Page 119 of The Way We Collide

My wife’s chin drops, and she looks over at Haddy and me then back to him. “I don’t know what she thought, but it’s over now.”

The older man’s lips tighten with a smile. “You’ve always been strong, even as a little girl. I’ve never worried about you.”

Raven’s smile doesn’t reach her eyes, and she hesitates before simply saying, “Thank you.”

We’re out on the street when she finally breaks. “I was strong, so no one ever fought for me? Is that the message here?” She shakes her head, walking ahead of me on the sidewalk. “Strong people need someone to lean on, too, you know.”

My legs are longer than hers, but I still have to do a quick step to catch up with her. “Hey, slow down a minute.”

“He never protected me.” She stops, looking up at me, and I see the glisten in her eyes. It hits me right in the chest, and I pull her into my arms, wrapping her up tight and holding her close. “He stood by and let her do all these things, and not once…”

Her voice breaks, and I kiss the top of her head.

“I’ll always have your back, Pink. Anywhere you go, whatever you face, I’m here. I’m your husband, and I’m fighting on your side… And Haddy’s. I protect my family.”

One more shudder, and her body melts into mine. Her arms go around my waist, and the tension in my chest eases. She’s mine. It’s the most precious gift I’ve ever been given—besides Haddy.

The air around us is cool, but our embrace is strong and warm. It’s bonding, and if I had my way, it would go on longer… But our daughter starts to wiggle, making squeals and raspberry noises, and we both laugh.

Raven turns her head, kissing her little face. “That’s right, Hads. We’re a family.” Her chin lifts, and she meets my eyes. “You, your daddy, and me.”

“And maybe a little brother or sister.” I put my arm around her shoulder as we walk slowly to the rented Rover.

“Let’s get this one out of diapers first.”

“That wasn’t a no…”

29

Raven

“Ithought you were going home for a wedding, not to set the Internet on fire.” Star leans beside me, staring at my phone.

“It was… I mean, we were.” My voice fades as I swipe through video after video of men and women breathlessly breaking down Hendrix and Larry’s encounter in the parking lot.

“It’s every woman’s dream to have a husband who will fight for her.” A woman called @hoosierdaddy spends three whole minutes extolling the virtues of an overprotective spouse and Hendrix’s pretty awesome speech about staying together.

“He’s a brute just like every other professional athlete, beating up a weaker man for looking at his girl wrong,” a user named @captainchalupa argues.

“As if Hendrix wasn’t already all over the news,” she continues. “Now he’s in the running for swooniest husband in the league.”

“When they’re not calling him a brute.” My brow lowers, and I don’t like Captain Chalupa.

At least the consensus seems to be he’s a good husband, committed to his family and defending his wife from a body-shaming bully—which, as someone who was present for the whole thing, is what actually happened.

Still, those haters have my blood hot, not to mention the haters who say it’s all my fault, and I provoked the whole thing.

“This @lizardsarelife person says I was having a secret affair with Larry all along.” I tilt my phone in Star’s direction. “Like he didn’t show up at the bar saying Hendrix stole half his money, which was actually my inheritance.”

“Ignore that.” She waves a hand over my device. “There’s always going to be some dummy ready to blame the woman for everything.”

Exhaling a sigh, I’m ready to slide my phone into my pocket and take a break from the chatter when the next video pulls me up short. “Is that…?”

“Ew, Mikayla,” Star groans, and we both stare at the screen.

“I can verify she has definitely changed him.” The curvy brunette slides her stick-straight hair behind her shoulder, fluttering her caterpillar eyelashes like she’s so bored with the world. “The Hendrix Bradford I knew wouldneverget into a fight in a parking lot. Not once the entire time we were together did he even worry about another man. He’s a lover, not a fighter.”

My jaw drops, and I can’t stop a laugh. “What is she even talking about?”

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