“No. It can’t be over. Don’t do this, Connie. We want you,” Scott said.
She shook her head. “Leave me alone. I’ve already done enough damage. At least you guys will be fine now. I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.” She hung up her cell phone, closed the curtain, and went to sit on her sofa. The tears spilled down her cheeks and they felt like fire, branding her.
She was a loser.
She’d taken a chance and rather than gaining anything, she’d lost it all.
She wiped under her nose, curled up in a ball, and sobbed. All she really wanted was for Beau and Scott to be wrapped around her. They helped her to feel safe, to feel loved.
Now, she had nothing.
Chapter Nine
“I’m going to hurt every single motherfucker who dares to hurt her,” Scott said.
He climbed into his car, Beau getting into the passenger seat. “Where are we going?”
“Simple, we’re going back to the pharmacy, then we’re going to let the town know.” The pharmacy and the diner were the two places still open as they always had late hours. Not as late as Connie usually did.
“Why do you think she went to the pharmacy?” Beau asked.
“You heard her, she felt sick.”
“Sick?”
Scott nodded.
“You don’t think that was sickness because of a pregnancy, do you?” Beau asked.
“It could be and we’re going to pick up a test to make sure. I’m not losing her, Beau. We’re going to make the town realize we’re both claiming her as our own. Anyone who fucks with us will have to deal with us. You’re the best damn mechanic around, and if they want to lose weight or have a good time, they will all be turned away. You’re with me?”
“Hell, yeah, I want Connie. You know that. I’m not going to give her up, and I’m certainly not going to let any of these fucking bastards take her from us.”
They arrived outside of the pharmacy. After climbing out of the car, Scott went in. He didn’t wait around and went straight to the pregnancy tests. He found a couple of different brands and didn’t know which one would work best, and so he took them.
At the counter, he looked at the woman. “Connie Reeves came in earlier. She runs the bar.”
“I know her.”
“What happened?” Scott asked.
He listened as the woman told him what went down.
“Right, thank you for your time. The next time Connie comes in here and someone is giving her shit, call me,” Scott said. He held out a card, which the woman took. Beau did the same.
With their tests in hand, they walked over to the diner.
“What are you going to do?” Beau asked.
“Simple. We’re going to go in there united.” Scott opened the door.
He released a whistle, gaining the attention of the people in the diner. Scott saw the woman the pharmacist had mentioned.
“I know you all know me. I’m Scott James, and this is Beau Caine. We’re best of friends, and we are going to tell you straight. Connie Reeves, the woman who owns the best damn bar in town, she belongs to us. She’s our woman. One of you today hurt her and I consider that a slight against me and my boy. Ask Mrs. Dale what happens when she thinks to hurt someone we love. We know you don’t all need us or our services but one day, you will, and you’ll be out on your ass. We love Connie. We’re going to make her our woman. You don’t like it, you can go to hell,” Scott said.
Turning on his heel, he left the diner.
Beau laughed. “I think you’ve shocked the shit out of them.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t give a fuck about them. I’m worried about one person and one person only. She wouldn’t let us up, Beau. It might be easy to tell them what’s going to happen, and to put them in their place, but dealing with Connie isn’t going to be as easy.”
“Do you think she’s pregnant?
“I don’t know, but if she wasn’t prepared for a baby, we’ve got to deal with it.” He slammed his fist against the steering wheel. “Fuck! I hate those fucking bitches. Always meddling in others’ lives, hurting people. They have no bastard right.”
“Wow, you really are pissed,” Beau said. “You only swear when you’re really angry.”
“I can’t … I can’t lose her, Beau. I can see us all now, together. I know it’s not conventional, but who gives a shit about convention? It’s love. I love her. You love her. I don’t want to lose her. Not any part of her.”
Beau gripped his shoulder. “We won’t. We’ll win this. We have to.”
They arrived back outside of the bar. The closed sign was still there. After climbing out of the car, Scott grabbed the bag and went to the doors. They were locked. He went around to the back, and again, it was locked.