Page 13 of When It Reins
“You have grudges against me?” I ask, amused by this.
She scoffs, as if my question is ridiculous. “Yes. I do. You were completely rude to David the other day.”
I must show my shock, because she rolls her eyes. “Oh, come on. You know what I’m talking about.”
“I do,” I reply, running the interaction over in my head. “I can’t recall when I was rude.”
“I—You…you were going to fight in the middle of the street.” That seems to be the best she can do, and I let out a breath.
“He hurt you,” I reply, keeping my tone even. “He’s lucky he can walk, June.”
She grits her teeth and gives me a look that makes me think her future kids will be scared to cross her, but it’s making me want to laugh. “Don’t do anything stupid, Mitch.”
“I’ll defend you if he touches you again, Juniper.”
Juniper sighs and shakes her head. “David’s a good guy.”
“David’s a tool,” I retort, unhooking my thumbs from where they were resting in my jeans pocket. “You’re way too good for him.”
Suddenly, her expression changes, and she looks at me sadly. Shaking her head, she says, “Too good for him, but not good enough for you, huh?”
I frown at that comment, wondering how she’s so completely off base.
She starts to walk away to her car.
“Juniper.”
She waves a hand over her shoulder and hangs her head.
“June.”
“I gotta go,” she calls, opening her car door. “Have a nice weekend.”
I watch as she drives away, my mind racing at all the implications she put there and wonder why I won’t see her this weekend.
I want to tell her how far off base she is.
But I just don’t know how.
8
mitch
I don’t wantto be here, but when your brother, who you’re trying to reconnect with, asks you to come help him, it’s not easy saying no.
“What crawled into your bed and shit in it?” my little brother, Jax, asks, watching Logan and me get a horse ready.
“Nothing.” I glare at him, angry that he’s calling me out. It is hard for me to open up to my family. It’s always been something I wasn’t good at. I was always the one out of the four of us that kept to myself.
It’s the whole reason I started to play the guitar. It was something I could do when we would go to bonfires when we were in high school, something I could contribute to the group without having to talk to everyone.
Since being home, it seems like my family is tired of me not talking, but none of them ever pushes me.
Except Jax.
He and I were the closest growing up, and he and I had the worst of the falling out when I was away. Now, he’s the one that pushes me the hardest.
“You seem in a foul mood,” Jax comments, throwing a handful of trail mix into his mouth.
