18. Chapter 18
18
L ibby and I stayed up most of the night talking. She told me more about her father; some of the challenging times she went through, but also the really good times she had with him. I found out that her mom, Tiffany, all but abandoned her when he left. She kept a roof over her head, but that was about it. Libby has taken care of herself and her mother since she was seventeen. It’s no wonder she’s had a tough time letting people in. The two people that were supposed to be there for her the most in the world had done the exact opposite.
I also told her more about Savannah. I wasn’t kidding when I said she was my best friend. After everything that went down that summer, we came out the other side with an even stronger bond.
We ended up making our way over to the couch at some point and talked until Libby couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer, and fell asleep with her feet in my lap. I watched her features as they softened. In her sleep, she looked as if she didn’t have a care in the world, all traces of anxiety and worry gone. I wish she could look like that all the time.
I don’t know when I fell asleep, but I wake up to a pounding on the front door. Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I look over to Libby and she’s still asleep. The knocking continues, so I carefully slide her legs off my lap and lay them on the couch as I get up. This isn’t my place, but I don’t want the incessant knocking to wake her up after such a late night. Her body still looks so ran down and she needs all the sleep she can get.
I make my way over to the door and open it right as a hand comes back in to land on it. Freezing mid-movement, the guy’s eyes damn near pop out of his head when he sees me. He looks familiar, but I can’t place him.
“Who the fuck are you?” He says, sizing me up.
You’ve got to be kidding me . The guy’s voice brings back a very vivid memory, reminding me exactly where I know him from, thanks to the pictures and videos Tyson used to fill me in on him.
“Colt. You?” I know who he is, but I want him to tell me.
“Jett,” he snarls. “Where’s Elizabeth?”
I walk forward, causing him to back up and shut the door behind me.
“She’s asleep. Did you need something?”
“I need to talk to Liza, so if you don’t mind,” He tries to push past me, but I don’t budge.
“Actually, I do.” Jett’s eyes shoot daggers. “Like I said, Libby is asleep. But if you want to give me a message, I’ll be sure to let her know.”
I’m fairly certain I hear the asshat growl at me. “Are you sleeping with her?”
What? “What?”
“You heard me. It’s eight in the morning and you’re the one answering the door, claiming she’s asleep. Why else would you be here acting like her fucking bodyguard if you weren’t getting something out of it?” The words ooze with hatred and I'd love nothing more than to shove them right back down his throat.
I lean against the door frame and put my hands in my pockets. “Jett, I’m going to need you to leave,” I say calmly.
“I don’t give a fuck what you need. Answer the damn question.” I refuse to entertain him with a response. Not only is he the most pathetic excuse for a man, a damn waste of skin, but I'm not going to let my anger get the best of me and risk Libby seeing me that way.
“You know she’s engaged, right?” he continues. “You’re fucking my fiancé.” The veins in his neck bulge.
“Huh. That’s funny, considering she left after you proposed, and hasn’t mentioned you once since. I’m not sure that’s considered engaged, buddy.” I raise an eyebrow while keeping my tone even. It takes more control than I've ever needed to keep my head level, but I have no other choice.
“She said yes .”
“Ah, right. Even so, going off of the little I know, I think it’s safe to say she isn’t someone you need to concern yourself with anymore.”
“Wait a minute…” His eyes squint as he studies my face. “I know who you are. You were with her at Tyson’s game. I saw you in the pictures from the online coverage.” He huffs out a laugh. “This is rich. You can’t believe a word she says. She's a fucking drama queen. She always does that shit, thrives off it. You can’t say one fucking thing to her without her getting all worked up and throwing a fit like a child.”
I grit my teeth, loosening the tight leash I have on myself. “You’re going to regret—”
“Jett?” The door opens behind me. Go back inside. I plead inside my head, because I can’t say it out loud; all I see is red, and I can’t risk this side of me coming out around her.
“Liza, who the fuck is this guy? We have a few arguments and you run off to find the closest fuck boy to climb under?”
I step forward, preparing to knock his fucking head off his body, but a small hand lands on my shoulder, stopping me. “Colt,” she cautions. I can’t look at her. There’s too much madness going on in my head.
“Yeah, Colt, why don’t you hit the road? I’ve got some things to straighten out with my fiancé.” Not a fucking chance . I let my size serve as a barricade between him and Libby, not needing to use my words. I can keep her safe without having to let go of my leash completely. It’s all a matter of the mind. Think calm, be calm.
“Colt,” Libby says again, “you should probably go.”
What the actual fuck? Spinning around, I look straight into her eyes — no panic. She can’t be serious, though. There’s no way I can leave her here with him. But she squares her shoulders and lifts her chin. Don’t do this .
“Colt, I want you to leave.”
My chest constricts as dread fills every inch of me. She knows I would never push her. Anything she told me, I’d never fight back, because she needs to know her words have power. I keep my eyes on hers, waiting to see something else shows, but it never does. There isn’t an ounce of second guessing or hesitation. She really wants me to leave.
So I do just that.