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Knox was staring at the floor. Graham’s eyes were wide, his mouth set in a hard line.
“Graham hasn’t just told us that Charlie shouldn’t be with you. He’s been warning us to get her away from you. And why’s that, Deac?”
But I couldn’t respond. I couldn’t stop looking at Graham. I knew what Jagger was going to say before he continued. I knew, and I fucking hated Graham for it.
“I mean, this other phone you have . . . I don’t know if I’m even surprised because it’s just so you, Deacon. But the fact that you still talk to other girls on it? And who knows what the fuck you’re doing with them?”
Girl, I thought. Just one. And we only ever talk.
Fear seized me. I didn’t know if they’d told Charlie about it or not. Didn’t know what she thought about me at all now.
I didn’t know how to give up Words, but to lose Charlie?
That . . . that I couldn’t do.
I swallowed thickly, and shook my head once. Looking Jagger in the eye, I growled, “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
I turned to go find Charlie, but paused, and let my right hand curl into a fist. “Knox, tell me something.”
“It’s not my—”
> “All those years ago when you and Harlow were first talking, I said something to her to piss both of you off, and you punched me.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Graham stiffen.
“Yeah . . .” Knox said warily, drawing the word out.
“Was it worth it?”
When he answered, I heard the smile in his words. “Hell yeah.”
I nodded, then started to take a step toward the hallway. At the last second, I turned and closed the distance between Graham and me with two quick steps. Grabbing the collar of his shirt, I forced him closer just as my fist smashed into his nose.
I held on to his shirt for a second when he was forced backward, then let go and watched him stumble back a step.
“At least I gave you warning, asshole.” I flexed my hand a couple times, then shot Knox a grin. “Yeah, that felt pretty damn good.”
He shrugged, and bit back his own smile.
Looking at Jagger one more time, I met his challenging glare, and said, “Whatever it is you said to her, I’m not gonna hit you. She did that; she can fight for herself. As for you and me? Look, I get it. You think any of us wanted Grey with Ben? Or with you?” I scoffed. “You wouldn’t have been okay with Charlie and Ben, and you won’t be okay with Charlie and anyone. Do I have a history? Yeah. Knox does too, but Harlow doesn’t remind him about it every damn day.”
I took a step away and ran a hand roughly through my hair, and then laughed agitatedly. “Do you know what Keith said to me over there? He asked if it was okay if he was just Keith today. Look, I get you’ve all known this guy who wanted to party and sleep his way through the surrounding cities. But I don’t want to be that guy. I’m never going to get away from my past if you don’t let me. So fucking let me. Let me just be Deacon.”
No one said anything, and Jagger’s glare didn’t lessen, but Grey was beaming at me by the time I turned around and went to find Charlie.
When I turned the corner in the first hall, I saw her sitting at the very end with her back against the wall, legs out in front of her and crossed at the ankles, with Keith in her arms.
And I stopped.
I don’t know why, and I didn’t know what the feeling was that suddenly hit me when I saw them sitting there like that, but I felt pinned to where I was standing. I just knew that I needed to see that every day for the rest of my life.
And that thought confused and terrified me.
Keith’s head snapped up, and he squirmed in Charlie’s arms until he got away from her.
As soon as he took off toward me, I forced myself to walk again, and met him a little over halfway down the hall.
I dropped to a crouch, and stared into those eyes that looked so much like his mom’s. “Hey, kid. I think there’s something that we need to talk about. Can we have a grown-up talk?”
