Luke grabs the edges of his chair so tight his knuckles turn white. “You get one shot, motherfucker. You better make it a good one.”
Ian chuckles then lunges forward. At the same time, Luke pushes himself out of the chair and uses the momentum to throw himself at Ian. There’s a look of surprise on Ian’s face, and then they tumble to the ground in a flurry of grunts and punches.
Ian should have the advantage, but within seconds Luke has him pinned to the ground. Ian kicks wildly, trying to shake him off with his legs. But Luke clings on and then head butts Ian in the face.
Ian screams as blood spurts out of his nose. He clutches it and starts crying, begging for Luke to stop. But Luke doesn’t stop. His hand grips Ian’s throat, and the muscles in his arms bulge as he applies pressure.
I start forward, certain Luke’s going to kill him. But Arlo and Davis get there first. It takes both of them to pull Luke off.
Ian scrambles backward, clutching his nose as blood spurts onto his crisp white shirt. “You fucker.”
Luke grins at him. “You better run, motherfucker, before I get back in my chair to chase you.”
Ian scrambles to his feet, his eyes wide with terror. He looks around wildly until he sees me. “Fuck this, Isla.You’re not worth it. You had your chance. The wedding’s off.”
He turns to Luke, who even from the floor manages to look menacing. “You’re welcome to her and the fucking kid.”
I hand Cody over to Danni and step forward.
“You’re damn right the wedding’s off. I don’t want you near my son. If you try to come here again, I’ll get a restraining order.”
“You think I want that screaming baby? It’s probably not even mine. You and the cripple are welcome to him.”
My eyes are on Luke, and I see him wince at the words. He just kicked Ian’s ass in a fight, and Ian still only sees a guy in a wheelchair.
“Happy fucking families. Enjoy life with half a man.” The words make me gasp. Luke looks like he’s been punched in the guts, and I know that hit home.
10
LUKE
Half a man…cripple…the words lodge in my brain and make my chest ache.
Arlo claps me on the back. “That was awesome, man. I knew you were a badass.”
But the praise does nothing to dislodge the pain in my chest. Because as much as I hate the motherfucker, Ian’s right. Isla deserves more than a man like me. She deserves the fucking world. Not a man who can’t even get himself up off the floor unassisted.
I haul myself over to my chair, but I already know I can’t pull myself into it.
Isla comes over, her face full of concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I try to smile, but I don’t want her to witness this. I don’t want her to see Arlo and Davis lifting me into my chair.
“Areyouokay?” I ask.
She crouches in front of me. “I’m shaken, but I’ll be fine. He won’t come back.”
“Not if he knows what’s good for him,” Arlo says.
Isla reaches out a hand and touches my cheek. It’s tender and makes me wince. Ian got a couple of swipes at me before I pinned him down.
“Let me patch you up.” Her touch is tender, and I long to lean into it. To feel her caress on my skin and to kiss her again.
“Ready to get back in the chair?” Arlo asks. The question crashes me back to reality. It reminds me of what I lack. I’m half a man. That’s all I’ll ever be.
“I’ll be fine.” I jerk my head away from Isla’s touch, and confusion and pain flash across her face. “Go tend to Cody.”
“Luke…?”
