Taking the Leap (River Rain 3)

He didn’t walk through it though.

He turned and said, “None of them.”

“None of what?” Rix bit off.

“None of the women you fucked your way through were so meaningless, they were worth you taking your shit out on their bodies. Because there’s not a single woman on this fucking earth who is meaningless.”

Rix stood completely still.

“None of them were Peri,” Judge continued. “Though, I figure you revenge fucking your way through Yavapai County worked, since it clearly woke her shit up.”

“You need to get the fuck away from me right now, Judge, and we need some space,” Rix warned.

“You lost your legs, man, you didn’t lose your life. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, or who you’re trying to prove it to, you, Peri, the world, or all of those. But it wasn’t okay you worked your shit out with anyone who would let you bang them. And it is really not okay you do it with Alex.”

“This is not about Peri,” he growled.

“You’re right, it’s about you,” Judge shot back.

“You done?” Rix demanded.

Judge just stared at him.

“You’re done,” Rix whispered.

“I love you, man,” Jude said firmly. “And I’m here to help any way you need.”

“Yeah?” Rix asked. “You are?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Really?” Rix pushed.

Judge’s head ticked and some of his cocky, know-it-all attitude slid away.

“You don’t know dick, bud,” Rix told him. “And there’s one reason why. But you do know what that is.”

“Rix—”

“You know who knows?’

“Rix—”

“Alex, because she fuckin’ asks.”

Judge winced.

Then he clipped, “Goddamn it, Rix—”

“You’re done, get out.”

“Rix—”

“Get the fuck out, Judge. We need space.”

They faced off again.

Judge ended it again, this time with a parting shot.

“I fucked up, but you’re fucking up. Stop doing it before she gets hurt.”

He delivered that, and he was out the door.

But Rix felt that the deepest in his throat.

So deep, it seemed like he was choking on it.

“She’s lost her mind with this whole Rogue One bullshit,” Gal declared. “I mean, who wants sad, hopeless Star Wars?”

“Word, sister,” Rix agreed.

“Ugh,” Alex grunted.

Rix grinned at her.

“I don’t understand, why am I the only one who likes Tango?” Katie asked.

“It’s the suit,” Gal told her. “I don’t get it, but you’re a sucker for a suit.”

Alex leaned into him and whispered in his ear, “It’s the Italian Stallion.”

“I heard that,” Katie snapped. “So I like dark and built. Uhhhhhhh…”

She then swooped her hand up in front of Rix to indicate him.

Rix burst out laughing.

Alex was smiling to her friend.

Rix liked her doing that, looking happy, so he hooked her around the neck and pulled her into his side.

She relaxed into him and stayed there.

The night seemed like it was going to be a success.

Rix was glad this wasn’t some trial by fire.

He was more glad Alex’s friends were so fucking great.

Best of all, it was clear she loved being with them.

He should have known.

But bottom line, that was what they were. Great. Watchful at first, but nice. Then they warmed to him and they were funny all together, Katie was sweet, Gal had an edge to her that was cool.

It was all good.

And he needed that after his scene with Judge that morning.

“I’m feeling a Big Trouble in Little China night coming on,” Gal decreed.

“We’re in,” Alex blurted, speaking for him.

He liked that too.

And not because that was possibly the best Kurt Russell film in history.

Gal started to say something else, then she sat bolt upright in her chair, her eyes aimed over Rix’s shoulder.

He turned his head.

And shit.

Peri was standing there, eyes locked to him and Alex, face pale.

“What—?” He felt Alex shift to look too.

But he caught her eyes on the way.

“Peri,” he murmured.

Her attention raced to the door, and she tensed in his hold.

“Five minutes, baby,” he said.

She looked back to him, pulling from his arm and advising, “Hurry, Rix. She just rushed out.”

Damn it.

He moved his gaze through the women at the table, got up and moved quickly toward the door.

He caught Peri getting in her car.

He waylaid her closing the door by putting a hand to it.

“You don’t have to do this,” she said to her steering wheel.

“Give me five minutes.”

She looked up to him.

“I’m not feeling five minutes,” she snapped.

“My intention is not to hurt you, Peri. But you had to know I’d move on.”

“No, I didn’t,” she sniped. “Because you were in love with me. Like married love. Like rest of your life love.”

She had the balls to hand him that shit?

He shook his head. “Okay, this is not why I came out here. I came out here to see if you were okay. I came out here because I didn’t want you to do what you’re doing, getting in your car when you’re emotional. And I came out here to repeat what I told you Sunday. I have someone in my life now. We mean something to each other, and we all live in the same town. We gotta get past this.”