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His throat burned as he pushed off his sheets and hurried out of bed. Jeff was at 410 South Elm, and he was either sleeping in Piper’s bed or Mia’s. In less than twenty minutes, he was going to find out the truth.
Anger, resentment, and hurt rushed through him as he stumbled toward the exit, gripping his keys and praying Mia hadn’t purposely lied to him.
Chapter Thirteen
Mia had no idea how long someone had been knocking on her front door. She’d been dreaming of Lexie again, learning to walk.
Gasping awake, Mia sat up in bed and jumped when the hammering came again. She stumbled, hitting her knee on the bedpost as she fumbled for a robe, tying it around her waist. She could’ve sworn she’d woken earlier to Piper coming home, but that memory was like a foggy dream.
Her roommate had probably forgotten her house keys … again. Wiping her tired eyes and yawning, Mia hurried from the room, barefoot and not bothering to turn on a light as she felt her way through the dark to the front door.
Ready to berate Piper for forgetting her keys and waking her from her favorite dream, she threw open the door. "You really need to—Drew!" She blinked and stumbled a startled step back. "What’re you doing here?"
Though it was dark and she could barely make him out from the streetlights, she could tell his jaw was hard and his eyes glacial. "I need to talk to Jeff," he bit out.
She blinked, still foggy from sleep, certain she’d just misheard him. "Excuse me?"
"My brother-in-law," he clarified with a growl, his voice growing louder with each word. "Jeffrey Alan Wright. His car is sitting right there in your driveway, Mia. So, either he’s in here with your roommate, or he’s in here with you. Either way, I’m going to talk to him."
Unable to stop herself, Mia leaned out to check the driveway. When she saw the foreign Charger sitting behind her Nissan, she gasped. "But it can’t be. Piper said—"
"Then Piper lied." Drew didn’t seem fazed by her shock. Continuing with his agenda, he stepped into the house and made to move around her.
She quickly dodged in front of him and set her hand against his chest. "What do you think you’re doing? You can’t just go back there and–"
"Oh, yes I can. My sister is sitting at home alone in her kitchen right now, bawling her eyes out. And it’s his fault. His fault."
When she could only gape at him, he let out a sigh of frustration, his patience wearing out.
"Jeff," he bellowed, making Mia jolt.
"Drew!" she whispered in horrified alarm, already imagining the lights coming on in every house down the block with neighbors pouring from their front doors to see what the problem was.
"Jeffrey, you lousy brother-in-law," Drew continued to roar. "Get out here right now."
From the back of the house, there was a thump and then some cursing. Whirling from Drew, Mia gasped and set her hand over her mouth. Seconds later, a stranger she’d never met before appeared from the darkness of the hallway, wearing nothing but boxer shorts and black dress socks pulled halfway up his calves. He was probably in his late thirties, early forties and sported a healthy sized gut.
Seeing him, Mia shrank protectively against Drew who stood seething behind her.
"What in the world," the older man slurred out, tripping on an end table as he hurried into the living room. Squinting at Mia and Drew framed in the doorway, he jerked to a stop when he recognized the man behind her.
"Drew?"
Mia covered her mouth with both hands. She couldn’t believe it. Drew’s brother-in-law was in her house. Piper had indeed lied to her.
"Get your clothes on and go home to your wife," Drew growled. His voice was so menacing, Mia tensed as if bracing herself. But instead of shying away from him, she moved closer, seeking his protection and comfort.
"What—how—where’s Amanda?" Jeff asked.
"She’s waiting for you at home," Drew informed him coolly.
Drew’s brother-in-law went still. "She knows?" he rasped unsteadily.
"Who do you think sent me here?" Drew bit out. "Now put some clothes on and go home."
Hurrying to comply, Jeff whirled around only to bump into Piper, finally arriving to see what all the commotion was about.
"Move," Jeff growled at her, taking her shoulders and physically setting her aside.
