“Oh, I don’t know. A name, birthdate, and social security number should be plenty.”
My mom was wild in the best possible way. “You are not running a background check on my girlfriend.”
She gasped, and if I knew her at all, tears were already forming in her eyes. “Your girlfriend?”
“Well, technically, she likes to be called Madame Mouthy but yes. Same thing. It’s still new, but she’s incredible, so I didn’t waste any time making my move.”
“Oh, honey,” she breathed, but it did nothing to hide her pure joy—or relief. “I… You… This is…wonderful. Just absolutely fantastic news.”
“Are you crying?”
“I’m your mother. Of course I’m crying.”
“I thought you were more of a friend.”
“As your friend, shut up when your mother is crying.”
Sugar barked when there was a sudden knock at my door. Remi wasn’t supposed to be there for at least another hour, but maybe hell had frozen over and she was early for a change.
“Mom, I gotta go. Someone’s at my door.”
“Don’t you dare drop this on me and run. I need details. What’s her damn name? Where’s she work? What’s her shirt size?”
I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it as though she could get the full force of my side-eye. “What the hell does it matter what size shirt she wears?”
“Christmas will be here before you know it. She can’t be the only one showing up at the family Christmas party without a personalized sweater. She’d be embarrassed!”
“Trust me. Firsthand experience says she is gonna be more embarrassed if you make her wear one of those holiday travesties. It’s not even summer yet. Relax. You’ve got time.”
The knock came again. This time, it was so hard it rattled the windows on the front of the house.
“I’ll fill you in later. It’s not imperative that the entire Michaels family run her off already.”
“Bowen!”
“Love you, but I gotta go!” I hung up before she could interrogate me further—and before whoever the hell was at my door could break the son of a bitch down.
Just as my hand landed on the knob, there was another loud pounding.
“What the hell?” I rumbled, snatching it open.
There was no time to even register who was on the other side before pain exploded at my cheek. I stumbled, my shoulder hitting the wall beside the door to keep my balance.
Through my dizziness, I was able to make out Aaron’s voice as he yelled, “What the fuck, Mark!”
Ah, yes. Mark. Suddenly, all the who, what, and whys made a lot more sense.
“What the hell did you do!” he roared, his hand wrapping around my throat as he pinned me to the wall.
I was a big guy, tall with lean muscles, but Mark was like an NFL linebacker. Regardless, none of that stopped me from rearing back and cracking him in the jaw.
“Motherfucker!” he boomed, never releasing me.
Well, not until Clyde finally responded to Sugar’s yaps and came barreling down the hall, his teeth bared, a deep, malevolent bark echoing through the living room. Even amongst the chaos, I found it interesting that my old pooch was a protector after all.
“Clyde!” I called, not wanting to add a dog attack to this clusterfuck. “Sit.”
He slowed to a jog, still growling at Mark as he parked his ass beside my foot.
Mark had the good sense to shove off me, and Aaron quickly slid between us with his arms stretched wide to separate me from him.
“Can we all just calm down?” Aaron snapped.
“You son of a bitch,” Mark seethed around his buddy. “What the fuck is going through your head right now? Please. Just make this make sense. What? Your dick got hard, and suddenly that’s all that fucking matters?”
My blood boiled. “You better watch your fucking mouth. It’s nothing like that, and you know it.”
“I don’t know shit anymore.” Murder showing on his face, he dove back at me.
I easily dodged him, but Clyde jumped on his hind legs and snapped at his hand. In desperate need of space to ensure Mark left with all of his appendages, I grabbed Clyde’s collar and walked him to the back door. Sugar all too happily trotted out behind him.
I slammed it shut and planted my hands on my hips before giving the asshole my attention back. “Would you fucking relax?” I flashed Aaron a glare. “Great job keeping your mouth shut.”
“Oh, don’t you dare pin this on me. I didn’t say a damn word. She hasn’t been home in a week. What the hell did you expect?”
Mark laughed without humor. “You better start talking fast. I have never in all my life wanted to kill a man more. You gave me your word. You gave all of us your word.”
“And I kept my word!” I roared, my patience snapping. “Even when it fucking corroded me from the inside out, I kept my head down and let her live her life. But this wasn’t my choice. She came to me. She was relentless.” My chest heaving, I let six months of agony spill from my lips. “Seeing her at the courthouse nearly destroyed me. But I did it. I walked away. Just like I promised. But then, at McMurphy’s, she appeared out of nowhere, slid right up beside me, talking a mile a minute. I tried so Goddamn hard to run her off. Honest to God, I was burning at the stake each time her eyes dimmed. But still, I kept my word because that was what was best for her.”
