“I’d better not see your face around here ever again, Bree. After all the harm you’ve caused, everything you’ve done to hurt me and my family, we don’t owe you a goddamn thing anymore. Take your money and live whatever miserable life you have planned for yourself.”
“You sure have a lot to say for a man who’s been fucking his brother’s ex-girlfriend. Your superiority complex doesn’t make you better than me. ” Her face twists into a bitter sneer. “Do you really think Ruby wants you? Please. You’re just a pretty distraction while she’s here. As soon as she goes back to Nashville, she’ll forget all about you. You’re just a hot body and decent lay.”
Her words hit their mark, but I don’t let her see the damage. “Well, at least I have that going for me. What do you have? How many men have you used and tossed aside over the years? You were nothing to me then, and you’re nothing to me now. It was always Ruby. It will alwaysbeRuby. I hope the money keeps you warm at night. Someday, you’ll regret everything, but I won’t be around to see it.”
Her expression is somewhere between shock and anger, but every ounce of care I had for that woman went out the window the day she abandoned my son.
I gather my things and push past her out the door, hoping like hell I won’t live to regret my angry parting shot. The words replay in my mind all the way back to the house. The sinking in my gut refuses to ease until I set my sights onthem: my family.
I pull up to the house and park next to Ruby’s truck in the drive,and it strikes me that it won’t be long before the bright yellow monstrosity isn't here anymore. Someday soon I’ll wake up to an empty bed, and the thought of living even a minute without her fills me with dread.
High-pitched, unrestrained laughter is accompanied by the distinct crunching of leaves, instantly pulling me from my depressing thoughts. I round the corner of the house just in time to see Ruby tossing Aiden into a giant leaf pile.
Stopping at the edge of the property, I watch for a while. The sight of my woman and son washes away the tension of the day. This. This is why I let Bree think she won. She’ll return to whatever pathetic existence she’s been living for the last ten years, and I’ll still have them—at least for a little while.
Ruby spots me and smiles the dimpled smile I love so much. I don’t waste another second, darting away from the house. She squeals and tries to get away from me, but she’s not fast enough. I capture her around the waist from behind and spin us in a circle.
“Help! Aiden!” she screams.
“Not my Ruby!” Aiden cries.
He grips my arm and tries to free her, but his effort is futile. I release my hold on her with one arm and set her feet on the ground long enough to grab Aiden and hoist him over my shoulder with the other. I’ve got them both in my grip and at my mercy, and I’m so goddamn fucked because I don’t know how I’ll ever let this go.
“Dad!” Aiden whines. “Put me down!”
I toss him lightly into the pile. He lets out an adorable shriek, throwing a handful of orange and red leaves in the air. I kiss Ruby’s neck and loosen my hold. She practically melts into me, her perfectly soft body molding to mine like she was made for me.
“Tell me we’re going to be ok,” she murmurs.
“We’re going to be ok.” The words ring hollow as Bree’s voice echoes in my mind.
“As soon as she goes back to Nashville, she’ll forget all about you.”
Ruby Lynn Hayes: Darling or Disgrace?
Country artist Ruby Lynn Hayes, the talented singer-songwriter who built her entire career around a wholesome, small-town girl persona, is embroiled in yet another scandal. A video of the star engaging in public sexual activities has been leaked to the press and has gone viral overnight.
The source of the video is unclear, but it is undoubtedly Ruby and her current boyfriend on a sandy beach. Speculation online suggests that they are at Oak Ridge Lake in Ruby’s hometown, but that has yet to be confirmed.
This isn’t the star’s first brush with scandal. Earlier this year, Ruby was sued by her former label for breach of contract. She won the suit, but the label has appealed. Is this the end of her career? Or the beginning of a new rebellious phase for the singer.
We reached out to Ruby’s team for a statement, but they declined to comment.
Chapter 28
Part of Me
? The Last Time - Taylor Swift
? The Last Time - Taylor Swift
Liam
Country Star Caught in a Sex Scandal
Ruby Lynn Hayes: Darling or Disgrace?
Rising Star Falls From Grace
