"What were you even thinking, Jason? We just got into this town, we don't need to stir up trouble already."
I lean back in my seat and cross my arms over my chest. "I was on a date, Pres. That asshole disrespected my woman. You know—" I don't even get the sentence out, and he interrupts me.
Pres straightens up to his full height. "He didn't lay a hand on her, did he?"
I grit my teeth. "No. If he had, he'd be a dead man right now."
That's one thing about Pres and the rest of the Guardians: We don’t allow anyone to lay a hand on a woman. He paces around the room and then finds his way back to his seat and sits down heavily.
"Look, this move has been a little tougher than what I thought it would be. Walker assured me that we wouldn't have any issues when we came, and there haven't been any big ones, but it's obvious from the townspeople that we're not really wanted here. I just need for there not to be any more problems."
I lean forward and look at him closer. It seems in the last few weeks, he's aged quite a bit. The stress is definitely getting to him.
"Look, I understand exactly what you're saying, and you know me. You know I don't go looking for trouble."
He nods in agreement. "I do know you, and that's why I'm only saying this as a warning. I really need you to lay low and stay out of town for a while. Just until this is all forgotten.”
I think about it, and he's probably right. I'm a little worried on how Tara took everything last night. I still haven't talked to her, but the image of her face keeps flashing before me. When I punched Mark, it scared her, and that's the last thing that I want to do.
"Fine," I mutter. "I'll stay out of town for a few days."
"Good. Now get out of here. We need you over at the bar. There's a lot of work to be done in order to open next week."
I get up and walk across the gravel lot to the bar. I and a few of the guys work all afternoon, and only once we're at a stopping point late into the evening do we all sit around and crack open a beer.
My thoughts have been on Tara all day. But I'm thinking, hoping at least, that if I give her some space, she'll understand why I reacted the way I did. It may be wishful thinking on my part.
I’m lost in thought when Reaper bellows from the front door, "Yo, Jason. You have a visitor."
I look up and shoot up from my seat. "Tara?"
She's standing at the door with bags in each of her hands. She holds them up and out to me. "You didn't come into town today so I thought I would deliver some goodies to you all."
The men all surround her and take the bags from her. I ignore all of them and walk straight up to her. I search her face for some indication of what she's thinking or how she's feeling. "Are you okay?"
She slaps me on the chest, almost angrily. "Am I okay? I should be asking you that. You get arrested last night, your buddy tells me not to go to the police station, and I haven't heard from you all day. Are you okay?"
I shrug my shoulders. "I thought you would be mad at me. I was hoping to give you a little time to cool down."
"Mad at you?" she asks incredulously. "Why would I be mad at you?"
I grab her hand and pull her to a table over in the corner. I sit down in the chair and pull her down into the one next to me. I wrap my foot around the base of her chair and pull her close. I put one arm on the back of her chair and then one on the table in front of her. It may seem like I'm trying to block her in, and maybe I am. "I thought you'd be mad that I punched him, that I caused a scene and maybe embarrassed you."
She looks at me with surprise. Her hand comes up and strokes along my jaw. "You didn't embarrass me, Jason. You stood up for me. I've never had anyone do that for me before."
I hate that she's never had anyone in her life that put her first. From this moment on, that's exactly what I plan to do. "I'll always stand up for you, Tara. Always."
She tilts her head to the side and puts her hand on my shoulder. "Tara, huh? What happened to Mama?"
I reach up and cover her hand with mine. "I'll always stand up for you, Mama. Always."