AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t want to tell her how inadequate I feel that I can’t give him a child. Even though he swore he didn’t want kids, his eyes lit up talking to Reed. What if he decides he wants more now? I can’t give him a baby, but she can.
She can give him everything.
I fall back against the couch, the tears starting again.
“Why did two hearts have to choose the same one to love?” I cry.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Kase
Someone fills the empty shot glass in front of me to the brim. I cast my eyes up and nod in appreciation. The older woman smiles. I glance at her name tag. “Thanks, Karen.”
“I figured you needed another one. That one’s on the house.” Need another one? I chuckle to myself. I need the whole fucking bottle. “If you need someone to talk to, I’m your girl.” She looks up and down the empty bar. “Got nothin’ better to do.”
Picking up the amber liquid, I swallow the heat in one gulp. “I’m tired of talking,” I murmur, slamming the glass down. Talking didn’t keep Ellie here. She left me. I should’ve gone straight to Everly’s house and demanded she tells me everything, so I could leave and fight my way back into Ellie’s heart. But a part of me is afraid to hear the truth.
“Hey there, Sheriff,” Karen says to someone standing behind me. My head lolls forward and I groan. Can’t he give me some fucking space? His eyes burn a hole in my back. Right where the knife is that he put there years ago.
“Hi Karen. This guy causing trouble?”
She looks at me and I roll my eyes, dragging my hand across my cheek.
“Not at all. But if you’re here to create some, I’m asking you to leave my bar.” She stands tall and stares him down, not the least bit afraid of him. A smile creeps up my cheeks. Wayne’s a pussy. He can’t even get respect wearing a cop uniform.
I twist my neck, looking back when he doesn’t answer. His jaw ticks. “I’m not here to cause problems. We need to talk, Kase.”
I return to looking forward and whistle through my teeth. “Not sure anything you say will help me not want to kill you right now.”
“You boys better cool your shit. I mean it.” Karen looks at me with a side eye, reminding me of my momma when she’d do that to me and Wayne when we were doing something we shouldn’t have been. I scratch my jaw, still wondering how my friend screwed me over?
I spin around on the stool. “You’re right, we need to talk,” I snap, standing and walking to a corner. We both sit and glare at each other, waiting for the other to go first.
“Why?” I finally ask.
“That’s a loaded question. I could ask you the same thing.”
My eyes widen. “Me? You’ve raised my son and you’re sitting there asking me why?”
“You left us to clean up your mess when you ran,” he seethes.
He’s right. I was a chicken shit, but he has no idea why.
“I didn’t know she was pregnant and I would’ve never left had I known. But you didn’t waste any time taking my place.”
His hand slams down. “I did it for you, man.”
“Me!” I roar, jerking forward, getting close to his face. He doesn’t flinch. Instead, he leans forward an inch so we’re almost touching noses.
“You’re the one who put a hole in between your dad’s eyes,” he whispers. I barely register his words. “I covered for you so you wouldn’t go to jail because the bastard deserved what he got and if I told you about the baby, you’d come back home. Jake reminded me every fucking day what would happen. What was I supposed to do?”
Listening to the words fall from his mouth, I replay the day my father died. I only used my fist. What is he talking about? He stares at me, waiting for my response.
“I didn’t…” I pause when the words kill my dad reach my tongue. I did kill my dad. Just not how he thinks. “I didn’t shoot him.” My voice cracks. Does it matter how I did it though?
Wayne’s eyes widen and his back straightens. “Are you kidding me? You'll sit there and lie to me while I’m telling you the shit I went through to save your ass? You’re going to turn around and deny it all?”
I drop my head in between my shoulders. “I’m not denying I killed him. You just have it wrong how he died. I didn’t shoot him.” The silence between us has me looking back up. His face is burning with rage.
