Page 5 of Far from Destined
“It’s not.”
“It is. Come on, let’s just go.” I took the coffee from Nate, nodded at him, and then left the building. The bell over the door echoed in my head, sounding like a fucking gunshot. I tripped over my feet, the coffee sloshing out of the cup, and cursed, not even feeling the heat.
“Fuck, are you okay?” Nate asked from behind me.
“I’m fine. Let’s just go. I’ll take you home.”
“We still need to talk.”
“You know, I think I’ve had enough talking for the night.”
“Macon.”
“No, you got what you wanted. Everyone’s going to know that I’m a fucking asshole, and that’s fine.”
“That is not what I wanted. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine. As you can see, everything is just dandy. I’m scaring women and children, to the point where she’s never going to talk to me again. But it doesn’t matter, does it? Because it’s not like she ever wanted to before.”
“Macon.”
Sweat covered my body as my hands went clammy, and I did my best to catch my breath, the sound of the gun cocking filled my ears again, the taste of blood in my mouth as if it just happened, the scream echoing in my head as Hazel shouted my name.
“I need to get home.”
“Okay, I’ll get you there.”
“I need to go home,” I repeated.
“I’ve got you. I’m driving. We’re going.”
He led me to the truck, and I got in, making sure the coffee was in its holder before covering my face with my hands and trying to catch my breath.
“I’m sorry,” my little brother whispered.
“Not your fault. I’m the asshole.”
“You’re not.”
“Then why does it feel like I am?”
“You’re not,” he repeated. “She’ll talk to you again. She’s just had a tough couple of days.”
“Why?” I asked, giving him a sharp look. “What happened?” I hated that I was so protective of Dakota. She didn’t want me in her life. She’d made that perfectly clear. Only I needed to help her fix things despite that she hated it when I tried. That was on me, and I was usually better at giving her space.
“It’s just busy with the café, I think. I don’t know for sure. It’s just what I overhear from the girls. We’re all one big group. We’ll make it work. She’s not going to take Joshua from you.”
I snorted, ignoring the pain in my heart at my brother’s words. “He’s not my kid, Nate.”
“That kid worships the ground you walk on.”
“He shouldn’t. Look where I am.”
“You’re with your brother, and you’re going home. And you’re going to stop making stupid decisions. I think that’s a pretty good place to be.”
I didn’t say anything else, knowing there was nothing to say.
I deserved the looks she gave me, any ounce of hatred she threw my way. I was doing things that weren’t good for me, even though I was supposed to be the nice guy.