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Garrett tells me Leia went through with the wedding a few days ago. I don’t know why that hit me so hard. I knew she would, that girl would do anything to protect her father, which is why I hate the fact I wanna kill him so badly. Knowing what her father did to Breanna would crush her, she’d never recover from it and, right or wrong, I’ll protect her from that burden at all costs.
“Another.” I slam my glass on the table, scrubbing my hand over my face. If I go back to my trailer sober, there's no chance of me getting any sleep. I’ll just lie awake trying to convince myself not to get in my truck and drive back to Fork River. And there's no way I can do that. Especially not now that it’s too late. All I can do now is hope that Caleb Mason is good on his word and treats her right.
Noise picks up from behind me, and when I glance over my shoulder the last person I want to see is heading toward me. Leonard fuckin’ Mason. Suddenly the whiskey in this joint just turned a little sour.
He strides up to the bar surrounded by his buddies, looking smug and as arrogant as ever. It’s only been a few weeks since I kicked his ass in front of the whole town back home, and as restrained as I’m trying to be, I can see another ass-kicking coming his way.
“Check these out, brother sent me ‘em yesterday.” I watch from the corner of my eye as he passes his phone to one of his friends.
“She’s hot as shit,” Freddie pipes up as he scrolls through,
“Yep, my brother's one lucky son of a bitch.” Leonard makes sure I hear him.
“How the fuck did he manage to nail down a girl like that?” His buddy laughs.
“Mason charm, I guess.” Leonard shrugs, and I automatically click my knuckles in the fist of my other hand.
“I’ll bet he’s railin’ the shit outta her right now.”
I jump to my feet and kick back my stool, grabbing that fucker by his throat and leaning him over the bar. Bottles fall, glasses smash, but I don’t give a fuck. I pull back my elbow and get ready to slam my fist into his face. He wanted a reaction and this is him fuckin’ getting one.
I feel hands wrap around my shoulders and drag me back, and when I turn around and see Connor, I shove him hard in his chest to get him off me.
“That ain’t gonna help the cause,” he speaks tightly in my ear.
“Yeah, well I think it would make me feel a damn sight better.” I look the cocky prick square in his eyes as he stands himself back up and straightens out his shirt.
“I got your brother on the phone, sounds important,” Connor tells me, holding out my cell. After I’ve snatched it from his hands, I pick my hat up off the floor where it landed, and crash out the door so I can hear whatever my brother’s gotta say.
“Were you just fightin’?” Cole checks.
“So what if I fuckin’ was?” I snap back.
“You listen to me, I’m the brother with all the anger issues. You… You get to be the funny one. Befuckin’funny, Wade.”
“Yeah, well there ain’t nothin’ funny ‘bout my life right now,” I remind him.
“You ready for it to get a whole lot worse?” Cole warns.
“I don’t think it ca—”
“It’s Mom, Wade.” He says her name like he had to spit it out ‘cause it tastes bad.
“What the fuck has she done now? She skipped town again?” I huff out a laugh as I light myself a cigarette. Our mom showed up in town two months ago, after being absent for twenty years. I talked my brothers into giving her a chance to explain why that was, and she threw it right back at me when she didn’t show.
“Nope. She’s in the hospital,” he admits, and I know my brother well enough to know all that anger I can hear in his voice is for himself. He’s mad at himself for caring.
“What happened?” A surge of emotion hits me right in the chest and I ain’t prepared for it.
“She took an overdose, Graham found her in her room at the guest house. They got her to hospital, and she’s had her stomach pumped.”
“Is she gonna be okay?” I pace the sidewalk while I wait for his answer.
“Well, that depends–”
“What ain’t ya tellin’ me, Cole?” I cut him short on the bullshit.
“Doc won’t release her unless she’s got somewhere stable to go. Maisie’s insistin’ she come home. Ya know, back to the ranch.”
