Bittersweet Catastrophe (Second Chances #2.5) by Maureen Mayer

shake as a sob tore through her. My blood was boiling, literally on the verge of erupting. Motherfucker. If he was the reason for those tears streaming down her face, I swore on my mother’s grave I would make him pay for every last one of them, starting with his fucking hands because he had yet to remove them.
    I took a step forward, hoping he’d take a hint, and he pressed his lips to her forehead before releasing her. Without a second glance, he turned with his hands shoved in his pockets and trudged off toward his truck.
    “She’s all yours.” He muttered under his breath before slamming the door shut and peeling out the driveway.
    Liberty remained facing him as his truck sped down the road, and her entire body succumbed to the emotions threatening to pour out of her. I managed to wrap my arms around her waist from behind before she collapsed to the ground. Jesus, what the fuck did he say to her?
    “Shhh, baby, I got you.” I spun her in my arms and cautiously lifted her chin. Tears flooded down her flushed cheeks, and her puffy red eyes screamed of the pain he had caused her. “C’mere,” I whispered against her salty, tear-stained lips and steered her over to the front steps of Maddie’s house. “Catch your breath and tell me what he said that got you so worked up.”
    She bowed her head, sniffing back more tears, and rubbed the heel of her palm against her chest as though it literally ached. “H-he told me it hurts too much to be around me, that he feels like he’s finally lost me.” I watched her slowly shake her head from side to side. “I’ve never seen him like this, Shayne. Never. I-I don’t know what to do.”
    “Sweetheart, he never lost you because you were never his to begin with. You’re mine. Always have been, always will be. He’s just never been able to get that through his thick skull.”
    She lifted her head, wiping the moisture away from her face with the back of her hand. “He asked me to quit,” she said softly.
    “He asked you to…” Why that little fucking prick! Liberty had been waitressing at AJ’s Oceanside Restaurant since she’d arrived in Savannah two years ago, and she was damn good at her job. As much as I hated the idea of her being anywhere near him right now, I wouldn’t let him coerce her into leaving just because he couldn’t handle being in the same breathing space as her. “He can’t force you to quit, Liberty. I get that he owns the place now, but unless he fires you, you still have a job there.”
    “I don’t know, Shayne. He seems really upset over all of this.” She picked at a thread hanging from the hem of her black shorts.
    “Let him be! Dammit, Liberty, you don’t owe him a fucking thing. He’s supposed to be your friend, and right now, he’s doing a pretty shitty job at that. Instead of pissing and moaning, he should be happy for you. ” I cupped my hands around her neck and brushed my thumbs along her jaw, keeping her eyes on me. “Look, if you want to quit, then by all means quit, but only if that’s what you truly want. I know how much you love working there with him and Maddie, and I have no doubt she’d miss you like crazy. If Brett would pull his head out of his fucking ass, I’m sure he’d realize how much he’d miss you, too.”
    I must’ve been crazy for admitting what I was about to say, but I loved this woman sitting beside me wholeheartedly, and I would do everything in my power to ensure that she was happy. “I might not be his biggest fan, but I’m not blind either. You mean just as much to him as he does to you, and I’m sure this will all blow over once he lets that settle in. Don’t let him talk you into making a hasty decision just because he can’t handle you being happy with someone other than him.”
    “You’re right. I…,” she paused, letting out a deep breath. “I don’t know. I guess I wish that he could find someone who makes him happy, too. I hate seeing him so miserable whenever we’re