Page 77 of This Woman Forever
“I need my wife, Jay.” I search around me, seeing Sam, Kate, Dan.
No Ava.
“I’ll bring her out.”
I spot her standing on the edge of the dance floor, her face a picture of shock. She’s shocked? What the fucking hell did she expect me to do? Fall to my knees and beg her not to kiss another man? “Fuck you, Jay.” I fight him off and bowl through the building crowd, grabbing Ava. “Get your fucking arse outside.” Of course she struggles, yelling and kicking.
“Out,” Jay roars, fighting me as I fight with Ava. All out of patience—I can’t imagine why—he shoves me aside with force and seizes Ava. “I’ll carry her out if you remove your stubborn fucking arse.”
“Fine,” I snap, happy to let Jay take the punches, my face throbbing as I follow him out of the bar, watching Ava going loopy in his arms. Crazy. Her dress is riding up her thighs, her boobs not far from spilling out. Jay’s struggling to contain her, his hands slipping across her torso. “Keep your fucking hands exactly where they are,” I warn.
“Get the hell off me,” Ava screams, bucking and turning in Jay’s grasp as he walks her out calmly.
“Ward, how the fuck do you put up with this?”
I laugh dementedly on the inside when Ava looks at me in shock. “She drives me fucking crazy.” I overtake Jay, wincing at my achy jaw. “Be careful with her.”
The cool air hits me when I make it outside, and I’m surprised when Jay gives me a civil and calm goodbye. I think he must feel sorry for me. I feel sorry for me too. And Ava, because I’m about to lose my baggage in a really unpleasant way. My mood doesn’t improve when everyone piles out of the bar. Including Dan.
“Fuck off,” I bellow. “All of you.” I am not airing our dirty laundry in front of everyone, especially not her brother.
“You think I’m leaving her with you?” Dan says on a snort of disbelief.
Did that prick just fucking challenge me? With a shitty tone, a sarcastic laugh, and by physically coming at me? I lift a foot, clench my fists, suck back air... and place my foot back down.
Calm. Give me calm.
Taking Ava’s arm, I make my point in a way that doesn’t involve caving her brother’s face in. “You don’t mind if I take my wife home, do you?”
“Yes, actually.” Another step forward. Everyone needs to pray for Dan. “I do.”
“Dan,” Ava says on a rush, not fighting my hold. “It’s fine. I’m fine. Just go. All of you, please, just go.”
Everyone remains static—the only thing moving on any of them is their eyes. Even Drew and Sam. I know Sam wouldn’t mind ripping Dan a new arsehole, but I can see he’s concerned that I’ll go further.
“What the fuck do you think I’m going to do?” I bellow. “This woman is my fucking life.” I feel Ava jump in my hold, and Kate backs up. Dan, though? He flinches, although tries to hide it, but the steely fucker remains in place. I need to calm the hell down, the temperature of my blood feeling like it could burn its way through my flesh and have me bleeding out.
Ava pulls herself from my grip, breathing heavily, looking around the group. She doesn’t know what to do. So she takes the wine in Kate’s hand and knocks it back, grabs her purse, and faces me, her expression challenging. Every time I think she’s pushed all the buttons I have, she goes and finds another. I can’t talk. Can’t yell. So I give her a dark look I pray she takes notice of.
She doesn’t. “Don’t bother following me,” she seethes, matching my look as she storms off, giving me a little shove as she does. I can’t work out who’s fuming more right now.
I touched another woman’s arse.
She kissed another man.
Definitely me.
She just has to go one better.
The look Ava just hit me with, I pass on to her brother behind me, as well as everyone else. Leave us alone.
I go after Ava. She’s so obviously trying to walk in a straight line as she marches away. How much alcohol has she had? Too much. I frown as she moves closer to the curb, her heels wobbling. The headlights of a car make me shield my eyes, putting black dots in my vision.
Jake! Jake, get out of the road! Jake!
Bang!
His limp body catapults into the air.