Chapter 11 #3
My breath hitched at the use of the royal we. As if we were a we.
The officer gulped audibly. “I was offering Hannah a ride home, but it looks like she’s taken care of.”
“She’s taken care of.” Beau glared daggers. Then, without another word, he slipped his hand from my cheek to my lower back, guiding me away before I could process what was happening.
I looked over my shoulder. “It was nice to meet you, Oscar!”
Oscar waved hesitantly, as if he were trying to understand what had just happened.
That made the both of us.
There was a pause, a stutter in Beau’s step as he caught sight of something else.
The driver of the other car, speaking to another officer. I found it interesting that two cruisers were present for a minor accident. Then again, this was Jupiter; not much happened here.
“Wait here,” Beau commanded.
He didn’t wait for me to say anything, charging across the street right toward the man.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but I certainly didn’t expect him to take the man by the scruff of the neck and slam him against his ruined vehicle. In front of cops, no less.
I rushed forward, my head throbbing, my feet not entirely steady since I was wearing impractical shoes. But I managed to cross the distance without falling on my face.
“You’re lucky,” Beau hissed, right in his face. “This was any worse, you wouldn’t be walking away.”
My eyes widened at the wrath leeching from his tone, his violence toward this man.
“Beau, how about you walk it off? Take Hannah home,” the officer watching said calmly, as if there wasn’t someone being assaulted right in front of him.
The officer was older, obviously familiar with Beau.
Beau didn’t move, still holding on to the quivering man, a rage in his eyes I’d never seen before.
“Beau,” I said quietly.
Beau jolted, looking at me. The second our eyes locked, he turned back to the man, gave him a withering stare, then dropped him. He nodded to the cop standing by before coming back to me as if nothing had happened.
Beau was walking us slowly, hand pressed to my lower back as if he expected me to fall. He led me to the passenger door, opening it.
“I can—"
My words were swallowed by his hands on my hips, lifting me into the cab as if I weighed nothing.
Then he leaned over to buckle me in.
I stopped breathing.
“I can buckle my own seat belt,” I informed him, my voice little more than a whisper.
He hovered where he was, his large body half draped over mine, tilting his head to look at me. I jerked when our eyes connected. Beau’s gaze was always fixed on me. Glittering with annoyance, sometimes need. But never this. Never fear.
“I need to be the one physically securing you, Hannah.”
I blinked rapidly, wondering if this was a symptom of a concussion I hadn’t read about, hearing Beau Shaw saying impossible things.
He stayed suspended there for another moment before pushing back, closing the car door slowly.
I tried to steady my breathing as he rounded the truck. I tried to concoct reasons to explain away this behavior. Tried to wrestle away the warmth I felt in my bones despite my shitty coat.
I tried to stifle my sigh of relief when Beau got in the truck, fighting to ignore the feeling of safety that covered me like a blanket.
The truck started with a rumble, then he took off driving.
“You just assaulted someone. In front of a cop,” I said finally, my brain slowing down.
Beau was strangling the steering wheel. “Wouldn’t call that assault, Hannah.
What I wanted to do to him might’ve been.
” The ire I’d seen in his gaze lingered in his tone too.
Violence. I hadn’t known Beau was capable of that.
Yeah, he was gruff, sometimes straight up hostile with me, but never truly scary. I’d never been afraid for my safety.
This man wore a tutu while dancing with his daughter. He was not violent. I’d thought his muscles were for show only.
Apparently not.
I rubbed my temples. “I’m not sure what I should say to that,” I said quietly.
He stared straight ahead. “He was negligent, he could’ve fucking killed you.
” Beau slammed his fist onto the dashboard.
“Damaged you forever. Scarred you. Because he couldn’t pause for three seconds at a stop sign.
Three seconds could’ve—” He cut himself off, choking out words I couldn’t ever have even imagined him saying. He shook his head.
I squirmed, the depth of his outrage tangible. Surely this was connected to Clara’s relationship with death, not related to me personally. The reaction was so excessive.
He took an audible breath. “Where’s Lori?” he asked. “Is she okay?”
“Finn caused a bit of a scene to get her to the hospital,” I said slowly. “Though she did faint.” Worry crawled up my spine. “She’s pregnant,” I added quietly.
Beau blinked in surprise. “By whom?”
I shrugged. “No one good.” I hoped the baby was okay.
With my medical knowledge, I knew the odds were on her side.
The accident wasn’t severe, and babies were resilient, even in the womb.
But I thought about how determined she was to make a life for herself, and I felt a bit of Beau’s ire.
A whole future could be washed away because someone didn’t want to obey a simple traffic law.
“Finn will take care of her.” Beau stated matter-of-fact. As if Finn had magical powers.
But then I thought about the way he looked at her, the way he caught her, cradling her in his arms as if she were the most precious being on planet Earth. Maybe he did have special powers. A true and pure kind of love like that was a power in and of itself.
I was both relieved and disappointed when we pulled into the driveway. The energy in the car was overwhelming. Intoxicating. My head still ached faintly.
I unbuckled my seat belt, Beau’s head darting toward me as he put the car in park. “Don’t you open that fucking door.”
I pursed my lips, wanting to argue but deciding to pick my battles. And if I was honest with myself, I was kind of enjoying this protective side of Beau. It felt nice, safe to have someone—to have Beau—so thoroughly concerned about my well-being. I’d never experienced that before.
As he rounded the truck, I told myself to manage my expectations. This didn’t mean anything. This was an extreme situation, triggering Beau’s trauma. That was it.
The door opened, and a blast of cold air cut through the polyester of my coat. Not for long, though, because I was pressed into a warm man who smelled like juniper and home.
He delicately grasped on to me, lifting me onto my feet. Again, he cupped my cheek, tilting my head so he could use the porch light to examine my head with a clenched jaw.
Again, I stopped breathing.
“Can you walk?” he murmured.
I nodded mutely, though I didn’t quite trust my legs to work. My knees felt weak. But walking was the only option. Beau could not carry me inside.
“Let’s get you inside.”
Again, he led me with a firm hand on my lower back, walking slowly, carefully. He didn’t stop touching me as we ascended the steps, walking through the front door.
The house was warm, cozy, and welcoming.
Elliot was waiting in the living room, standing as we came in.
“You’re okay,” he exclaimed in relief. It shook me—nowhere near as much as it had with Beau—to see that Elliot was concerned too. I wasn’t used to people caring enough about me to worry.
I nodded, smiling weakly. “Just a little bump on the head.”
“Get her tea,” Beau ordered Elliot. “Water, painkillers.” He turned to me. “I’m going to run your bath.”
I tilted my head up at him, trying to keep my face blank as my knees struggled to stop shaking. “I don’t need you to run a bath for me. I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself.”
“I didn’t ask if you were capable,” he muttered. “On the couch.” He pointed then turned down the hall without a second glance. I watched him leave.
“He’s bossy.” I turned to Elliot, who was watching with an amused, satisfied smile on his face.
“He cares,” he amended. “He just happens to show it by being bossy. However, I’ll echo my brother’s sentiment. Rest.” He slanted his head to the couch. “I’ll make you tea and get painkillers.”
I relented only because this fussing by the two Shaw men was overwhelming. And I did feel tired.
Sitting on the couch, I fired off a text to Lori.
Please update me on you and the baby when you can.
The response was immediate.
Baby and I are both fine. Although a caveman police chief is currently torturing us.
I pursed my lips in a smile, hoping that Lori might get that fairy-tale ending she didn’t believe in, even if it looked a little different than it did in the stories.
Me, on the other hand? I knew I wouldn’t get mine, despite the way Beau was acting tonight.
It was temporary. All of it.
I forced that thought into my pulsing brain.
Beau was not my forever.
I wasn’t that lucky.