Page 50 of By Your Side
I knew exactly why she was here: to grab lunch before heading into the tavern. I could picture her eating a quick sandwich in the back, jotting notes on orders while she scarfed half her meal standing up. Maybe we could eat here together instead. I was already moving toward her, working up something easy to say, when the bathroom door swung open behind her and Eli stepped out.
His eyes locked on her immediately, and my steps slowed. I almost wanted him to confront her so I could step in and give him what he deserved. He got to her first, striding up like he owned the room. I held back, knowing she would be angry if I interfered and didn’t let her take care of herself. I stopped near the end of the counter, every muscle in me going tight.
Paige saw him coming. Her posture changed instantly—shoulders back, chin up, but that flicker in her eyes said she’d been expecting a confrontation sooner or later.
“Not now, Eli,” she said, her voice cool.
“Then when?” he shot back, too loud for the space. “You’ve been dodging my calls.”
“I blocked your number. I’ll only unblock it when the girls are with you.” Her tone didn’t change. “Remember? From now on, we will only be talking through our lawyers. If you have something to say to me, talk to Ren.”
“That’s ridiculous. We’re both adults. We can settle this ourselves.”
“You mean the way you tried to ‘settle’ it at my bar? Blindsiding someone is not how you settle things,” she said, raising one brow. “No, thanks. This is what lawyers are for, right? Since your new one is determined to help you screw me over.”
“I’m not the enemy here?—”
“You are when you try to take my house from me. And my bar, and my children.”
That one landed. His jaw tightened, but he forced a smirk. “You’re overreacting. I’m just trying to do what’s best?—”
“What’s best for who?” she cut in sharply. “God, I thought I married a man. Turns out you’re just a spoiled little boy. I should have known better. Don’t you even care what the kids will think? Or does that not matter to you anymore? Noah barely speaks to you as it is.”
That was my cue. I closed the distance in a few long strides, the tension in the air snapping as I stepped between them.
“Walk away,” I said, my voice low enough to make him look twice.
Eli turned his glare on me. “This isn’t your business.”
“It became my business the second you decided to corner her in public,” I said, my voice rising just enough for the people at the counter to hear. “Here’s what’s going to happen—you’re going to leave, right now, before I forget we’re in a diner and put you through the front window.”
The room had gone quiet, forks hovering in midair.
Eli scoffed. “What, you think you can?—”
I took one step forward, close enough that he had to tip his chin to keep eye contact. “I don’t think, Eli. I know. And if you give me a reason, I will. You want to play games? Do it somewhere else. You don’t get to harass her in the middle of town.”
Paige’s hand came to rest lightly on my forearm—not pulling me back, just there.
Eli’s eyes darted around at the people watching, and his fake charm slipped. He muttered something under his breath and turned, shoving out through the door hard enough to make the bell over it jangle wildly.
The quiet faded, replaced by the clatter of dishes and the low murmur of conversation resuming.
“You okay?” I asked, looking down at her. She was full of false bravado and defiance. He’d shaken her, and she was trying to hide it.
Her fingers lingered on my arm for a heartbeat longer before she stepped back, still holding my sleeve. “Yeah. Thanks.”
I didn’t buy the “yeah,” not with the way her grip on the takeout bag tightened, her knuckles pale, not with the way she clutched my sleeve in a death grip.
“Come on,” I said. “I’ll walk you out.”
Outside, the crisp air hit us, the low autumn sun glinting off the diner’s chrome trim. The gravel in the parking lot crunched under our boots as we made our way to her car.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said after a moment.
“You know I did,” I grumbled, wishing Ihadput him through the window. That motherfucker deserved it.
She glanced at me, the corner of her mouth twitching like she didn’t know whether to smile or argue. We reached her car, and I opened the door for her.
