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My stomach sinks.
I’m still pissed at what he did, but at the same time, Alex deserved it. He mouths off way too much.
He raised his hand to me. Twice now.
Twice he’s lifted his hand in anger. What was he going to do? Smack me? Punch me? Or worse, strangle me?
It’s chilling to think about.
Rhett’s the one who stopped it. If he hadn’t walked over, how far would Alex have gone? How much worse does it have to get for me to just admit that Alex is not a good person.
He’s a complete and utter asshole.
An abusive narcissist.
I know that now.
I’ll force myself every day to forget him. I’ll break my own heart over and over again if it means I’ll never feel a shred of love for that asshole again.
But Rhett…
He deserves my time. He deserves my thanks, my gratefulness for saving me from that situation.
Did he have to punch Alex that hard?
No, but saying he didn’t deserve it isn't true. He deserved all that pain, all that blood. Maybe I just didn’t want to see it happen. Especially not from Rhett.
I hope his hand is okay. Is it broken? Sprained?
With a deep breath, I pick up my phone and click on his text. I’m surprised he wants to even talk to me after ignoring him for the past couple of weeks, after finding me a blubbering mess yet again, and for having to protect me. What a mess.
I text him back.
Maia: Yes. Meet me in ten at the beach.
Chapter 12
Rhett
What am I even doing?
I’m a dumbass.
I pace back and forth in the wet sand along the water’s edge. It’s high tide, and the water is close to the seawall, so there isn’t much dry sand left. The sun’s already gone for the day, the only light on the beach from the boardwalk above and a bonfire a few hundred feet away.
With my slides in one hand and my other hand wrapped in gauze with an ice pack, I try to gather my thoughts, but it’s no use. My mind is currently a war zone of epic proportions.
Everything that has gone down between Maia and me is a mess.
How is her relationship with Alex healthy if he secludes her from her life?
Tonight was the breaking point for me.
Seeing her so broken on the beach and then her kissing me, which was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever experienced, by the way, and having to push her away fractured my heart. She was upset, not thinking straight, and I didn’t want to take advantage of the situation. I want her to be fully aware of the decision she’s making. Besides, I care about her too much to lead her on when all I would ever want is a friendship with her, no matter what type of feelings grow.
Then hearing those awful words he said to her and seeing him raise a hand to her? Hell fucking no. Alex is lucky all I did was break his damn nose. If Maia hadn’t been there and cried out, who knows how far I would’ve gone.
Let’s just say it wouldn’t have been a pretty sight.
