Page 3 of Moonlight & Matrimony
“I’m not good with kids. She's all by herself. Said her parents were inside fighting. Am I supposed to take her home?”
“Shit. Ok. I’m at Rosie’s. Stay with Rylin. I’ll be there in five.” The line goes quiet for a minute until she says, “He’s dangerous, Luca.”
As soon as the words register, my entire body goes rigid — my thoughts spiraling over an onslaught of terrifying possibilities. Every instinct is demanding for me to run into the house and check on my neighbor, but I have to stay with her daughter and keep her safe until Paige arrives.
True to her word, she pulls up five minutes later and the little curly-haired pixie runs into her arms, nearly knocking my very pregnant sister to the ground. “Auntie Paige!”
“Hey, Ry!”
“You good to stay with her?” I ask, unable to wait another minute when Ivy might be in danger. This sudden protective instinct is foreign, but I don’t stop to consider the implications. The last thing I want is for Paige to go over there and get herself mixed up in some kind of domestic dispute.
“Yeah, we’re good,” she says, giving me a subtle nod toward Ivy’s house.
I walk up the front steps of the sage green Victorian, the wood bowing slightly underfoot as I reach the last step. The sound of raised voices filters through an open window as I knock on the door. When they don’t answer right away, my gut twists, and I turn the knob, finding it unlocked.
“Fuck you, Ivy. You’re fucking worthless.”
Ivy’s once perfect face is red, tears streaming down her cheeks. Letting my instincts guide me, I step into the room. The floorboards creak and Ivy’s eyes snap to meet mine, the man’s head spinning at the intrusion.
“You okay?” I ask, my eyes not leaving Ivy’s. My muscles tense as the urge to step between them overwhelms me, but I hold back, hoping instead to de-escalate the situation. She doesn't respond, so I turn to face the asshole. “Listen, man, you need to calm down. This isn’t the way to handle things.”
“Who the fuck are you?” he seethes, before turning his hatred back towards its intended target. “Already fucking some new guy? Always knew you were a whore!” Austin barks out a laugh, shouting in her face, his finger jutting out less than an inch from her cheek. Spittle flies with every angry word and it takes every bit of my resolve not to drag him bodily from the room.
Steeling myself, I try to think of a distraction that’ll turn his ire back to me. The words leave my lips before I can even consider the ramifications. “I’m her fiancé, and you need to get the fuck out of her house.”
Ivy’s eyes widen in surprise, and I pin her with a look, silently urging her to play along. We can clear up this mess later. Right now, I just want to make sure she’s safe, and this man is entirely too comfortable using their size difference against her. She looks to be roughly 5’2” on a good day, and although I don’t doubt that she can hold her own in a verbal sparring match, she doesn’t stand a chance against him if he decides to use force.
“The fuck I am,” he sneers. “It’s my day with Rylin.”
“Austin, I already told you, you aren’t taking Rylin today. I could smell the alcohol on your breath when you walked in, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you walk out of here and put her in danger. Over my dead fucking body.”There’s the spitfire I met this morning.
Austin’s tone is menacing as he takes another step into her space. “That can be arranged.”
The threat hangs heavy in the air as Ivy recoils like he slapped her. Without a second thought, I grab my phone, hands shaking, as I quickly text my sister.
Luca: Call the cops.
“Was that a threat?” Ivy asks, straightening her spine.
I approach her side, willing my proximity to soothe her nerves. “If you won't leave on your own, I’m sure the police would be more than happy to escort you out.”
“Go ahead, call the police,” he says.
I can feel the fear pouring off Ivy in waves, and my body gravitates towards her like a moth to a flame. Keeping my tone impassive, I turn and place a hand on her lower back.“Sweetheart,” I say, playing up the term of endearment for Austin’s benefit. “Paige is outside with Ry. Why don’t you head out and check on them? I’ll handle this.”
Ivy nods and walks out the back door towards her daughter, taking the path of least resistance.
As soon as she’s out of earshot, Austin approaches me and the scent of alcohol seeping out of his pours assaults my senses. “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are,” he slurs. “But you need to stay the fuck away from my wife. This is none of your business.”
I cross my arms over my chest, projecting an air of arrogance and danger. “You know… Austin, was it? I don’t think I’m going to do that.”
His nostrils flare as he mirrors my movements, but I’ve got a good four inches on him and instead of looking intimidating, he just looks pathetic as he stumbles forward. “She always was a hot piece of ass,” he snickers. “How does it feel to know I had her first? You know, she was even hotter before she had the brat.”
The mention of Rylin snaps the last threads of my self-control as I shove his back into a wall. “Watch your fucking mouth,” I seethe. I can’t explain why I’m feeling so protective over this woman and her daughter, and I don’t pause long enough to unravel all the reasons this is a bad idea. But she seems like she needs someone in her corner, and fuck if I’m not going to be that for her.
No man should ever speak to a woman this way, and I get the impression he’s the type of guy who doesn’t stop at insults.
“You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” he growls.
