Page 66 of From Grumpy to Forever
I needed to stop him, but I couldn’t make words come out of my mouth. I stood frozen like a deer in headlights, watching the wreckage barreling toward me.
“You needed a husband to get the inn.” He delivered the truth like a bomb. “So you found one, didn’t you? The first one who agreed, I assume.”
I shook my head slowly. My pulse pounded in my ears. “No. I mean, yes. But not like?—”
“I have to admit, cousin,” Jacob’s smirk deepened, and his voice dripped with condescension, “I didn’t think you had it in you to take all this on. The inn, the renovation, and now a fake husband. You surprise me, Avery. But what I still can’t figure out is what you had to do to convince him to marry you.”
I thought I was going to be sick. I swayed on my feet, but there was nothing to grab onto. I knew Lauren was behind me somewhere, but I didn’t dare take my eyes off Jacob during his assault on my life.
“It’s not?—”
“What did you have to promise him, Avery? Or did you just have to open your?—”
A blur of movement rushed past me.
And then a sickening crack.
Jacob’s head snapped back, his body jolting with the force of the punch. He staggered a moment, his eyes wide before he crumpled to the ground in a heap of stunned silence.
Shock startled me from my stupor. My hand flew to my mouth, and I spun to see my husband. He stood over Jacob, fists still clenched, his chest rising and falling with barely controlled fury. His jaw was tight, his eyes dark and burning with something lethal.
I didn’t recognize him.
“Reid.” His name was barely more than a whisper from my mouth. His lips twitched a little, but he didn’t turn away from Jacob.
“Reid,” I said again, and put my hand lightly on his arm.
My touch seemed to break him from his focus on my cousin. He turned and looked at me; his face softened immediately.
“Avery, I?—”
“What the fuck, man?”
Reid spun on his heel and once more loomed over Jacob. “That was for the way you were speaking to my wife,” he growled. “Don’t try to get up or I’ll give you a reason to stay down.”
I threaded my arm through Reid’s and pulled him back before he could make good on his threat. “Everyone is watching,” I hissed in his ear. I needed to get him out of there before things got worse. Not that they could possibly get any worse than they already were. But I didn’t want to stick around and find out.
“Let them watch,” Reid muttered. “Everyone should know that they can’t fuck with you, Avery. I won’t let them mess with my wife.”
I didn’t like this caveman version of him, but despite that, I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of heat deep in my belly at his protectiveness. “Let’s go, Reid.” I tugged him. “Please.”
It must have been the plea in my voice that finally made him move. To my great relief, he let me start leading him through the crowd, that parted to let us through.
“This isn’t over,” Jacob called out behind us. “You’ll hear from my lawyer.”
I had no doubt we would.
Only this time, I didn’t know whether it would be in regard to the inn, or to press assault charges against Reid.
I couldn’t decide which was worse.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Reid
My knuckles throbbed, but I barely felt the pain with the fire still burning in my veins. That asshole was lucky the whole town was watching. He deserved far worse for the way he was talking to Avery.
My breath came hard and fast as Avery dragged me out of the festival grounds, away from the crowd. She moved fast, her grip tight on my wrist as if I might try to turn around and finish what I started.
