Should’ve Known It’s You (Not You Again #7)

Chapter 56

CHAPTER 56

KENNEDY

A s always, Austin made me feel safe.

And seen.

I hadn’t needed to say a word and yet he’d known exactly what to do from the very moment Mom had opened the door. Instinctively, he’d known I needed someone in my corner. Someone to get me out of here. Someone who understood how wrong this was and someone to go to bat for me when I was outnumbered three to one.

Austin Merrick was all that and more, and as he stared down my ex, Danny finally faltered a bit. “I understand, but Lori and Jeff invited me here. You might not care about that, but I wouldn’t have come if they hadn’t told me it was okay. All I want to do is talk and clear the air. Make things right.”

Austin glanced down at me in disbelief, a soft sigh escaping him as his brow furrowed. “Is he deaf, or is he really just this stupid?”

I tucked myself in close to his side, so immensely grateful to have him there that I felt like we could take on the world together and win. “He’s an idiot.”

“Kennedy,” my mother admonished me immediately, giving me a look that told me she expected me to apologize.

To Danny.

Immediately.

I laughed and glanced at my ex-boyfriend, unable to find even a shred of remorse or regret inside myself for how all of this was going down. “I’m sorry my parents told you that you could come here, but I’m also sorry that you didn’t know better. I’m sorry that you took them at their word and thought that you could show your face here after everything you’ve done, and I’m sorry, but you can’t stay.” I shot a look at my mother. “Are you happy now?”

“Kenny,” she rushed out, her cheeks flushing as she stepped forward, silently imploring me to cut it out. “Why are you behaving this way? This is very unlike you, darling.”

“Actually, it’s not at all. She’s just finally standing up for herself. It’s glorious, isn’t it?” Austin gave me a genuinely joyful grin, and despite the circumstances, I chuckled, feeling stronger than I ever had.

Obviously though, my amusement was too much for my father to bear and he finally intervened, stepping forward and pointing toward the stairway at the other side of the hall. “It’s time you take your leave, Mr. Merrick. You’ve caused quite enough drama here tonight. Danny was right. You were not invited and we do not take kindly to being spoken to this way, but especially not by ill-mannered farmers who can’t control their tempers. You’re the one who’s not welcome here. Goodbye.”

I stared at the man who had once organized all our family functions when we’d still lived in Firefly Grove. A man who had once cared about his family more than money and connections, and I saw red.

This was my home. My turf. My rules. My boundaries.

I’d let them in tonight because, despite everything, they were my parents, but I’d officially had enough. Ever since Austin had arrived here, no one had noticed that I’d gravitated to him rather than seeking the comfort of my own blood.

Neither of my parents seemed to have stopped for long enough to realize that he was the man I was comfortable having in my own home. They also didn’t seem to have noticed that he was protecting me from Danny, keeping himself between me and the other man at all times in an attempt to make me feel safe.

It had been a long time coming, but I blew a fuse when it occurred to me that my dad was seriously trying to kick out the man who cared about me and while insisting on granting access to my home to the guy who had cheated on me. Threatened me. Forced me to sit and listen when I’d made it perfectly clear I hadn’t wanted to be there.

I finally unleashed all the pent-up anger I’d been holding on to against both my parents and my ex, letting them all know exactly how I felt about them. “You are the most selfish, most self-involved group of people I have ever had the misfortune of having to spend time with. I’m done. With all of you, and my life will be better for it.”

Dad shot me a look that was meant to shut me up, but I didn’t give a damn. “I cannot believe that you dare to call me childish and immature when you haven’t actually spoken to me in over a decade. Whenever you see something you don’t like or don’t know how to control, you take off and yet I’m the childish one.”

Mom opened her mouth, but I was far from done. “You haven’t been parents to us since we moved here, and both of you have stuck your heads so far up your fancy friends’ asses that you forgot all about the kids you moved here with you, and now you want to tell us what to do? You’d seriously have your daughter raise your grandchild alone than to accept, even reluctantly, a loving, dedicated man as its father.”

I glanced at my dad. “It’s a good thing you won’t be in that child’s life, because it’s a miracle that Winrey and I managed to escape your greedy, compulsive obsession with money. It’s taken over your life, Dad. And then you think you can invite him here and I’m just going to take it? Well, I’m not. You’re trespassing. Get the hell out.”

I turned to Danny. “And you. I will never, ever, under any circumstances whatsoever, take you back. I don’t care if we’re the last two living people on earth. I would paint a volleyball like Tom Hanks and fall in love with my imaginary family with it before I would even pretend to care about you. You don’t care about me either. You never have. Just let it go and move on. For both of our sakes.”

His eyes widened, the color draining out of his cheeks, but I dismissed him from my sight. Austin snorted, the wide grin on his face telling me that he was beyond pleased I was finally having my say. Danny, however, wasn’t pleased at all.

I wasn’t sure if it was my comment or Austin’s laughter that he’d taken offense to, but he closed the distance between us quickly. Pointing a finger in my face, he narrowed his eyes, his chin up high as he looked down his nose at me.

“Watch your fucking mouth, Kenny,” he spat.

Austin’s knuckles cracked into Danny’s jaw a second later. My ex went down hard, his feet knocked right out from underneath him as his arms flailed at his sides.

His shoulder crashed into the wall as he fell, and then he was on his ass, scowling at us as his hand flew to his face. My mother gasped, but my dad already had his phone in his hand. “That’s it. I’m calling the cops. This has gone far enough. Lori and I are witness to an assault. We won’t let that stand.”

My heartbeat started roaring in my ears as I gaped at him, so livid I could barely pull a breath of air into my lungs. I wanted to scream and rant, but he pressed the phone to his ear, a satisfied smirk on his face as he looked at Austin.

I looked at him then, too, doing a double take when I realized he didn’t seem bothered by Dad’s threats at all. He was shaking out his hand, grinning like a schoolboy as he reached for me. “That felt pretty good. I’m actually kind of glad now that he didn’t leave when I told him to. Some people only learn manners after a smack in the face.”

“We have to go,” I said urgently, wrapping my fingers around his and starting to tug him down the hall with me. “Quick. Before the police get here.”

Austin shook his head, taking my hand more securely but not budging from his spot. “I can’t run. It’s okay, Kenny. I’ll wait here until the police arrive. Then we’ll tell them the whole story, alright? How Danny kept you trapped in the mansion and how he threatened you tonight. I’ll take whatever comes my way. It’s still worth it.”

“You’ll get into trouble,” I said, turning to face him and taking his other hand as well—my tall, dark, and handsome protector, who had only ever wanted what was best for me and might now even spend the night in a cell for it. “Please, Austin? Let’s just go. We can talk to the police on our own time. We’ll tell them what happened and make our statements, but let’s do it tomorrow.”

He gave me a gentle, caring smile, releasing one of my hands to hook an arm around my hips and tug me closer to him. “We’ll get into bigger trouble if we leave now. It really is going to be okay, Kenny. They’re trespassing and Tate will testify that Danny’s cornered you before. When he came at you again, screaming curses at you…” He squeezed my lower back and brought his forehead to mine. “Like I said, it was worth it. If I get into trouble, I’ll handle it.”

As he said it, he peered at Danny, who was pushing himself into a sitting position on the floor, blinking hard and rubbing his jaw. I didn’t understand how Austin was so calm, cool, and collected when there was every possibility he was about to get arrested, but as he watched Danny glower up at him, he even smirked a bit.

If I hadn’t known any better, I would have said he was genuinely enjoying this. Danny scowled as he swayed when he tried to stand. “If I’d seen it coming, I would’ve schooled him. How far are the police? You think I still have time to get some payback?”

“Uh huh.” Austin’s smirk grew bigger. He was very obviously unimpressed with Danny’s bravado as he held on to me, moving me a touch around his side to get me further away from my ex again. “Don’t worry about where the police are. Go for it, buddy. Take your swing. Keep giving me reasons.”

Danny grumbled a bit more but eventually huffed out a breath and caught himself against the wall. The flowers he’d been clutching lay in tatters on the floor, the card trampled upon at some point as he’d gone down.

I desperately didn’t want Austin to get arrested for this, but I had to admit that a healthy dose of satisfaction shot through me now that my parents were forced to stay but had lapsed into silence. Mom had gone to Dad’s side and they were rallying around Danny, not saying anything but clearly checking him over for further injury.

Ordinarily, they would’ve just left as soon as they’d realized the situation was spiraling, but since my father had called the police, they now had to stick around. It was kind of weird being with them in the aftermath, but as I tightened my grip on Austin’s hand, I couldn’t fathom what I’d done without him before we’d connected at Jess’s wedding.

And I definitely couldn’t fathom letting him go.

For better or for worse, I was in love with this man. All I needed to do now was wait until the cops were gone so that I’d hopefully, finally be able to tell him.