Chapter 18
After driving around to all the places Dax might’ve gone, two hours later, she found him in the one place she least suspected. Her hair was an utter mess, her hands were still shaking, and she was pretty sure the nervous sweat running down her body did not smell like the cucumber deodorant she’d put on earlier. Even so, Magnolia parked her Triple R truck next to the one Dax had taken. It seemed like weeks ago since she’d had her fight with Zinnia at The Hole, yet it had only been days. Standing outside the gray nondescript building, she didn’t know what she’d find. It was only four in the afternoon, and the night time crowd wouldn’t be around for a few more hours. So, what was he doing here?
Magnolia sucked in a deep breath and walked in. When she’d been there days ago, the bar was loud and filled with people. In the emptiness, she could see just how shabby The Hole was—the hardwood dance floor was scuffed, and even the chairs were still stacked up on the tables. At the bar, which ran the length of the back wall, Dax sat with his back to her. He had his elbows on the bar, and he rested his head in his hands. Magnolia shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans and walked up to him. He didn’t look up at her as she slid into the seat next to him.
A single shot sat in front of him, completely untouched. Magnolia motioned to the drink. “Are you going to drink it or stare at it?”
Dax tilted back his head and closed his eyes. The muscle in his jaw ticked. “I’m thinking on it.”
“Is there something wrong with it?” She struggled with what to say to him. It was the first time she was at a loss for words around him. How could she fix this?
Just then, the bartender walked up. “Hey, Maggie, can I get you something?”
For as long as she could remember, Pete worked the bar at The Hole. He was an older man with a balding head and a hard exterior. After years of breaking up fights, he’d grown curt with the customers but not with Maggie.
She shook her head. “Nothing for now, thanks.”
With a single nod, he walked away, calling over his shoulder, “No fist fights tonight, girl.”
She chuckled. “No promises.” Then she turned back to Dax. “We need to talk.”
He folded his hands and pressed them to his forehead. “I haven’t had a drink in four years, Magnolia.” He turned and looked at her with grave, sad eyes. “So, I’m sittin’ here, tryin’ to decide if four years of hard work is worth throwin’ away now.”
Flabbergasted, Magnolia froze and leaned back in the chair. “You mean you’ve been sober for four years?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. After my old man died of liver failure, I thought it was time I cleaned up my ass or end up like him—a laughing stock and six feet under before he turned forty.”
Magnolia reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing. “You could never be like him.”
He furrowed his eyebrows. “Magnolia, do you know when my dad started drinkin’?”
“I know it was a long time ago.” She shrugged. “When we were kids, maybe?”
Dax gave a humorless chuckle. “He started drinkin’ the week after my mom left us. The man couldn’t take it. She left him, and it broke him.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “The same way I broke when you left me.”
Sitting on the edge of the seat, she leaned in and wrapped her arm around his back while pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “I’ve made mistakes, I know that. But, Dax, I will not leave you again. And you are not your father. He let his grief break him. But you are not broken.”
“Magnolia, why do you want to be with me?” He dropped his head, resting it on top of hers.
“Because,” she sucked in a breath and whispered with her heart in her throat, “I love you. We are written in the stars, you and I.”
“I love you, too, Maggie.” He looked down at her. “But maybe we aren’t written in the stars at all. Maybe we’re written in the sand, and the next wave of problems will destroy us.”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I can’t promise it’ll be easy. But I see you for exactly who you are, and all I know is you are my match. I feel it in my bones.”
Dax reached across the bar and pushed away the glass. “Then I guess we should figure this out?”
Magnolia rose to her feet and stood eye to eye with him. A slow smile spread across her face. “Yes, we should.” She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. The cookie he’d eaten earlier stuck to his lips and the sweetest taste hit her tongue. He turned, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer. Magnolia threw her arms around his neck and deepened their kiss. His dark woodsy scent surrounded her, and the flavor of his tongue forced heat to spread through her body and pool low in her belly.
“You are sleeping with him!”
Startled, Magnolia jumped back an inch but didn’t let go of Dax. “Eric? Are you following me?”
He stormed forward, his face contorted in fury. “Take your hands off my wife.”
Dax stiffened in her arms. “You got a funny way of treatin’ your wife.”
When he began to stand, Magnolia tightened her grip on him. “I’ll handle this.”
She dropped her arms from around Dax’s neck and stepped in front of him, facing off against Eric. “You have no right to be here.”
“I have every right. I am your husband. And I don’t know what the hell you think we are doing, but we are going home now.” He reached forward and grabbed her elbow, yanking her toward him.
Magnolia stumbled forward, bumping into Eric’s chest. “What the hell?” She placed both her hands against his chest and shoved him back. Eric stumbled away, bumping into a table and knocking the chairs to the ground.
When Dax leapt forward, Magnolia reached out and grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back. But it was like trying to stop a freight train. “Dax, don’t! Just let it be.”
“Let it be? This asshole grabbed you.” His chest heaved, and his eyes narrowed to laser points focusing on Eric. “Swear to God, Magnolia, if he ever hit you or Hayden, you better tell me now because I will kill him.”
Eric straightened his jacket, though he was still rumpled and the mud stains remained on his dress pants. He lifted his chin and held up his fists. “Let’s go, you hillbilly motherfucker.”
“Hey! No fightin’! It’s too damn early for this shit,” Pete called from behind the bar.
Magnolia tugged on Dax’s arm. “Let’s just go.” He took a step with her. “Be the bigger man here and walk away. You’ve won. You got me.”
Dax shook his head, like a bull about to charge. His chest puffed up and he held his fists at his sides. The corded muscles in his arms seemed to expand with each breath he took. The muscle in his jaw ticked as he stood like that for minutes. Finally, he leaned toward her. “Just this once.”
Magnolia sighed and wrapped her hand in his, pulling him toward the door. “Don’t follow us, Eric.”
“I’ll do what ever I want.” Eric took a step forward.
Magnolia already had Dax halfway out the door, when Eric shoved him from behind. They stumbled into the parking lot. Dax rounded on Eric. “You want to go, fuck boy? Let’s go.” He spit on the ground and held his hands loosely at his sides. He stood to his fullest height, squaring his broad shoulders. Planting his legs like tree trunks, he waved Eric forward.
Magnolia stepped between them, holding out her hands. “Don’t do this. It’s madness!”
“Get out of the way, Mag. You want this redneck, then he’s gonna have to fight for you.” Eric pulled the suit coat from his shoulders and tossed it to her. “Hold that, my wife. It’s Armani. Wouldn’t want to see it get ruined.”
Instinctively, Magnolia caught the jacket flying at her. She rolled her eyes. “Really?” She took a step back. “Y’all want to go at it like a bunch of idiots?” She waved them forward. “Then be my guest.”
Eric ran forward, fist raised high. Dax stood motionless. When Eric swung his fist at Dax’s temple, Dax ducked under the swing and popped Eric in the ribs. The air rushed from Eric’s lungs and he hunched over, laboring to breath. Behind him, Dax smiled and patted him on the head. “Now, why don’t you go home and leave the adults alone? I got something I need to do with Maggie.”
Dax turned to her and winked, giving her half a cocky smile.
Eric lurched to his feet with his hands wrapped around his rib cage. He tilted his head back breathlessly. “Have fun with my sloppy seconds.”
“Eric!” Magnolia stood up straight, about to walk over and slap him. How dare he? The bastard was showing his true colors. Her body shook from head to toe with the need to attack. She was a good southern girl; her momma raised her up right. And right now, she wanted to drag his ass out to the pig pen and leave him rolling in shit where he belonged.
Dax shook his head and leaned over, meeting Eric’s eye. “Actually, I’m the one who took Maggie’s V-card. So, in reality, you’re more like a speed bump for her getting back to the original.”
Eric growled through his teeth. He dove forward, swinging wildly for Dax. Dipping back, Dax dodged the swing and chuckled. “They don’t teach city boys how to fight at prep school?”
When Eric turned to face him, he glared back at Dax. “I guess as much as they teach farm boys to read and write.”
The smile dropped from Dax’s face and he stood at his full height. “I was smart enough to see what I had in front of me. I’d take my education in the fields over yours in a classroom any day of the week.”
“Nice way of saying you’re a weak idiot.” Eric held up his fist.
“Really, guys, isn’t this enough?” Magnolia hated sitting on the sidelines, watching two men duke it out over a woman. She felt like she was back in the ’50s when this was how things were settled.
“Stay out of it, Maggie. Me and this asshole got some history. First, he steals my girl, then he expects me to give her back when I’ve just gotten her. No, ma’am.” Dax held up his hand and pointed to his chin. “You wanna hit me, pretty boy? Come on, hit me.”
Eric didn’t hesitate. He lunged forward and swung a right hook directly at Dax’s jaw. He connected with Dax’s mouth, forcing Dax’s head to snap to the side. Yet that was the only part of him that moved. A slow trickle of blood ran down the corner of his lip. Then, as though it never happened, he looked Eric in the eye and gave him a bloody smile. “My turn.”
Oh, shit. He was going to kill Eric. Magnolia fought the urge to jump in. “Dax, don’t!”
But her words were too late. He hauled back his fist and shot it forward like a snake striking. He shoved his fists into Eric’s stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs. Then, with his other hand, he uppercut him in the chin, sending him flying back onto his ass. Dax leapt on top of him and grabbed a wad of Eric’s shirt.
Magnolia surged forward, jumping onto Dax’s back and wrapping her legs around his waist. With one arm wrapped around the fist he had held high, and the other clinging to his shoulder, holding herself up, she tried to pry him away. Her pulse pounded in her veins, and a nervous ball formed in her throat. “Enough, you’ll kill him!”
Dax held strong as though he didn’t have her weighing him down. He jerked Eric forward and met his gaze. “You’re not worth it.” He shoved him away and stepped back.
Ever so slowly, Magnolia let her legs drop to the ground then she let him go. Eric had yet to move. He lay in a heap on the dirty ground. Magnolia rushed over to him, crouching at his side. Gently, she touched his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“You’re checking on him? After he grabbed you? After he took a swing at me?” Dax threw up his hands. “Seriously, Magnolia?”
“For fuck’s sake, he’s lying in a parking lot, bleeding, Dax. I’m not just gonna leave him here.” Blood trickled from Eric’s mouth onto the ground; his breath rattled in his chest and the side of his face began to puff up.
“Fine then. You handle this bullshit. I’ll be at the ranch.”
What could she expect? Him to help her get her lying, cheating husband in the bed of her truck so she could take him to the hotel? She looped one of Eric’s arms around her shoulder and tried to stand him up. Even though he was much more slender than Dax’s stacked build, he weighed more than she expected. Magnolia toppled back under his dead weight. Eric groaned. “I’m gonna die.”
“You’re not gonna die.” Dax stood over them both and sighed as he grabbed Eric’s arm and hauled him up like he weighed nothing more than a sack of wheat.
Eric’s head lolled on his shoulders as Magnolia wrapped his arm around her shoulder to help. She smiled over at Dax. “Thank you.”
He rolled his eyes and helped drag Eric over to the truck. It took all of Maggie’s strength to get him to lie down in the bed of the truck. Eric pressed his hand to the side of his face and winced. “Maggggiiieee, I need to go to the hospital.”
“Ugh, no you don’t. A bag of ice, and you’ll be fine.” Maggie pulled his hand away and examined the bruise forming over the left side of his face. It ran from just under his eye, across to his nose and down to his chin, which was approximately the size of Dax’s fist. The man had done this with one hit. Part of her was impressed, part of her was turned on, and a very small part of her felt bad for Eric. The man had gotten his ass handed to him in a matter of seconds.
“Mag, please, take me.” Eric grabbed her hand and locked his gaze with hers.
She rolled her eyes, hopped down from the bed of the truck, and closed the tailgate. “I’ll take you, but it’s a waste of time.”
“Thank you, Mag,” he called to her in a groaning voice.
She turned toward Dax and reached up her hand to touch the corner of his lip. He didn’t even flinch back from her; instead, he leaned into it. She fought against the smile that played on her lips. “Are you okay?”
“Nothing some chapstick won’t fix. I’ve had worse split lips in winter.” He shrugged and took a step back.
That one step back felt like a step away from her. She closed the distance between them. “Don’t move away from me.”
He inclined his head toward her truck. “Better deal with that.”
Oh, I’ll deal with it in more ways than one. She went up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Dax’s cheek. “I’ll handle Eric. Don’t you worry.”
He wrapped his hands around her waist, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “Because you think we are destined to be together?”
A giggle escaped her lips. “As cheesy as that sounds, yeah, I do.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Then go handle this and come home to me.”
With his deep, rumbling voice in her ear, her heart flip-flopped in her chest, and she promised, “I will come home to you.”