A Mess of a Man (Cruel & Beautiful #2)(102)

“Samantha, please. I need to speak with you.” His voice is raw with emotion.

Laney steps between us. “Rhoades, if you so much as say one more word to her, I’m calling the police and taking out a restraining order. You’re harassing her and stalking her. Now get off the property.”

He holds his hands in the air, palms facing us, and slowly backs away with sagging posture. I can see it’s the last thing he wants to do, but I have to side with Laney on this. She only wants to protect me, and he did the perfect job of shattering me and is bringing me to tears again.

Before he gets in his car, he says, “Sam, please don’t cry. I’m sorry. More than I can say, but please don’t cry.”

“Like you give a damn? Where were you all those days and nights when she was sick with worry and crying her f*cking eyes out over you and what you did? Oh, I forgot. You were throwing yourself a pity party. And now you stand there and tell her not to cry? You’re nothing but a pitiful piece of shit. Get out of here.” Then Laney turns to Mom and says, “Sorry for that terrible language, Mom, but it needed to be said. Come on, Sam. Let’s get you inside.” She puts her arm around the disaster known as her sister and we walk into the house.

Mom brings in my overnight bag and Laney paces in the living room. I head straight to my bathroom so I can blow my nose and rinse off my face. When I catch a peek of myself in the mirror, I want to laugh. My eyes are red and swollen, my lips puffy, and I look like something that cat dragged in to display as a trophy kill. I need a shot of Jack Daniels in a glass of tea.

When I mention this to Laney, she hollers, “You can’t drink! Are you crazy? You’re on pain pills. Remember?”

“Oh, crap. I forgot.”

“Swear to me you won’t drink!” Laney says.

“I swear.”

She holds out her pinky and makes me pinky swear. What the hell?

“Laney! What do you think? That I’m going to OD on Jack?”

She offers up a shaky laugh.

“I think the whole world has gone cuckoo,” I say.

“It’s all because of that f*cking Rhoades,” she says.

“Laney, please,” Mom admonishes her.

“Sorry, Mom.”

Right then, Lauren barges in the door, with a toothy grin that should be an ad for a chewing gum commercial. But one look at my swollen face stops her dead.

“What happened? Are you okay?” She runs to my side and puts her hand on my forehead.

“I don’t have a fever, if that’s what you think.”

“Then what?”

Laney spills everything, down to the very last detail.

“Jesus crackers. I don’t believe it.” Then she grins. “He’s in love with you.”

Laney turns on her. “Are you crazy? That’s the last thing she needs. That * bugging her and bringing another shitastrophe home to roost and then pulling the rug out from under her.”

Mom says, with her hands over her ears, “Laney, language.”

Lauren shrugs. “Not saying anything about that. I was just making an observation. If he was as unkempt as you say, and still in the same clothes as what, two days ago? That means he never left the hospital. And you’ve got to admit, it takes some damned sizable balls to follow you all home like that. He’s flipped over her. In a bad way. The boy is in L-O-V-E. Just sayin’.”

“He told her that at the hospital. Right before she went into surgery, if you recall,” Laney says.

“I don’t want him. I can’t trust those words, at least coming from his mouth, anyway,” I say. “And they came too late.”

The doorbell rings.

Laney practically growls. “If that’s him, I’m going to rip his balls off.”

“Laney Calhoun Harrellson. You may be married and not living under my roof anymore, but I am still your mother and if you don’t watch your mouth young lady I’m going to …” then she clamps one side of her mouth together and I guess she realizes there really isn’t anything she can do, so she shuts up.

Laney pulls the door open and a flower delivery man is there.

“Oh, thank you.” She brings in the flowers and hands them to me. It’s another gorgeous arrangement and I have a feeling I know who it’s from. I look at the card, and sure enough, it’s from Ben.

There are many flowers that are beautiful but none as perfect as you.

Love, Ben

Please call me. Give me a chance, Sam.



I hand the card to Laney and she screams, “That son of a bitch!”

My mom’s hands cover her ears and Lauren laughs.

“I don’t know what to think about all this, but I need some rest so I’m going to lie down.”

Mom immediately hugs me and tells me if I need her to call. Laney says the same and they both leave.

Lauren eyes me for a second. “You know I’m right. This is the real deal for him.”

“Maybe. But it doesn’t matter. I can’t go through that pain again.”

“I know. But what if you don’t have to? Men who only care a tiny bit for women don’t jump through hoops and don’t do cartwheels and backflips like he obviously is doing for you. If this is a man you have deep solid feelings for, you need to consider this.”