Page 55 of Always. Forever.

I laugh and turn around, grabbing mine and Rach’s wine.

“Respectfully, James. It tastes like ass, so it’s nothing to be proud off.” He throws his head back on a laugh and follows me, squeezing through people to find Rach. When we find her, I smile at her, and hand over a glass of wine. She downs the glass she had in her hand and thanks me for the next one. I have a feeling she will get wasted tonight.

“This is James,” I say to Rach and a few others standing near. “He is one of Jace’s friends.” The guys walk over, shaking his hand and introducing themselves.

The night took a turn. Three hours later and Rach and I have moved from wine to tequila. The minute I yawned, Rach was having none of it and told me I needed to stay out with them, so she brought out the hard stuff. I’m pleased I stayed out, this is just what I needed—a good, relaxed night with friends in a great bar. James has fit in well and is now playing pool with the guys.

Rach and I walk over. “I will play the winner,” I state to James and Harley. It looks like I will be playing Harley, James is doing terrible and has potted hardly any of his balls.

I raise my eyebrow at James as he scratches his head while laughing.

“Hey, it’s been a while since I have shot pool.” He tries to defend his shocking playing after he hit the the cue ball and doesn’t hit any of his balls, which then gives Harley two shots. Harley only had one of his balls left and then the eight ball, which he pockets with ease.

I take over and play Harley. I do much better than James. The score is even. James has even been trying to put me off all game, knocking me as I go to shoot, telling god-awful jokes, making me laugh. I don’t think he can stand knowing I will beat Harley and he couldn’t. It has come down to the eight ball left. It’s my turn but the ball is in a very awkward position. I’m walking around the table, taking this seriously. I used to love playing pool with Jace, and I always wanted to win. I’m pretty sure he used to let me win most of the time. James comes up behind me as I bend down.

“I would go with the way you were going to go before,” he whispers into my ear, placing his hand on my hip. It causes me to freeze slightly but I know the touch is completely innocent. Before I can reply, I’m interrupted.

“Get your fucking hands off her before I remove them myself.” I spin around in shock to see who the person is speaking to and am floored to see it’s Cash and he’s glaring at James, who slowly pulls his hand away.

“Cash,” I scold him. I can’t believe he said that in front of everyone. I look around, and everyone is staring between Cash, James, and me, waiting to see what happens. My cheeks redden in embarrassment.

“Don’t even go there, Rylee. Moving on from my son already is bad enough but with one of his piece-of-shit ex-friends? That’s low, even for you.” Gasps come from behind me.

“You don’t fucking speak to her like that.” James has taken three strides to Cash, pointing in his face. Cash’s and James’s chests flare up, and they’re standing toe to toe. Cash has a good five inches on James and about fifty pounds in pure muscles, but this doesn’t make James step back.

“And what are you going to do about it, pussy boy?” Cash spits.

Before I can see or hear anymore, I turn around, grabbing my bag. I can’t even say anything to Cash, I’m so embarrassed and angry with what he said in front of everyone. Luckily, I know most of them but some I don’t, and he has gone and made me out to be some cheap tart who goes chasing Jace’s friends.

Rach runs around the side of the pool table towards me. She looks at me, shaking her head, her brows raised, her eyes wide.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it, Ry.”

I shake my head back and forth. “I don’t care, I can’t do this. I’m out of here.” As I walk away, James calls my name. I don’t turn around, I pull my phone out of my pocket, ordering an Uber, which thankfully is two minutes away. I need to get out of here, the tears are already falling down my face from the utter embarrassment. I push the door open, the cool breeze hits my face, making me feel slightly more drunk than I did two seconds ago. I look down at my phone, which says my car is here. I look back up and the car pulls up right in front of me. I jump in and as the driver goes to pull off, the passenger door opens and a large frame drops into the seat. When Cash turns around with utter rage in his eyes, it makes me realize how ready I am to have this long overdue showdown with him. I’m done with letting him treat me like shit, it stops now.

Chapter Thirty-One

I’mmarchingthroughmyapartment, ready to have this showdown with Cash, once and for all. I told him in the Uber I would not embarrass myself any more by having a full-on argument with him in the back seat. We sat in silence the whole way; I wouldn’t be surprised if the Uber driver didn’t feel the rage brewing between Cash and me.

I have always held back with him, but I’m done. He confused the hell out of me last night. I have told myself all day it was the grief, and Cash was someone I could relate to, but something in the pit of my stomach was saying otherwise. I needed to go out tonight to forget what had happened, to stop my mind going into overdrive about Cash and the things he admitted, but, of course, he had to turn up and ruin everything, throw his asshole self around. Cash made me feel a millimeter tall tonight; he embarrassed me unlike anyone ever has. He made me feel ashamed and like I was doing something wrong.

My apartment door slams, so I spin around, ready to go at him. “How dare you, you fucking hypocrite,” I scream, projecting every bit of anger I have toward him. When I thought back to what he said in the bar and then what he had all but admitted last night, it made me realize how much of a hypocrite he actually is.

He drops his head back, chuckling to himself. “How dare I?” He points to himself and then switches his finger to point at me. “How dare you,” he grits out, ignoring the hypocrite remark.Surprise, surprise.“You were all over James like a fucking rash tonight, I was there a lot longer than you think. I was watching you, all the little touches, the laughing. No longer upset about my dead son, are you?”

Two steps and I slap Cash in the face harder than I think I have ever slapped anyone in my life. The red mark is instant and proof of that, as well as the throbbing in my palm. It’s a good pain though, it felt good. He doesn’t even react to the slap; his face stays the same. Anger, sadness. Something else I can’t quite decipher. “Fuck you and get the fuck out of my apartment.” I point to the door over his shoulder. I spin around, heading for the kitchen. I need a drink, or twenty.

“Why that slimy fucking prick, Rylee?” I roll my eyes before turning back to Cash. If he won’t leave, I’ll make him.

“Because he’s great in bed, that’s why, Cash. He makes me forget.” I struggle holding the vomit down even saying it. Is it true? Fuck no. I have only hugged James, that’s as far as he has ever gotten. I just need Cash out of this house and away from me. I can’t have him around me, and as much as I know he’s here for Jace, a part of me feels that’s not the only reason.

Right in front of my eyes, it’s like a mask being slipped on Cash’s face, the anger that takes over is not something I have seen on him before.

“Say that again, I dare you,” he grits out, taking two colossal steps toward me. Now standing directly in front of me, I can feel his harsh breaths on my face. He’s transforming right before my eyes. I have never seen this side of him before. He’s raging so hard a blood vessel might pop in his eye.

I straighten and push my shoulders back, locking eyes with him. “Because he’s great in—”

Cash grabs my neck in a harsh grip, pulling me forward, and his mouth crashes into mine, almost hurting with his forcefulness. It knocks me back, but before I can fall, Cash grips me around the waist, pulling me closer to him. My head is screaming for me to pull away, but I don’t. I push back into Cash, channeling my anger and frustration for him through our kiss. His tongue meets mine as we overpower one another. He pulls away, and instantly I feel the loss. I look at him, waiting for him to freak out, even waiting for me to freak out but we don’t. Cash looks at me like he wants to eat me whole.

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