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Seeing the old fucker in his smoking jacket, cane in his hand, and calm demeanor about him set off an unexpected fire inside me. I thought I’d gotten over him in the passing weeks. What had happened between us felt like a century ago since Sloane had returned to town and everyone in my life was happy. Finally happy.
I shouldered away from my granddad’s goons, his pal Lucas in particular. I didn’t care if the asshole was strapped. Let him try something. I shot a finger at my grandfather. “You need to keep my fucking name out of your mouth,” I blazed. There was more anger… fury than I had believed my body still felt for him. I’d thought I was over this shit. I needed to be over this shit. I didn’t want to hate him anymore. I didn’t want to feel anything. I wanted to be free, but he wasn’t fucking letting me. I wet my lips. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but you did your good deed, so you need to get the fuck out of this town and stay away from me, and that includes Noa.”
Sloane was mine, and I was hers. We were a unit, and if he messed with her, he was messing with me.
He had messed with her, and if he thought he’d ever get in good with me, he had another thing coming. The jig was up, and I was calling him out on his shit.
“I really don’t know what you thought that was,” I continued, stepping up on him. I noticed that Lucas dude put his hand out, but Grandpa put his hand up. Lucas stayed back, and Grandpa Prinze was going to let me approach. Stupid him. I stopped a foot or two away, the old man’s aftershave making me gag. Between that and the tobacco smell that basically wafted out of the fucker’s pores, I was holding my breath, but I wouldn’t step back. My jaw shifted. “Talking to Noa was a mistake and getting between us an even bigger one.”
Grandpa appeared calm in front of me, collected. His head tilted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, grandson,” he stated, and I flinched. “No one is trying to get between you and anyone. I merely told Sloane the truth, and if that didn’t sit well with you, you probably should have mentioned what happened between us this summer first.”
I would have told her. I would have fucking told her, but that was between us, not him and us.
Grandpa sighed. “I didn’t want to tell her. I honestly thought you already had.”
“Sure.”
“It’s the truth.” Grandpa lifted his head. “Now, I’m sorry if that caused any discord between you. I really am, but I think you and I both know you’re not supposed to be here right now. In fact, we’re not supposed to be in contact at all, so I’m going to have to ask you to leave the premises.”
He had to be joking. I smirked, but when that Lucas fucker put his hands on me, I shoved him off. This had about half a dozen others on the premises stepping to react, but my grandfather raised his hands to everyone.
“My grandson isn’t going to cause trouble here today,” he said to them all before returning his cane to the floor. He directed a look at me. “Right, grandson? I think it’s time you leave now.”
Apparently done with me, he turned, but I navigated in front of him.
“You’re full of shit, old man. You know that?” I eyed a goon to my right, then left, deciding to stay where I was at the present. I didn’t want trouble. I just wanted to prove a fucking point. My eyes narrowed. “I think you wanted this town and me to see you as some kind of savior. You come in to save the day with Sloane and Bru, and what? I might want something to do with your ass? I might not hate you anymore and just throw away everything you did in the past?”
My throat jumped, loathing that shit. I didn’t know what to make of my grandfather. I’d thought I had him all pegged the moment I’d met him that summer, and though I still hadn’t trusted him when he’d brought Sloane back to us, I had wanted to believe maybe some part in him had some kind of soul. That maybe he really had had a shitty situation dropped in his lap with that bastard Godfrey and done the right thing just to do the right thing.
But he was still here. He was and still creating chaos in my life. Why do that? Why be around and still causing mess?
“Let’s not get it twisted. I will never want anything to do with you,” I said, Adam’s apple jumping. “No matter what good deeds you do or the people you help, so if that’s why you’re sticking around, don’t. You did your good deed with Godfrey so leave and leave all of us alone.”
“I’m helping because it’s the right thing.” Our gazes collided, his eyebrows narrowed tight like mine. “And all due respect, grandson, I don’t have to prove anything to you.”
“Actually, you have to prove fucking everything to me,” I shot, nostrils flaring. “You should be on your damn fucking knees proving to me why you’re not a complete and utter piece of shit.”
His eyes scanned mine. “Step back, grandson.”
“Make me.” I dared him. “Now, you may have this town fooled, but you don’t have me. I’ll always see who you really are, and that’s a sorry sack of shit who beat my father and fucked with my mother and her family—”
“Dorian!”
I whipped around, shrinking instantly where I stood at the sight of my father.
My father, who was pissed.
Dad had his suit on, the one he’d sported at breakfast. Snowflakes dusted his hair, his trench coat on his arm. He still had his leather gloves on, and a chill had reddened his cheeks. “What do you think you’re doing? Step back from your grandfather now.”
I did and right away, shocked to fucking hell to see him here and even more when he strode over to Grandpa Prinze.
“Thanks for calling me,” Dad said, shocking me more. He studied me. “My son knows he’s not supposed to be here.”
“We had an agreement, son, and I intend to honor it.” Grandpa scanned me. “I’m not to have any contact with Dorian.”
I blinked, exchanging a glance between the two men. They were in contact with each other. About me?
At least for today, it seemed.
