Page 37 of Loving a Warrior

Shane nodded. “Yeah, I gave her the money last night. She couldn’t wait to go over and celebrate with Derek.” He said the name with an air of distaste.

“Why do you hate that dude so much?”

Shane just shook his head, not saying anything the rest of the drive, so when they pulled up to the curb in front of his house, Matt couldn’t help but be surprised when Shane asked, “Come in and have a drink?”

When Matt hesitated, Shane said wearily, “It’s just a drink, Matt. You asked me a question and I’ll answer it.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

Matt followed him up the walk and into the house, waiting quietly while Shane flipped on some lights.

“Grab whatever you want.”

Matt took a Coke from the fridge and Shane snagged a beer before leading the way out to the backyard. They sank down into some chairs and drank in silence for a moment until Shane said, “Derek seems like an okay guy for the most part, you know? Works with his dad or something.”

“Where’d she meet him?”

“Online.”

“Is he the baby daddy?”

“No.” Shane shook his head, tensing, and Matt held up his hand.

“Okay, none of my business, then. Back to Derek.”

Putting his bottle down on a side table, Shane laced his fingers behind his neck. “He’s a recovering drug addict, Matt. If she really loved him, maybe I could see why she sticks with him, but—”

“You don’t think she loves him?” Matt set his drink aside, too, getting up to wander toward a cornhole board set up a few yards away, the beanbags in a neat stack beside it.

“No.” Shane hesitated, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “I’ve seen her in love, Matt.”

Matt took several steps back and tossed a beanbag at the board, which missed. “There’s different kinds of love, though, right? Maybe this kind is what she needs right now.”

“What, to martyr herself by being a doormat for an asshole who’s using her?”

Matt paused in the middle of another throw, anger flaring. “Wow. Judgmental much?” he snapped. He threw the beanbag, which missed again. “Maybe she sees something in him no one else does and she’s giving him a chance. It happens.”

“Gimme that.” Shane stalked over and snatched the remaining beanbag from Matt’s hand before aiming it at the board and sinking it effortlessly in the hole.

“Hey, I was playing it!” Matt went to retrieve the beanbags from the ground. He elbowed Shane out of the way and made his toss, gritting his teeth as it missed again.

“You suck.”

“Fuck you.” Matt threw again, crowing when the beanbag hit the target dead-on. “Maybe you should trust your sister.”

“And maybe you should shut the hell up,” Shane grated, suddenly looming over him. “You don’t know anything about it.”

“Yeah? Well, you mentioned it. If you don’t wanna hear my opinion—”

“I don’t.” Shane turned and headed toward the patio door. “Lemme show your ass out.”

“No.” Without thinking Matt threw a beanbag at him, which hit him square in the back of the head. Adrenaline surged when Shane whirled with a snarl. He snatched up a nearby grill brush and hucked it at Matt, who dove behind a toddler play structure to avoid it.

“Missed me,” he taunted, getting to his knees to search for a weapon. Ha. He spied a pink rubber ball and pulled it to him, waiting for the perfect moment.

“Stop hiding behind a baby toy and come fight like a man,” Shane yelled, so Matt leapt to his feet and fired the ball at him, laughing when it bounced hard off Shane’s forehead, making him stagger.

“How’s that?”