Into the Tide (Cottonwood Cove #1)(14)

Hugh pushed to stand and lifted the guy on the ground to his feet with him. “You’re lucky I don’t call the cops. Apologize to her, and then get the fuck out of here and don’t come back.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you behind me,” he sputtered and spit blood on the grass. “You owe me twenty bucks, Tate. You will pay me.” He stormed out of our yard and down the street.

“You all right?” Hugh asked as he stalked toward me, almost predatory. His large hand grazed my cheek, and he held up his phone and turned on the flashlight before cursing under his breath. “Come on. You’re not staying here.”

“What? I live here.”

“Not anymore. You have two choices. You pack your bags and go to Travis and Shay’s, or you stay in my casita. That’s it. What’s it going to be?” His green gaze was hard, and he turned to glare at my father when Dad pushed to his feet and started apologizing.

“I’ll stay with you. Please don’t call Travis right now. He’ll be furious, and I’ll talk to him tomorrow. I promise.”

Hugh nodded. “Let’s go pack up your shit.”

He stormed past my father and shoved Bradley and Pat out of the way. There were two more guys I’d never seen sprawled out on the couch, with beer cans covering the coffee table.

“Party’s over, boys. Leave.” Hugh pointed toward the door and then raised an eyebrow at me and tilted his head toward the hallway leading to my room. I hurried inside and swiped at the tears rolling down my cheeks. Travis would hate our father even more now. He didn’t understand that this was a disease, and he was doing his best to beat it.

That was why I was here.

But nothing was going to get resolved tonight. Dad was drunk. His friends were creepy as hell, and I didn’t want to be here, anyway.

And I knew Hugh well enough to know that he wasn’t going to leave without me, so I tossed a bunch of clothes in my bag and grabbed my toiletries, as well.

When I came out of the room, wheeling my suitcase behind me, my father sat on the floor of the living room with a bottle of vodka in his hand, and he tipped his head back and took a long pull. Bradley was still there, of course, laughing his ass off just like he always did when Dad fell off the wagon.

I often wondered if that term even made sense anymore. Because in all honesty, my father had been off the wagon more than he’d ever been on it.

I hated that so much for him.

But it didn’t mean that it had to be his reality for the rest of his life.

“I’m sorry, Lila girl. I love you. I just had a slip.” Dad tried to push to his feet and fell back on the floor as Bradley’s laughter filled the small space around us.

Hugh stepped in front of me and took my bags, blocking my line of sight to my dad. “Truck. Now. I’ll be right there.”

I did what he said because I was too tired to fight him.

My cheek throbbed with pain as I climbed into his truck.

But nothing compared to the way my heart ached.





five





Hugh





She was quiet on the drive to my house, and I didn’t miss the way she kept swiping the tears from her cheeks, trying to hide her sadness. And don’t even get me fucking started about the bruise on her face from that piece of shit who’d backhanded her. It didn’t matter whether he knew she was there or not. They were a bunch of sloppy drunk fuckers, and she had no business being around them.

I pulled into the garage and turned off the truck before looking over at her. “You all right?”

“Yeah, of course. You didn’t need to bring me here. I would have been fine there.” Her voice wobbled.

“Not a chance in hell that I was leaving you there.” I turned on the interior light and leaned forward to inspect her face. I gently grazed her cheekbone with my thumb, and her eyes locked with mine. “Jesus, it’s pretty swollen and bruised. Let’s get you inside and get some ice on it.”

I jumped out of the truck and grabbed her bags, and she followed me inside. I flipped on a couple of lights and left her bags by the door as I made my way into the kitchen.

“Wow. This is so nice. When you bought the place, it needed a lot of work, right?” she asked, as she paused at the kitchen island. I filled a baggie with ice and wrapped a towel around it before gently placing it against her cheek. Her hand came over mine to hold in place, and for whatever reason, I didn’t let go. I didn’t want to.

“I’ve got it,” she whispered, lifting her hand just enough for mine to pull away.

She cringed a little, and I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to stroke her hair. She’d been hit and needed comfort, and I wanted to give it to her.

“Yep, I pretty much renovated every square inch of this place with the help of your brother and his guys,” I said, and she leaned into my touch, closing her eyes. Lavender and honey flooded my senses. “You’ll be all right. Just give it a minute, and it won’t feel that cold. It’ll start numbing up.”

And damn it if my body wasn’t reacting. I’d never been big on stroking a woman’s hair or being overly affectionate, but somehow, it didn’t bother me with Lila.

Her eyes opened, and I saw the sadness there. The heartache this girl had experienced with her father wasn’t something any kid should have to deal with. “Thanks for being there for me.”