“Waiting for Jordyn.”
It was Alex.
Steve felt Jordyn go stiff, and he hated that she was in this position with her ex again. It had been over a month, and he knew she’d just started to relax in the peace that had followed them when they fully leaned into what was between them. Steve pressed his lips in a thin line and met the eyes of the asshole in front of him. Alex stood at the apartment door, his arms crossed. Steve looked to the side and narrowed his eyes at the sight of two others there with him. Her ex was back and he brought back up, back up that looked ready to ruin what had been a perfect evening.
Jordyn leaned to the side, hands braced to his back to look around him. “Stevie,” she croaked at the sudden appearance of Alex and his cronies, but Steve said nothing, just reached up, hooking his arm around her waist and pulled her down beside him. He put his arm around her shoulders when he felt a slight tremor roll through her.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said to her. He had to keep his girl calm. It didn’t matter if things mightnotbe okay. She didn’t need to know that. Not with these asses sharing her air.
“That was an interesting position, Jordyn,” Alex said, raising an eyebrow. The guy to the side of him, with brown floppy hair and squinted eyes, scoffed in agreement. Steve decided he didn’t like the floppy haired fuck.
Steve narrowed his eyes at his response, and the other man, this one with blonde hair like Alex’s and a smile that was more a leer than anything, added, “Nice legs.”
Steve's hands tightened into fists, and he began to think of the ways that he was going to teach the trio a lesson.
“Mm, if I’d known that was the kind of thing you were into, Jordyn…” Alex smiled and let his voice trail off.
Jordyn sucked in a sharp breath and shook her head with a bitter laugh. “What? You wouldn’t have cheated on me?” She spat, jabbing a finger in his direction. “Why are you here? Again!?”
“To remind you of your obligations,” he said, and Jordyn scrunched her face up.
“What the hell?” she asked.
“You don’t have to talk to him, baby,” Steve told her softly, pulling her into his side. She was practically shaking, and she turned into him with a frown.
“No, she does actually,” Alex said with a sneer in Steve’s direction. “She signed up to be a counselor with me at a summer camp our church does every year.”
“Your church,” Jordyn corrected, but she bit her lip and then sighed. “But he’s right. I did. It was the one Cora brought up when you met the Lees.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “You are introducing him to people we know?” he gasped. “What the hell are you thinking? Now people will know we’re on a break.”
“It’s not a break. It’s a break up,” Jordyn told him, crossing her arms over her chest. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to back out of the deal. I’ll be there, Alex.”
Steve turned towards her. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
She nodded looking up at him. “I know that, but I did promise. There’s not usually enough volunteers, and I’m already cleared background check wise. They would have to have a new person come in and clear it all in time. There’s not enough time even if they got someone today, which would be difficult. I don’t want the kids to suffer just because I’m not with Alex anymore.”
“Right now,” he interjected, but they ignored him.
“All right, if that’s what you really want to do,” Steve told her, and Jordyn gave him another quick nod.
“It is,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean I want to talk to him anymore tonight.”
“Then you don’t have to.”
“Thank you. Let’s go,” she said and reached for his hand to leave, but Steve shook his head. He hated that she thought she needed to leave her own home. She should be safe here. She should know that when she arrived home, there would be no one waiting to harass her. She should know that home meant safety.
Steve would give that to her tonight.
“We aren’t going anywhere.” He squared his shoulders and nodded at the men in front of them. “They are.”
Jordyn's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Alex was already talking.
“So what’s the occasion?” he asked, sweeping his hand to indicate Steve’s clothing. “You actually look like a functional member of society tonight.”
“Not your concern, choir boy,” Steve said, yanking his jacket off and handing it to Jordyn. When Jordyn took his jacket, Steve made sure to roll the sleeves of his shirt up his arms and gestured toward Alex and his friends. “Did you three plan on standing here all night? Because I sure as hell don’t.” He turned to look at Jordyn. “Get behind me, doll. Stay there.”
Jordyn bit her lip, a whimper escaping, but she swallowed it down and gave him a quick nod. “Okay.”
