Page 5 of Yours To Keep
“Look, let’s just calm down here.” My father, ever the mediator, says. I stand, wiping my mouth with my napkin and placing a kiss on my father’s cheek.
“Thank you for this incredible waste of time, mother. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dad.” I move to leave, but Aaron’s voice stops me in my tracks.
“If I don’t marry you, Magnolia, you’ll be alone. Forever.” He sounds so certain, as if he knows anything at all about me and my life. A vision of crystal blue eyes, tattoos, and a devilishly handsome smile flashes through my mind. Before I can even stop the word vomit from escaping past my lips, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.
“I already have a boyfriend!” Immediately, I regret my outburst. I’ve never wished I could rewind time as much as I do right this moment. But it’s too late. I’ve already put it out into the universe, and my mother is worse than a dog with a bone.
“What!? Since when, Magnolia? You’ve never told me this,” she says, surprise obvious in her eyes. If I cared about heropinion at all, I’d probably be offended by her shock that someone would actually date me willingly.
“Well, you have never asked about a single thing inmylife, mother. I’m not sure why you would think I would confide in you about anything important to me,” I sling barbs back at her, my heart squeezing in my chest at the lack of emotional attachment to my own mother, the woman who gave me life.
“Who is this boyfriend, Magnolia? Why haven’t we met him?” She asks, crossing her arms over her chest. She doesn’t believe me. I can see it all over her face.
“Why the hell would I ever bring somebody I actually cared about here to meetyou?” I ask, scowling back at her. She’s gonna have to try harder than that to burrow through the thick skin I’ve grown after years of her verbal abuse.
“Surely it isn’t someone you met in that town. I don’t know any families like ours who live anywhere near there,” she snaps, obviously becoming annoyed by my arguments.
“As a matter of fact, it is. And I thank God every day that he isn’t from a family like ours, mother. Maybe his mother actually loves her children.” With that, I walk out of the dining room, barely stopping to grab my purse from the front table before I’m out the door and climbing into my car.
“Magpie! Wait!” My dad’s voice catches me before I shut the door. My eyes focus straight ahead over the steering wheel. If I make eye contact with him right now, I know I will break. Emotion quivers through my bottom lip and I pull it between my teeth, fighting for control.
“I’m sorry, dad. I can’t… I won’t pretend I feel anything but absolute disdain for him,” I whisper, desperately hoping he understands.
“Honey, I don’t expect you to pretend for any reason at all. I wish I had known about this boyfriend, but I know your mothercan be… difficult,” he says, sighing as he leans against my open door.
“Difficult, dad? Really?” Finally, my eyes meet his and he looks so tired. I don’t want to cause him any more stress than I already have tonight. “It’s fine, really. I’m going home.”
“I want to meet this boyfriend, Maggie. Would you consider bringing him to the Fourth of July party? Or maybe just dinner?” My dad asks, and suddenly I feel completely embarrassed about lying about having a boyfriend. He almost looks hopeful, and I don’t have the energy to ruin that for him tonight.
“Sure, dad. I’ll see what he says. See you tomorrow, okay?” I say, and he nods, kissing my cheek and shutting the door. As I drive down the mile-long driveway, I let my tears fall. Surely I can think of something before I have to admit defeat.
three
The soundof people shouting and laughing, music blaring, and beer bottles clinking is like a dopamine rush for me. From my position behind the bar at Pop’s, I can see people steadily filing through the front door. It’s a busy Saturday night, especially since we don’t have live music tonight. I’ve been bartending here for over a year now, just waiting on the old man to decide he’s ready to hand over the keys.
When I first came to Jack Winston, I had a cocky attitude and a fat wallet. I was so sure he was going to drop the keys in my hand and just walk away. Fuck, was I wrong. Instead, he told me this place had been his home for nearly thirty years. He said the legacy he left behind in this town wouldn’t be tarnished by some punk kid willing to throw money away on a hole in the wall bar. He told me he would teach me how to run this place if I was willing to learn. He let me move in above the bar, and I’ve been here ever since.
After getting my hands dirty slinging kegs, cleaning bar lines, wiping down tables, and playing crowd control nearly every night, I understand what he meant. This place is a well-oiledmachine, and it only runs smoothly because he is an amazing operator. I want to be that man, want to be the leader this place depends on. Hopefully, I’ve done enough to convince Jack I’m ready for that responsibility.
“Iris, can I get three Revelry’s on draft and a vodka tonic?” Megan, a server who started around the same time I did, asks.
“Got it, babe,” I tell her, pulling three pints and mixing her drink in record time. I set them on her tray and she’s gone without another word. We continue on the same way, back and forth, for the next three hours.
I feel the exact moment the air shifts in the bar. I wish I could say the woman has no effect on me. Lord knows it would be easier if she didn’t. But the oxygen is literally sucked from my lungs the moment Magnolia Monroe walks through the front door. She’s a five-foot tall fire storm, all dark red hair and forest green eyes, curves that go on for fuckingyears. She’s so damn beautiful it hurts, and so far out of my league.
Her eyes look sad as she pushes through the crowd and takes a seat at the end of the bar. Immediately, I want to decimate whoever or whatever put such a miserable look on her face. I clear out the few orders in front of me before sliding down the bar to catch her attention.
“Magnolia Monroe, to what do I owe this pleasure?” I say, using the flirty tone that always makes her blush.
“Hey,” is all she responds, barely lifting the corner of her lips in a smile.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, immediately serious.
“It’s nothing. Just family drama. Trust me, you don’t wanna hear it,” she says, picking at the edges of her perfectly manicured nails. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her not completely put together. I’m desperate to see her pretty rose-colored lipstick smeared from my kiss. To see her mascara run from the tears streaking down her face as she begs me to let her come. Fuck,I want to taste this woman, to erase every trace of any man who’s ever touched her before me. I’ve never been a possessive man before, never held anything worth holding so tightly. But Magnolia? I would possess her, body and fucking soul.
“Tell me anyway,” I say, leaning across the bar and pulling her hands apart so she can’t pick at them anymore. She may think nobody sees her, but I’ve watched her spiral into her own mind before. I’ve seen her pick at her fingers until they’re bloody, or chew on the inside of her cheek until she winces. Self harm isn’t always obvious or visible, sometimes it’s just that subtle.
“Do you ever feel like you’re letting everyone in your life down, and you’re not even trying to?” She says, not meeting my eyes but not dropping my hands.
