Page 71 of The Wives of Hawthorne Lane
Libby has never seen this side of Bill before. There’s something wild and animalistic in the way he stands, the muscles in his shoulders tense, his teeth bared.
“That boy,” Colin spits, “needs to stay the hell away from my daughter.”
Bill shakes with anger. “If you touch either of them again, I swear I’ll—”
But before he can finish the threat, Seth Warrington breaks through the crowd, his features twisted with hatred as he sets his sights on Colin.
“You!” he shouts. He lunges for him and swiftly tackles him to the ground. Colin’s eyes grow wide, his mouth a rounded O of surprise as he lands on the asphalt. “I’m going to fucking kill you!” Seth exclaims.
Libby watches in horrified astonishment as the two men grapple on the pavement. What the hell is going on? Why did Seth, of all people, decide to intervene?
Bill seizes Colin by the shoulders and tosses him off Seth, sending him rolling onto his side.
Libby feels her heart pounding in her chest as Colin scrambles to his feet, and the three men stare each other down, breathing heavily, the anger radiating off them thick and palpable.
Lucas tries to dart around his mother and into the fray, but she grabs him by the arm and holds him back. “You’re staying out of it.”
Tension crackles through the air as Colin looks from Bill to Seth. The crowd has gone silent, and even the cool October breeze holds its breath as if it too is waiting to see what will happen next.
And then, to Libby’s surprise, Colin takes a step back, surely realizing he’s outnumbered. “Just keep your son away from my daughter.” The words are venom dripped from his lips.
Bill glowers at him. “If you ever come near my family again, you won’t live to regret it.” He speaks clearly and evenly, as though this isn’t a threat but a promise. “I swear to you, Colin. I’ll fucking kill you.”
Bill turns then, folds Lucas and Libby under his arms, and leads them through the gathered crowd.
—
“Are you sure you’re allright?”Libby asks Lucas for the third time as they make the short walk to their house.
“I’m fine, Mom. I told you.” But his voice comes out as jagged as broken glass.
“How about you and I go for a walk together?” Bill suggests, herding Lucas toward the opposite sidewalk. “Give you a minute to cool off.”
“Yeah,” Lucas responds, nodding. “Yeah, okay.”
Libby isn’t keen on letting Lucas out of her sight at the moment, but he’ll be with Bill, and she knows Bill won’t let anything happen to their son.
“Be careful!” she calls after them nonetheless as she watches them go off together. “I’ll see you at home!”
Libby feels herself deflate as soon as they turn off the street, away from the crowded festival, and walk toward the path through the woods.They’ll be back soon,she reminds herself.Lucas is okay.She repeats it like a promise in her head.Lucas is okay.
But what if he hadn’t been? What if she and Bill hadn’t gotten there in time? The thought makes her shudder with a cold chill.I would have killed Colin tonight.The thought comes to her clear and final. If he’d hurt her son, Libby would have murdered Colin in cold blood, and she would have done it without an ounce of remorse. The idea is both frightening and liberating, like peering into the dark, unexplored depths of her own rage. Libby never knew she was capable of such things, but she’s certain now that she is. She would do anything to protect her son.
Libby forces herself to take deep breaths as she walks the rest of the way home, climbs the steps to her front porch.Wedidget there,she reminds herself,and Lucas is okay.
“Is this a bad time?”
The sound of a man’s voice on her porch startles her, and her hand rises to her chest in alarm.
Peter stands up from the rocking chair where he’s been waiting for her. “Did I scare you? I’m so sorry!”
“No, it’s…” Libby exhales. In all the commotion she’d forgotten about Peter entirely. “It wasn’t your fault. There was an incident with Lucas, and he’s fine now, but—you know what?” She stops herself, leans in to kiss him deeply. As she does, she feels the anger, the tension begin to drain away. It takes everything not to collapse in his arms as he wraps them around her, safe and secure. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. I’m just glad you’re here.”
A smile breaks across Peter’s face as they part. “With a greeting like that, I am too.”
“Libby?” a small voice calls. Libby peers around Peter’s shoulder to find Hannah slowly ascending the steps to her porch. “I saw some of what happened just now, and I wanted to make sure everyone is okay.”
“Oh, we’ll be fine. I appreciate you checking in, though. Peter,” she says, “this is my friend and neighbor Hannah. Hannah, this is Peter.”
