Page 24 of Stone

John’s hand fell on my knee. “My ma packed us some drinks and snacks.” His eyes locked with mine, and he smiled. “You ready for an epic birthday, Duchess?”

I stared up at the man I loved with all my heart. The man who treated me like I was the most precious thing in the world and smiled big as I told him everything I felt at that moment.

“Every day’s epic with you, John Stone.”

‘West End Girls’ by the Pet Shop Boys blasted through the boom box, filling the warm summer air and mingling with the laughter that rang out all around us.

A loud yell went up, followed by a splash as Stevie jumped into the deep part of the creek. After a few seconds, he came up for air, greeted by raucous laughter from the group of guys egging him on.

“It’s like they regress in age when they’re together,” Kelly said, rolling her eyes. “We’re the younger ones and supposedly less mature, but put them together, and they act like fifteen-year-old little shits.” She nodded toward the guys as they grabbed onto Richard Allen, trying to throw him in the creek like they’d just done to Stevie. “They’re supposed to be grown men.”

A bubble of laughter rose in my throat as I watched John grab Richard and toss him into the water as if he weighed nothing. “They’re just having fun.”

“Until it goes too far and somebody gets hurt,” she sighed, “and it’ll probably be Stevie.”

It was like they heard her because, right on cue, Rob Henderson leaned down and grabbed Stevie’s arms while Harry Stafford clasped his legs, and they began to swing him toward the shallow part of the creek.

“Oh my God,” Kelly exclaimed, starting toward them at the same time as John yelled, “Stop! You’ll break his fuckin’ back.”

Heart in mouth, I watched, panicked, as Stevie kicked out hard, catching Harry’s ribs with his foot and connecting sohard that Stafford dropped him with a loud yelp. Stevie’s torso twisted, and he fell to the ground with a resounding thud.

“What the fuck?” John roared, falling on his knees to check on Steve, who gasped; he was obviously winded. “Jesus, Rob. You know better than to throw somebody in the shallow part. You could’a killed him.” He scooched out the way for Kelly, who crouched down, running her hands over Steve’s shoulders and arms to check he was okay.

“Relax,” Rob retorted. “We were just having fun.”

John rose to his feet, his expression tight and his hands clenched into fists. “It’s not fun when you risk hurtin’ someone. What the fuck’s the matter with you?” He stalked toward Henderson, face turning a furious red color. “You’ve been a dick since you got back from law school, Rob. I’ve ignored it, thought you’d come around eventually, but I draw the line when you hurt the people who’re supposed to be your friends.”

Robert squared his shoulders and opened his mouth to snap back at John but must’ve thought better of it because his body sagged, and he scraped a hand down his face. “Yeah, okay, Stone. I guess things went a bit far.” He turned to Stevie and reached out a hand. “Apologies, buddy.”

Steve grabbed Robbie’s hand and hauled himself to his feet before helping Kelly up. “S’okay,” he muttered grudgingly. “It was a dick move, though.” He slid his arm around Kelly’s shoulders. “Is everythin’ alright, bud? Stone’s right, you have been a little more aggressive since you got back from law school.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I watched anger flash across Rob’s face. For a second, I thought he’d hit Steve, but the expression left him as quickly as it came.

“I’m okay,” he assured the guys. “I’ve been stressed studying for the bar exam. There’s a lot of pressure on my shoulders.”

Steve’s face softened. “I get it, bud.” He clapped Rob on the shoulder. “If you ever need to talk, I’m here for ya.”

Rob nodded and smiled ruefully. “Sorry again, Ste. I guess I got carried away.”

Harry said something, and they all busted out laughing, except John, who caught my eye and jerked his head to the side.

I walked toward the tree we always sat under to watch the stars, turning to watch John approach. “Is everything okay?” I asked nervously. “That was weird, right?”

“Yeah.” John took my hand and splayed our fingers together. “There’s somethin’ goin’ on with Robert. Steve started to have reservations about him a while ago, and I’m startin’ to see he was right. All day, I’ve caught Rob watchin’ you when he thinks nobody’s lookin’, Leesy. I think he’s sore about us bein’ together. I don’t trust him.”

I thought about the evil look that flashed across Rob’s face minutes before and almost shivered again at the sense of foreboding it gave me. “You’re right. Robert’s creeping me out.”

“Want you to be careful when I’m at boot camp,” John told me. “Make sure you’re never alone with him. If he approaches you, make your excuses and get the fuck outta dodge. I’ll ask Stevie to keep an eye on you, and if you all come down here or if there’s a party or somethin’, I’ll make sure he and Kelly pick you up and take you home.”

I squeezed John’s hand. “I’ll keep busy and out of Robert’s way. I don’t want to come down here or go to parties without you. I’ll keep busy with college, and I’ll work at the store on weekends.”

He smiled sadly. “No, baby. I don’t want you to sit indoors moping over my ass. Go out and have fun.”

“It won’t be fun without you,” I argued. “You’re thinking about our future, and it’s time I did, too. I can save up and get a little nest egg together while you’re away.”

He cupped my face with his strong hand and softly kissed me. “You know my grandpa on Ma’s side passed away not long ago?”

My brow furrowed as I wondered what he was getting at. “Yeah. But you weren’t close, right?”

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