“If you’re looking for a fight, it’ll have to wait,” Brody said as we walked out of the barn, our eyes on Noah as he chased the dog across the field.
“I’m not looking for a fight.”
“Sure you are,” he said. “You think I stole something that was yours.”
“Because you did. Lila was always mine.”
“If you loved her so much, you should have stuck around instead of fucking off and leaving her. Second thought, nah. She was better off without you.”
My jaw clenched and I could feel my teeth grinding together. Brody had always been an asshole but he’d taken it to a whole different level when he went for Lila. I blamed him for all of it.
“When I asked you to take care of her, sleeping with her was not what I meant.” Even now, after all these years, it still cut me to the core that he would do that. “You were like a brother to me. I trusted you. How could you do that?”
“You. Fucked. Up.” He pointed his finger at me. “And you have nobody to blame except yourself.”
“Why Lila? Of all the girls you could have gone for, why her?” I gritted out.
“You destroyed her and I was there to pick up the pieces. Not you. Me. I loved Lila as much as you did. Before everything, she was our best friend. And when you see a person you love suffering you want to make it better for them. That’s something you should understand. Since you’ve always had a hero complex.”
“Fuck you. Have you forgotten all the times I had your back? Have you forgotten Odessa?”
“I never asked you to come to Odessa with me. I could have handled that on my own. I had it all under control.”
I laughed. “You stupid fuck. You had nothing under control. You would have ended up in prison. Just like your old man.” It was a low blow, and I knew it, but that didn’t make it less true.
“I tried to repay my debt to you. I tried to save you from yourself,” he said. “When you came back, you were so fucked up. I was dragging you home from bars when you were too drunk to even stand up. You tried to commit suicide. She was out of her fucking mind with worry. Scared to leave your side.”
I was having trouble breathing. I wanted him to shut up but he kept talking.
“We were all worried about you. But we were worried about Lila too. You think I don’t recognize abuse when I see it?”
“I didn’t...” I took deep breaths through my nose. In. Out. In. Out. Because it was true. Whether I’d done it intentionally or not, I’d abused her.
My memories of that time were hazy. Probably because I was always drunk or high on something.
“Yeah. You can’t even deny it, can you?” I couldn’t deny it. It was why I left her. “She tried to hide it. Lied about it to protect you, you stupid fuck.”
“Stop,” I gritted out. “Just fucking stop.”
“No. You need to hear this. You promised her you’d always be there for her. You broke your promises and you fucking broke her. So you don’t get to come over here accusing me of anything. She’s happy now. She has a son to raise and a business to run. You need to stay the fuck away from her. You don’t deserve her. Not anymore. Not after all the shit you put her through.”
“And you think you do? What did you think would happen, Brody? You’d get her pregnant and she’d choose you?”
“She’ll always be a part of my life. We’ve got a son together. What have you given her besides a shitload of bad memories?”
Bastard. Red hot anger bubbled to the surface. I grabbed him by the shirt and flung him. He stumbled then righted himself and lunged at me. “That’s the best you can do? Pussy,” he taunted. He jutted out his chin and held out his arms. “First shot’s free.”
Brody had it coming.
I took the first swing. My knuckles slammed into his nose. Blood spewed all over, but I didn’t stop. Another punch to the gut, and I thought he’d go down, but he didn’t.
He slammed his fist into my jaw. I shook my head and tackled him to the ground, raining punches on him.
“Brody! Jude!”
Dazed, I looked over at Lila just as Brody’s fist connected with my temple. Blindsiding me. Motherfucker. I rolled onto my back and we lay there writhing and panting, my hand on my head.
“Oh my God. What is wrong with you two?”
Head pounding, vision blurred, I sat up and waited a few seconds for the world to stop spinning. Then I got to my feet, weaving a little and took a few deep breaths to steady myself. The funny part? I could have beat him to a bloody pulp but I’d held back. And he’d punched me in the head. My weak spot.
Like I said, Brody had always fought dirty.
“Brody. Where’s Noah?”
“Fuck,” he said.
Brody put his fingers between his lips and whistled. Seconds later, the border collie raced across the field and stopped at his feet then sat up and looked at him. “Shit. Buster. Where’s Noah?”
“You’re asking a dog where your son is?” Lila asked, panic raising her voice a couple octaves.
“It’ll be okay,” I assured her. “He couldn’t have gone far. We’ll find him.”
She shook her head and strode toward the barn. “Noah!”
The three of us separated, calling his name. I headed in the direction where I’d last seen him when he ran across the field chasing the dog that was now following close on Brody’s heels.
“Noah,” I called as I jogged across the field. Up ahead, I saw a flash of red dart behind a live oak and I slowed my pace, my approach stealthy and quiet so he wouldn’t run again. When I reached the tree, his head popped out to check if I’d caught him. Having spotted
