Chapter 46
Deacon
His voice, the one I’d prayed to hear again, hit me like a gallon of ice water. I flipped to my back, immediately shielding Willow’s body.
“I didn’t think you’d be home for at least a few days!” Willow yelped from behind me, scurrying under the blankets to hide herself. But his icy stare was locked on me like I was an enemy combatant.
“I called from our stateside layover. Thought I’d surprise you.”
I reached around the bed, needing to not be naked, and I snagged my boxers and pulled them on.
Cruz’s glare didn’t leave me for a second.
“I didn’t think you’d be taking this as a last chance to fuck my sister.
” He stepped forward, leaning heavily on a crutch, and I stepped between him and Willow again.
“It’s not like that, man.” I held up my palms as he advanced, and I stepped back, tripping on something on the floor that was probably Willow’s bra, but in the split second I looked down and saw a flash of red, Cruz’s fist hit my jaw, and it wasn’t the gentle get-moving tap he’d given me in the hospital.
This one hurt and knocked me back onto the bed.
Cruz hovered over me, fist cocked, but I shifted and the hit glanced off my arm.
“No!” Willow cried out from behind me. “Cruz, get out of my room!” she screamed, panic coloring her voice.
“I asked you to take care of my sister, and instead you treated her like just one of the hundreds of girls you’ve used and tossed aside.
” He raised his fist again and landed a blow against the arm I’d raised in front of my face.
He stumbled with the motion, but landed another blow that had pain radiating across my face.
“I’m not gonna fight you,” I said, noticing the wince of pain when he cocked his arm back. I pushed an arm out to make sure Willow was clear of me in case he did swing again. “Hit me again if you need to. I’m not fighting you.”
Cruz glared at me with a coldness I hadn’t seen anything close to since training, but he dropped his fist. “I thought we were brothers.” He sucked in a breath, rebalancing on his uninjured right leg. “I can’t stand to even look at you.”
Cruz rubbed his hand and leaned back on his crutch.
In another setting, I would have commended him for being able to throw such a good punch while on crutches.
“Get him out of my fucking house,” he said, pointing at Willow and hobbling out of the room.
I suddenly missed the glare—he wouldn’t even look at me now. “Before I throw him out myself.”
“Are you okay?” Willow touched her delicate fingers to my cheek, where a bruise was surely forming. Her eyes were wide with shock and indignation, and she stroked my face over and over again. “He had no right.”
I nodded, guiding her fingers from my face and kissing her fingertips, despite the pain.
“He had every right,” I said, resigned. I’d deserved it—even as I stilled and made sure my teeth were intact and my jaw wasn’t broken.
And I deserved him not being able to look at me, even though it hurt worse than I thought it would.
I nodded, reassuring myself I’d been prepared for this, that I knew he’d react that way, that I’d chosen this, because I had.
But the way he’d looked at me played on repeat in my head.
“No,” she said, searching for her own clothes on the floor as I hunted for mine. “I’m not a child, and he gets no say in who I sleep with.”
Adding Cruz hating me to the hazy future ahead made it that much darker.
The only bright spot was Willow was still here, with me, and I lowered my chin and kissed her lips, just a peck, but needing the connection.
“Not the first time someone’s hit me. I’m okay.
” I wasn’t sure that was true—I wouldn’t be okay if things between me and Cruz were as bad as they seemed—but I didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily.
“Me and you need to talk more,” I said, taking her hand.
“Despite everything, I’m not ready to let you go. Do you want to come back home with me?”
She shook her head. “No. My brother and I need to have a conversation.” She stood tall, shoulders back, and despite everything about this situation being fucked, I was proud of her.
When I met her, I wasn’t sure she’d have had that reaction.
I suspected she’d have gone with the easier option and do what I wanted.
I opened the door, and Willow took my hand, leading me down the stairs.
To where Cruz stood in the kitchen, ice on his hand and Gus at his feet as if he knew, too, what I’d done and he needed me to know he was cleanly on Team Cruz.
I held up my palm, but Willow held tight to the other.
“Cruz,” I said, backing toward the door with eyes on my friend. “I can explain.”
“Fuck your explanation. You go on and on about how I saved your life, how we’re brothers.
You never let me forget it, and given a few months alone, you lure my baby sister into bed, the most important person in the world to me.
I asked you to look out for her! We’re done with everything,” he said, avoiding my gaze, and once again, I had the sense there was a nail in the coffin of my oldest friendship. “Done.”
But Willow took both sides of my face in her hands, and the warmth of her hands grounded me, especially when she forced my gaze to meet hers.
“We’re not done.” She was protecting me, I realized, holding me close so I didn’t feel lost. I lowered my chin to kiss her, but caught Cruz’s glare over her shoulder and paused.
“We still have to finish my list,” she said.
“We have a lot to talk about. I want you to go to the park with me.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come home with me?” Cruz would never hurt her in a million years, but every protective instinct in me rallied to keep her close. I accepted her decision when she said no again, and I nodded and took both of her hands in mine, raising them to my lips. “I’ll call you.”
“The fuck you will!” Cruz yelled from the kitchen.
Willow mouthed, “It’ll be okay,” but when she closed the door and I walked toward my truck, I had a sinking feeling it wouldn’t ever be the same.
I only hoped that whatever came next would still include her.