Stepping forward, he wrapped his fingers around Dwayne’s neck and slammed him up against the wall.
“Grace doesn’t give a fuck about you, but I wanted to look the man who hurt her, in the eyes. I’m going to warn you, you come near Grace, you make any sign of trying to get back into her life, and I will fucking end you.”
“I’ve not been near Grace.”
“Let me get one thing straight. If I hear you’ve hurt any other woman, I’ll come and find you, Dwayne. I don’t like scum like you, men who beat women. You’re not tough. You’re a fucking wimp, a wuss, and men who raise a hand to a woman is not the kind of man I want breathing the same air as me.” He squeezed the bastard’s neck, wanting to end his life, but Drake had taken a vow. He’d vowed never to harm another living person unless he had to.
With Dwayne, he’d keep an eye on the fucker, and make sure he didn’t harm another person ever again.
Slamming his fist into Dwayne’s stomach, Drake stepped over him and left the apartment. On the way down to his bike, he put a call through to the officer whose number he’d given Rosie. He let the cop know that he’d given Dwayne a warning, and Drake was reassured that an eye would be kept on Dwayne.
Once that was done, he ended the call only to have his cell phone go off again. Seeing it was Grace, he answered with a smile.
“Hey, baby, what’s up?”
“Are you going to be having a stripper?”
“A stripper? What the fuck for?”
“Your bachelor party.”
“I don’t know. James is in charge of all parties. Why?”
“Erm, well, Chloe’s in charge of my bachelorette party.”
“No. Not fucking happening. You’re not having a fucking stripper male or female.”
“It’s not something I’ve organized. This is down to Chloe. You’ll have to talk to her.”
Before he could argue, Grace hung up, and he cursed.
He dialed Chloe’s number, and waited.
“Hello,” Chloe said.
“No stripper, nothing.”
Chloe giggled. “I know you’re going to be having a stripper, so I’m going to make sure that Grace gets something. This relationship will be equal.”
Again, he was hung up on, and it pissed him off. Pocketing his cell phone, Drake didn’t have a clue what he was going to do to stop a guy taking his clothes off in front of his woman, but he’d sure figure something out.
Chapter Thirteen
Grace took a sip of her soda as the women started drinking. She didn’t mind not having to drink as she couldn’t wait to tell Drake the news. Glancing at her watch, she had to wonder if there was a stripper right now rubbing her body against Drake. She trusted Drake, and knew he wouldn’t step out on her, but she couldn’t help but feel jealous of it. Drake was hers. He belonged to her, and she didn’t like the thought of sharing him, not one bit.
“I want to propose a toast,” Chloe said, raising her glass. “To one of the nicest, sweetest, and craziest women I’ve ever known.”
“I’ll second that,” Teri said. “Not many women would have taken Drake without some issues. You know, the herpes kind, or he calls it the gonorrhea kind.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. Drake had told her all about his gonorrhea problem, and what it had done to him, and how humiliated he was. Grace hadn’t held it against him, although she’d found it particularly funny when his brothers teased him.
“What can I say? I love that man, and nothing is ever going to change that.” She held onto her stomach, feeling protective of what she was growing. The start of their family, and she really wished she’d been able to tell him before the bachelor party, but there hadn’t been any time.
The lights went down, and women screamed as suddenly the stage lit up, and Grace turned to see what it was. The moment she caught sight, she covered her mouth in shock and in laughter.
“They’re completely crazy,” she said.
“My man doesn’t like the thought of me finding anyone else,” Cora said, whistling up at the stage. Five men stood on the stage,