“Or not.” The buzz I was feeling moments ago is now long gone, replaced with a new kind of buzz, one that has my muscles tightening in anticipation. I don’t know Lea’s ex. But the fact that Lea had touched him, loved him, had a ring on her finger he had given her, causes me to feel something close to hate for the guy.
It takes less than fifteen minutes to make it from my boat to Lea’s house, and when we pull up out front, a Toyota Camry is parked in the driveway. I know immediately it’s a rental from the airport. I crack my neck, open the door to Ben’s truck, and hop down. Without waiting for him, I step into the house and scan the living room. Lea is sitting on the couch next to Rhonda and a guy who is slim built, wearing dark jeans that look brand new, a fleece pullover, and sneakers. His dark hair is parted on the side. He looks like he would be in an Eddie Bauer catalog, like he never wore jeans in his life, went to the store, and had them dress him.
“What’s going on?” I ask, and Lea’s head swings to me and her face pales.
“Austin,” she whispers.
“Austin?” the guy in the chair repeats, and his jaw starts to tic. “Figures he would be here.” He glares at Lea like he’s just proven a point.
“You are?” I ask him, even knowing who his.
His jaw grinds then a smirk forms on his face. “Her husband.” He stands and I raise a brow at Lea, who all of a sudden looks flustered.
“Ex-husband.” Her eyes narrow and her hands turn to fists on top of her jean-covered thighs. “You still haven’t said why you’re here, Ken.”
“We have a lot to talk about, and I needed to make sure you were okay. Your mom was sick then I heard she passed away, so when you didn’t answer my calls or texts, I decided to fly out here to check on you myself.”
“I didn’t answer them, because I didn’t want to talk to you. We have nothing to talk about,” she tells him.
“I’m worried about you, Peaches. You left, you haven’t talked to any of your friends, and you just cut yourself off from everyone, including me.”
“Well, as you can see, I’m just fine, so you can leave.” She stomps to the door and pulls it open, swinging her arm outside.
“Peach—”
Her hand shoots up and the word cuts off. “Do. Not. Call me that.”
“You loved that name.” He frowns, looking at her hand.
Her head drops back and her eyes close in frustration. I move to her without thinking and pull her to me, palming the back of her head and tucking her into my chest.
“You need to leave,” I tell him, holding Lea tighter when she tries to pull away from me.
“You can’t tell me what to do. I want to talk to my wife.”
“She isn’t yours anymore,” I growl, feeling my body wrap tighter around her.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, if she wasn’t still mine? Too bad, because she is. I haven’t signed the papers. I wanted to see if we could work things out,” he says, and Lea, who is still in my arms, is frantically trying to get away from me, but if I don’t hold onto her, I’m liable to wrap my hands around the piece of shit’s neck.
“You asshole!” she yells, pressing at my chest, but her eyes are on her ex. “You fucking asshole!” she screeches, breathing heavily. “Why are you doing this to me?” she whispers a few moments later, sounding defeated. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
My head dips, and I see her eyes are closed and her breaths coming in rough pants. Anger boils up inside of me. This is not what she needs right now, not with everything else that is going on. I look over the top of her head at Ben, who has his arm wrapped around a pale-looking Rhonda’s shoulders, and lift my chin. I pass Lea off to him then step in front of Lea’s ex, dipping my face towards his. “I’m gonna tell you one more time to leave, then I’m putting your ass outside.”
“There are no rooms in town. I have nowhere to stay,” he says as his eyes flick from me to Lea.
“You got a car,” I tell him, taking another step towards him, forcing him back.
“I’m not sleeping in my car.”
“Well, seeing how Lea is now mine,” I whisper, ducking my face closer to his so only he can hear me, “you’re not staying here.”
“She’s not yours,” he hisses, bumping me with his chest.
“She’s always been mine, and I think you know that, don’t you?”
“Fuck you.” He pushes my chest, but instead of touching him, I use my size to force him another step back, then move to the side and shut the door in his face. I’ve been in my fair share of fights, but right now, in this moment, I feel volatile. I want to open the door back up and beat the shit out of him. I drop my head forward and try to push through the anger that is clouding my vision.
“I hate him,” Lea whispers. I turn to look at her, her ass in on the couch and her head is in her hands.
“Are you still married to him?” Rhonda asks softly, while rubbing her back.
“No, I don’t know.” Her head lifts and our eyes lock. “I haven’t turned on my phone or checked my e-mail since I came home.”
“Fucking asshole,” Ben grumbles then pulls the blinds down slightly to look outside.
“Is he gone?” Lea asks.
“No, the fucker is still sitting out there.”
“Should we call the cops?” Rhonda asks, sounding afraid, and Ben’s big body freezes then turns to look at his wife.