Page 50 of Without You, Scotch and Sammy 2

Luc scoffs. “Excuse me, old lady, but you’re older than me. Where’s your man?”

I know this isn’t a joking matter, not really, but I laugh anyway. “I’m already married, Luc. I’ve been married for a long time.

He purses his lips in mock anger. He looks to Ang. “Do you get this feeling that maybe if we just locked them in a room for a week straight, they’d come out all happy and shit? Our group could go back to the way it was, we get to keep Lily, and suddenly the world would start spinning again?”

“Or maybe locking us in a room would only end up with someone dying.”

“I dunno, Soda. It’s been a long time, but I’d bet my left nut if he walked in here right now, the cooties would be in the air just like old times.”

I shake my head sadly. “Nah, not anymore. It’s all done. But it’s a fun ‘pick your own adventure’ fantasy. It could have been our life once, but it’s not anymore. We’ve both changed so much. Now I just need him to help me adopt my baby, and he agreed to do it because he’s a good guy… but he hates me.”

“I don’t think that’s true--”

“He literally told me yesterday, Luc. Loudly. More than once. There’s no way I misinterpreted his message.”

“But--”

“Seriously, stop. I haven’t seen him since he left yesterday. I stayed in his apartment last night, and I literally didn’t see him. I have a brand-new superpower. It’s the ability to run him out of his own home.” I’m such an asshole. “We’re not kids anymore, so lets face facts. Fairytales don’t exist, and love like that can’t be simulated or repeated. It’s done. But he’s a good enough man that he’ll help me with this. And I knew he would. Because that’s just who he is. He’s good to the core.”

“Except when he’s shouting at you and calling you a bitch?” Angelo asks. “And kicking you.”

“He kicked you?” Luc’s face transforms from young and happy and carefree, and turns to murder in a heartbeat. He practically throws Lily into my arms as he turns.

“No, Luc, wait.”

“I don’t care what you did to him. You could have cut his dick off, and he still wouldn’t be allowed to hurt you back.”

“Stop--”

“He’s gone too far, Soda. Time to take it to the yard and teach our boy some manners.”

I grab onto Luc’s arm, swallowing hard when I feel the vibrating muscles beneath. He’s pissed. Super pissed. “Stop, please. Sam is helping me. He tripped on my foot once. That’s it. He probably doesn’t even realize he did it. He was mad, and he was yelling. He walked past me and I didn’t get out of the way fast enough.”

“Women all over the world just did the ‘oh, honey’ thing for you, Soda. You literally just said that you didn’t get out of his way fast enough. That’s not good enough.”

“Luc…”

He turns back around slowly, and his eyes burn a hole right through me. “Don’t try to stop me--”

I push Lily back into his arms, forcing her against his chest and giving him no option but to take her or let her fall. His hard body instantly wraps around her protectively, his eyes softening as her squeak penetrates his anger. “That’s a dirty rotten trick you have now, Soda.”

“You need to chill.”

“You stayed in his apartment last night?”

I nod softly, but I stop when he shakes his head. “You can stay at my place tonight.”

I laugh. I actually let out a freeing peel of laughter. “One, no. Because I don’t wanna have breakfast with your flavor of the week. And two, still no. I’ve made arrangements,” sort of, “with Sam. I need to be at his apartment, not skipping houses and staying with a new guy every night.”

“Soda.”

“Luc.” I squeeze his arm gently. “Everything I do now is for Lily. Everything. That includes trying to make peace with a man who hates my guts.”

“I don’t like it.”

I smile. “You don’t have to. But wow, you kinda went from zero to sixty real quick there, huh? You’re not exactly the carefree joker I remember from high school.”

“I’m still me, and I’m still pissed at that asshole.”

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