Page 64 of Ride By Your Side

“No, he’s not, but he shouldn’t get to go around spewing hateful shit from that disgusting mouth of his,” I say, my grip tightening on the neck of his shirt. “He doesn’t deserve to be in your presence, let alone to ever be able to say your name aloud.”

“This is just priceless,” Pete laughs, though there’s no shred of humor in his voice. It’s laced with something unhinged, almost manic, as he swats at my hand. Only for Veronica’s sake, I let go. He straightens, brushing himself off with exaggerated disdain. “Honestly, I think I dodged a bullet. I already felt like I wassettling when I proposed, but if her idea of moving on is hooking up with the town reject, well... I guess I wasn’t wrong. Go ahead, Veronica,” he says, his voice dripping with venom as his eyes dart toward her. “If trash is what you’re into, don’t let me stop you.”

His words mean nothing to me. I’ve heard that same thing, as well as all the other variations of it, since I was a kid. But clearly, Veronica has taken it to heart as her eyes harden and she raises her hand into the air as if to smack him.

Luckily, there seems to be just enough time to step in as I wrap my arms around her middle and pull her back into me. “He’s not worth it, remember? Who cares what this fucker thinks?” I whisper into her ear, doing my best to remind her of what she just told me. Yes, I get it. I hadn’t liked what he said abouthereither, but I certainly don’t need her fighting my battles or having any regrets on my account.

“I’ll be with whomever the hell I want, Pete,” Veronica finally fires back, her voice sharp as her eyes burn with anger. Despite my earlier suggestion to let it slide, I can’t help the surge of pride at the fiery determination pouring out of her. “And let me tell you something—anyone, and I mean anyone, would be a step up from you, you miserable excuse for a human. Oh, and for the record, Miles is more of a man than you could ever dream of being. So why don’t you save us all the misery, take the real trash out of here, and walk your sorry ass out of this bar.”

A few claps ring out, starting with Blair and Ford, but in this nosy town, it’s no surprise that everyone else in this room has stopped to watch the inevitable train wreck. It isn’t long before the entire bar joins in.

Pete’s eyes narrow, and as he opens his mouth to say more, I release my grip on Veronica’s waist and take a step toward him. “Ihighlysuggest you do what the lady says.”

“Whatever,” he grumbles, running a hand through his hair, trying to hold on to the incredibly small scrap of dignity he has left as he waves his hand dismissively and turns to leave, a few of his buddies following behind him.

“Good luck with that political career of yours,” Blair calls after him, a smug grin on her face. I’m pretty sure he lost a lot of respect from the people of Evergreen tonight. Everyone knows that Veronica Prescott is the town’s sweetheart, and if you mess with her, you’re messing with everyone else.

My eyes follow Pete, making sure he actually leaves the building before turning back toward the woman of the hour. “You okay?” I ask, my eyes searching her face. While there seems to be a smile there, it looks forced, and her body trembles in response.

“Yeah, I think so.” She nods before letting out a breath as her eyes sink toward the floor, the weight of what just happened fully consuming her.

“Should we get some air?” I ask, reaching for her hand, not caring who watches. We’re already going to be a huge topic of conversation, so why not give them something real to talk about?

“Yeah, I think I could use some,” she agrees, lifting her gaze to mine.

“You guys keep having fun. We’re going to go out back for a few minutes,” I tell Blair and Ford, and my sister raises an eyebrow. I’m sure it’s normal for her to be the one comforting her best friend in times like these, but there’s no way I’m leaving her side tonight, especially not after everything that just happened.

“Alright, well, just let me know if you guys need anything,” Blair says, her eyes moving between the two of us as we uniformly nod. The crowd parts for us as we make our way down the hallway, past the restrooms, and out the back door leading to the empty alley.

She has every right to feel hurt and overwhelmed by what just happened and what I revealed in front of everyone, but I can only hope that none of the pain she’s feeling is because of something I did or said. Either way, I have every intention of making it up to her. Whatever it takes to see a smile on that perfect face of hers, I’ll do it—no questions asked.

37

Veronica

Walkingintothecrispspring air, I take a minute to fill my lungs and take in a much-needed breath to steady my racing heart.

“You sure you’re okay?” Miles asks as the large metal door slams behind us, giving us the privacy I crave. Normally, I’m all for the extra attention my usual antics bring on, but right now, I need to be away from prying eyes as I pull myself together.

“I think so. Who knows, maybe this was all for the best. Running into Pete was going to happen at some point, so why not have it happen in front of the entire town?” I cringe, pushing my bottom lip out into a pout.

“I know the timing wasn’t ideal, but at least now everyone has seen past the act he’s been putting on. The mask finally slipped, and the truth came out for everyone to see.”

“I hope you’re right.” I sigh, letting my back fall against the red-brick wall. “He was pretty good at hiding his true colors, though, wasn’t he?” I muse, mostly to myself. Not only had Ifallen for all of it, but I also let our relationship get way more serious than it ever should’ve. The fact that I let us even reach the point of a wedding day is beyond embarrassing. How could I have been so naive?

“Normally, I’d take the time to brag and say that I always knew that guy was a piece of shit, even all the way back in high school, but I’m sure that’s the last thing we need to talk about,” he says, sliding in next to me and leaning one foot against the wall as he crosses his arms.

“No, not exactly,” I agree, my head tilting to rest on his shoulder.

“You aren’t mad at me, are you?” he asks as I glance up at him.

“Why would I be mad at you? You had my back in there. That was huge and meant everything to me.”

He shrugs his opposite shoulder as he looks down at the ground. “Well, I did just out our marriage to the entire town. Pretty sure that within the next hour, everyone in Evergreen is going to know about us.”

I let out a soft, breathy chuckle. “Honestly, that’s the least of my worries right now. Plus, maybe it should be out there. I’m horrible at keeping secrets, and it’s not like this is something that will probably shock a lot of people. I’m kind of known for my crazy antics.”

“That may be true, but the fact that you ended up with me, of all people, is likely pretty shocking. Even I don’t fully understand it.”

---