside of her jaw, earning a giggle. “You are sweet, Holden Banks.”
“I’m lucky.”
“You are?”
“I am. I have you. Him not seeing how good he had it is my gain.”
Her gaze holds mine, fingers playing with the strands of hair at the base of my neck.
“Holden, you need to stop saying the most perfect things while I’m pregnant,” she says, smiling softly. “All you’re going to do is make me cry.”
Curling my arms around her waist, I kiss her, showing her that I’m here for her, and that I always will be no matter what.