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“No. Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Close yourself off.”
“I’m not closing myself off.”
Riley leaned against the shower wall. She wasn’t going anywhere until he talked to her. She’d freeze first before she let Preacher continue to hide behind that façade he kept in place. “You’re hiding who you really are. And I, for one, don’t like it. I thought we were past that now.”
“I saw fear in your eyes when I let it slip moments ago.” He stared at Riley, wanting nothing more than to let his walls down with her. “I can’t show you that part of me.”
“Yes, you saw fear in my eyes, Preacher. Not because I’m afraid of who you might be, but of who I am.” Riley moved across the shower stall, stepping right into his space. “You aren’t the only one hiding who they are when no one’s looking.”
Preacher stopped drying off and looked at Riley. “What are you saying?”
“You show me yours, and I’ll show you mine,” she told him.
Preacher closed in on her, seeing if she’d move. “I’m not some hero, sweetheart. I’m more a monster than you need.”
Riley leaned toward him. “I haven’t seen anything that resembles a monster in you, Preacher.”
He took a step back. “That’s because I haven’t showed that side to you.”
“Maybe it’s because that side of you only lives in your head.” Riley shrugged.
Preacher moved into her space, this time forcing her to look up at him. “You want to know who I am, Riley? I’m a man who watched his brother shoot their father. I stopped Bones from killing himself afterward so he couldn’t leave me to clean up his mess. My whole life was stepping in between my father’s fists and whoever he was hitting. I wanted the fucker dead. I was glad Bones killed his ass. I hung on to that damn gun, holding it over my own brother’s head like a prize. I did it so he couldn’t move on without me hounding his every fucking step.
“Do you have any idea how many times he wanted a different life, and I refused to allow him anything but what we already had? God damn it! Right before he left for Texas a year ago, I found him on the beach, staring off at the water. I knew what he was thinking. He was thinking the same thing I had stood there and thought the day before. How far would I have to swim before I couldn’t come back?
“Instead of me telling him I loved him and didn’t want to lose him, I made him promise to take me with him when he decided to leave this world. Who makes their younger brother promise shit like that? Who, Riley? A fucking monster, that’s who!”
Riley didn’t know why Preacher’s mood changed, but she didn’t see him the way he saw himself. She saw a boy who defended his mother and brother from an abusive father, no matter the consequences. “Preacher.” God, she had sat and stared out at that dark water and wondered the same thing.
“Never mind.” Stepping from the shower, he walked inside the house. He needed a minute to get his thoughts under control. He hated being put on the spot about who he was. It’s why relationships didn’t work for him.
Riley followed him inside, all the way into the bedroom. She left him alone while he showered, and when he got out, she went in, needing her own time to figure out how to turn things around. She took her time in the bathroom. After drying off, she towel-dried her hair and then went to grab some clothes from the bedroom. The storm was still raging outside. She could hear the wind as it howled, and the rain lashed against the bedroom windows. Voices from the living room piqued her curiosity.
Slipping on a pair of cutoff shorts and a T-shirt, she barely had the shirt pulled down when she saw the girl from LuLu’s standing in the kitchen with Preacher. She looked like a half-drowned rat. She sounded desperate, but that could be an act. Some women were good at playing the victim. Riley knew they didn’t notice her standing there. She listened to the conversation, wanting more information on the brunette.
“Preacher, I messed up. Can I stay here until the storm passes? I really need to talk to you.” Jack ran a hand up Preacher’s arm.
Stepping back from her, he wanted her to listen to what he had to say. “Jack . . .” Preacher looked up and saw Riley standing there.
Jack looked over her shoulder and saw the blonde from LuLu’s.Damn, he moved on fast.Glancing up at Preacher, she gave him a pout. “Preacher,” she whined, “I just need a place to crash. One night, that’s all I’m asking for. And I do need to talk to you about something important.”
“Preacher, your friend looks like she could use a towel,” Riley commented as she moved closer, tossing a towel on the counter.
“Riley, this is Jack. Jack, this is Riley.” Preacher didn’t want an issue, but he saw one coming. He just didn’t know which way it would go. Not yet. He wanted Jack gone and Riley to give him space to shove all his damn emotions back where they belonged.
“This is Jack?” Riley crossed her arms across her chest. “She’s from the diner earlier,” she reminded him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jack asked, turning to face Riley.
“Let me rephrase what I said,” Riley said, dropping her arms. “This is the skank bitch who stole your money, cheated on you, and lied to you about the business you opened for her.” Riley recognized her mood going down fast. She and Preacher hadn’t finished their discussion, and now, he was standing in the kitchen with his ex. She should have known better than to get involved.
Jack started around the kitchen island when Preacher grabbed her by the waist. “Don’t start something you can’t finish, Jack,” he told her.
“If she’s staying, I’m going.” Riley gave him a stern look.
