The Heart of Us, page 18
I lean in and speak softly. “If he did see, I’m sure his ego’s bruised that you made me come.”
Before he can pull away, I place my hand on his cheek and crash my mouth against his. He smiles against my lips. “You’re mine, baby. I will worship your sweet little cunt until the day I die,” he states for only me to hear.
My eyes flutter open. “I love the sound of that.”
Easton takes my hand again, and we make our way down the sidewalk, stopping to look at all the craft tables.
“Oh my goodness!” I gasp when I see a necklace made of sea glass.
“Yeah, this is what I was talking about! Do you see one you like?”
“They’re all beautiful.”
He reaches forward and grabs one with turquoise-colored glass, then steps behind me and puts it around my neck. “Beautiful.”
“That one looks great on you,” the woman says, and I can see she’s wearing one almost identical to mine.
“We’ll take it.” Easton pulls out his wallet and hands her the money.
“I love it. Thank you so much,” I tell him.
“You’re very welcome. It’s a crime to leave a summer festival without picking up something cool and handmade.”
“I’m still not used to this,” I admit as he takes my hand in his again and brings them up to his lips.
“You will soon.” He winks.
We stop at a few painter’s booths, and I admire the beautifully illustrated beach scenes on canvas.
“Do you think Oakley could recreate something like this?” Easton asks when we move to the next table.
“My sister could probably whip it up in her sleep. She’s an incredible painter and has more talent in her pinky finger than I have in my whole body.”
He snorts. “That’s how siblings always feel.”
“But this time, it’s actually true.”
“You’ll have to show me her work sometime because I know exactly how much talent you have in that sexy body.” He waggles his brows.
I snort. “You’ll be impressed. I still don’t know how she does it so flawlessly.”
We look at wind chimes, furniture made from recycled beach wood, firepits, and tons of handmade clothing booths. Everything reminds me of the perfect summer day.
Easton and I talk about random things as we walk around. I love how he wraps his arm around me when we stop to look at something. It still gives me butterflies—another thing I’m not used to.
A shop is selling bikinis, and Easton stops. “What about this one?” he asks, holding up a bathing suit made from shoestrings.
“I don’t think it would cover me.” I shake my head.
“That’s the point.” The woman behind the table laughs.
“He’s right,” she offers. “And right now, they’re buy one, get one free.”
“Oh you’re tempting me now,” Easton says, waving it in front of me.
“You should pick out one and let your wife pick out the other,” she suggests.
My cheeks heat at hearing her call me that.
She must notice because she adds, “Oh I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.”
“It’s okay. She will be one day.” He flashes me a knowing wink.
The words one day linger in the air, and my heart flutters at the thought of being married to him. Everything’s happening so fast, but I wouldn’t hesitate to spend the rest of my life with him.
Looking through the racks, I find one that’s completely mesh. It’s sexy. “I like this one.”
Easton lifts a brow and smirks, holding up his choice too. “Can’t wait for you to model these for me,” he says, leaning in and biting the flesh on my neck.
The woman smiles as he pays, then hands me the black sack.
“You’re spoiling me too much,” I say to Easton as we continue down the boardwalk. “You better stop before I get used to it.”
“Never. I like to spoil you, Tatum. In and out of the bedroom.”
A laugh escapes me.
“Want a snow cone?”
“Ooh, yes, please! I can’t remember the last time I had one.”
“Which flavor?”
I smile as I read over the options. “Hm…surprise me.”
“You should stand over there in the shade. This line is kinda long,” Easton suggests, and I nod. The sun is beaming down, and I’m starting to sweat. We forgot sunscreen too.
I watch him as he waits patiently to order. Though I told Oakley what we were doing when we chatted yesterday, I want to let her know how it’s been so far. It’s the first time we’ve been a couple out in public, and it’s felt so damn right and natural.
Pulling out my phone, I turn toward the shade to avoid the glare on the screen. Before I can even click on her name, I feel Easton’s mouth on the shell of my ear, and I lean into him.
“Missed me, you fucking whore?”
My spine straightens as I recognize Justin’s voice. Before I can scream or turn around, something hard is shoved into my back, and I know it’s his gun.
“One motherfucking peep, and I’ll kill your little boy toy. Then I’ll put a bullet between your eyes. How old is he anyway? Is he even legal to drive?”
“Fuck you,” I whisper-hiss. Rage consumes me as I curse myself for letting my guard down.
“You thought you really did something when you fucked him in the back of a car for everyone to see, huh?” He leans in close, smelling my hair. “What a goddamn whore my wife is.”
I cringe at his words. “Not anymore,” I spit out, fumbling with my cell phone to dial 911.
“Shut the fuck up and start walking,” he growls, shoving the barrel harder into my skin and guiding me farther away from Easton.
When he gets into a rage like this, there’s no talking him out of it. I have to do exactly what he says so he’ll at least leave Easton alone.
“You think you’re so fuckin’ smart, don’t you? You really thought I wouldn’t find you? I’ve been watching you, Tatum. I always knew you were dense, but I didn’t realize how much of a stupid bitch you are too.” He stays close so no one suspects anything. People passing by are hardly paying us a glance.
My mind is shutting down as my fight response fails on me once again. All the horrible things he’s done to me over the years come flooding back, and I’m that weak person all over again. I manage to press the call button without him noticing. I won’t be able to tell them my location, but maybe they can track me.
“Tatum!” I hear Easton call from behind a few times, his voice sounding closer each time he yells my name. Shit.
Justin speeds us up. “Your stupid dildo is gonna get hurt trying to rescue you.”
I try to break free and yank out of his grip, but his nails dig into my arm so damn tight, I know I’ll bruise.
Justin spins us around just as Easton comes into view.
“No!” I scream at him. “Stop!”
Justin bellows out an evil laugh, and it brings chills up my spine as he chambers a round. The sound of clicking makes me sick because I know what he’s capable of.
“He has a gun!” I scream as Easton sprints toward us.
Justin backhands me. “Shut the fuck up.”
My cheek stings as he grabs my arm again and forces me to keep walking away. No one’s stopped to help or get involved.
“Don’t do this, Justin,” I try to barter with him.
It only pisses him off more. He grabs a fistful of my ponytail and yanks hard. “Say another word and—”
Before Justin can continue, Easton collides with us from behind, and the three of us fall to the ground.
“Tatum, run,” Easton pleads before I even have the chance to get up. By the time I can, Easton throws a punch in Justin’s face. It hardly fazes him, and seconds later, Justin whacks Easton across the face with his gun.
“Stop it!” I scream at Justin. He leans over him, ready to deliver another blow when Easton kicks out his foot and trips him. They’re rolling around, swinging and kicking.
Fumbling to find my phone, I find it on the ground behind me and dial 911 again.
People finally realize something’s wrong and move toward us, the altercation becoming the main attraction.
“911, what’s your location?”
“Uhh…the summer festival,” I stutter out frantically. “Off Winnebago Ave.”
Before I can continue, Justin gets to his feet and spits out blood. Then he points his gun at Easton.
I drop my phone, ready to beg him not to hurt him. “Justin, no, please.”
“I’ll fucking kill you both.” He turns the gun on me.
Three seconds later, a piercing gunshot rings out, and I scream out in horror.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
EASTON
Justin collapses to the ground before I can comprehend what just happened. Tatum stands ten feet away in shock. Then I notice blood next to Justin.
“Easton!” Tatum rushes over, kneeling beside me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, baby.”
“You’re bleeding,” she tells me, and I touch my cheek. Then I notice red marks on her face where the bastard hit her.
People circle around us, and I get to my feet, pulling Tatum close.
We both look at Justin’s lifeless body in shock.
“What in the hell just happened?”
She shakes her head and lets out a wail of a cry as she wraps her arms around my neck. “I was so worried he was going to kill you.”
"I know. I'm fine. I'm here, baby," I tell her, wrapping her in a tight hug. As people crowd us, I see a man walk up carrying a sniper rifle. I hurry and push Tatum behind me, not willing to let anyone else try to take her from me. If I die, so be it.
The guy is enormous, a burly man with a thick, dark beard. He looks like he came out of a lumberjack magazine. His black eyes meet mine as I wait for him to point the gun at me. Instead, he holds out his hand, which confuses the hell out of me.
“Are you two okay?” he asks in a raspy, deep voice as he drops his hand since I didn’t take it.
"Yeah," I drawl slowly. "Who are you?"
“My friends call me Bear. I’m a friend of Tristan’s.”
Instantly, the tension fizzles. “My brother?”
"Yeah. He hired me to watch you guys because apparently, you'd use kung fu or some bullshit if someone attacked you. His words, not mine.”
My mouth falls open. “That son of a bitch.” I can’t believe he never told me he hired someone. “How long have you been following us?”
“Just a couple of weeks. You guys hardly left the house, so it made my job pretty easy.”
I snort. I have so many questions, but I’ll drill Tristan later.
"Good thing I was here. Not sure how that would've ended otherwise," he tells me.
“Yeah, you’re telling me. I turn my back for five seconds…” I grit between my teeth, angry with myself for not keeping Tatum glued to my side.
Bear turns and looks at Justin. “He’s dead.”
“Yeah,” I say, shielding Tatum from seeing the gruesome image. Sirens can be heard in the distance, so I know they’ll be here within minutes.
Tatum angles her head slightly to look at Bear. “You’re really good at your job. I had no idea.”
“That’s the point. Tristan didn’t want you to know. Stay out of sight until I’m needed. He was concerned about you two.”
“He saved our lives,” Tatum whispers, and I nod.
“I know, we’ll call him later,” I tell her, rubbing my hand slowly down her back.
Once the fire trucks and police cars arrive, more people rush over. They're gasping and holding out their cell phones to record. Finally, the emergency responders arrive and push their way through the crowd.
“Alright, back up, everyone. We need to secure the scene,” an officer shouts, waving people back.
A few of them rush over to Justin and check his pulse. One of them looks up at another officer and shakes their head. It’s pure chaos of officers and EMTs.
“Can someone please tell me what happened here? Who are the witnesses?” another officer asks.
Bear steps up, giving his account for what he saw and who he is. He did everything by the book and even has a body cam to prove what happened.
“When Justin pulled his gun and aimed it at the victim, I took my shot,” he tells the officer. “He’d been threatening Ms. Benson with it on her back while he walked her out of the area, but I followed and waited before assessing the situation. Once it became life-threatening, I couldn’t wait any longer.”
The way he describes the scene has my mind reeling because he's absolutely right. This could've ended a lot differently. Just thinking about it makes me shudder.
They ask Bear to come down to the station to prove his credentials and write a formal witness statement.
Moments later, the officers ask for Tatum's and my account of the events. She tells them everything she knows, from their marriage to my shop burning down, the restraining order, and finally, the warrant they have out for his arrest. The officer looks at her like she’s lying. After telling them everything, I realize how much shit Tatum's gone through and how horrible it must've been dealing with a manipulative spouse for so long. My heart aches for her all over again.
Once we exchange information with the detective, we’re allowed to leave.
When we turn around, there's a barrier around Justin's body. I watch as Tatum stares at him. "I didn't want it to end this way," she murmurs.
I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close. “I know, sweetheart.” She’s way too kind to even wish death upon a man who tried to kill her.
“Thank you again,” I tell Bear before I take Tatum’s hand. “I don’t know how to repay you for saving our lives.”
“You’re welcome. It’s my job. Don’t like it when a job ends like this, but considering the circumstances, I couldn’t see it resolving in any other way.”
He has a point. I just wish for Tatum’s sake, he would've left her the hell alone, so she didn't have to carry the burden or grief.
“I’ll let you kids go. Make sure to call your damn brother,” he barks out with a laugh, then walks away.
“Please tell me it’s finally over,” Tatum says, and I can see the exhaustion written on her face.
"It's over, baby," I confirm. Rubbing a hand down her arm, I lead her to the car. Once she's settled into the passenger's side and I climb behind the wheel, I call Tristan.
“Told ya so,” he says as soon as he picks up.
I huff out a breath. “Guess I deserved that. But thank you for being a know-it-all, overbearing brother. You saved our lives.”
"I wish I'd been wrong about my gut feeling, but I'm so damn relieved Bear was there."
“Where did you even find that guy? His nickname should be Moose. The man is huge!”
Piper giggles in the background, then responds, “Let’s just say…a friend of a friend of a friend.”
“I just knew that psychopath wasn’t going to stop. All joking aside, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you,” Tristan says.
"How did you know, though? How did you anticipate Justin's actions?"
“Throughout the years, I’ve learned that some people can’t let things go. A person capable of burning down someone’s business to get back at their ex has loose screws, and no amount of mediation, agreeing, or pleading will make them stop. You were standing in the way of Tatum. So getting rid of you would’ve been a bonus in his eyes. Unfortunately for him, I couldn’t let that happen.”
“Me either!” Piper yells.
“Thank you. From both of us.”
Tatum grabs my hand, and I kiss her knuckles. She’s still in shock.
“So tell me what happened,” he says. “I haven’t talked to Bear yet. He just texted me target deceased, clients safe.”
“Jesus.” I exhale. “Well…let me start from the beginning.”
I explain our day, nearly minute to minute, and by the end, Tristan releases an annoyed groan.
“Easton, I want to chew your ass out right now and tell you everything you did wrong, but I know it won’t do any good. So instead, I’ll just say this—I’m glad you’re both safe and alive. I love you guys.”
“Love you too, bro.”
I'm lucky my brother knows me so well and always looks out for me even when I don't think I need it.
"You have permission to relax now," he tells me with a soft laugh.
"I guess you can, too," I retort.
We say our goodbyes, but then Piper snatches the cell from my brother.
“So, have you proposed yet?” she blurts out without any sort of filter.
"Oh my God, Piper. You're on speakerphone!" I scold, but a smile touches Tatum's lips.
"Oh, whoops. Hi, Tatum! Don't mind me."
“It’s fine,” Tatum says, and I can tell she’s out of it.
“Anyway, I think we need to make our way back to the house. We’ve had a long, exhausting day.”
"No problem! Bye, you two lovebirds," Piper sing-songs, then she ends the call.
On the way home, Tatum closes her eyes and falls asleep. I hold her hand and softly rub the pad of my thumb over hers.
When I park in the driveway, I can see how mentally and physically exhausted she is.
“You okay?” I ask once we make it inside.
She shrugs, and I open my arms, allowing her to fall into them. I can smell the sweet scent of her coconut shampoo mixed with sweat.
"It's okay to be sad and upset. I know you loved him at one point, and everything happened so fast it's hard to comprehend it all. I can't imagine what's going through your mind right now."
I can tell she’s crying, and all I want to do is hold her for the rest of the night. Once she’s let most of it out, she pushes back and meets my eyes. I wipe away her tears.
“I don’t know how I should feel about any of this.”
“I’m sure it’s hard to put into words. Whatever you’re feeling is a hundred percent valid.”
