Allie," I say in a stern voice.
"Make me," she digs her heels in and crosses her arms over her chest, and the somber look on her face mirrors my own.
"You really want to do this?"
"There you are!" Lexi interrupts us. "Everything okay?" she asks, looking from me to Allie and back
"Fine. Wonderful," Allie answers with sarcasm dripping from her words. "Just calling out my stepbrother for being the coward he is."
Lexi's eyes open wide as they fall on me, and I let out a slow, measured breath. No fucking way I'm going to let either of them see how deep Allie cut me.
Explosions fire in my head. Memories I struggle to keep at bay surface. Gunfire. Bombs. Limbs flying in the air. Blood splattering on my clothes, my hands, my face.
My heart races.
I ball my hands into fists, itching to beat the ever-loving shit out of someone or something. Not here. Breathe. I take in long, deep breaths and squeeze my eyes closed, fighting to stay here in the present.
"We need you both outside," Lexi explains.
"I really should..."
"Go?" Allie taunts me with a sarcastic smile.
"Yeah. Go." I echo, seeing the challenge in Allie's eyes. I won't let her win. "But I guess I can stay for a little bit longer."
"Great!" Lexi squeals with excitement as she pulls Allie by the hand.
Allie lets Lexi lead her but turns around and offers me a smug grin. Once we're outside, I head straight for the cooler and pull out another beer before heading to the guys. I look at the bottle in my hand, knowing I need something a hell of a lot stronger to settle me down. I'll start with this then when I get home I'll turn to tequila or vodka.
Allie's on the other side of the deck, with Lexi, Marlena, and Selene. The whole scene reminds me of middle school, where the girls gather on one side and the boys convene on the other. That's fine, because right about now, with the rage and adrenaline I have shooting through my veins, that side of the deck is the last place I want to be.
Chapter 8
Allie
"I'm so happy for you," I say, squeezing Lexi tight. And I am. Honestly. Truly. Completely thrilled for her and Noah.
And just the tiniest bit jealous.
I'm also the slightest bit sad. For me. Not that I'm ready for kids yet, but I'm ready to start thinking about them as a realistic option in the not too distant future, like within the next five years.
The way things are going, I'm starting to think I'll never be in a position to have kids. Not with a man I love by my side. I guess I can do it on my own. Go to a sperm bank or pick up some random hot guy and lie about birth control. But that wouldn't be fair to the baby or the guy if he's decent and wants to be part of his kid’s life.
I hate Bailey.
He ruined everything. So why the fuck do I keep defending him to Jagger? It's not that I think Jagger's wrong for suspecting Bailey given the circumstances, but I feel it in my gut, it's not him. I know he acted like a jealous shit at the pizzeria, but that's only because he saw me with Jagger. If Bailey cared, really cared and wanted to try and work things out, he would've shown up at my father's house with his heart in his hand months ago. He never did.
"Earth to Allie." Lexi's voice breaks through my thoughts.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?"
"When are you going to stop pretending nothing's going on and tell me the truth?"
I screw my eyes up at her. I have no idea what she's talking about.
"You and Jagger," she clarifies with a look of expectation.
"Nothing's going on," I lie, hoping Lexi's too focused on her announcement to notice how my face just heated up ten degrees and the fact that I haven't been able to go more than a minute without glancing in his direction. "Jagger and I are..." Why am I lying to Lexi? "Look, I don't know what he told you, but I was drinking. Hell, we were both drinking."
"Shut up!" Lexi whisper yells as her face lights with excitement. "Holy shit, I had no idea the fireworks between you two are those kind of fireworks. When you
"Make me," she digs her heels in and crosses her arms over her chest, and the somber look on her face mirrors my own.
"You really want to do this?"
"There you are!" Lexi interrupts us. "Everything okay?" she asks, looking from me to Allie and back
"Fine. Wonderful," Allie answers with sarcasm dripping from her words. "Just calling out my stepbrother for being the coward he is."
Lexi's eyes open wide as they fall on me, and I let out a slow, measured breath. No fucking way I'm going to let either of them see how deep Allie cut me.
Explosions fire in my head. Memories I struggle to keep at bay surface. Gunfire. Bombs. Limbs flying in the air. Blood splattering on my clothes, my hands, my face.
My heart races.
I ball my hands into fists, itching to beat the ever-loving shit out of someone or something. Not here. Breathe. I take in long, deep breaths and squeeze my eyes closed, fighting to stay here in the present.
"We need you both outside," Lexi explains.
"I really should..."
"Go?" Allie taunts me with a sarcastic smile.
"Yeah. Go." I echo, seeing the challenge in Allie's eyes. I won't let her win. "But I guess I can stay for a little bit longer."
"Great!" Lexi squeals with excitement as she pulls Allie by the hand.
Allie lets Lexi lead her but turns around and offers me a smug grin. Once we're outside, I head straight for the cooler and pull out another beer before heading to the guys. I look at the bottle in my hand, knowing I need something a hell of a lot stronger to settle me down. I'll start with this then when I get home I'll turn to tequila or vodka.
Allie's on the other side of the deck, with Lexi, Marlena, and Selene. The whole scene reminds me of middle school, where the girls gather on one side and the boys convene on the other. That's fine, because right about now, with the rage and adrenaline I have shooting through my veins, that side of the deck is the last place I want to be.
Chapter 8
Allie
"I'm so happy for you," I say, squeezing Lexi tight. And I am. Honestly. Truly. Completely thrilled for her and Noah.
And just the tiniest bit jealous.
I'm also the slightest bit sad. For me. Not that I'm ready for kids yet, but I'm ready to start thinking about them as a realistic option in the not too distant future, like within the next five years.
The way things are going, I'm starting to think I'll never be in a position to have kids. Not with a man I love by my side. I guess I can do it on my own. Go to a sperm bank or pick up some random hot guy and lie about birth control. But that wouldn't be fair to the baby or the guy if he's decent and wants to be part of his kid’s life.
I hate Bailey.
He ruined everything. So why the fuck do I keep defending him to Jagger? It's not that I think Jagger's wrong for suspecting Bailey given the circumstances, but I feel it in my gut, it's not him. I know he acted like a jealous shit at the pizzeria, but that's only because he saw me with Jagger. If Bailey cared, really cared and wanted to try and work things out, he would've shown up at my father's house with his heart in his hand months ago. He never did.
"Earth to Allie." Lexi's voice breaks through my thoughts.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?"
"When are you going to stop pretending nothing's going on and tell me the truth?"
I screw my eyes up at her. I have no idea what she's talking about.
"You and Jagger," she clarifies with a look of expectation.
"Nothing's going on," I lie, hoping Lexi's too focused on her announcement to notice how my face just heated up ten degrees and the fact that I haven't been able to go more than a minute without glancing in his direction. "Jagger and I are..." Why am I lying to Lexi? "Look, I don't know what he told you, but I was drinking. Hell, we were both drinking."
"Shut up!" Lexi whisper yells as her face lights with excitement. "Holy shit, I had no idea the fireworks between you two are those kind of fireworks. When you
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