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Chapter 8
The drive back to the house was silent. Knix stewed in the quiet interior of the car, the top few buttons of his nice dress shirt undone and a shadow of chest hair peeking out. I glanced over at him so often—wondering what he could be thinking—that I was sure he had noticed. Still, he said nothing. And when he pulled into the driveway of the house, he still saidnothing.
We got out and shut our doors, the echo of the locks clicking into place reverberated throughout the empty space. I looked across the yard, through the line of trees before looking back at the house and noticing that all of the windows were lit up. I glanced towards the garage, but it was closed. I wondered if Marv and Grayson werehome.
“Let’s go,” Knix said quietly. “We have a lot to talk about.” With a hand on the small of my back, he led me up the front steps and into thehouse.
The jovial sounds of the guys talking and laughing in the living room lifted my spirits at the same moment that it dampened them. Lifted because I loved hearing their laughter ringing through the house and dampened because I knew it was about to end and it was partially my fault. We stepped into the living room and all eyes turned to us. I hated the way the laughter slowly died and their smiles slowly became concerned looks. Grayson watched me with an intensity I had grown all too familiarwith.
But it was Marv who spoke first. “Whathappened?”
Knix gestured for me to take a seat and when Texas opened his arms, I practically dived into them. “Grayson’s mother approached us at the gala tonight,” Knixbegan.
Grayson’s gaze jerked from mine to Knix and darkened. Marv frowned. Texas squeezed me even tighter to his side. “Harlow?” Bellamy’s voice echoed and Isighed.
“She approached me the last time I went to visit my mom,” I admitted, glancing towards Bellamy. He didn’t look happy, but then again, none of themdid.
“What did she say?” Graysondemanded.
I bit my lip, fiddling with the ideas I had before coming home tonight. Wondering how much I should tell him. I didn’t want him to feel guilty, but as tonight had proven she wasn’t going to just disappear and go away. We had to do something about her. But before I could tell him anything I needed to extract a promise fromhim.
I pulled away from Texas’ soothing hold and got up from the couch. All eyes on me, I strode across the room and took up Grayson’s hands. When he would have pulled them away from me, I held on. “It doesn’t matter what she said,” I told him clearly. “It doesn’t matter what shedoes.”
“She—”
I stopped him by releasing one of his hands and clamping it over his lips. “I’m not done,” I said. When I was sure he wouldn’t interrupt me or try to speak over me, I released him and took his hand again. “Whatever I tell you tonight,anythingI tell you about Teddi—you don’t have to go back. Do you understand? I don’t want her towin.”
“That’s what she wants, though, isn’t it?” Grayson’s dark oceanic eyes were molten. Wrathful. I didn’t let them intimidateme.
I nodded. “She wants you to return and live with her. She wants me to stop talking to you and she wants us to breakup.”
“That’s not an option,” hegrowled.
“No,” I agreed, “it’s not.” I turned and left theroom.
In the background, I could hear someone get up, but then I heard another’s voice tell whoever it was to wait. I hurried to my room, rushing inside and finding the purse I’d taken with me to see my mother a few days before. I found it and scrambled through it, finding the check Teddi had left and took it out. I returned to the living room with the check in hand, and with quiet, hesitant steps, I moved towards Grayson and held the check out. He took it and looked down at it. The longer he looked, the darker his expression became until finally, Marv reached over and took the check away fromhim.
Marv didn’t hesitate. He took the check and tore it into two pieces and then two more. He continued tearing the check into smaller and smaller pieces until they looked like confetti cluttering the coffeetable.
After a moment of silence, Grayson’s gaze lifted back to mine—searching for something I wasn’t quite sure of—Marv spoke up. “I assume she threatened you?” he hedged. His curiosity greater than his anger as it overtook his tone, though I could still feel the sharp bite of his rage, the building irritation. He didn’t like threats. Hell, I didn’teither.
I released Grayson’s hand and he pulled me onto his lap. I sat sideways, tugging my dress over my knees and resting against his shoulder as I answered. “Essentially, she kinda went through on some of her threats tonight.” I eyedKnix.
His face was hard, impassive. Marv turned and looked at him as he shifted and looked away. “My mother showed up at the gala tonight,” he saidquietly.
I didn’t know much about Knix’s relationship with his parents, but what I did know was that the tie between him and his mom was strained. I knew that his parents hadn’t been together when his father passed away, and whatever had happened between his mother and father had soured his relationship with his mother. It was obvious as well, after her display earlier tonight, that she wasn’t good forhim.
She had been drunk and angry and obnoxious. I couldn’t even imagine the embarrassment Knix must have been feeling. It was so hard to see such a strong, tall, intimidating figure brought to a near state of panic because of his own mother. I wondered what more there was to that story, but at the same time, I knew I didn’t want to ask. If he needed someone to listen, I would be there, but I would not push him to reveal secrets he wasn’t ready to let goof.
Marv sucked in a breath and blew it out roughly. “Shit.”
The room was quiet for several beats. Finally, I broke. I couldn’t stand it anymore. “Whatever this is,” I started, adjusting myself upon Grayson’s lap, “between us, it’s ours. We’re not going to kowtow to her will, right?” No one said no, but they hadn’t said yes either. I kept going. “There are six of us and one of her. We have the advantage. Let’s just ignore her. She’ll realize that she can’t hurt us and she’ll goaway.”
“But she can hurt us,” Bellamy said quietly. His dark eyes meet my gaze. “Can’t she?” heasked.
My lips parted and the air in my lungs rushed out. I scrambled off of Grayson’s lap and stood between the five of them—smack dab in the middle. I put my hands on my hips and centered my attention on Bellamy. “No,” I said blatantly. “She can’t. If she can’t get to me, then she can’t get to you. If she can’t get to you, then she can’t get tome.”
“So, what?” Texas piped up. “Do we just take a vacation and come back when things have calmeddown?”
