Hank cocked his head, having a hard time reading her expression. Scared…soft, love, hesitation. What was going on? “Baby, what’s up?”
“Jesus.” She put her mug down. “This is harder than I thought.” She held his concerned stare. “I love you. You know that right? I just want you happy.”
Hank put his mug on the railing and crossed his arms. He braced cause this conversation was not starting out good…at all. “Arissa,” he said firmly and kept on. “I am happy and love you. What in the fuck is going on?”
Her mouth opened to tell him when she heard the car door at the same time he did. She turned seconds before Phoebe appeared, looking how Arissa was feeling…worried and a little sick in the stomach. Turning back to Hank, she could not read his expression at all. Her voice was really soft when she said, “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
Hank felt like he had been punched…no, kicked square in the gut. All the breath in his lungs flew out in the deep exhale he took through his nose. His eyes left the woman he once loved and moved to the woman he was currently in love with. Confusion hit him as his head swung back and forth. Both looking at him with worried looks on their faces. Anger grew with every passing second. Then he leveled hard eyes on Arissa. “What in the fuck is going on?” he rumbled, trying to keep his shit in check.
Arissa’s heart sank, even knowing he was going to be upset, seeing him upset was really hard to watch. “Can you give her a chance? There’s more to why she left than you know.”
His eyes drifted to Phoebe. Jesus, she was gorgeous. Didn’t look like she had aged a day since she left. But she did leave…left him and now she was standing on his deck. His brows drew together when his eyes moved back to Arissa. He kept them on her as his voice grew deep and menacing when he said, “Someone needs to start explaining this shit…now.”
Arissa wanted to go to him but she didn’t dare. Instead, she did as he asked. “I love you. More than I’ve ever loved anyone but you once loved her and she loves you and what you don’t know…” She exhaled; let it out slowly. “You deserve to see if there’s still something there without the bullshit and the lies. She didn’t leave. She was run off, Hank. And I love you enough that I’m ready to step back so you can make the decision about your future, one that’s based on truth and not lies. Because in her shoes, I’d want that chance.”
His eyes bounced back and forth, he stood from his leaning position before he roared, “What the fuck?”
She braced because she knew he wasn’t going to like the next part. “She left because your mother chased—”
Hank threw his hands up in the air. “Here we fucking go again!” he bellowed. “This?” He waved a hand between the three of them. “Is all fucking bullshit.” He settled on Arissa, her eyes were soft and apologetic. But his were hard, hurt, and burning with anger. “You…” He nodded toward her. “You did this? And all cause you thought my mom got in the way?”
She expected anger, and still her eyes burned, but she told him the truth. “I did this because knowing you shared what we have with someone else, and knowing there was a chance I wasn’t your choice just what you ended up with, it’s not fair to any of us.”
Hank looked at Phoebe, her hands twisting in front of her. He felt no remorse for her inner turmoil. “And you, what the fuck you gotta say?”
Phoebe’s gaze moved from Hank to Arissa and back again. “I want to make it right,” she whispered.
Hank tossed his hands up, shook his head, huffing, “I’m not fucking getting this.” He looked between the two of them. “For fucks sake, I’m the damn sheriff, solve shit and this…” He waved an arm around. “I don’t fucking get.” He looked at Arissa. “You…” He pointed and asked, “You brought her here to see if she was my number one?”
Arissa held her ground even though her legs were struggling to hold her up. “I guess you could put it that way. She loves you, you love her and she—”
“Come again?” Hank interrupted Arissa with a hard tone and a cocked brow.
“She loves you, you love her.”
“Stop!” he roared, his voice echoing across the serene landscape. His breathing picked up, his chest rising and falling. His dark turbulent eyes leveled on Arissa. “I love you. Do not say or think anything else. I fucking love you, so stop saying I fucking love her.” He ended with a hand tossed in Phoebe’s direction.
Phoebe’s eyes filled, her gaze shifting from Hank to Arissa.
Emotion caught in the back of Arissa’s throat, his words playing over in her head. How had she ever thought otherwise?
Hank didn’t let either of them speak, but he did let the silence sit a second. Letting the women soak in his words. “My number one…” The women had their eyes fixed on him but his were only on Arissa. “Is you, Arissa. You think if I wanted Phoebe I’d be with you?” He saw her open her mouth to talk but beat her to it. “You think I wouldn’t have chased after her? No matter what anyone said or thought. Did that thought ever cross your mind?”
Arissa couldn’t stop the tears that filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She hadn’t thought of that, so focused on his happiness, on what she believed he’d lost, that she hadn’t thought that this was Hank. If he wanted something, he’d take it. In a sense, she wasn’t acting any better than his mother. All she could say was simply. “Forgive me.”
Hank moved his eyes from Arissa;
