Page 181 of Always Love You More

“Sit down,” I grit out.

“You can’t talk to me like that!” she shrieks. “I’m sick of you acting like …”

I block out her rant, following Calvin to the door and out onto the porch.

The minute it shuts behind us, I have him pressed up against the side of the house. “She get that shit from you?”

“You better step back,” he grunts.

I fist his ratty T-shirt. “That’s not an answer.”

“Yeah,” he chokes out.

“She pay?” I ask, easing up a bit.

He nods.

“You don’t sell to her again, understand?”

“Look, kid, I’m sorry you mom’s a junkie and all—”

I slam him back against the wall. “She’s not a fucking junkie.”

“Sure she isn’t.”

“Who do you work for?” I spit.

“What?”

“You in a crew?”

He stares back at me, a look of genuine confusion on his face. “What are you …? No.” He shakes his head. “No, I just sell a bit on the side. Met your mother, we hit it off—”

“You’re done with her,” I cut in. “Got it?”

“Kid—”

“Stop calling me that,” I growl. “You have no fucking clue who I am. What I’m capable of doing if I find out you’re selling to her again.”

“That’s not what it was like. I …” He shifts. “I like her.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No,” I repeat. “This is the last fucking thing she needs right now—believe me. She does not need another man like you in her life.”

“Like me?” He lifts his chin. “Why don’t you look in the mirror? Glass houses and all that shit.”

“Get off my porch.” I snarl, stepping back and shoving him toward the steps. “Don’t let me catch you around her again.”

He mutters something under his breath, and I’m fired up enough to go after him, but the screen door pushes open and Sam sticks her head out. “Everything good?”

I watch the guy reach his car parked across the street before turning back to her. “Fine.”

“She’s uh …” Sam hovers in the doorway. “She’s …”

I blow out a breath. “I’m coming.”