Page 42 of More Bite than Bark

Elle was enjoying this, at least a little.Hex couldn’t blame her.There had been times her mother had made things far harder than they’d had to be because of her insistence that everything had to appear proper and just so.

“I’m not sure it’s appropriate for you to live at Kevin’s house.You’re an unmarried woman and he’s a single man.People will make assumptions.”

“What kind of assumptions, Mama?”

Elle was getting into this and while it was amusing, Hex knew she’d regret it later.He dropped the hand along the bench behind her onto her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze.She turned to look at him.He looked down at her, trying to get her to read his expression enough to have mercy on her mother.

“I’m single?”He lifted one brow.“Does this mean I can hit the Savage Angels tonight, pick up some chick and bring her home?”

“Try it and see what happens.”Elle narrowed her eyes at him.

“Never gonna happen.”He leaned close and dropped a kiss on her forehead before straightening and turning back to Sandy.

She stared at them with wide eyes.

“You’re together.”It wasn’t a question.It was a statement.

“We are,” Hex said.

He had no doubt Elle would confirm it.She hadn’t hesitated to lean into him, and even now, she tilted her body just slightly, so her shoulder and arm rested against him.Not hard, she wasn’t lying on him, not that he would complain, but they touched all along the side of both of their bodies.He thought she was using the contact to be reassuring and the last thing he was going to do was deny her that.

Sandy’s mouth hung open for a few seconds, then she seemed to realize where they were and that someone might be looking.She closed her mouth, straightened her back, and squared her shoulders.

“This seems awfully sudden, especially after last week.”Sandy’s tone was more than a touch haughty.

“It might be, Mama, but it’s happening.I’ve found where I want to be and I’ve been happier in the last few days than at any time in the last year.”

The waitress came back with their drinks, asked for their orders, and left again once they’d given them to her.

Sandy looked back and forth between them for a moment before speaking.

“I understand that, dear, you two have always had something between you, but what will people say?”

“I don’t care, Mama.I’m through worrying about what people think.I’ve decided to live by the three F rule.”

“Three F rule?”Mama frowned.

“If they don’t fuck me, feed me, or finance me, their opinions don’t matter.”

Sandy’s mouth fell open again, but only for a few seconds.

“Elizabeth!”she said, her voice soft as she looked around to see if anyone was close enough to overhear.“Language.”

“Again, three F rule, Mama.”Elle looked down into her lap, took a deep breath, and looked up at her mother again.“I ignored my gut and listened to you that I’d come to love Michael.I trusted until I couldn’t anymore.Since I walked away that day, I’ve learned a few things that let me know my instincts were right.No matter how hard I tried, I never would have been happy with him.He never would have loved me.Especially not the way that Kevin already does.”She reached up and clasped his hand where it hung next to her shoulder.

Hex slid his arm off the back of the bench and let it lay across the top of her shoulders as he held onto her hand and pulled her into a quick side hug before easing his grip.He would stand by her as long as she wanted him and he’d fight to make sure she wanted to be there for the rest of their lives.He would stand at her back, support her, and protect her in any way he could.

“What are you talking about?Of course you could have loved Michael.”

“I probably could have, though I think if it was going to happen, it would have by now.But one thing I’m sure of, Mama, is that if he continued going out of town and picking up men in bars for random encounters, when I found out about them, I would have come to hate him.”

Sandy’s eyes went wide.

“Elizabeth.I taught you better than to carry rumors.”

“I’ve seen the security footage myself, Mama, it’s not rumors.I knew he was going to Biloxi at least once a month.He told me it was business meetings with his broker, and I never questioned it, but Mama, he’s not licensed in Mississippi.Why would he be working with a broker there?And if the broker is licensed here too, why not have the meetings here too, at least some of the time?”Elle shook her head.“I’m not going to debate this.I came to show you I am safe.”She squeezed Hex’s hand.“I came to let you know I’ve moved and where I am.”

Sandy stared at Elle for a full minute, Hex wished he had some clue what she was thinking, if only so he could stop her from saying anything that would hurt Elle.After a moment she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if she was drawing herself together and putting together all the pieces that had been scattered by Elle’s defiance.