I feel a hand on my shoulder, and when I glance to my left, I see that it’s Jaxson. I shrug his hand away and take another step back. When Carter and Marcus join us, my heart feels like it’s being crushed to powder. That means Logan is here too. I don’t think my heart’s going to survive tonight.
Josie takes hold of my hand and takes one look at my face, then says, “We need to go.”
I nod, and I let her pull me away, because right now, I can’t think clearly through the heartache. I never thought it would hurt so much, seeing Rhett again.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Rhett says, as he takes a hold of my arm, stopping Josie from pulling me down the sidewalk.
“Let go of her,” Josie hisses, which makes my eyes widen.
“Who the fuck are you?” Rhett growls at her, pulling me further away from Josie.
“I’m her best friend,” Josie growls right back, not showing an ounce of fear.
This is going to end badly if I don’t stop them.
“It’s okay, Josie. This is Rhett … my brother,” I quickly explain, hoping it will be enough to defuse the tension.
“I know who he is,” she snaps angrily. “I know who they all are,” she starts to rant. “The screw crew who practically fucked their way from North Carolina to New York, and -”
“Damn, woman,” Marcus interrupts her. “You need to chill. This is between Rhett and Mia.”
Josie sucks in a deep breath, getting ready to give Marcus a piece of her mind. I don’t have enough strength to deal with Josie, as well
“Just give me a few minutes. Go back inside. I’ll come get you when I’m ready to go.”
She shakes her head, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m not leaving you.”
I close my eyes for a second as I try to regain control of my rampant emotions.
“It’s not up to you, Josie. I need this. Go have a drink and dance some more,” I say, putting my foot down. With everyone being upset, Josie is just making the whole situation more volatile.
“Fine, talk to him,” she grinds out. “I’m waiting right here.”
I give her a pleading look to calm down, and turn back to Rhett. Once I’m facing him again, I have no idea what to say. I’ve never felt uncomfortable around him before, and it sucks that our easy-going bond is gone.
Rhett scowls at Josie, one last time, before he pulls me to the side. I glance at the other guys, and they all have the same look of surprise on their faces, as they stare at me. When my eyes meet Logan’s, I almost groan as a fresh wave of pain hits.
He looks heartbreakingly handsome, even more than I remember from the last time I saw him. His hair is a little darker, almost brown. It must be because he doesn’t get out in the sun much since he started working. His brown eyes are filled with questions and something that looks dangerously like disappointment. There’s no sign of the mischievous look they always had. Not even a glimmer.
Actually, screw him. Where does he get off looking disappointed?
“What the hell happened, Mia? Why did you drop out of college? Where have you been staying? You’ve lost so much weight, I almost didn’t recognize you. How the fuck have you been surviving? Why haven’t you returned my messages?” Rhett throws one question after the other at me, drawing my attention away from Logan. Rhett’s face is tight with rage, and it only makes my own anger surface.
I yank free from his grip and wrap my arms around my waist.
I can’t bring myself to look at him, as I answer, “You didn’t return any of my messages. None of you did. For months I tried to call, but it said your numbers were no longer in use.”
A confused look washes over Rhett’s face, and he takes a step closer to me. “Are you doing drugs?”
WTF? In shock, my eyes snap up to his. “No! Of course not. Why would you even think that?”
“You’ve lost a shit load of weight and you’re not making any fucking sense. Up until two weeks ago, we were still messaging each other,” he says, anger dripping from every word.
With my own anger momentarily forgotten, my mouth drops open, but I can’t form any words. I shake my head, wondering what the hell he’s talking about.
“Mia,” Logan talks for the first time. I have to close my eyes, as the emotions
from just hearing him say my name, wash over me. His voice still has the power to create havoc with my heart.