Chapter 22

SEPTEMBER 8

Eleven days later I was counting the hours until I got off work. Reb had had his emergency custody hearing today, and I hadn’t heard anything about how it’d gone. I had my fingers, toes, all my appendages crossed in the hope that the judge would see how much Tucker needed a stable parent in his life and award Reb custody. Thank God Reb could walk upright now and wouldn’t have had to answer any awkward questions about an obvious injury. This morning I could see how nervous he was, even though he tried to hide it. It was in the way he tapped his coffee mug and how many times he ran a hand over his clean-shaven face.

I didn’t think I’d ever seen him without the scruff on his face. It was certainly different, but I secretly hoped he would grow it back. I loved the way it felt between my thighs when he…you know.

Twenty more minutes until I could leave school. Not that it meant I was done with working for the day. I had my last shift at the bookstore tonight. So whatever the outcome of Reb’s case, celebration or commiseration would have to wait until after nine o’clock.

Nineteen minutes.

I decided to busy myself by indulging my OCD quirk reshelving some books. School had been dismissed almost an hour ago and any stragglers were long gone, so it was just me, a stack of books, and a ticking clock. I could hear every second pass when it got quiet like this. Sometimes I swore the second hand went in reverse, just to screw with me.

Seventeen minutes.

I pushed my cart to the earth science section and had my hand on a copy of Scholastic’s Rocks and Minerals when the side door to the library flew open and crashed against the opposite wall.

A huge figure filled the doorway, and I screamed. Loud. Long. And shrill.

I had a hand on my cellphone when the man stepped into the light and I relaxed. Right before I charged across the room to shove his shoulder.

“Reb! You about gave me a heart attack. Why didn’t you call me? Or wait…fifteen minutes until I was off work? Well, not totally, since I still have—”

“Emily. Calm down.” Reb held on to my shoulders and his huge grin said more than any words he could’ve come up with, but he still tried. “Court ran long, so I came here as soon as I could. I got him, baby! Divorce is final, and Tucker is mine!” Reb picked me up and twirled us around.

I knocked over a huge stack of books, but I couldn’t have cared less. Reb was finally free and Tucker was safe! I don’t think we could’ve had better news.

Reb peppered my face with kisses when he wasn’t grinning like a loon. Although the pecks were probably due to the fact that I was grinning so hugely we couldn’t kiss unless Reb wanted to make out with my teeth.

When my feet were back on the ground, I beamed up at him. “We have to go out and celebrate. What kind of pizza does Tucker like? My treat. Oh, wait. I have to work.”

“Screw that job. Ditch it and come over to celebrate with me and Tucker.”

My shoulders sagged. “I can’t just not show up. It’s my last day. At the very least I need to pick up my paycheck. They probably won’t even want me hanging around long. I’ll be in and out before you know it.”

“Fine. But I want your ass in my house no later than seven o’clock. I’m having the boys over and we’re partying our asses off…after Tuck goes to bed.”

My huge smile carried me all the way across town to the bookstore and my boss’s office.

“I’m sorry, but we really need you tonight. We’re short-staffed.” Daniel gave me his aww-shucks routine, complete with downturned eyes.

I took advantage of the moment by rolling mine. I should’ve listened to Reb. Dang it, why didn’t I? With a huffed sigh, I muttered, “Fine.”

After leaving his office, I texted Reb: Gotta work tonight. Can’t get out of it.

Immediately my phone rang in my hand. There was a reason I texted him: I was weak; see conversation with Daniel above. And I didn’t want to hear the anger in Reb’s voice when I told him I wasn’t coming home until after nine. But still, after taking a deep breath, I answered.

“Hey.” Then I had to hold the phone away from my ear because of Reb’s volume.

“I wanna talk to your boss, now!”

“Yeah, we’re not doing that, Reb.”

“Why the fuck not? I’ll get you out of there with your fucking check in hand. You need to be here.”

Nothing pissed me off more than a man who thought he knew better than me. I might be falling for Reb, but that didn’t mean I hit my head on the way down and lost the ability to think for myself. So I said as much. “No, I need to get a good recommendation from this job. I still have student loans and rent to make. I might be temporarily staying at your house, but that doesn’t mean you decide everything for me.”

Silence reigned on the other end of the line. I think Reb got that I was pissed.

Finally, after a moment, he said quietly, “Tank is watching out for you tonight. Try not to lose him.”

And then he ended the call without saying anything else.

I stared at my phone in disbelief for a few seconds. He couldn’t even bother to say good night? I was tempted to text him how I really felt at the moment, but I was afraid of what I’d say. Instead I’d wait until I got home so I could say it to his face.

I spent the next few hours stewing over his high-handedness. Thinking of all the things I should’ve said, and all the things I would say when I saw him later.

After restocking some shelves in the mystery section—and avoiding eye contact with Tank—I returned to the back and broke down more boxes. I must’ve been really into my job because I didn’t hear Daniel come up behind me.

“It’s dead tonight. I think you can go on home. We’ll be fine.”

I swung around. “Did he call you?”

“What? Who?” There seemed to be genuine confusion in Daniel’s eyes.

I sighed. “Nothing. Sorry. I mean thank you.”

“Your final check will be deposited in your account at the end of the week.”

“But—”

“I have no control over payroll. That’s just how it is. We’ll miss you around here. You made things…interesting.”

“Yeah. I guess.” I looked around the back room and didn’t feel even a tinge of regret. I’d never been remotely attached to any of my part-time jobs, but this one—being able to work with books—had been the one I was most excited about. At first. I guess between Michael’s shenanigans and Reb’s overbearing protection, the shine had quickly fallen off this job. Still, I wanted to finish it. Because I was stubborn like that. “I’ll just run these boxes out to the Dumpster.”

“I can get—”

“It’s fine. Really, it will only take me a minute.”

Daniel nodded, his brow wrinkled in confusion. No doubt he’d expected me to run for the doors the second he gave me a reprieve. But I wasn’t running, because I wasn’t all that eager to fight with Reb at home.

Between my morose thoughts, the crashing sound of the boxes hitting the Dumpster, and my physical exertion, I didn’t hear anything until it was too late.

Something bashed into the back of my head and knocked me off balance. I fell to the ground. “Oomph.”

I didn’t even have time to put my hand to my smarting head. A huge boot smashed into my side, and I curled into a ball, trying desperately to protect myself. I opened my mouth to scream, but it cut off when something crashed into my head again.

Oh God. I was being attacked. The blows kept coming. My back. My side. My head. I wanted to look to see who, but I was too busy protecting my head. Pain exploded with every hit.

I was going to die in a parking lot and no one would know. Oh God. Reb still thought I was mad at him. Tucker would never know how much I loved him.

That was the last thought I had before everything went dark.