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“Whoa there, precious. Ease up,” Spike says, stepping up beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her back.
“Back off, Spike. This is between Cade and me. He wants to accuse me of cheating, then he can damn well stand up and say it to my fucking face.”
Pushing to my feet, I lean down close to her face. “Sneakin’ around and lyin’ is cheating, even if you’re not fucking someone else. So, even if you didn’t kiss him, you’re still a fuckin’ cheater.”
She slaps me, so hard my head whips to the side. A low growl leaves my throat as I jerk my gaze back toward her. Spike steps between us, putting a hand on my chest, and Jackson takes Addison, pulling her back.
“That’s it. I’ve had about enough of you two,” Jackson barks. “This shit has gone on long enough. You’re goin’ to sort it out, right now. Spike, bring Cade.”
Turning, Jackson takes Addison and drags her away protesting as Spike takes my arm. I jerk it away, hissing a curse at him, but the look in his eyes tells me he’s not messing around. “I can fuckin’ walk on my own.”
“Then start movin’.”
We walk down to the shed and Jackson is standing at the door, he ushers me to go in, and the second I do, he slams it and locks it with the key. Then, he proceeds to yell through the door. “I’ve got enough shit to worry about without fuckin’ concerning myself with you two. I’m not unlockin’ this door until you two sort it out, so start talkin’.”
That motherfucker.
There is a latch on the outside of the shed that can be locked, so he’s effectively trapped us in. Addison charges over, pounding her fists on the door but there is no point. Shrugging, I walk over and sit at the table, bringing the whiskey to my lips. Addison turns, charging toward me with unchecked rage. Snatching the bottle from my hands, she hauls it against the wall, causing it to explode.
“I was drinkin’ that,” I growl.
“You better watch it, Cade.”
Standing, I get in her face. “Or what? You’ll find another cop to kiss?”
“Oh, grow up. You know damn well I’d never cheat on you. If you had stuck around instead of storming off in a jealous rage, you would have seen that I told him it would never happen. I can’t help who tries to kiss me. You on the other hand, could have tossed Jade off your lap at any point.”
“Maybe I liked her there.”
I’m playing with fire, and I know it the moment her eyes flare and then sadness washes across her features.
“You know what,” she whispers, shaking her head. “Fuck you. I’m not doing this with you. If you want to act like a giant baby, then go right ahead. I’m not here for it.”
Turning, she walks away and finds a spot on the old sofa in the back corner where a television and a few recliners sit. She faces away from me, and my rage simmers down just a little. I know she wouldn’t cheat on me, and even though the rage I felt was intense, I acted like a dick. It was fucked letting Jade on my lap. Addison deserves more than that.
Fuck.
I guess I’m going to have to be the bigger person here and fix this.
Maybe it’s time I told her the truth.
“MY FATHER WAS ABUSIVE.”
Addison doesn’t turn, but she does lift her head a little, letting me know she’s listening. I don’t sit, because I don’t do deep and fucking meaningful very well. Still, she gave me all of her and if I want her to step away from this, I have to tell her all of it. It’s time to rip off the fucking bandaid and let her in.
Fuck.
It ain’t easy.
The last woman I let in fucked me over.
My own sister.
“Lost our mother and we were left with him. Was just Clara and me, but he had a hatred for me. Didn’t mean he didn’t hurt her sometimes, he did, but most of his rage was directed at me so I had no choice but to step up to protect her. She was just a kid.”
Addison turns slowly, her green eyes laced with tears, no doubt from earlier. She doesn’t swipe them away as they roll down her cheeks, and fuck, it makes my chest clench. I should have never let Jade on my lap, but for now, I’m going to finish this story. Then I’ll deal with the mistake I just made.
“She played on it at times, because she knew she could get away with anything if she blamed me. As she got older, and the beatings got worse, she realized she was hurtin’ me and stopped. Then, I was forever protectin’ her from shit men. She got hurt so many times, abused and treated like crap, but she would always go back and I’d always fuckin’ protect her.”
