Page 36 of Tiny Precious Secrets (The Brothers of Calloway Creek The Montanas #4)

Asher

“You call this a date?” I look up at the Donovan’s Pub marquee. “I was thinking more Lloyd’s Steakhouse.”

She elbows me on the way in. “It’s where all the cool kids hang out on Friday nights.”

Her saying that just reminds me that Bug is sitting home sulking. She’s made zero effort whatsoever to make friends. Maybe it’ll happen once we move into the house and things settle down.

I’ve been so busy with our new client, I haven’t been able to case the neighborhood. The realtor said there are lots of families. I just hope Bug can find someone. Maybe even a new ‘Mel.’ Because at this point, she barely leaves her room since she’s video chatting with the old one day and night.

I take Allie’s hand. “I’ve been here once before, you know.”

“Oh, right. You were here for Lucas’s birthday party. I almost forgot.” She smiles as we pick a booth along the back windows. “And just look at you now, a full-fledged resident.”

“In theory. But I can’t get a New York driver’s license until I have the closing papers on the house and at least one utility bill.”

“I’ll get a new one, too,” she says. “That way we’ll both have our new address on them.”

“I think you should wait.”

She furrows her brow.

“You don’t want to go through the hassle of getting two new licenses in one year.”

When it occurs to her what I’m saying, her head cocks. “Oh, so you want me to legally become an Anderson?”

“Haven’t we discussed this?”

She shrugs. “I thought since I was keeping my name for work purposes, Montana would be my legal name, but that I’d ‘pretend’ I’m an Anderson the rest of the time.”

She peruses the menu as if she hasn’t eaten here hundreds of times in her life. Also as if she didn’t just deliver me a blow to the gut. Then she looks up and laughs at my expression. “Of course I’m going to change my name. But that was a lot of fun.”

I give her a playful nudge under the table.

After we order drinks, I continue the conversation. “Speaking of names. How long do you intend to let this go on with Bug? It’s getting a little out of control, don’t you think?”

“It’s fine.”

“Fine? She’s threatening to name the baby something like Bertha, Henrietta or Clementine.”

Her mouth twitches with a grin. “She won’t do that.”

“How do you know?”

“I know because Darla has to live with the name just like we do. You think she wants to run after her little sister shouting ‘Bertha’?” She shakes her head. “I don’t think so.”

“She’s being pretty stubborn. She might just do it out of spite. I’m afraid this whole thing may backfire on you.”

She puts her hand on top of mine. “We can always change the name on the birth certificate later when she comes to her senses. I’m trying to build trust.”

My jaw drops. “You’d really be willing to put a name like Mildred on our daughter’s birth certificate?”

“It’s not like the baby will know her name. I’d give it a few weeks before the guilt of it gets to Bug.”

“But what would we call her in the meantime?”

She shrugs. “Sweetie? Baby girl?”

“Still. It’s a dangerous game you’re playing just to make Bug feel like she’s a part of this.”

Dallas and Blake walk through the front door, see us, and come over. Before Dallas’s ass hits the seat across from us, Allie stops him. “Sit somewhere else, guys. This is a date.”

He eyes her like she’s crazy. “At Donovan’s?”

“Thank you,” I say, turning to glare at Allie.

She points across the restaurant. “Go. We’ll talk to you later.”

“Nice to see you too,” Blake says, winking before turning to walk away.

At least a dozen other people come up and talk to us before our food comes. By the time Allie’s grilled chicken salad gets placed in front of her, she’s apologizing. “Maybe Donovan’s wasn’t the best place for our date.”

“How about we go for a walk through the park after? That could be nice.”

She nods. “We probably should have gone someplace further away. After Monday, we’ll likely come here a lot as it’s a short walk from the new house.”

I lace her fingers through mine. I don’t care if that means it’ll be difficult to eat. “I can’t wait.”

“How do you think it’s going to be? With Darla? Be honest.”

I sigh. “Honestly? I just don’t know. She’ll probably never leave her room.

” I run my thumb across her knuckles. “I’m just sorry I’m going to have to leave for a business trip the next day.

” Other than the one night in the city, I haven’t traveled in over a month, what with getting my house ready to sell and the move. I shake my head. “I should cancel.”

“You can’t do that. It’s going to happen sooner or later, so we might as well get used to it. Asher, it’s going to be fine.” She steals one of my fries and dips it in ketchup. “Well, maybe not fine. But we’ll get through it. It might even be good for us. You never know.”

“I’m glad you’re being optimistic.” I squeeze her hand, kiss the back of it, then release it.

Allie takes a bite of her meal, then completely tenses when a group of guys walk in the front door.

I tickle her ribs and joke, “Ex-boyfriend?”

She swallows, looking a bit green around the gills. “Actually, yes. Blue shirt.”

Her eyes close and it seems like she’s trying to sink into the booth and become invisible.

“Wait, that’s not the ex-boyfriend, is it?”

She nods, still not opening her eyes.

“I thought he moved away,” I snarl.

“He did. But he still has friends here. I haven’t seen him in, I don’t even know how long. At least five years. Has he noticed me?”

“No.”

The reason I know this is I haven’t taken my eyes off the snake since she told me who he was.

“He’s sitting at the bar with his back to us.”

Finally she opens her eyes. But she’s lost all interest in eating, and I can tell she no longer wants to be here. I raise my arm as the waiter walks by and ask for the check. “I think it’s time we go on that walk. If you’re still hungry, we’ll go for ice cream after.”

She nods, looking sad.

I hate it when she’s sad. I live my whole goddamn life now with one objective: making her happy. After everything she’s been through, she deserves it. She doesn’t need to sit here and be reminded of her tragic past.

I pay the tab, never letting my gaze stray from the asshole at the bar. When we get up to leave, I block her view of him with my body. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

On our way to the door, Blake yells, “Leaving so soon, Allie?”

Fuck.

My head whips around at the same time the asshole’s does. His eyes immediately land on her face. Then her belly. Then me. He stands and takes a few steps toward us. I hold up my palm. “That’s far enough.”

He has the audacity to snicker. “Guess my reputation precedes me.” He stares at Allie’s stomach. “Looks like you did it again. Is this one going to stick, or is it going to be gorked out like the other one?”

I don’t even think about it before my fist meets his jaw. It just happens—like I’m out of my body and not even me. His head snaps back and blood spatters the floor behind him. He stomps his foot three or four times at the pain, then stands straight up and squares off. “What the fuck?”

He raises his fists, but before he can retaliate, a dozen people stand behind me, including two of Allie’s brothers. Word spreads fast in this town, and apparently everyone knows what a loser this guy is.

Cooper Calloway, one of the owners of the pub, comes over. He stares Jason down and points to the door. “I think you should leave.”

“Seriously?” Jason looks at Cooper like he’s the one who’s been wronged. “This guy just fucking hit me. He’s the one you should be throwing out.”

“Go. Now.” Cooper steps closer to him. “Everyone in this town knows what you did. You’re a sorry excuse for a man, spreading lies about how she ran off and left you, when it was you who was the pathetic loser all along.”

Jason looks at Allie, surprise all over his face.

Apparently he thought he’d have the upper hand here.

He assumed she still hadn’t told anyone about Christopher or what a coward he was for doing what he did.

But it’s quite the opposite. I guess his friends hadn’t gotten the memo.

Either that, or they were waiting to get drunk before telling him.

“Come on, man,” one of his friends says, tugging on his arm. “Let’s go next door.”

“If by next door, you mean the bowling alley,” Dallas says, “don’t expect a ticker tape parade there either. You’re a loser, Platt. Best go back under whatever rock you crawled out from. This town doesn’t want you anymore.”

As the three men leave, Allie lets out a sigh so big you’d think she’d been holding it in for days.

Blake walks up and puts his arm around her. “You okay?”

She nods.

“If you hadn’t hit that fucker,” he says to me, “I would have.”

A bunch of “Me toos” echo in the space behind us.

I stare down at my fist, now aching and red. “I’ve never hit anyone in my life.”

“You picked a good one to start with.” Dallas holds out his hand to shake mine. “You’re a good man, Asher.”

“You okay?” I ask Al.

“Yeah.” She looks at the door. “I’m not sure I want to leave though.”

“How about we go back and finish dinner?”

Our waiter is just walking past, our barely touched food sitting under a pile of used napkins and other crap.

Cooper hands me an ice pack and looks at the tray. “I’ll make up some new plates. On me.”

“Thank you,” I say, leading Allie back to the booth we just vacated.

I set my hand on the table and put the ice pack over it.

“I can’t believe you hit him,” Allie says. I think she’s going to cry, but instead, she surprises me with a half-smile. “Thank you.”

I laugh. “You’re welcome.”

She scoots closer so our thighs are touching. “I mean it. You’re good at this.”

“At… punching people?”

“At taking care of me.”

I remove my hand from under the ice and wrap it around her. “I’m always going to take care of you, sweetheart. I promise.”

~ ~ ~

Allie’s been tossing and turning all night, but when she wakes up crying, I pull her to me, my front to her back, and whisper, “What can I do?”

She turns around in my arms and faces me. I can just make out her features in the moonlight coming through the window overhead. “He never got over the fact that I didn’t abort the baby. And then he actually had the gall to ask if I wanted to get back together after I came home.”

“Jesus, really?”

“I told him to fuck off and never talk to me again. He moved out of Calloway Creek a few weeks later.”

I kiss her forehead. “Good girl.”

She falls asleep in my arms. And she stays there all night, never suffering from another bad dream.