Bullets & Bonfires

The last traces of anger evaporate and he reaches over to touch me, but it’s too late. “Bree, baby, I don’t—”

No. No. No. Pity shines in his eyes and I can’t take it. Flinging off my seatbelt, I throw the door open, ready to run into the darkness rather than hear another word.

“Bree, don’t you dare!” He lunges across the seat, almost grabbing my arm, but I slip free and jump out of the truck.

Staring up at him, I spit out words that aren’t fair. “You’re only here out of obligation to Vince. So don’t act like my big protector, swooping in to save me. I saved myself. I don’t need you taking care of me. I don’t need Vince. I don’t need anyone!” Done with my idiotic rant, I slam the door shut and stalk down the shoulder of the road.

We’re miles from Vince’s house, so maybe jumping out of the truck wasn’t the best idea. But I’m committed now, dammit. All my thoughts race through my head at an alarming rate. Home. Pack. Leave. Or maybe just lock Liam out.

As if that would ever work.

Tears blur my vision and I stumble over the uneven ground.

Liam’s heavy footsteps snap over the gravel behind me.

Oh, hell no. I don’t waste time looking over my shoulder. I break into a flat-out run and pray I don’t trip.

But goddamn Liam and his long, muscular legs that catch up to me in no time. He hooks his arms around my waist, lifting me off the ground and slamming my back against his chest. Wild and furious, I kick and struggle to get free.

“Let me go!”

“No.” He buries his face in my hair, his lips briefly skimming my ear. “Shh, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, Bree. I’m sorry.”

The raw agony and regret in his voice squelches my fury, and my body sags against him. Liam holds me a few more seconds before loosening his grip and setting me down.

Spinning, I fling my arms around him, crying into his shirt. He wraps me up in his embrace and runs his hands over my hair and down my back. “It’s not your fault, Bree.” He keeps holding me and speaking sweet, soothing words in my ear.

All the fury, all the fight, melts from my body as he holds me, rocking me from side to side there on the shoulder of the road.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

What the fuck did I do?

I hadn’t realized how riled I was until Bree started firing off question after question about my love life.

Mentioning Meredith only made it worse.

A ball of dread landed in the pit of my stomach earlier, when Bree casually told my parents about starting graduate school at the end of August. I can’t stand her leaving again, even though I know I have to let her go.

Then there’s the shit Chad said about Bree always coming back to him. Haven’t stopped thinking about that either. Yeah, I’ll admit, the fucker hit a nerve there and I hate myself for entertaining the thought. Bree’s strong. She’s a survivor. She’s not going back to him. I shouldn’t doubt her.

Ultimately, I’m furious because I can’t express how I feel about her. Not now.

Slowly other sounds of the night filter in over the blood pounding through my ears and Bree’s soft sobs. Her arms tighten around my waist and her cheek rests over my heart. My hand moves in circles over her back, her silky hair tickling my fingers. Eventually her body stops shaking and her tears subside.

A car slows behind us and comes to a stop. A short sharp blast of the horn makes me groan.

“Everything all right?” a man calls out.

I turn, my movement stiff because Brianna clings to me even harder, hiding her face from the good Samaritan who I recognize as one of my dad’s bowling buddies. Before I can answer, he asks, “What’re you doing out here, Hollister?”

“Hey, Henry. Nothing. We’re fine. Thanks for stopping and checking.”

He stares at us a few minutes longer. “All right. See ya later.”

Once he’s gone, Bree lifts her head. “I’m sorry. I’m sure this will get back to your parents now.”

“I don’t care about that. I care about you.”

“I know you do. I shouldn’t have…I didn’t mean it.”

“I know, baby girl.”

After a few more minutes, I take her hand and walk her back to the truck.

The silence is awkward at first. We’ve never fought before. I’ve never been angry with Bree in my life. How could I be?

This has bothered me for so long and now seems like the right time to apologize. “That night, Bree. I’m so sorry I didn’t stand up for us.”

She doesn’t ask which night I’m referring to. “Vince is your best friend. Of course you’d take his side.” She lets out a dry laugh. “You were just humoring me anyway.”

I slide my hand over her leg and gently squeeze. “I wasn’t humoring you.”

“You gave me my first real kiss that night, so thank you.”

“That was your first kiss? How is that possible?”

“I don’t know. You and Vince scared any guy who looked at me away.”

“You had a boyfriend for a while there. Robbie Whats-his-face.”

“Robbie Norton? He gave me a kiss on the cheek once. It was awkward as hell and he smelled like onions.”

It’s time I tell her the truth. “I broke up with Meredith before your graduation because all I thought about was you and I couldn’t stand it anymore.”

She sucks in a sharp breath. “What? No you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did. I wanted to talk to your brother first. But then you so sweetly ambushed me outside.”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me. That was so embarrassing.”

I pull into Vince’s driveway and shut off the engine. “Why? I loved every minute, until your brother ruined it.”

She whips her head around and nails me with a hard stare. “What a load of shit. You did nothing. You went home. Didn’t call me. Didn’t even say goodbye.”

My blood boils at her words. She’s partially right. “Well, you got even, didn’t you? You left for college early and never looked back.”

She returns to staring out the window. “I didn’t see the point in sticking around all summer and having you ignore me. Why didn’t you say something?”

“The next I knew you were hooked up with Chad. You seemed happy. I didn’t want to mess with that.” I drop my gaze to my fists resting in my lap. “I really wish I had, though.”

“Don’t take this on, Liam. It’s not your fault. I’m responsible for my own mistakes.” She jerks her door open and jumps down, racing over the lawn to the front door. Part of me wants to go home, but I can’t stand the thought of leaving her alone.

“Hey,” I call out when I enter the house and find her in the living room. “Are we all right?”

Her wide eyes stare at me for a few seconds. “Why are you still here?”

Now, more than ever, I can’t leave her. Not after the fight we just had. The things we said to each other. Even if she won’t speak to me for the rest of the night, I don’t want her all alone. “Vince asked me to look after you until he comes home.” It’s a weak answer and doesn’t come close to the full truth.

Her jaw tightens. “Right.” She glances down at the couch. “Do you need blankets to make this up?”

The meaning is clear. “Sure. I’ll sleep out here tonight.”

“I think that’s for the best.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

As if last night’s argument with Liam didn’t leave enough emotional scars, this morning I’m supposed to meet with a therapist. I hurry and dress, eager to leave the house before Liam wakes up.

Am I really doing this?

“Where are you going?” Liam’s gruff words from somewhere in the vicinity of the couch stop me in my tracks.

Shadows surround him, but I can still make out his wide, male form as he sits up, shoving blankets to the foot of the couch.

Even though I helped him fix the temporary bed last night, part of me is surprised he’s still here. I’d certainly been a big enough bitch to him.

All night I thought about the implications of the things he admitted to me on the way home.

“Bree?”

The muscles of my throat work hard to swallow, but I can’t.

Oh, good God.

Liam. Shirtless.