Get your ass off me, you dick!
“I am not a perfect man, but I love Anna. I cannot get her out of my mind. We had ten years together, and I know we can fix what is broken! She just needs to let me try! If you care about her happiness, you will let me see her! You are young, you might lose interest, but my love for Anna is real! I love her more than anything!”
I am so close to smashing his face in. Instead, I keep my voice low and dangerous. “You lost your right to a second chance. Anna is my wife. If you come near this house again, I will put you in the hospital.”
He lets out a weak laugh. “You talk a big game, but you would not actually do anything.”
I grab him and lift him until his shoes are off the ground. My anger is so hot I do not even feel his weight as I shove him back against his car. A dark, powerful feeling is pumping through my blood, and I feel a grim smile on my face.
“What was that? You were going to say I would not actually hurt you, Lars? The only thing keeping you alive is the law.”
His eyes go wide with pure fear, and a dark stain spreads across the front of his pants. The man is not completely stupid, I think he finally understands I am serious.
I do not enjoy fighting, but I will absolutely do it to keep the woman I love safe.
I fucking hate this guy.
If Lars ever touches Anna again, I swear I will punch him until his whole face is a permanent shade of red.
“Alright,” Lars says, his voice shaking. “I will go. I will not come back.”
His pathetic surrender just makes me angrier. “You will NEVER come back here. You will stay away from my wife. Do you understand me?”
When he does not answer right away, I move closer, looming over him. He flinches and throws his hands up again. His whole body is shaking.
“Okay, okay! I get it!” he nearly screams. “I will stay away from Anna! I understand! Please, just let me go!”
“I cannot believe you pissed yourself. You are a worthless piece of shit, Lars. It is disgusting.” I jerk my head toward his car. “Now get in that thing and drive the hell away from here.”
He nods, scrambling to do what I say. I do not think he would try to run me over, but I walk up the porch steps just in case.
There is something about that man I do not trust at all.
And when did Lars get a new car? I thought he drove a white semi-truck, the kind men get when they have something to prove.
Ugh.
I am still boiling with anger. I watch his car until it disappears down the street. Once the old bastard is gone, I try to take a few deep breaths to calm down.
It does not work.
And since I do not trust Lars as far as I can throw him, I head to my own car. I know it is probably stupid, he would not be crazy enough to try anything, but I am not taking that chance.
So I get in.
I start the engine and back out through the automatic gate. My gut is in knots, and I know what I have to do. I need to hire a bodyguard. Anna is not safe with that insane ex-husband running free.
I let out a long sigh. “What a pain in the ass… First I have to deal with Lars, then my mother is trying to ruin my marriage… I cannot catch a break. But it is worth it.”
I press down on the gas, hoping with everything I have that Anna will find a way to love me again. She has to. Because without her touch, without her kisses, I do not know how long I can keep going.
Especially with Lucas’s birthday coming up. He would have been twenty-one this year. And every year, my mother invites me and my brother Josh over for dinner.
We light candles and we talk about Lucas, sharing the little pieces of him we have left. I am not sure it is healthy, the way my mother holds onto this yearly ritual.
It has been four years, almost five, since Lucas died. My mother needs to find a way to move on. But I understand her pain. Because without Anna, I would have drowned in my own.
Does Anna have any idea how much she means to me?
The first part of the practice game is over, and my two best friends are lying in a heap on the grass.
Damien shoves at Adrian. “Get your ass off me, you dick! And do not act like you did not grab my junk on purpose!”
Adrian stands up, brushing grass from his pants with a smug grin. “Sorry, mate. I guess I forgot I am playing against a team of delicate flowers. Do you even lift weights anymore, Maddie?”
Adrian offers a hand, but Damien gets up on his own. “It is Damien, not Maddie, and you fucking know it!”
“Maddie… Damien… They are both such lovely names for a girl.”
I can see a vein in Damien’s forehead bulging. “Just you wait, Adrian! This is a practice game, so I do not care if I break every rule to shove your face in the dirt!”
Adrian just laughs. “I would like to see you try!”
Damien drops his voice to a growl. “Next round, I am going to tackle you so hard you will forget your own fucking name!”
“You are not even supposed to be tackling me! That is not your job!”
“I do not give a fuck, you deserve it!”
I watch the two old teammates with great interest. Adrian is still smiling, and Damien is glaring back. They still love each other, even when they are on different teams.
They are family, brothers in every way that counts.
I wonder if Damien and I will ever have that kind of bond.