Page 27 of A Little Merry

She shrugged. “I don’t really know what he’s capable of.”

“Maybe I should call the sheriff,” I said and pulled out my phone.

She stopped me. “No. I can handle this.” She trotted off to the door and swung it open.

I came up and stood right behind her, hoping this guy would take a step back when he saw me, which he did, two, maybe three or four steps back.

Age wise, early forties, height, five feet six or seven inches, and couldn’t weigh more than a wet noodle. For all his bravado, the only threat I saw was a marriage certificate, if there really was one.

“What are you doing here, Benny? I thought we came to an agreement,” she told him, sounding official and nothing like the Merry Christmas I’d come to know.

“I changed my mind. I want you back.” Then he turned towards me. “Who is this guy? Your new lover?” He took a step closer to me. “She’s still my wife. Did she tell you that? And we have two kids. Did she tell you about our kids?”

“Benny. You know Jamie and Bethany aren’t my kids. They’re yours.”

Well, at least that was something to hang onto.

“They became yours when you married me,” he told her, sounding like a man on the brink. The words that came out of his mouth caused my stomach to pitch.

“I thought we settled all this,” she said, her voice shaky but curt and stern. I only knew the happy Merry, and this was suddenly more like the Merry Widow.

Just who was this woman I’d been falling for?

I didn’t know what was going on, but I wanted out. Wanted to walk the hell away and never look back. I’d been down this road before, and the view sucked.

“We didn’t settle anything,” he spat back. “Nothing was signed, and nothing’s gonna get signed. You have to come back where you belong… and you belong with me, in Omaha.”

Merry turned to me. “Maybe you should go. This might take a while.”

“I don’t think so,” I told her, worried for her safety. “This guy’s too angry.”

“Damn right, I’m angry. I’m shit-faced angry.”

“Okay, let’s calm the fuck down,” I told him, holding up a hand of warning. I’d seen enough fights in my life to know when someone was about to lose it, and I didn’t want him losing it on Merry.

I’d already secretly sent a text to Lucas to get his ass over here. I was hoping I’d hear him on the stairs at any minute.

“Who you talking to, hot shot?” he said, getting up in my face. “You think because you’re taller than me and younger that you scare me? I got news for you… nothin’ scares me. I fought in Afghanistan. In Iraq. Got shot twice and watched my buddies die. Nothin’ scares me.”

“Thank you for your service, but until you calm down, I’m not going anywhere. And even then, I’m not going.”

His hands fisted, and I mentally prepared for that first punch. This guy had seen too much and was in pain. That was now obvious, and although I had respect for him, I also knew what that kind of pain could do, and I wasn’t about to let anything bad happen to anybody.

“Maybe you should come inside,” Merry told him. Her voice calm now, back to normal. “I’ll make some hot tea. You like tea, Benny, remember? I’ll make some mint tea with lots of honey, just the way you like it.”

And with that, his entire demeanor changed. Like she turned off a switch.

“Orange blossom honey?”

“Your favorite!”

I could hardly believe the change in him. Like she’d just drugged him with something powerful.

“Sure. It’s cold out here. And there’s a lot of snow. You know how much I hate snow. It sticks to everything like glue.”

“It does. So come on inside where it’s warm. I have a tree up, and you love Christmas. It’s your favorite holiday.”

She patted his shoulder and guided him inside. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, I heard not only Lucas running up the stairs, but someone was with him… most likely Ethan.

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