Page 100 of Any Second Now
I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t notice what is happening in front of the Pink Palace until I pull up and find the spot next to Raleigh’s car already taken by a shitty compact car.
And then my eyes land on Raleigh.
She’s standing in front of her RV with a dude. A dude who looks like he belongs in a tiny cubicle at some soulless corporation that make something dumb like door knobs or garden hoses.
It’s gotta be her ex-husband.
But what thefuckis he doing here?
Raleigh’s eyes are wide as she watches me pull to a stop.
A primal instinct takes over and I wrench the door to the Wrangler open and hop out. I clench my fists as I stride over to them. Raleigh’s watching, and his gaze swivels to me. It seems to take a million years to walk the handful of feet to where they are standing.
“Who’s this?” The guy says and turns back to Raleigh, as if I’m just some annoying neighbor or a fucking flower delivery driver.
“It’s Lucy’s brother. Who lives in Fort Collins.” Raleigh throws one hand up in the air. She’s clearly annoyed at him. And at me? She didn’t toss me a smile, exasperated or otherwise. “You know who Atticus is.”
Jacob stares at me with narrowed eyes. I’ve got at least five inches and seventy pounds on this guy, and his confident look only lasts a split second before he flinches and breaks eye contact.
“Yeah, from the ridiculous cross-stitch video,” he mumbles.
Does this dude have a death wish? How dare he talk shit about our video. That was pure art. The best thing I’ve ever posted on social media.
“Yup. That’s me.” I enunciate each word carefully.
“I’m Jacob,” he says in a voice that he probably thinks is strong, but reveals his uncertainty with a slight wobble. “Raleigh’s husband.”
I’m going to end this asshole.
“Very muchex-husband,” she says quickly and glares at him.
“Atticus Knox.” I pause. “Raleigh’s boyfriend.”
Both of them drop their jaws at the last word.
“Boyfriend?” Jacob darts a look at Raleigh, but she keeps staring at me, the spot between her eyebrows crinkled into double lines. Her eyes are wide and the corners of her lovely pink lips turned down.
Well, shit. That was the wrong thing to say, I guess, especially before we even talked about what we are. Not that we were ever going to do that. There was no need since our end date is both close and clear.
“I’m not sure there needs to be labels,” Raleigh says carefully, looking at me with a blank stare and then at Jacob with a withering expression. He looks down and kicks a pile of gravel like a chastised child.
“Jacob arrived a little while ago. I didn’t know he was in town. I didn’t realize he was coming to see me,” Raleigh says, her words to me but her current glare directed at her ex-husband. He meets her gaze, his expression much softer and filled with tenderness. “He wasn’t invited.”
“But I know you like surprises,” he says.
Does she? Shit, I don’t even know. But given the look on her face, maybe he doesn’t know either.
I don’t like the tension between them. Right now it’s negative, but I think any kind of tension between two people could turn into something. Hate could turn into passion. Anger into ecstasy.
Especially given their history.
They were married.
Husband and wife.
Now we’re all standing around staring at each other. I want to send this asshole away. I want to do more than send him away, actually, but that would have to do. It’s up to Raleigh, and she’s just standing here, not saying a damn thing.
“Raleigh and I have some really important things to talk about.” Jacob turns to Raleigh as he speaks. He’s probably too chicken to hold my gaze.
