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Kase ripped his arms from Trax’s hold and stepped forward. Drake stood between them, but that didn’t mean much. Drake may be able to hold his own, but Kase was a force. If he wanted Caden, nothing could stop him. Come at me, motherfucker. Caden glared, feeling the crease between his brows deepen and his cheeks burn.
Kase pointed at Caden. “Fucking pussy bitch, Cade. Sucker punch? That’s how you come at me?”
“No fucking sucker punch. The only pussy here is you. Not fucking see it coming doesn’t make it a sucker punch, it makes you fucking too old to see it coming.”
Rourke tightened his firm grip and backed up two steps.
“All this for pussy?” Kase said, wiping the blood from his nose, smearing it across his cheek. “Told you I wanted this place cleared, so I told her to get lost, asshole.”
“Not your place to tell her anything,” Caden snapped.
Kase snorted. “At least I didn’t tell her to fuck off, right? But you did.” He snickered and shook his head. “Listen, Cade, ya wanna fuck around with Fruity Pebbles while she’s here, I don’t give a shit. Get your dick sucked and send her on her way. Who fucking cares?” He narrowed his eyes, and his jaw tightened. “But don’t put your shit on me. If you fucked up with her, it ain’t on me. What is on me is this stock moved, and I ain’t about to let your fun hole get in the way.”
Every muscle in his body tightened at the profane reference to Marissa.
“Settle,” Rourke said, low enough so only he could hear.
Caden yanked from Rourke’s hold. Drake moved forward to stand in front of him. Kase was right. This shit was on him. He drew in a harsh breath and waited for the guys to leave. It was apparent everyone needed space, including him.
Caden held Drake’s stare long enough for Trax and Rourke to pass. He darted his gaze to Kase, who kept a wide distance, but his glare was aimed back at his brother. “Told her to go away until seven, asshole. You weren’t such a fucking hothead, I woulda had time to mention that.”
Son of a bitch could have told him in the first place, and he knew it. Caden jerked his body, following his brother in his sight until he walked out the doors.
Drake rested his hand on his shoulder. “Call her, she’s got a cell, right?”
“I don’t fucking know her number.”
Drake choked back a laugh. “You don’t know?”
Caden turned his glare on his best friend. Yeah, it was fucking crazy he didn’t know her number, but hell, she was living fifty feet from him. He hadn’t needed to call her.
“Look, man, check her place. If all her shit is still in there, she’ll be back.”
Caden growled. “What if it’s not?” He didn’t expect an answer, nor did he want one.
Chapter Eleven
“No, Maggie, I said five minutes fifteen minutes ago. Come on, it’s almost dinner time.”
Marissa smiled as the little girl, Maggie, came down the slide, landing on her butt for the tenth time. She probably could have landed on her feet, but she seemed to enjoy plopping off the end of the slide. She patted her butt, wiped off the dirt, and slowly made her way to her mom. Blonde ringlet curls covered half her face. Dirt smudged along her cheeks, and her bottom lip pouted in protest at leaving the park.
Marissa followed the little girl’s gaze to her mom standing at the end of the playground. Her lips were pursed fighting back a smile. This was probably a daily ritual between mom and daughter. Marissa ripped her gaze from the twosome, turning her attention to the two small boys playing on the rock wall. Boys, focus on the little boys. She took a deep breath, doing her best to not glance over again. A faint giggle broke her concentration, and she looked across the playground to the mother and daughter walking hand in hand out of the park.
She bit her lip, the pressure of her teeth doing nothing to release the stabbing pain in her chest.
This was probably not the best place to be right now. I should be on the road. After her blow up with Caden, it became apparent she’d been fooling herself into thinking she might be able to have something with him. A relationship would require honesty and opening up, two things she wasn’t prepared to do.
She’d called Ryan after Caden slammed the door in her face. It had been exactly what she expected. Awkward. In the past two years, he’d never reached out to her. Only Janelle. Just the sound of his voice brought her back to a time she wished she could forget.
The call was short. Janelle had insisted he call and tell her their news. They were parents again. A little girl. She fought against her tears. Ryan had a daughter; she did not. She took a long, deep, much needed breath and closed her eyes. Life moved on, even when she chose not to. Her eyes welled. Maybe it was what she needed. A good cry.
“Riss?” She blinked and searched in front of her. Did someone call my name? “Holy shit, it is you.” She turned her head and saw Trevor jogging over to her from behind the bench. His smile so big and wide. She blinked, quickly trying her best to dry her eyes. As he got closer, his smile faltered and his pace quickened.
“You okay? Are you crying?” The concern riddling his tone was enough to break her down completely.
She forced a laugh and shook her head. “No, I think it’s allergies.”
He eyed her suspiciously and moved around the bench to stand across from her. He smiled again, and she was pretty sure if he didn’t buy her excuse, he would at least let it go. He glanced over his shoulder at the playground and then his eyes landed on her again.
