Page 23 of Always Mine

“Come on,” Cooper says, coming to my rescue like he always does.

I don’t speak, don’t even realize I’m nodding my head until he’s tugging me toward the kitchen. My eyes are blurry, making it impossible to see.

Thankfully, Cooper is guiding the way or else I’d be fucked.

“This can’t be happening.” My voice is soft, barely above a whisper, but I know he hears me when his hold gently tightens.

“It’ll be okay,” he soothes, and I desperately want to believe him. I can’t though, because this feels like my every nightmare coming to fruition. I let him tug me all the way to the back, my flight instinct kicking in hard.

Why in the hell is he back? And more importantly, how am I going to survive it?

NINE

Paxton

I stare after Wyatt, trying to regain my bearings. When Lily suggested karaoke, I figured I was in the clear, knowing Wyatt hates this kind of thing. When we were teens, Cooper, Hunter, and I used to have to drag him along with us, so I’m in complete shock that he’s there.

Well, maybe not only shocked. I reach up, rubbing my aching chest. My heart is pounding so hard that I can feel the thudding beats under my palm. When’s the last time I felt like this?So alive. I was expecting worry, maybe anger, possibly sadness when I finally saw him, but this? I can’t explain it. It’s like the missing piece I’ve been longing for has snapped back into place, and the only thing I want is to rush after him.

I won’t, though. By the way Wyatt looked at me, it’s clear he’s not experiencing this same rush. This same consuming sense of being complete. Dammit, why did we have to meet again like this?

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

My eyes snap to the right, seeing a very pissed-off-looking Ember standing behind the bar.

Shit.

My throat suddenly feels dry, and my mind blanks as I realize the entire room is focused on us—as if it’s not bad enough already.

Ember’s staring at me like she wants to jump across the counter and beat me to death with the liquor bottle clenched in her hand. Hell, I bet she would if it wasn’t for the death grip Hunter has on her.

Clearing my throat, I search my brain, trying to come up with what to say. All the lights are on but nobody's home—I’m completely offline at the moment. Digging deep, I blurt the first thing that pops into my head. “I’m back.”

Where it was quiet with whispered murmurs in the background, now it’s so desolate you could hear a pin drop. It’s like everyone has forgotten how to even breathe, too focused on whatever Ember’s reaction will be. They don’t have to wait long, because her eyes instantly turn lethal, her whole body rigid as her feral expression intensifies.

You’d think she was about to go full she-wolf or something.

“Son of a bitch,” she growls, pushing against Hunter’s hold on her. I’ve never seen her act like this. Well, I have, butnevertoward me. I guess she has a reason to hate me now, though.

“Em, calm down,” Hunter whispers, circling her waist with his arms the harder she tries to get to me. I should leave, but I feel frozen. My mind and body are not on the same brain wave.

“Let me go,” she says as she stops fighting against him, giving off a deadly calm vibe, and I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty damn terrifying.

“Why? So you can go apeshit? Don’t think so, darlin’.” His tone is full of humor as he watches her with amusement. Glad to see he’s not worried—I, on the other hand, I’m slightly panicking.

She smacks his arm, trying and failing to get him to let go of her. “Hunter!”

I feel the need to interject, not wanting this to continue. It’s Ember after all. She wouldn’t really hurt me. “Ember—”

“Don’t,” Hunter cuts me off, surprising me. We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember, but he’s never sounded so cold to me before. Our gazes clash and he’s subtly shaking his head for me to stop. “Not now, okay?”

It’s like he’s warning me, but I’m not sure if it's as my friend or my enemy. Truthfully, I’m not so sure that I want to find out.

This is all completely fucked-up and I feel sick.

I nod once before heading toward the exit. The truck is near the back of the parking lot and I kick every single pebble I see as I make my way to it.

What was that? What just happened?

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