Page 47 of Beneath the Scars
My mouthful of coffee sits like battery acid on my tongue.
I knew Addie was hanging with Zane and Caro today. She told me about their plans days ago, but actually seeing her with him is a totally different story. I wanted to punch him in the face. He doesn’t deserve it, but I wanted to do it nonetheless.
There’s something about him that makes my gut wrench. Even knowing he doesn’t love Addie the same way I do, I still don’t like him.
Dad and I are silent as we drive back to the station. I was jumping out of my skin this morning. I couldn’t sit still knowing Addie was hanging with Zane today. Dad tried to get me to tell him what was wrong, but he doesn’t know about Addie. Yet again, I find myself questioning why we’re still keeping it a secret from so much of our family. Now that I no longer have to worry about Uncle Levi punching me in the face for daring to touch his daughter, I’m less worried about everyone else knowing.
Does Addie still care? Am I the reason she’s holding back?What if she doesn’t want to tell anyone because she’s embarrassed by me?
No. That’s not Addie. She’s made it very clear how she feels about me.
Dad parks his SUV in the deputy chief’s spot, interrupting my spiral.
“Whoa, there.” Dad holds his hand out to stop me from getting out of the car. “You gonna tell me what’s going on with you now?”
“What do you mean?”
He snorts. “Son, I’m surprised you have any teeth left after all the grinding you just did. Plus, I know you. I know when something is bothering you, so spill.”
I slump in my seat. What the fuck do I even say to him?
“Does this have to do with Adalaide and that boy she brought with her?”
I whip my head around to look at him. “Why would you ask that?”
He gives me this befuddled look. “You seriously don’t think we’re aware of your feelings for her?”
“What?” I croak. “I don’t know… You have no idea?—”
“Michael. We know. The whole family knows the two of you have been dancing around each other for years. We weren’t sure if you would ever get together. Are you? Together, that is?”
Apparently, Addie and I are the worst secret-keepers in the world. “Yeah, we are.”
“And did you know this other boy would be sniffing around today?”
A little bit of the tension seeps out of my body at how quickly he’s ready to defend me. He’s prepared to be angry on my behalf if Addie didn’t tell me. “Yeah, I did. I knew he came into town this morning and that the three of them were planning to go to the lake.”
“Ah. So that’s why you were climbing the walls this morning. If it makes you feel better, I didn’t notice him flirting or being overly affectionate to either of the girls, so maybe he truly is just a good friend.”
“He is. He’s not even attracted to them, and she considers him to be one of her best friends. I hate this ugly feeling in my chest, Dad. I don’t want to be the caveman who gets angry at the competition. I don’t doubt Adalaide’s feelings for me in the slightest. But I also don’t trust this guy. There’s just something about him that rubs me the wrong way.”
“Your instincts are usually pretty good, son. Maybe we need to look into him?”
I sigh. “I don’t know. I think it’s all mixed up in my jealousy of him having her attention. Anyway, it would probably piss Addie off if I did that.”
“If she’s in danger, we need to do something about it.”
“She’s not. Addie’s smart, and she knows if someone is bad news. She’s been friends with this guy for years. If he were a danger to her, something would’ve happened already.”
“I suppose that’s true. Well, let’s go see if we can find a case to work on to keep your mind busy.”
A knockon my door has me heaving myself off the couch. I pause the show I’ve been streaming since I got home from the station. It’s been a decent distraction while Addie’s been hanging with her friends.
She’s texted me often and even sent me the hottest fucking selfie of her in a bikini. It both helped the situation and made it worse. Every man at the lake was going to be watching her, but I know she sent it to me because she wantedmeto see her in it. It was a double-edged sword.
It’s as if my thoughts have conjured the woman becauseshe’s suddenly standing on my doorstep. While I’m standing here, trying to get my brain back online, Addie walks her happy ass inside.
“Hi, handsome.” She pops up on her toes to kiss me, and that move finally snaps me out of my shock. I band one arm around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides while my other hand spears into her soft hair. I take over the kiss. Each pass of her tongue along mine removes another layer of frustration. This is exactly what I needed, and I shouldn’t be surprised that she’d know.
