34. Scott

34

SCOTT

“ F ucking bastard.” I pounded my closed fist onto the marble counter. “He’d better be gone or I’m going to beat the ever loving shit out of his trust fund baby face.” I heard the hatred in my words and relished the thought of putting Chad in his place. No one mistreated Hannah.

“Careful.” Ryland slapped a hand to my shoulder and kneaded the tight muscles. “No pansy ass like that is worth going to jail over.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go to jail.” A fully feral smile peeled my lips back from my teeth. “I’d make sure of that.” I’d never been so mad in my fucking life. “Where’s Arthur?”

“Here.” He jogged down the steps with Megan on his heels. She took one look at us and paled.

“What’s happened? Is Hannah okay?”

“Ryland, fill her in. I can’t.” I was capable of punching and cursing but not much else until I calmed down. If I ever calmed down. “Let’s go.”

“I should stay here.” Megan hesitated in the middle of the foyer. She’d changed from pajamas to an old pair of sweats and left her hair in a knotted mess. It was so different from her usual attire that I raised a brow at Arthur. Whatever conversation they’d had did something. Something good. The cursing, screaming Megan had been replaced with a much softer version.

“You’re coming with us.” I made a hurry up motion. “Hannah might need a woman around. You’re close enough.”

“Wow. Was that supposed to be a compliment?” Megan covered her mouth with one hand, a pretend gasp echoing in the foyer.

“For fuck’s sake. Forget it.” I turned my back on her. “Get in the damned car before I haul your body out the door and throw you in.”

“Geez. Calm down.” Megan squeezed past me and dug into the closet. She came up with a pair of brown Uggs and yanked them on over her fuzzy socks. “You’re so bossy when you’re pissed.”

“Damned fucking right. No one messes with Hannah. Especially not some immature punk who thinks she’ll just roll over for him because they share a past.” I refused to say that they shared a daughter. He may have contributed the sperm that helped create Liddy but it ended there. I spewed another rush of curses. “Is everyone finally the fuck ready? You have five seconds or I’m going alone.”

Arthur stomped over and held out his hand. “Keys.”

“Right here.” I waved them in his face.

“No. Give me the keys. You’re not driving.” He had that protective stance and locked jaw that I knew better than to protest against. He was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to hand over the keys and take a step back. “Now we can go.” Arthur shoved open the front door.

Deena poked her head out from the library. “Anything I can do?”

“If you have the ingredients for it, can you fix Hannah’s favorite dinner? Maybe have some tea ready? I’ll text you when we’re close.”

Deena made her way across the foyer. “Of course. Text me if she asks for anything else.”

Bright light reflected off the snow, forcing me to shield my eyes. The black SUV sat at the end of the curved drive. Arthur pressed the button and the engine roared to life.

“Ryland in the back with Scott. Megan and I will take the front.” Arthur opened the door for Megan, then rounded the hood after he closed it behind her. Megan neither argued nor put up a fuss of any kind.

Maybe hell had frozen over and Arthur got his Christmas miracle after all.

Three doors slammed in unison and we peeled out of the driveway. Arthur handled the SUV in his typical careful fashion. I leaned in between the seats. “That pedal on the right will make this go faster.”

“And it could also make us end up in the ditch with Hannah waiting on us,” Arthur shot back without taking his eyes from the road.

“Bastard,” I muttered.

“Nag,” Arthur shot back.

Megan rolled her lips together, her shoulders shaking with repressed laughter. Even Ryland snorted.

“God, you three are awful.”

“Hey, I didn’t say anything.” Ryland held up his hands in surrender. “This is all those two.”

The distraction almost worked. Almost. But the anger remained in full force.

The town unraveled around us. A decorated shop sent reflections of Christmas lights spiraling out across the road as a breeze ruffled some garland draped over the doors and windows.

“Where is she?” Arthur leaned forward and squinted.

“Across from the ice cream shop.” I peered out my window, searching for any sign of Hannah and Liddy. “I told her to stay put.”

“Think she listened?” Megan asked.

My growl was her answer and she wilted in her seat. Regret pummeled hard and fast. “Sorry. It’s not you, Megan. I’m piss-poor company right now.”

“Preaching to the choir.” One side of her mouth hitched up. “You’re a pretty scary dude when you’re pissed. But it’s kind of nice to see you so riled up over Hannah. Never known you to care about a woman before.”

That shut me the fuck up. She’d fileted me with nothing more than a handful of words. Truthful ones.

Snow trickled onto the windshield. Arthur flipped on the wipers and leaned in closer to the steering wheel. “Anyone got eyes on her? Check your phones for missed calls or messages. Megan, can you check mine? It’s in my coat pocket.”

Surprise widened her eyes but she dug into his coat and found the phone. Tapping the screen to wake it up she froze as a picture of her from the previous Christmas filled the screen.

“Anything?” Arthur asked then rattled off the lock code.

Megan unlocked the phone and did a quick scroll. “Nothing.”

“There.” Ryland pointed. “Blue bench in front of the market. Pull over, Arthur. There’s an open spot.” He unlocked his seatbelt and reached for the door handle.

I beat him out of the SUV and tore across the road, over the sidewalk straight to Hannah’s side.

She sat on the bench with Liddy in her lap, the two of them huddled up close together as snow peppered the air and landed on their hoods. Liddy spotted me and pointed. “There’s Scott.”

“Where’s Chad?” I caught Liddy when she jumped into my arms. She hugged me, then lunged for Ryland.

Hannah stood and swiped snow from her face with a gloved hand. “He’s gone.”

“Are you cold? Do you need a blanket?” Arthur and Megan joined us. “You should have gone inside where it was warm.”

“I needed to be out here.” Hannah held her arms tight to her sides, her hands gripping her coat.

I pulled her in for a hug. “I’m going to destroy him for what he did.”

She snuggled against my chest, her body shaking. From fear, anger, or cold, I couldn’t tell. “He’s gone, Scott. It’s over, and I’m fine.”

“Fine my ass. You’re shaking.” I framed her face in my hands. “Tell me where to find him.”

She shook her head. “No. It’s my fault for letting him get to me. I just don’t understand how he could walk away from Liddy a second time.”

Liddy seemed none the worse for his abandonment. She chattered away in Ryland’s arms, telling him all about Santa and his reindeer. I brought my attention back to Hannah. “That’s not on you. Nothing you or Liddy did is the cause of this. The man’s an asshole.”

“Agreed.” Arthur grinned at Liddy when she patted his face and asked if he wanted to see her Santa picture. The distraction kept her from hearing most of the conversation… I hoped.

“He tried to kiss me.” Hannah turned stiff as wood in my arms. “It was disgusting, and I pushed him away. That’s when I told him I was pregnant.”

I held on to the tail end of my anger, keeping it leashed and out of my way. “He forced himself on you?”

“Just the kiss.” She shuddered. “That was enough. I guess he thought that I’d go right back to sleeping with him because I agreed to see him today, though I have no idea where he got that idea.”

There were not enough foul names in all the languages combined to express my hatred for this piece of shit. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“He left as soon as I told him I was pregnant. Basically ran away like I’d threatened to take all of his money and light it on fire. It brought back all those old feelings of rejection and being alone. I’m so tired of being alone.”

It was the first time she’d mentioned that particular need, and it resonated with my own loneliness. “You’re not alone, Hannah. We will always be here for you.” For her, Liddy, and the babies. All three of her children were loved by all three of us. “Your emotions are valid. Don’t ever let anyone make you think you need to bottle them up to make them more comfortable.”

Megan made a noise almost like a laugh, but her expression remained cautious and openly curious. She was the best I’d ever seen at making her emotions everyone else’s problems. That didn't make them wrong or bad, simply difficult.

“I miss Dad.” Tears leaked from her eyes and swept down her cheeks. “He never, not for a second, let me feel unwanted. He lost Mom, and that almost broke him, but he didn’t let it come between us. He loved me unconditionally. Like a child should be loved.”

The snow intensified, fat flakes swirling around us. We were back in our winter wonderland snow globe, the lights from the shops enhancing the effect. Christmas carols filtered in from a distance. Arthur, Ryland, Megan, and Liddy created a circle around me and Hannah. We were wrapped up in our own little cocoon of love.

“You are still loved. And wanted.” I wiped her tears away. “You will never be unwanted. There is not a thing you can do that will change how we feel about you.” It wasn’t exactly saying I love you, but I’d never come this close to falling for a woman before. Admitting I’d die for her was one thing; making myself emotionally available was something else, a deeper something I hesitated to fully express. I meant every word, I loved her. I’d tell her soon, but not when emotions were so high she might discount my words later as being said in the heat of the moment.

“We should get off the sidewalk.” Ryland tipped his head toward a growing crowd. “We’re gathering attention.” He spun his camera bag around. “I’ll see if I can keep them from coming closer.” He snapped a picture of the shop behind us, grinned, then waved at the couple strolling past before snapping a second picture. “These will look great in the newspaper.” The couple smiled and walked a little faster.

“The hell with it.” I didn’t give a damn if the whole world saw. I kissed her cheek. “We’ll take care of you and the kids for the rest of our lives.”

“Scott.” She whispered my name in that delicate tone. “You don’t have to say that.” And that response was the very reason why I waited to tell her I loved her. She’d find a way to discount the words, and I was man enough to admit I was too fragile to have her throw my love back in my face. When I told a woman that for the first time, it would be Hannah. I’d never love anyone the way I loved her.