Page 76 of The Only Heart that Matters

Silverware clanks to the ground as Angus flies out of his seat, nose to nose, with Rhen in the blink of an eye. Keeping his voice low, he snarls. “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?”

Eyes still on me, Rhen doesn’t back down. The idiot ignores Angus and continues. “Just a man who calls ‘em like I see 'em. Sluts seem to run in the Powell family.”

Rhen seals his fate and before I can register the magnitude of his accusations, Angus’s fist cracks against his nose and he falls to the ground. Standing over him, Angus seethes. His chest heaving, his hands still in fists, ready for more.

Patrons at nearby tables scatter and hushed voices whisper around us. Grabbing my things, I throw cash on the table. Clutching Angus’s wrist, I lead him out of the restaurant and away from Rhen who’s smiling on the ground.

I don’t stop until we reach Angus’s truck parked a block and a half down the street. My heart is beating out of my chest. Notonly has no one ever treated me like that, but what in the world was he talking about? I’ve always known Rhen was a dick, but to call my mother a slut! That’s next level.

“What the hell was that about, Angus?”

“He got what he deserved. Who the fuck does he think he is speaking to my wife like that?”

Whoa!

“Angus—”

Clearly realizing his mistake, he interrupts me. “You know what I mean. Nobody speaks to you like that, Mia. Nobody.”

Closing the space between us, he pulls me into his arms, cradling my head with a hand. “Are you okay?”

“I’m not really sure,” I say, honestly, stepping back to examine his hand. “You okay?”

Releasing a deep breath, he steps away, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk. “No, I’m not okay, Mia. I cannot believe he had the audacity to say those things to you. I had heard he was an asshole, but I had never seen it for myself. If he thinks he will ever step foot in my bar again, he is out of his damn mind.”

As much as I appreciate him coming to my defense, my mind is reeling.

“Angus?”

He stops his incessant pacing, bringing his attention back to me.

“What was he talking about? What was all that stuff about my mom?”

He stills. Looking anywhere but at me.

“Angus...”

He opens the passenger door, holding it open for me. Following his lead, I climb into my seat but don’t buckle myself in. He closes the door and rounds the truck, getting behind the steering wheel.

I turn in my seat to face him. Gaze locked on the road ahead, his hands scrape over the scruff on his face. He doesn’t buckle up, and he doesn’t speak.

“Angus, do you know what he was referring to?”

“Goof, he’s just spreading unfounded rumors. Don’t listen to him. He’s a piece of shit.”

“But you know the rumors he was alluding to?”

“I... I’m sure it’s all nonsense. You know how people in small towns love to gossip.”

My heartbeat thunders in my ears. The cab of the truck closing in on me, oxygen somehow not reaching my lungs. If Angus has heard the rumors, who else has? And why haven’t I?

“What have you heard?” I whisper.

“Mia... “

“I want to know.”

“Why?”

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