“What the fuck did you just call her?”
The asshole stares at me for a moment before he smirks and then continues to remain silent. There isn’t an ounce of worry in his face, as if he knows he’s going to get away with whatever he just said.
“I don’t know how things work in the city,” I growl. “But you’re in my territory now.”
“Is that supposed to scare me?” He gestures behind my shoulder to where Blair stands. “City or not, she’s still the same girl she was. A fucking whore,” he spits out.
“That’s what I thought you said,” I say calmly before I rear my fist back and drive it straight into his nose. He falls to the ground instantly bringing his hand up to cover it.
“Fuck! Did you just punch me?”
I tower over him, looking down at the piece of shit in the dirt. “I can do it again if you need confirmation.”
The look on his face dares me. A sly grin, and a raised eyebrow.
Just as I’m about to rear back to give the man another shot of what he deserves, the cock of a shotgun echoes behind me.
I don’t bother looking back.
It’s fucking Nan.
He turns to face Blair. “This is where you moved?” he shouts, telling me she’s still a good distance away. “These people arenuts. This is a good enough reason for you to get in the car and come home.”
I hear footsteps in the dirt—multiple sets—but I don’t turn around to see.
Blair comes to one side of me, while Nan rounds the other. Her ex looks between all of us towering over him. While he still shows no fear by keeping that stupid smirk on his face, I know he’s going to get out of dodge quicker than he arrived.
“This is my home now,” Blair says with a soft, even tone. She crouches beside him, bringing a hand up to check his nose. “I’m not leaving.”
Her words hit me square in the chest and I feel the tension in my shoulders evaporate with three little words. Three little words that make the other three words want to pour out of my mouth.
While this isn’t how I wanted to hear them, it’s exactly what I need to hear.
“And if you think for one second I’ll get in the car after you called me a whore—not once, but twice—then you’ve lost your ever-loving mind.” She laughs, but it’s laced with sarcasm. She lifts her hand from his nose, rearing back quick enough, and smacks him across the side of the face. It was so quick that even he didn’t have a chance to respond. “Now get the fuck out of here.”
That’s my girl.
“And don’t ever let me catch you in my town again,” Nan chimes in.
Her ex scuffles back enough to allow himself some room to stand, brushing the dirt from his dress pants before mumbling profanities under his breath as he gets into his car and speeds off. His tires screech as he heads in the direction of the interstate.
Away from Bluestone Lakes.
CHAPTER 38
I’M NOT LEAVING.
Blair
I don’t take my eyes off Theodore’s car until it’s completely gone from my line of sight. Nan does the same and then retreats back to the barn as soon as he’s gone. I’m not even sure where she came from.
Only then do I turn to face Griffin.
The man who just stood up for me and protected me from the harsh words my ex-husband threw in my face. Words that aren’t even true becausehewas the one who hurt me. But there’s one thing I’ve learned in life…it’s that hurt people hurt people. Theodore is hurting from the fact I won’t take him back as easily as I probably would have in the past.
He didn’t expect me to stand up for myself.
But there’s never been a single second since our divorce where I thought of a future with him after everything.
