“So she’d rather raise him with a man who beats women?” Karlie shook her head. She couldn’t stand there and listen to it anymore. She needed to talk to Jenna. She needed to make her listen, to understand that Jake was no good for her or her baby. She stormed out of her parents’ front door, Drew hot on her heels.
“Where are we going?” he asked. The look in his eyes told her he already knew where she was headed.
“I’m going down to the police station to talk some sense into my sister and make sure that Jake stays where he belongs—behind bars,” she said.
Drew took her hand, leading her to his truck. “Then I guess we’re going to the police station.” He kissed her and lifted her into his truck.
Yeah, she liked the way he kept referring to them as a “we”.
∞
The last place Drew wanted to be taking Karlie was the fucking police station, but he understood her need to talk to Jenna. He was just hoping that she could convince her sister that Jake wasn’t worth forgiving. Hell, he’d like to have a conversation with Jake, not that he’d do much talking.
“Are you going to be okay?” Karlie looked at him with so much worry in her eyes. “You look like you want to kill someone. You’re gripping that steering wheel like you want to choke it.”
He barked out a laugh. “Yeah, I’ll be okay, baby. I was just thinking about—”
“Jake,” she finished for him. “Yeah, I was thinking that maybe it would be best if you take me back to your place and I’ll take my car to the police station. I don’t want to drag you into the middle of this. My family’s issues aren’t your problem.”
He tightened his grip on his steering wheel. Was she serious? “Now, I think you’re just trying to piss me off, baby. So, let me get this straight, you want me to take you to your car and let you drive yourself to the police station, to talk to your sister and possibly see the guy who beat the shit out of you, by yourself? Do I have that right?”
She didn’t look at him. She seemed fixated on his truck’s glove box. “Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking.”
“You’re just trying to piss me off now. There is no way that your new plan is gonna happen, honey. Maybe you forgot what I said to you earlier. We are a ‘we’ now, and where you go, I go. Your problems are my problems. I want everything with you. And, if you forgot the most important point to this morning’s little discussion, I fucking love you.” Karlie looked over at him like he had lost his damn mind, and maybe he had. “So, are we clear?”He reached for her hand and laced their fingers.
“Yeah, we’re clear.” She squeezed his hand and smiled as big as her stitched lip would allow.
They pulled up to the police station, and Drew cut the engine. He froze when he saw Jenna and Jake leaving the police station, hand in hand, smiling.
“What the fuck?” he said with a curse, causing Karlie to turn and look out her window.
“Shit.” She pulled away from him and fumbled with the door handle, and Drew locked the doors before she could get out.
“Drew,” she cried, “what the hell are you doing? I need to get to Jenna before she makes the biggest mistake of her life.” He needed to keep her safe—Drew wanted to keep her as far away as possible from Jake, and if that meant keeping her away from Jenna, then so be it.
“Baby, you need to stay in the truck. I will go and talk to Jenna,” he said.
“You’re not talking to my sister without me!” She was trying to unlock the truck to get to Jenna.
“But Jake is with her, and I don’t want you anywhere near that asshole!” He knew he was yelling at her, but he didn’t know how else to make her listen. “Baby, please. Just—” The knock at her door had them both turning. “Fuck, no.” Drew couldn’t believe Jake had the balls to come anywhere near Karlie. And what the hell was wrong with Jenna? She was standing there smiling, gazing at her sister’s bruised face. Couldn’t Jenna see what Jake did to Karlie?
“Stay,” Drew ordered, but Karlie seemed determined to face them both, getting out of his truck.
“Jenna, what’s going on? How is he out of jail?” Karlie seemed confused and upset, looking back and forth between Jenna and Jake.
“Well,” the asshole started, “you see, princess, Jenna loves me and understands that you provoked me to, well—let’s just say, you provoked me. What happened between us was your fault. Jenna’s a smart woman, and she understands everything. She knows that she and our little man here,” he said, rubbing Jenna’s belly, “are my top priorities. She posted my bail.” Drew growled, and Jake backed away from him, turning a little white. “You can’t touch me again, or you will be spending the night in jail.” Jake’s threat only made Drew madder. He wanted to fucking pound the jerk into a pulp.
“Let’s get one thing clear, fucktard, you ever come near Karlie again and I will do more than touch you,” Drew growled.
“Oh, come on, darlin,'” Jake drawled, looking straight at Karlie, “you can’t tell me you have poor Drew here fooled too. You need to tell him the truth, that you were begging me to touch you. Did you tell him you like it rough, sweetheart?”
Karlie gasped and looked at her sister. “Jenna, why are you with him? Why would you be with a man who would talk to me like that?”
Jenna looked as confused as Karlie had. Drew was doing everything in his power not to lay Jake out on the ground. Jake continued smiling, looking at Karlie like he would eat her up, and Drew stepped in front of Karlie, blocking Jake’s view.
“You need to stop looking at my woman and worry about your own. Careful, Jake, Jenna might see you for what you are.” The snarl in his voice had Jake taking another few steps back.
“Please,” Jenna cried, “please stop this.” She was cradling her belly, bending over as if in pain.
