“I’ll see you later.” He turned and jogged off.
Knowing he was thinking of his wife, Tommy let him go. What’s here today might not be
tomorrow. That was his biggest fear. That he’d lose Julie. Not in the way Mac lost his wife, God
forbid. But because of his actions, because he’d hurt her.
While he appreciated Mac’s faith in him, Tommy wasn’t convinced. All he had to go on was his
track record. A part of him was convinced he was just like his mother—sans the alcoholic part.
She’d never been able to truly love anyone, either…including him.
At least he was able to love: he loved Julie. He really did. It was the whole romantic love thing
he was a lost cause at. And that was something she needed.
If there was even the slightest chance he could hurt Julie because of his shortcomings, then he
needed to keep his distance. Better yet, he needed to get the hell out of her place as quickly as he
could, before he did something he couldn’t take back. Something they’d both regret.
Earlier today, he’d spoken to his insurance agent. They were processing his claim, but it could
still take more than a week before he’d see a check. Maybe he’d go ahead and start the search
anyway. He hadn’t wanted to start looking for a place to live or replacing his furniture until he
knew for certain he wasn’t going to have any issues with the insurance company. Which was
actually pretty damn responsible of him. In the past, he’d just have spent the money. But after the
shit had hit the fan, he’d started investing his money, for once thinking of the future.
Either way, he was going to have to find a place to live, and pronto. As for furniture, he’d just
get the bare necessities until the check came in. Feeling better with a firm plan, he worked his
arms to relieve some of the lingering burn, turned to start the trek to his rental car. And froze.
About fifty feet away, Julie sat beside Brody on a blanket. The two looked so comfy together,
their bodies close, her shoulder pressing into his chest, Brody’s arm behind her in a possessive way
that had Tommy clenching his teeth against a violent surge of jealousy.
The truly fucked-up part was Julie didn’t seem to mind being touched at all.
But he did. A lot. Seeing her curled up against the other man enraged him in a way that was
actually frightening. Unnerved by the foreign emotion, he inhaled deeply. He needed to get the
hell out of here before she saw him. The last thing he needed was to have a conversation with her
and that man while he was this jacked up inside.
But Julie’s gaze snagged his and she didn’t seem surprised to see him. Which meant she’d
already known he was there.
All right, dude. This is your best friend. Keep it that way.
Unable to ignore her direct look, he strolled over to them, keeping his stride relaxed, until he
reached the edge of the blanket. “Hey. What are you guys up to?”
Seriously stupid fucking question.
“Enjoying the warm day.” Julie smiled up at him. “Seems you and Mac were getting in a really
great workout. Looking good out there.”
Male satisfaction coursed through him knowing she liked what she saw, and he cast Brody a
smug look. The man held his gaze and didn’t look the least bit bothered by his date telling another
man he was looking good. Why not? What had she told Brody about him?
Why was he bothered by the fact Brody wasn’t bothered? But he was. Big time. He didn’t like
the confidence the man was exuding, nor the way his hand had just slipped down to touch Julie’s
lower back.
He was seriously going to rip the motherfucker’s throat out.
“Hey, Jules, tell Tommy about the street performer we saw last night.”
Jules? All right, it was official. He really hated this asshole.
Tommy tapped the bill of his cap. “Maybe Brody would like to know where you got this hat,
Julie? Pretty cool, isn’t it? She gave it to me for Valentine’s Day.”
The man’s lips
Knowing he was thinking of his wife, Tommy let him go. What’s here today might not be
tomorrow. That was his biggest fear. That he’d lose Julie. Not in the way Mac lost his wife, God
forbid. But because of his actions, because he’d hurt her.
While he appreciated Mac’s faith in him, Tommy wasn’t convinced. All he had to go on was his
track record. A part of him was convinced he was just like his mother—sans the alcoholic part.
She’d never been able to truly love anyone, either…including him.
At least he was able to love: he loved Julie. He really did. It was the whole romantic love thing
he was a lost cause at. And that was something she needed.
If there was even the slightest chance he could hurt Julie because of his shortcomings, then he
needed to keep his distance. Better yet, he needed to get the hell out of her place as quickly as he
could, before he did something he couldn’t take back. Something they’d both regret.
Earlier today, he’d spoken to his insurance agent. They were processing his claim, but it could
still take more than a week before he’d see a check. Maybe he’d go ahead and start the search
anyway. He hadn’t wanted to start looking for a place to live or replacing his furniture until he
knew for certain he wasn’t going to have any issues with the insurance company. Which was
actually pretty damn responsible of him. In the past, he’d just have spent the money. But after the
shit had hit the fan, he’d started investing his money, for once thinking of the future.
Either way, he was going to have to find a place to live, and pronto. As for furniture, he’d just
get the bare necessities until the check came in. Feeling better with a firm plan, he worked his
arms to relieve some of the lingering burn, turned to start the trek to his rental car. And froze.
About fifty feet away, Julie sat beside Brody on a blanket. The two looked so comfy together,
their bodies close, her shoulder pressing into his chest, Brody’s arm behind her in a possessive way
that had Tommy clenching his teeth against a violent surge of jealousy.
The truly fucked-up part was Julie didn’t seem to mind being touched at all.
But he did. A lot. Seeing her curled up against the other man enraged him in a way that was
actually frightening. Unnerved by the foreign emotion, he inhaled deeply. He needed to get the
hell out of here before she saw him. The last thing he needed was to have a conversation with her
and that man while he was this jacked up inside.
But Julie’s gaze snagged his and she didn’t seem surprised to see him. Which meant she’d
already known he was there.
All right, dude. This is your best friend. Keep it that way.
Unable to ignore her direct look, he strolled over to them, keeping his stride relaxed, until he
reached the edge of the blanket. “Hey. What are you guys up to?”
Seriously stupid fucking question.
“Enjoying the warm day.” Julie smiled up at him. “Seems you and Mac were getting in a really
great workout. Looking good out there.”
Male satisfaction coursed through him knowing she liked what she saw, and he cast Brody a
smug look. The man held his gaze and didn’t look the least bit bothered by his date telling another
man he was looking good. Why not? What had she told Brody about him?
Why was he bothered by the fact Brody wasn’t bothered? But he was. Big time. He didn’t like
the confidence the man was exuding, nor the way his hand had just slipped down to touch Julie’s
lower back.
He was seriously going to rip the motherfucker’s throat out.
“Hey, Jules, tell Tommy about the street performer we saw last night.”
Jules? All right, it was official. He really hated this asshole.
Tommy tapped the bill of his cap. “Maybe Brody would like to know where you got this hat,
Julie? Pretty cool, isn’t it? She gave it to me for Valentine’s Day.”
The man’s lips
Similar Books
