Page 28 of When It Reins
Good again.
I cock back my right arm, and knowing this is not really warranted or prompted, I let it fly into the fucker’s nose, hearing and sadistically loving the sound of the bones crunching under my hand.
“Mitch!” I ignore Juniper’s plea, feeling her standing somewhere behind me where she moved and watching David crumple to the ground with little to no effort on my part.
What a little bitch.
“Hey!” I turn and see my cousin through marriage and old good friend CT emerge from the house, followed by his brother and my own. They look at the scene in front of them, and I look away, ready for whatever kind of scolding I am going to get.
I look down, taking a step backward, and nearly run Juniper over. I turn, unconcerned with the man who’s crying on the ground and calling foul play, and look at Juniper. Her eyes are glossy, and she grabs my hand, feeling the bloody knuckles, and holds it between her own. I can see her relief and fear, and she shakes her head before laying it against my chest.
“Thank you.” The words are quiet enough that I don’t know if she means for me to hear them, but I do.
I wrap an arm around her, pulling her in tight, and this tension that’s been coiled tight around my heart releases with the feel of this woman against me.
She is picking my side. It’s been a long time since someone chose me, and I am feeling overwhelmed with gratitude and relief that it is she who does.
“Hey, buddy.” CT approaches David, who’s been yelling nonsense since I hit him. “I think it’s time to go.”
My brothers come closer and insert themselves between Juniper and me and David, acting as a barrier.
“What? He hit me!” I don’t turn to look, and Juniper keeps her head buried in my chest.
I hold her tighter, because there is no fucking way I am letting her go again.
“Is that what you boys saw? Cause I saw this guy approaching Mitch first.” Logan says, surprising me. I look over and catch his eye as Stetson chimes in.
“Yup, that’s what I saw too. Mitch was just defending himself and little Junie there.” I feel Juniper let out a laugh at the name, and I smile, tilting my head down toward her and resting my forehead against the top of her head.
“Well, looks like we all saw the same thing then,” CT continues, and I hear David sputtering. “Guess you better go. Never know if Mitch will want to press charges or something.”
“This is bullshit!” David yells, his words not penetrating the little bubble I’ve created in my arms. “Juniper, let’s go.”
She pushes into me harder at his words. Yeah, no way in fuck am I letting her go with him.
“Juniper,” he demands, and I lift my head, putting on my bestyou better not fucking say another wordglare. Stepping back, he scoffs as he looks at all of us. “Fine. Whatever. She’s all yours then.”
Without another word, thankfully, he stomps off to his car, throwing rocks and gravel around as he peels out of the driveway.
Good fucking riddance.
“Let me get you an ice pack for that hand,” Logan says, patting me on the back as the boys disperse from the lawn.
A few minutes later, we’re sitting on the stairs to the front porch, no longer holding hands technically, but Juniper is holding an ice pack on my hand.
I let her, knowing that this little thing she is doing might make her feel better. She hasn’t spoken since we held each other on the lawn, but she hasn’t left my side either.
“Are you okay?” I finally ask after long moments of silence. I can tell there’s a little bit of shock working its way through her system, but Juniper normally tries to act like everything is fine.
Right now, she isn’t. And that tells me she is comfortable enough with me to not do that.
“I’ll be fine. Sorry you got hurt on my account.” Her eyes don’t leave my hand, but I’m looking right at her. Her brown hair falls forward, trying to block her from my sight, and I clumsily reach over with my left hand, tucking the hair behind her ear.
“I’m not sorry,” I say, knowing that even that small amount of reassurance would work on her.
“I know.” A grin cracks her lips, and she finally looks at me. “You’ve been dying to do that, haven’t you?”
I try and fail to hide a smile at the accusation. “Not at all.”
