River's End (River's End Series, #1)(92)

Ben looked like he was about to follow, but stared at his father, and then at his uncle.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Ian yelled. Ian, the one who never yelled, and never raised his voice or even his eyes, it seemed. Ian glared at Jack and his voice was loud and upset.

She felt the eyes glaring into her. Shane glanced her way, but Jack didn’t. He jerked his shoulders from Ian’s grasp and rubbed his shirt on his bloody lip.

“He can’t shut his mouth. He thinks he can say whatever he chooses.”

Joey snarled at Jack. “It’s about her. Was it worth it, Jack? Was she worth it?”

Jack’s chest muscles flexed, and his shoulders tensed. Shane grabbed his arm. “Shut up, Joe. What the hell were you doing, Jack?”

“Erin. He’s doing Erin now and didn’t like me having her first,” Joey taunted.

Ben winced. She should have left, or hidden, anything to not get further involved. But she caused this and had to take responsibility for it.

Especially with Jack’s fifteen-year-old son, now nearly in tears and glaring with sudden awareness at his father. He seemed to realize in that moment, that his father wasn’t whom he thought he was.





Chapter Twenty-Five


Jack rubbed a hand over his opposite fist. Damn! His knuckles hurt. He wondered if he sprained it. He tasted the metallic, iron taste of blood on his lips. The fury that engulfed him only a moment before receded to the edge of his brain. He was back in reality, in the moment, and nearly groaned out loud as it hit him harshly. What was he doing? He just tried to kick the shit out of his little brother. And now, all three of his brothers stood in the yard, looking with complete amazement at him. He never lost his cool or his temper before. And for what? Like this? Making Joey bleed? He nearly groaned out loud for what he’d done. The sight of Charlie running down the road in fear finally sank into Jack’s remorseful brain.

Then Erin stepped between them, looking stricken, and worse, afraid. He scared her. He scared Charlie. He even scared Ben. He jerked his arm from Shane, now back in control of himself.

“Shut up, Joe. Your big mouth started all this.”

“No. She started this.”

Jack rubbed the bottom of his shirt to his lip and shook his head. “She didn’t start this. We started this, Joey. We had a lot of shit between us for years that we should have resolved long ago.”

Joey shook his head and tugged his arms from Ian. Ian released him, but kept an eye on Jack, as if ready to spring.

“So you were what? Resolving things with my ex fuck-buddy?”

“Stop, Joey,” Erin suddenly ordered as she whipped around. Then she had the sense to do what Jack should have done, and what he normally would have done had he been his normal, responsible self. She told Ben to go inside and wait, as he didn’t need to hear any of this. Then she turned to Jack, not Joey.

“You should be ashamed of yourself. You’ve scared both of your sons. You didn’t have to do that. You shouldn’t have reacted that way. I don’t know what you’re doing with me, but you shouldn’t have reacted that way about it.”

“He’s getting his rocks off with you, Erin. Just like he wanted to from the first time he saw you. Only you didn’t see him. Not at all. You wanted me. And big brother, Jack, couldn’t handle it. I had to leave for him to get noticed. No wonder he wants to beat the shit out of me.”

“Shut up, Joey. It wasn’t like that. Any of it. Including you and me. Why are you being like this?” Erin persisted.

He glared at her. “Because you took over my house, my ranch, and now, my brother? Fuck off, Erin. That’s all I want. For you to fuck off.”

Erin’s entire body shuddered as if Joey just shoved her. She never expected such a brutal attack.

Joey looked over Erin’s head. “You told me before I left that you’d pick me over her to leave the ranch. I told you it didn’t matter. But you know what? It does matter. Pick, Jack. Me or Erin. Who belongs here? Where does your loyalty really lie?”

Erin looked up at him and shook her head. Jack didn’t know what to say. He never expected Joey to say that. Or react like that. Why would Joey give him an ultimatum? It was stupid. Asinine. And Jack would be a damn fool to take the bait.

“You came home. You were surprised by what’s been going on between Erin and me. Thing is, Joey, so were we. You shouldn’t have said that about her. Not to me. And yeah, I shouldn’t have attacked you, but damn it, Joe. You can’t say things like that. I’m not choosing anything. Now, you’re just being an asshole.”

“What did she do to you, Jack?”

Erin was fading and wouldn’t look at him. Joey shamed her. Jack shamed her, although he didn’t mean to. He was an asshole this morning. When she came out, he had no clue of how to deal with her in front of his brothers and sons.

But the hell of it was: he was old enough, and mature enough, and had been around enough to know what he should have said and done. He knew better than that. Erin deserved better, and he not only told her, but promised her she’d get it. And what did he do? Nothing. He felt a strange calm suddenly overtaking him. As if the sunlight unexpectedly pierced through his chest, into his heart, his soul, and his guts.

He loved her.

The knowledge nearly made his knees buckle from under him.