“I can’t wait to see you race tonight!” She squeezes me tightly and then convulsively squirms when Jayson grabs her ribs to pull her off me.
“Hands off my girl, Ry.”
I want to mess with him now since Elizabeth is the one climbing all over me. “Hold tight,” is the only warning I give her and take off across the parking lot toward my car. Elizabeth hangs on for dear life, laughing hysterically. Jayson doesn’t find it funny at all. He may be a fast swimmer, but I’m a faster runner. I have Elizabeth in my car, doors locked, and engine turned on by the time Jayson pounds on my window.
“Open up fucker and give me my girl!” I raise my middle finger and rev the engine. Elizabeth wiggles her fingers in a goodbye wave, blows him a kiss, and we peel out of the lot.
“He is so going to beat your ass when he gets to the track.”
I grin at her. “Worth it.”
“Am I a bad person to like it so much when you mess with him?”
“He deserves it.”
“Why do you say that?”
I change the subject. “I can’t believe we only have a month left before we graduate.”
“I know! It all feels so surreal.”
“Any clue as to where the fams are taking us for summer vacay?”
“I did see a suspicious London travel book half hidden under my dad’s newspaper this morning.”
“You’re shitting me? We’re going to England?”
“I mean, I hope so. I was right about Hawaii.” Elizabeth starts swiping through my music files. She loves cranking up rock and roll when we’re driving in my car together. “Ryder, has Brea said anything or talked to you about Hailey recently?”
I shake my head, eyes on the road. “Nothing. Sorry. I did talk to her like you asked me to, but she said other than Hailey maybe having a secret boyfriend, she’s been the same old Hailey, just a little more standoffish than usual.”
Loud honking interrupts our conservation. “Wonder what took him so long,” Elizabeth chuckles looking out the back window at Jayson’s truck coming up behind us fast. I push the gas down and speed away, wagging my middle finger out the driver’s side window.
We pull into the Fields and there are several other cars parked already. Things won’t really get busy until about seven, so we have over an hour to kill. Jayson parks his truck next to us.
“Come here, Liz.”
“No,” she sasses back even though she’s using me like a human shield to hide behind my back, head poking up over my shoulder.
Julien casually walks over and lifts Elizabeth into his arms. “Stop being a possessive ass,” he tells his brother.
“Fucking Christ. Will everyone stop manhandling my girl.”
Elizabeth is enjoying the game of “pass the girlfriend” if her giggles are anything to go by. Elijah shows up and Julien hands Elizabeth over to him. Jayson has had enough and strong arms Elizabeth away from Elijah.
“Hi,” she grins at Jayson when they are nose to nose.
Jayson just growls and attacks her mouth with a kiss. I turn to pop the hood of my car, feigning checking the engine. It gets harder and harder for me to watch Jayson kiss Elizabeth because, shit, I want to be that man.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” Elijah says walking over to me, “but word is Marshall is racing tonight.”
Both Julien and I release twin groans. “Elizabeth and I were talking about graduating in a month and it can’t come soon enough. I won’t have to see that asshole anymore for the rest of my life.”
“Speaking of Marshall,” Julien jerks his thumb to the side where Marshall and several others are getting out of their cars. He glares over at our group and we glare back. Fallon arrives next in a new Porsche 918 Spyder. I swear that guy goes through cars like he does women.
“Hey, there’s my man!” Fallon shouts out at me, three girls attached to his sides.
“Nice car,” I comment. The guys have walked off and are talking with a group of people from our school, but I notice Elizabeth lingers behind, her gaze watchful as Fallon approaches me.
“No shit, man. It’s fucking awesome. Want to give it a spin?”
“You serious?”
“You’re the only one I would trust with it, hoss.”
“Well, then fuck yeah. When and where?” I’m one of the first drivers up tonight to race so don’t have time for a test drive. I’m also not stupid enough to take an almost one-million-dollar car out on a dirt track in the middle of a field.
Fallon twirls his keys around his index finger and slips them in his front jeans pocket. “I’ll set something up for this weekend.”
“Sounds good. When did you get back?” For the past ten months after he graduated from Highland High, Fallon has been sailing the world on his family’s yacht. This is the first I’ve seen him at the Fields since he left.
“A couple of weeks.” Fallon removes the girls’ hands from the various places they are attached to his body. “Why don’t you girls go wait over there until I’m done.” He kisses each one and swats them on the ass as they teeter off, stumbling across the grass and dirt in their high heels.
“Fucking bitches,” he mumbles. “So,” he leans lazily against my car as I continue to look at my engine under the hood. “You’re up against Marshall tonight.”
My head jerks up and I almost smack it against the underside of the hood. “Now why the hell would you set that up,” I say not as a question but as an accusation.
“Part of the deal we made.” Fallon takes out a joint and then puts it back in his pocket when he sees Elijah’s dad. “He asked for a shot at you and I granted it. Why? You worried?”
“Fuck no. I can drive circles around that asshole with my eyes closed.” And I can’t really complain about it. Fallon did get Marshall to back off and not press charges against Jay after Jay put him in the hospital. Or the fact that Fallon was able to get the video down so quickly and made Marshall quit the Highland High soccer team.
“That’s what I figured,” he chuckles. Fallon tilts his head and stares at Elizabeth. She’s still watching us and cocks her head to the side imitating Fallon and stares right back. I frown.
“You keep staring at Elizabeth, you and I are going to have a problem.”
“She’s a fascination is all. Hot as fuck too.”
“Fallon,” I warn, my voice low and serious.
“Chill the fuck out, Ry. I know she’s hands off. We just have some unfinished business is all.” Before I can ask him what unfinished business, he slaps me on the back and walks off. “You’re up in ten, my man.” I close the hood of my car. Fallon stops in front of Elizabeth and leans in to whisper something in her ear. I see her tense up and then he walks off whistling.
She and I meet halfway. “Want to tell me what that was all about?”
“That was Fallon just being Fallon. Is it time?”
“Yeah.” She wishes me good luck and walks away to Jayson and Julien.
Elizabeth
I don’t think my nerves can take it. Why in the hell is Ryder racing against Marshall? Julien is just as confounded as I am. Jayson, not so much. I watch as Ryder drives his car up to the start line, Marshall coming up next to him in his Mustang. I’m chewing my nails down as I watch. Julien grabs my hand and holds it to help calm my jitters. Fallon already has me worked up with his “secret for a secret” shit again that he whispered to me earlier. So now I’m paranoid about him knowing some big, dark secret on top of me being worried about Ryder. I refuse, however, to let Fallon know he intimidates me. He stares and I stare right back.
Fallon walks out on the track but doesn’t do his usual performance of pumping up the crowd to announce the start of the race. Instead, he stands in front of the cars. He lifts his arms up and the engines rev loudly like rolling thunder. He aims one arm out at Ryder, his hand doing a gun pose.
“You ready motherfucker!” He repeats the same pose to Marshall. “Get set motherfucker.”
I can see Ryder’s left
hand clenching the steering wheel, amber eyes hard and focused. Fallon throws both arms down. “Go!”
Dirt flies up as the tires of both cars spin and then they are off like rockets. It’s a two-lap race and I am jumping up and down, holding on to Julien’s hand, hollering to Ryder to go faster. I watch as Marshall clips the back end of Ryder’s Dodge at the driver’s side back corner, denting and scraping it. Ryder spins out into a 180 but recovers and catches back up to Marshall.
Ryder goes wide to pass him on the straightaway, but Marshall tries to sideswipe him. That dirty bastard. I’m shouting and so livid with anger at the crap Marshall is pulling. He could seriously hurt Ryder, crash his car, or worse. What would I do if anything happened to Ryder? The only thought tunneling into my brain is I can’t lose him. As Ryder flies past the finish line well ahead of Marshall, all I see is red.
I don’t remember running out to the track. I don’t hear Jayson or Julien calling my name. I don’t hear Ryder yelling at me. I don’t remember much of anything until I am at Marshall’s car when he gets out.
“You piece of shit son of a bitch!” I pull back my clenched fist and punch him in the face. The sound of bone breaking is audible above all the noise of the crowd, but I have no clue if it belongs to him or me because, holy shit, that hurt.
“Ow, fuck!” I yelp as Marshall shouts, “You crazy stupid bitch!”
He lunges for me and to my downright shock, Fallon is the person who jumps in between us and pushes Marshall away from me.
“You do not fucking touch her or I end you for good this time,” Fallon threatens him.
I’m yanked backward by several pairs of strong arms. “Jesus Liz,” Jayson pants, breathing hard. He folds me into his body and holds me tight, hand gripping the back of my head. Julien takes my injured hand to inspect it. My knuckles are already swollen and bruised but I don’t give shit. I would break every bone in my hand to do it all again.
Julien releases his hold on me and wraps around me from my back, so I’m now sandwiched between him and Jayson. “Why did you do that Liz? What the hell were you thinking?”
I don’t answer. My anger is too vibrant right now and I know I need to calm down before I do something else crazy like attack Marshall again. The urge to do so is very strong. I want to give him two black eyes to go with his bloody nose.
Even though my head is forcibly buried in Jayson’s chest, I can hear his and Ryder’s angry threats to Marshall.
“You come anywhere near her again and I will kill you,” Jayson shouts. Ryder’s threats are about the same.
Elijah’s dad and the other deputy sheriff who are here tonight make their way over to the chaos to figure out what’s going on.
“Everything ok here?” Elijah’s dad asks me, Jayson, and Julien, then looks at Ryder, Fallon, and Marshall.
No one says a word other than yes, everything’s fine. We know to keep our mouths shut. If the adults and parents in town think fights and trouble are happening at the Fields, they may shut it down, and that’s something we will not allow to happen. This place means too much to all of us.
“That’s what I thought you’d all say.” He looks at me. “Do you need medical attention?” I shake my head no. He then looks to Marshall. “What about you, son. Looks like you broke your nose.”
“No. I’m good. I’m leaving anyway.” Fallon shoves Marshall into his car.
“Ok, then. I think that’s enough excitement for tonight kids. Pack up and head home. Races are over for the evening.” The crowd groans and mumbles but everyone turns around and heads to their vehicles to leave. “I’ve got an ice pack in the first aid kit of my car. Elijah will bring it,” Elijah’s dad says to me.
“Got a mean right hook, kitten,” Fallon remarks as he walks by. Ryder grabs ahold of his arm and stops him.
“Did you know he was going to pull that shit tonight?”
“No. But I can promise you Marshall will pay. He’s used up all his good graces with me. Send me a bill for how much the cost is for the damages to your Hellcat.” Ryder nods and lets go of his arm.
Jayson eases up his hold on me and I start to shake from the adrenaline crash. “Baby, let’s get you home and get that hand looked at. Julien, can you grab the blanket from the back of my truck and bring it for Liz?”
“Yep. Be right back.” Julien kisses my temple and leaves to get the blanket.
Elijah jogs over holding the ice pack from his dad’s car. “That was the most awesome fucking thing I have ever seen. You are such a badass, Liz.”
Jayson responds to that in exasperation. “If I wasn’t so mad at you right now for taking thirty years off my life by scaring the shit out of me, I would agree.”
I lift my head up and kiss Jayson’s gorgeous mouth. “I don’t regret it one bit. He tried to hurt Ryder.”
“Elizabeth, I’d rather he hurt me than you. If Fallon hadn’t been there, Marshall would have hit you.”
I turn around in Jayson’s arms and step away from him. As I near Ryder, I jump up and hug his neck. “No one will ever hurt you or take you from me. Ever,” I tell him vehemently before releasing him and grabbing hold of Jayson’s outstretched hand.
Chapter 23
Present Day
Jayson
You ever think to yourself after you’ve experienced one of the most godawful shittiest days of your life, “I wish I could go back in time and have a redo?” How can your morning start out so normal but the day end as your worst fucking nightmare? If I knew today would be that day, the one that forever alters your reality and scars you in a way that will damn your soul to hell, the one that shreds every part of you into jagged, fragmented pieces and then burns them to ashes, I would never have left Liz’s bed this morning. I would have held her tight, kissed her long, fucked her completely while shouting I love you, and then I would have repeated it all again, over and over.
So that’s how my morning starts – a slice of normal. I reluctantly leave Liz's bed so she can get ready for choir practice before school. I know she’s excited about her upcoming music competition, but fuck if I won’t be ecstatic when it’s over with. I hate her early morning practice days because it means I have to give up an hour of being snuggled up to her warm, luscious body. I will never get tired of waking up to her gorgeous smiling face, her soft kissable lips, her light green eyes I willingly fall deeply into. My hands never know which part of her to touch first. They are absolutely obsessed with every inch of her tall, slender figure.
I’ve been looking at cheap apartments near campus at CU. I plan to move her in with me as soon as we get there, which benefits me because I’ll get to wake up to her every morning and fall asleep with her every night. I love Liz so damn much. I meant what I said. I’ll be asking her to marry me and I will definitely be getting her pregnant with my children, but that wish will have to wait until after we graduate college. The former, however, I plan on rectifying this summer. I already have the ring. She’s it for me. My forever. My soulmate. Always has been. I do not exist in this life without her.
I help clean and bandage Liz’s injured hand before I go home to shower. My girl is a fucking boss. The way she sucker-punched Marshall last night was a sight to behold. Pride swells in me at my fierce princess. Then it turns to fear and rage and shame. Marshall went after her in retaliation and I wasn’t close enough to stop it. Thank God for Fallon – words I never thought would ever leave my mouth.
On the way to school, Julien, Ryder, and I stop at Ruby’s for breakfast and I make sure to get Liz’s favorite coffee and scone to bring with me. I have a smile on my face knowing I’m going to see my girl soon. Even a minute away from her is too long. When we get to first period, my smile falls when Liz sees a text from Jacinda on Julien's phone meant for me. Jacinda is a manipulative bitch. Why in the hell is she sending me porno pics of herself? I mean, what the fuck?
Next, Liz hears about the video of Jacinda on top of me at the bonfire. Ryder warned me to tell Liz what happened, but I’m a cocky
asshole who thought I could protect her by keeping it from her.
Then, for some unknown reason, Hailey skips out of school and Liz wants to find her. I drive Liz back home to look for Hailey. Go back to the place I didn’t want to fucking leave this morning to begin with. We get there and no sign of Hailey, so I drive Liz back to school and we finish the day out before I drive her to work at the library.
That’s where I am now. I decided to stick around and use one of the library’s study rooms to finish up my homework while I wait for Liz to get off at six. I text Julien to let him know I wouldn’t be home until seven since I plan to take Liz to dinner when she clocks out. Ryder’s at the garage working on getting out the dents and scratches Marshall put on his Challenger during last night’s race. Fucking douchebag Marshall. Great, now I’m angry again.
“I hope I’m not the reason for that scowl.” Liz is propped against the door of the study room, purse hanging from her hand, looking like the most beautiful creature ever to exist on this planet. She slays my heart just looking at her. Every. Single. Time.
My scowl turns to one of perplexity. I look at my watch. “It’s only five. Are you on break?”
She pulls away from the door and walks to where I’m sitting at the large circular table. “Nope. They’re letting me off early today.”
When she gets close enough, I pull her in between my bent legs because, once again, my hands can’t stop fucking touching her. I take my time rubbing up and down her back and then curve around to cup her ass.
“You know we need to talk about the video and the text, right?” she says.
“There are better things we can talk about. Or not talk at all.” I tug her closer and she places her hands on my shoulders looking down at me in the chair.
All Our Next Times: Fallen Brook Series: Book 1 Page 25