Page 84 of Missile Tow
He slid his hand onto my lap, squeezing my leg. “Chip?Now come on. We can’t just leave him standing on the road in this weather.”
“Did you hear that asshole?” I asked, glaring at him. “The fuckin’ nerve.”
“I lived with him, remember? And I’ve heard that tone many times,” he acknowledged. “I’ll admit, hearing him from this angle is shocking to witness.”
“The guy’s a douche of the first order,” I declared, trying my hardest to stay angry and follow through with my plan to leave the fool stranded.
“You’re probably right,” he agreed. “But…”
I held my hand up. “Come on now, baby. Listen to you,” I began. “You’re about to tell me about forgiveness and kindness and all that stuff, correct?” I asked, not waiting for an answer. “I’ve spent two seconds with that man, and I already wanna smash his face in.”
“Because?”
I pulled over to the side of the road and turned to face him, my eyes expanded in disbelief. “Because?” I dared. “Because? How aboutbecausehe’s rude? And he acts entitled and douchey.”
“You already mentioned he was a douche.”
His lack of anger toward Evan frustrated me, but I decided to cease speaking. I had a hunch I wasn’t going to win an argument about how to treat people with the king of kindness. I also knewthat was why I’d fallen so hard for Van. He was good. Too good for me, in my opinion.
“I didn’t like that guy,” I muttered. “He is not a nice person either.”
“You mentioned that.” Van smiled at me and scooted across the bench seat, reaching for my hand. “And you’re thinking he was probably unkind to me. Am I correct, mister?”
I turned away and stared out the window. Van was right. The image of that man treating Van poorly caused me to seethe inside. My emotional lava was boiling over at the idea of my not being there to protect him before.
“He didn’t deserve you,” I whispered, gripping the steering wheel while I raged internally. “And then John, too?”
“Look at me, please, Chip,” he asked, tugging on my hand. I ignored mystupid pridegene and turned to him. “Neither of us is with Evan anymore.”
“I’m more angry aboutyourbeing with him. No one was there to protect you from that,” I stated. “John isn’t as sweet as you are, Van.”
“So, thisisabout me?”
I hated to admit I’d acted like a jealous seventh-grade boy. “Probably.”
Van leaned in and kissed me tenderly on the lips. “I like this side of you, mister. You make me feel protected and loved for the first time in my life.”
“But?” I asked, knowing there was no way Van would leave Evan alongside the road.
“You know we have to be the better people,” he reminded me. “We have to turn around and go get him.”
The urge to slam the steering wheel was barely maintained. I wanted to love and protect Van, but I didn’t want to be an ape about my feelings for him. Evan was full of himself. Anyonecould see that, but if I wanted Van’s respect, I needed to compromise myme Tarzan,you Janeapproach.
“I guess you’re right,” I caved. “He could freeze out there. But then again, that would shut him up for good if he did.”
Van swatted at me. “Stop! Now turn around, handsome. We’ll get him towed to the mercantile, and then we can help…”
He stopped mid-sentence. He suddenly realized the situation we found ourselves in. “Then we’ll what?” I pushed.
Van quieted, his hands wrestling in his lap. I’d witnessed this conundrum before. First to speak would lose. The silence killed me.
“I guess we’ll have to… he’ll have to…”
“Not a fuckin’ chance!” I exclaimed. “No way. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever!”
“But Christmas is in a few hours,” he appealed. “He’ll be all alone, baby.”
When he called me baby, I knew he was using the big gun of endearments. I’d already figured out that a life with Van would mean a life of willingly giving into him. He was impossible to say no to.
