Page 166 of Sugarloaf Ridge Lies

Chapter Fifty-Four

Jerry

Igo to take a swigof the bottle, only to find I’ve drained it dry.Fuck.

Tossing the glass aside, the flames of the campfire hold my attention. They do little to erase the memory of the smug look on that prick’s face. How satisfying it would have been to hear the crunch of cartilage as my fist slammed his nose, blood spurting down the lapels of that overpriced suit.

What was said between them? Is he going to back the fuck off or make our lives hell? Will he fight for custody? Will Liv have to move closer to him to make it work?

Fuck him. I won’t let him ruin what we have. But what the hell can I do? I’m not the father. Realistically, what say do I have?

Pirate scurries along the gravel, kicking it up as he approaches. Liv emerges from the darkness, jogging with her hand supporting her belly. As she nears the glow of the flames, she smooths her hand over her chest. “There you are. For a second, I thought you might’ve hurt yourself the way Pirate was carrying on.”

Oh, I’m hurtin’, sugar.

“He’s being a sook. I told him to go back to the house.” I wanted to be alone. He was pissing me off, whining and digging at my feet as if he can’t stand Liv and I being apart.

She glances at the discarded bottle. I don’t miss the way her throat bobs on a swallow. Her shoulders drop, her voice soft. “You okay?”

She should be kickin’ my arse for falling off the wagon. But for some reason, there’s no fire or disappointment in her eyes, only understanding. She gets me.

I don’t deserve her.

I’m a sorry son of a bitch. This isn’t just about me. It must’ve been a rude shock for her to come face to face with him. I need to get my head out of my arse.

“Yeah.” I rise from the old stump and offer my hand. She slips her cool fingers into mine. I pull her to me, drinking in her sweet scent as I hold her tight.

“I’m sorry, sugar. Here I am stuck in my own fuckin’ head when this must be tough on you. You good?”

“Yeah. Got a taste of his true colours.”

Heat bubbles up my throat. I hope to fuck that bastard didn’t upset her.

“The way he insinuated that he could claim you with a click of his fingers.”Him having his hands on you, being inside you...I squeeze my eyes shut tight for a second and try to calm the raging storm inside. “He got under my skin.”

The cocky fucker. Turning up here in his fucking expensive suit and shoes, eyeing my woman? Had Liv not grabbed my arm, I would’ve pummelled him into the ground. No question.

The urge to protect her, the baby, our future, is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

Liv flattens her hands against my chest and smooths them up until her fingers link behind my neck. “I’m not going anywhere, and you needn’t worry about him. He doesn’t want any involvement. This is a complication in his marriage he doesn’t need.”

My jaw goes slack. “That fucker’s married?”

“Yep. And before you say anything, I had no idea.”

My brows pull tight. That slimy cheating arsehole. “Babe, I wasn’t gonna say a thing.”

“Yeah, well I’m far from impressed. He thought he could just throw money at me. Get me to sign a non-disclosure agreement.”

The offer of money makes me pause. Every other fucker that fathers a kid in these situations would have to pay child support.Why should he be any different?

“I’ll sign whatever he wants. I don’t want anything from him.”

And that’s the trade-off. There’ll be no contact with him. I get why she’d prefer this option.

“So, if you sign this thing, what if our kid wants to meet him one day? Will that stop it from happening?”

“Who knows. Guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” She shrugs. “I’m not sure he’ll be sending an NDA straight away.”

---