Worth It

I arched an eyebrow, wondering how she knew that when her kiddos didn’t say much past buh-buh, maw-maw, and nigh-nigh. But I shrugged, because I kind of missed them too. After I told her I’d swing by someday soon, Mason showed up, begging me to switch ends of the bar so he could flirt with his woman as he worked.



The band started their gig, and the place came to life, flooding with cheers and catcalls. City managed to stop at my end of the bar every time she filled an order, and she was always able to slip in a kiss when she did.



I was still feeling a high from her last one when Reese suddenly appeared in front of me, her eyes wide. “Knox,” she hissed, frantically waving me closer. I frowned but went to her. She leaned in and tried to call over all the noise as confidentially as possible. “Jeremy’s older brother just walked in the front door.”



I glanced over her shoulder and immediately caught sight of Tad Walden. He hadn’t changed much since the night he’d held back my arms to let City’s brothers hit me. And speaking of City’s brothers…was that Garrett Bainbridge strolling up to the bar with him?



I tensed and muttered, “Shit,” under my breath. “Thanks for the warning.” I nodded gratefully to Reese right before she hurried away.



I watched the two approach, and then I intercepted them before they could go to Mason. “Can I help you?”



They didn’t recognize me. Not surprising. But my eyebrows did lift when Tad said, “We’re looking for Knox Parker. Heard he worked here.”



“Oh yeah? Where’d you hear that?”



“Look, is he working tonight or not?”



I sniffed at his attitude. “As a matter of fact, I am.”



Their mouths dropped open. “Shit,” Garrett murmured as he looked me up and down. “You don’t look the same at all.”



“So I’ve heard. What the fuck do you want?”



I knew what I wanted. I wanted them gone before Felicity—or Rock—spotted them.



“We came to make amends.” Tad stuck out his hand.



After scowling at his palm, I lifted my gaze to his face. “Are you kidding me? Last time I saw you two, you beat the shit out of me.”



“Because we’d just found you naked in the backseat of a car with my sister,” Garrett hissed.



Tad held up his hands. “And we now admit that we might’ve overreacted with the way we treated you. You didn’t deserve what happened to you after that night.”



I squinted, trying to figure out why he was trying to play peacekeeper. I’d killed his brother.



He sighed. “We saw the video of what happened between you and Jeremy.”



“Shit.” I whirled away and wiped my hands over my face.



Had anyone not seen that fucking video?



“You got a raw deal from all this,” Tad said. “And we wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to go after a certain few people.”



“Yeah, we just don’t want those people to be us,” Garrett put in.



With a snort, I shook my head. Unbelievable. They just wanted to cover their own asses. “Fine,” I muttered dryly as I turned back to them. “I’ll spare both your lives. That make you feel better?”



Garrett opened his mouth, probably to say something else that would no doubt piss me off, but City showed up, plunking her empty tray on the bar top. “Damn, it’s busy tonight.”



Her brother whirled toward her. “Felicity?”



She glanced over and her jaw dropped. “Garrett? What’re you doing here?” Then her gaze zipped between me, him, and Tad.



“I think he was trying to apologize for fucking up my life, except I never actually heard a sorry.”



Garrett sent me a scowl before he returned his attention to City. “I should’ve known you two would find yourselves back together.” Then he shocked the shit out of me when he murmured, “Good.”



City shared a stunned arch of the eyebrows with me before she said, “So...how’s everyone at home?”



Her brother shrugged. “No idea. I haven’t seen them in years.”



She cocked her head to the side. “Say what?”



“Though I heard Max has taken after Dad and become another soulless, life-sucking businessman. He was always worse than the old man if you ask me. He’d put on a good front, act like your friend...then bam...stab you in the fucking back.”



“What’re you talking about?” City demanded.



“I’m talking about our family. Just...everything. They’re heartless. Watching you walk out on the parents was the most badass, courageous thing I ever saw. I swear, I hated you then because I wished I could’ve done it first. Took me a month after you left to work up the balls to escape myself.” He shared a look with Tad—a look that only lovers shared—and then he took the other man’s hand.