Page 41 of Every Sunset
The guy visibly paled as he took a step back. Logan might have been a little shorter, but it was obvious he had the power in his body to crush the other guy like a bug.
“Leave it now, brother. Fucker’s not worth it,” Maddox called when it was clear Logan wasn’t backing off, instead just stood staring menacingly.
“He’s right,” I told Logan as I smoothed my hand down his back. Much as I wanted to hit Mr. asshole St, Clair, it would only make things worse and I needed to get Max home and ice his face. “He’s definitely not worth any more of our time,” I agreed.
I was glad when Logan nodded and relaxed enough to wrap his arm around me and lead me away and back towards the car.
I wasn’t a damsel in distress. I’d never been the type, and I had certainly never once in my life ever expected or even hoped for some white knight to ride in and save me. But I could admit to myself, in that moment, how amazing it had felt to have someone stand up for Max and I. I allowed myself to revel in the feeling of someone actually caring about me and taking my side for once. Not having to stand alone and fake a bravado I didn’t really possess as I trembled with fear on the inside, had been astounding,
“Why the fuck did you bring my mom?” Max snapped at Maddox as we all neared the car in the driveway.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded.
Max turned to me and looked a little guilty. I suspected he had thought Logan and I were further behind than we were, and that I wouldn’t have heard his question, but I did and it hurt.
“Don’t look at me like that, mom. You just made a huge scene for no reason. Now everyone at school is going to hear about it and think I’m trailer trash, just like Mr. St. Clair said,” he replied angrily.
“No reason?” I scoffed as I marched around Maddox’s SUV over to my son and pushed him back a little. He stumbled back into the car and looked to me with shock.
“What is wrong with you?” he asked as he looked to me with open hostility.
“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you?! Why would you want me to keep my mouth shut when that stuck up nobody stood and called you a trouble maker? Did you really want me to just stand by and take that?”
“I didn’t want you here at all. I don’t need you to protect me, mom! Not any more. You just ruined everything!” he yelled at me. It was the first time I had ever seen my son genuinely angry with me, and it struck me silent for a few moments as I just stared at him.
“Max, that’s enough, kid,” Maddox said gently as he appeared beside the both of us and set a hand on Max’s shoulder. “Your mom was just standing up for you, and for herself. That guy was a complete asshole. He shouldn’t have spoken to either of you the way he did.”
“He’s lucky he still has all of his front teeth,” Logan growled.
“Yeah, well maybe he had a point the way mom was yelling and making a huge scene. None of the other parents acted that way. She looked crazy!” Max argued and I actually flinched back at his words. Was he right? I knew I’d made a scene, but I refused to stand back and listen to that hoity sonofabitch labeling my son when he barely even knew him.
“Max!” Logan snapped.
“What did you want me to do, Max?” I cried at the same time.
“I wanted you to not embarrass me! I start school next week and I’m going to be a total outcast because of you!”
“He called us trash!” I bit back.
“Yeah he did,” Max nodded. “And he wasn’t wrong was he? You were a kid when you had me and you’re not exactly parent of the year right now are you?!” Max opened the rear door of Maddox’s car and jumped in, slamming it closed violently behind him, all the while I just stood frozen. I couldn’t have been more shocked or hurt if Max would have slapped me. It felt like he did.
“Anna…” Maddox tried to wrap his arm around me, but I pushed away from him and moved around the car. I didn’t want comfort. “Can we just get back?” I asked as I reached the other rear door and opened it.
“He didn’t mean it,” Logan told me from where he was now opening the front passenger door at the same side as me.
“How could he not mean something that’s true?” I asked quietly, then I climbed into the car and slammed the door shut behind me. Max was in the back seat too, sat as far against the door, away from me, as he could get. I did the same and stared out of the window blindly the whole way back, my tears silently tracking down my cheeks as my whole world seemed to implode around me. My son now saw the truth. He too saw me for the trash I had always been, just like the rest of the world.
Maddox had barely parked the car in the driveway back at the house before Max was jumping out, slamming the door behind him. Logan opened his door, jumping out just behind him, calling after him, but Max just started running around the side of the house away from all of us.
“Leave him, Logan!” I called as I stepped out of the car and saw Logan going after him. Logan paused and turned to me.
“Someone needs to talk to him,” he told me, but I just shrugged.
“He’s upset, and maybe he has a right to be. Just let him be for tonight,” I sighed deeply. I was exhausted and my mind was a swirling mess. It had been an insane night, and I had no clue what any of it meant for the next day.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, baby,” Maddox said as he rounded the car and came straight to me. He opened his arms and I wasn’t strong enough to deny myself the comfort heoffered. I stepped into the hug and clung to Madd as I fought not to fall apart again. I had done enough of that and it had proven futile in helping to resolve any of my issues, not that I ever thought it would.
“He’s right, Anna. All you did was try to protect max from that fucker’s stuck up opinions. I’d have punched him out if there weren’t so many kids stood watching,” Logan told me and I felt his hand press into the small of my back as his heat surrounded my right side. They were cocooning me between them, protecting me within a bubble of only them and I wanted to stay there forever. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.
