Chapter Thirty-One

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Barrett

M y phone rings loudly, breaking the laughter of Abel and myself. Reaching over, I see my mom's name on the screen. She hardly ever calls me during the day, so either it's something really good, or something really bad. Fumbling to unlock it, I answer. "What's goin' on, Mama?"

"Hey…"

Her voice doesn't sound quite right, and immediately I'm stopping everything I'm doing and tuning myself into whatever the fuck is happening. "What's wrong?"

She says the words all in a rush, which gives me more anxiety. One thing about my mom, she usually keeps her shit together, and can coherently explain things, no matter what is happening. "Susan and I came into Get Baked, because I wanted her to try that sandwich. You know the one I'm talking about."

I do know the one she's talking about. The special one that Gabby made in honor of me. "I do, but I'm gonna need you to get to the point. I'm about to lose my shit." My heart is about to beat out of its chest, and I need for her to tell me what the fuck is going on.

She groans. "I hate to tell you this. Gabby was served with papers. Apparently, her ex-husband has decided to sue her for Get Baked. I don't know what to do to help her, I think she needs you."

Fury rages through my blood, raising my pressure and making me clench my jaw. "Is she there?"

"Yeah, and she's not doing well. Be nice when you talk to her."

Isn't this a one-eighty? It was me telling her to be nice, and now she's telling me. "I love her, Mom. I'm going to be nice to her. I just need to hear her voice, need to know how she's doing."

There're noises as they presumably switch the phone, and that's when I hear her. She's softly crying, and it breaks my fucking heart. "Gabs, baby, what's wrong?

She sucks in a breath, before pushing it out all in a big rush. "I need you. Everything I've ever wanted in my life is imploding, and I need you."

That's all I need to hear. "I'll be right there." Abel is following after me as I run from the job site.

"What's happening? Is someone hurt?"

"Gabby is." I don't realize until later he actually means physically, but to me it doesn't matter. Whatever hurts her, is a pain that I want to keep from doing so. Whether it be physical, mental, or emotional.

Abel gets into the passenger's seat. "I'm not letting you go by yourself. The look on your face says that you're going to murder whoever did this, and I'm worried. I don't wanna have to visit you in prison. So let me go with you, and let me support you. It's what friends do. I'm gonna be there to save you from yourself. Let's go."

I'm annoyed that he's decided to come with me, because I want to burn it all fucking down. At the same time, I understand that he's trying to save me from myself. "Thank you." The words are terse, and I don't sound grateful, but he's nice enough not to comment.

When we get to Get Baked, I park and throw my truck out of gear, before getting out and running inside. Gabby is an absolute mess, with tears streaking down her red face. My mom, Susan, and Val are surrounding her, hugging her tightly.

"Oh good, you're here." Val sighs. "I'm going to go ahead and close for the day, we're not getting anything else done anyway, we're all too angry. Take care of her. She needs it, and I've never seen her so broken."

I immediately go over to where Gabby is sitting with her head in her hands. "It's all over," she sobs. "There's no way I can fight him. I can't afford it." Her words come out with hiccups and lots more tears. "He's won." She sniffs. "After all of this, he's won."

I push her hair back from her forehead. "Look at me, Gabs. He has not won. I swear to you, I will figure out a way to fix this for you."

"I don't need you to fix it..." She sniffs again, tears streaming down her face. "I just need him to go away." She buries her head in my chest, wrapping her arms around my waist and holding on tight.

Abel looks at me over her shoulder. "I texted Hank. He can help."

I have no idea how that's going to work, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help the woman who makes my life complete. "I love you, Gabby. Come on let's get out of here, let me take you home, and put you to bed. Tomorrow, you can wake up, and we'll face this head on. Okay?"

She wipes at her nose. "Okay. I love you, too."

And with those words, I pick her up, carrying her through the shop, and out to my truck. Looking back, I give my mom a look, silently thanking her for what she's done. "Do I need to take you home?" I ask Abel.

"No, I'll take care of it. I'll be in touch about what Hank told me."

I give him a wave, before turning all my attention to Gabby. This is my chance to prove to her I'm worthy of the second chance she graciously gave me.