Page 11 of Summer Storm (Seasons In Montana: Summer #9)
OM Drama
Aaron
…one week later…
Brielle leans into me. Strands of her sweet-smelling hair catch in my beard as she turns her head, laughing at whatever all the other women are finding so funny. I smile and lift a bottle of beer to my lips. I missed the comment, and it doesn’t matter, because life is fucking good.
My other arm is wrapped loosely around her hip; fingertips tapping out the rhythm of the country western song playing over the sound system against the side-seam of her tight-fitting jeans.
I might look like a possessive asshole, but I want all the fucking tourists swarming The Range to know she’s my lady.
By this time next week, hopefully my ring will be on her finger. I haven’t asked her yet because when her parents roll into town tomorrow, I’ll be doing it right and asking her dads for their permission to marry their daughter.
Both of them.
“Dude, what’s with the sappy smile? Are you even listening?
” Manny cocks a brow; he knows what I’m thinking.
He went with me while we were in Missoula yesterday to look at rings, but he’s been sworn to secrecy.
I would have told Ezra, but what Ezra knows, so does Jorie and by osmosis or some evil twin voodoo so does Jolie and ching-chong-wally-wally-bing-bong, so does the rest of the world.
I know that’s not how the song goes, but that’s how my mom always sang it, and I think it fits those two.
I want this to be a sweet and memorable surprise for my girl. “No, not really, what were you saying?”
“Man, get your head out of…”
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Disgust and animosity instantly roll off Nolan. He stands placing himself between Brielle and a slick looking dude, or should I say douche, rapidly approaching our table.
“Grant? What in the world are you doing here?” I tighten my arm in support as Brielle leans to the side, looking around her brother.
“I saw you on the news, Brielle. Can we talk? Somewhere in private perhaps?” He glances over our group, his eyes narrowing on me and how close my girl and I are sitting.
I nuzzle her hair, loving how she immediately responds by melting against me.
“You can’t be serious. We’ve said everything we needed to say. I’m sorry you’ve come all this way, but the answer is no.”
Grant stiffens, standing a little taller and pushing out his chest. “You can’t seriously want this…
this mountain man rebound over me. I’ve given up my first wife and child for you.
Doesn’t that show you how serious I am?” He blurts, uncaring of the attention he’s drawing or the embarrassment he’s causing Brielle.
“It shows me you don’t understand one thing about me and never have.
Aaron could never be a rebound because in order for that to happen I would have had to have all of you, I realized over a year ago, what I thought we might be building was nothing.
Not one thing was real because you lied. Go home Grant.”
“Humph. He switches his attention from Brielle and back to me. “Did she tell you her mother’s a whore who sleeps every night with two men?”
Brielle’s gasp along with others from our table and those surrounding us are drowned out by Nolan’s roar. Ezra, Manny, and Toby jump between the two men, muscling Grant out of the bar while I wrap my arms around my woman.
“Wait a minute!” Amber whisper-shouts. “Your mom has two men? Now that’s what I’m talking about! Honey, I can see I’ve set my goals way to low…I’m gonna need her number!”