Bad Boy (The All American Boy Series) Read online

  “Bri…” My voice is hoarse, God, the damage I’ve caused just gets worse.

  “But, I love him and I’m giving him one more chance, not just yet, but I will. We all need a second chance, Bran.” She walks across the room toward Brandon, “Sax messed up, but I know deep in my heart that he loves me and he loves Sloane; so one more chance. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, I’m not saying that I’ve fully forgotten what’s happened, but when the time comes, I’m prepared to put the past where it belongs and move forward.”

  He pulls her into his arms, crushing her body against his. “You’re a better person than I am.”

  She laughs against him and the pain in my chest starts to loosen. “You’re the best man I know. Mom would be so proud of you. I’m so proud of you.”

  His eyes close and his arms tighten around her. “Fuck, I’m proud of you too. You’ve overcome so much and you’re the best mom. Sloane’s lucky to have you.”

  “I learned from the best,” she says softly, the pain of losing her mom is still there. “I’m going to be late for work, I forgot my purse.”

  She pulls from Brandon’s embrace and walks past me without looking at me. She’s admitted that she’s going to give me another chance. She’s shown her vulnerability. I watch her as she moves toward the front door, her ass swaying as she does. God, she’s fucking perfection. The door closes softly behind her and I turn my focus back to Brandon.

  He glares at me, the hatred in his eyes prominent. “If I thought for a second that she’d be able to forgive me for beating your ass, I’d do it. But she wouldn’t, for some reason she loves your sorry excuse of an ass.”

  “I know, she’s pure and I’m trash.”

  His eyes narrow in on me, “I never fucking said that. You’re not your father, Saxon. You fucking proved that long ago. You and Braxton aren’t the same as your parents, you’ve both grown up. Do you honestly believe we’d let you anywhere near Sloane if you were the same as that piece of shit? I don’t care if you're her father, that little girl is my family and I’ll protect her until my dying breath, just as I would for Bri.”

  Coming from Brandon, that’s a fucking compliment and I have no doubt in my mind if I hurt Bri or Sloane in anyway, he’ll do whatever he can to ensure that they’re ripped from me.

  “It’s time to step up to the plate, you love Bri, that could never be questioned. From what I’ve seen, you love Sloane. But you have a hell of a lot of making up to do,” he says, the anger waning. “You can’t expect to walk back into their lives like nothing happened.”

  “I apologized, I’ll apologize for the rest of my goddamn life. I made a mistake. I fucked up.” My anger is taking over now, what happens between Briar and I is between us.

  “Apologized? Fuck, Sax, you think that’s all it’s going to take?” His eyes are dark as the anger flares up in them again.

  “No, I don’t, but I’m going to fucking prove it to her. I’ll do whatever the hell I have to do,” I tell him, trying my hardest to keep my anger reigned in. My old demons start to surface, the need to release my anger coming to the surface. If anyone other than him spoke to me the way he has I’d have beat them to a pulp.

  He gives me a fucking shark’s grin. “Good, because you’ve got a fucking lot to make up for.”

  I roll my eyes, like I don’t fucking know that. “I’m here because I need your help.”

  The grin dies real quick. “What?”

  “That fucking bitch hurt Bri the other day,” I growl, still pissed at the sight of those marks.

  He stands up taller, “What did she do?” I quickly explain what I saw along with the conversation that I had with her, “So what are we going to do?”

  “We’re going to make her pay. Trying to hurt me, I can let slide. She messed with Bri.”

  That grin is back, “That right there is why you’re nothing like your father. It’s about time you started realizing that, Sax. You think your old man would give a fuck if someone hurt your mom?”

  I rock back on my heels. He’s right. My dad wouldn’t give a fuck.

  He chuckles, “Finally, you’re seeing clearly. Now, what’s the plan?”

  It’s my turn to grin as I lay out what I have in store for that fucking bitch. She tried turning the town against Bri, it’s time for her to get her just fucking desserts.

  Briar

  Three weeks later

  It’s been three weeks and in that time, Sloane and Sax have become inseparable. He’s here every morning, then after school Sloane begs me to take her by Sax’s work where she tells both him and Brax all about her day. Dinner time brings Sax to our home where he’ll stay until after Sloane has gone to sleep.

  While things between Sloane and Sax are better than ever, the same can’t be said about Sax and myself. He still touches me whenever we’re in close proximity but he’s not tried to take things further. I’m not sure how to take that, while I’m glad that he’s given me room to think at the same time I hate that he’s taken a step backward. I know that I’ve been giving him mixed signals. We had sex and it was as though nothing had changed between us. I was that seventeen-year-old who loved him effortlessly. Then the lust-filled fog lifted and everything came crashing down. I had to put distance between us, but this, this is as though we’re further apart than ever.

  “Hey, baby,” I hear Sax’s deep voice call out from behind me and I spin on the spot and see him striding toward me.

  I smile, God, he’s so hot. “Hey, you, what are you doing here?” I glance around and see all the other parents watching us intently. It’s time to pick Sloane up from school and Sax’s here. He’s never picked her up with me before.

  He moves closer to me, his arms snaking around my waist and he pulls me into his body. Damn, this feels good, feels right. “Can’t I spend time with my girls?”

  “Of course,” I reply instantly, loving that he wants to spend more time with us.

  “Good.” He nips at my lip and my face flames, everyone is watching us. “I’m taking you both out for dinner.”

  My eyes widen, “You are?”

  He grins and my legs weaken, “Yeah, Bri, I want to take you out for dinner and both Brax and Brandon are working, so Sloane’s coming with us. Brandon promised to watch her next weekend for us. I’m whisking you away.”

  I stare at him in astonishment, “You asked him to watch her?”

  That grin widens, “Babe…” he says in amusement.

  “I can’t believe you actually asked Brandon,” I blink, wondering if I’m in an alternate universe. Brandon and Sax actually talking? Neither of them said anything about the day I came home to get my purse and found them arguing.

  “Yes, he hates me because I left you. I fucking hate me because I left you. But he can’t deny that I love you. So I asked him and he said yes, so next weekend, I’m taking you away.”

  I glance around at the other parents and see them trying to pretend they’re not watching us but every so often their gazes will come back to us. “I thought that maybe you had given up.” My voice is small, I hate being vulnerable.

  His fingers tilt my chin so that I’m looking at him. “Never. I backed off to give you some space. Thought that was what you wanted. Obviously not. Make no mistake, Briar, I’ll always want you. All you have to do is breathe and I’m hard as stone. You’re the light in my fucking darkness baby. Me giving up on you? That’s absurd. I’m here to stay.”

  I sigh in relief, thank God.

  “It’s going to take a while to get back to where we were, but we’re going to get there,” he promises me. “You deserve the best, Bri, and I’m too much of an asshole to back off from you.”

  I shake my head. He doesn't get it. He never did. His parents did a number on him. “You are the best, Sax.” His jaw tightens at my words. “Not to everyone, granted. But for me, you’re the best man there is. The only man there is. That’s no lie. You’re the best dad to Sloane, you’re the best brother to Brax, and the best man to me. You fucke
d up, yes, but you’re trying.”

  “Bri…” he whispers, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I fucking love you.”

  I smile, it’s not often I see him lost for words, “I love you too.” That has never been a question. I will always love him.

  “Here she comes,” he tells me, his eyes bright with happiness.

  “Daddy!” she yells as she runs toward us, her arms waving in the air. She barrels into Saxon and he goes back on his foot, but stays upright and lifts her into his arms. “You’re here,” she breathes.

  “Yeah, darlin’, I’m here. I’m taking you and your mom out for dinner.”

  I love when he calls me baby, but hearing him call Sloane darlin’ is the sweetest thing ever. He kisses her cheek and then passes her to me. I pull her into my arms and hold her tightly.

  “Did you have a good day, baby?” I ask softly and she nods, a bright smile on her face, so similar to her father’s. “Shall we go?”

  “Yes.” She wriggles down my body and I release her once her feet touch the ground. “Where are we going, Daddy?” she asks as she takes his hand, skipping along beside him.

  Sax glances over at me and gives me a wink, my heart races. “It’s a surprise,” he tells her. “How was school?” he asks and she smiles widely at him, before answering.

  I let them walk ahead of me, the two of them talking nonstop, the way it usually is whenever these two get together. I hear tires screeching just as Saxon and Sloane start to cross the street. I turn to see where the noise is coming from and my heart leaps into my throat. It’s as though time stands still. An SUV is heading toward them, Lila’s in the driver’s seat, her eyes fixated on Saxon.

  I don’t really know what happens, my feet are moving as my heart is in my mouth. The SUV is drawing closer to them. Sax doesn’t see it, his head is turned down to Sloane as they talk. I reach them just in time, pushing Sax and Sloane out of the way.

  My feet are swept out from under me and I’m lifted into the air; a scream stuck in my throat. It’s as though everything around me speeds up. I hear Sax calling my name and Sloane crying. When my head connects with the hood of the SUV, I see stars, before everything goes black.

  Saxon

  I’m so immersed in listening to Sloane talk about her day that I don’t hear the car coming. I feel arms at my back pushing me, my body tenses and I pull Sloane with me and move out of the way. Wondering what asshole is being impatient.

  I hear gasps followed by a thud.

  My blood runs cold as I glance behind me, my arms lifting Sloane into my chest and I hold her there. Briar’s name on my lips, I fucking watch as she’s catapulted into the air. Her leg dangles at a strange angle as she lands back onto the SUV, her head bounces off the hood before she tumbles to the ground.

  The sound of her hitting the ground is something that I’ll never forget. She’s lying on the fucking road unmoving, not a whimper coming from her. Her eyes closed, blood seeping from her head.

  My feet move toward her, Sloane stuck to my chest, I won’t let her see this. The SUV continues to drive, not slowing down or stopping. I catch a glimpse of the driver just as I make it to Briar.

  Fucking Lila.

  I’m going to kill that motherfucking bitch.

  “Saxon?” The quiet concerned voice of Sarah Amos, Sloane’s teacher. “Let me take her, you need to go to Briar.”

  I kiss Sloane’s head, “Go to Sarah, darlin’. I’m going to check on your mom.”

  Her arms tighten around my neck. “Daddy?” Her voice is soft and uncertain.

  “You’re okay, darlin’, you’re okay,” I whisper, trying to pull her arms away from my neck.

  “Mommy!” she cries and my heart fucking breaks. “I want mommy.”

  “I know, darlin’, I know. I’m going to get her for you. Please, go to Sarah.” She unwraps her arms from my neck, her body shaking as she sobs. Thankfully, Sarah pulls her away from me and wraps her into a hug, shielding her from Briar’s unconscious body.

  I drop to my knees and gently touch Bri’s face, she’s pale as she lies on the cold hard ground. I feel as though my heart is ripping in two as I stare at her, she’s unmoving and I can’t help her. The need to tear the fucking town apart to get that fucking bitch Lila.

  “Saxon, the ambulance is on its way,” Paul Gardner, the town’s sheriff, tells me as he crouches down beside me, his gaze on Briar’s lifeless body. “They’ll be here soon.”

  “What the fuck are you doing?” I growl menacingly, not looking up at him. “Why the fuck aren’t you looking for that bitch?”

  “What bitch? Saxon, who did this?” he asks and I finally look at him. His concerned gaze on Briar as he assesses her injuries.

  “Lila Hart,” I grind out. “She didn’t even slow down.”

  “Calm down, Sax, my men are taking statements as we speak,” he tells me as the sirens from the ambulance blare through the streets.

  “Calm down? Fucking calm down? My woman was mowed down while my daughter was here. There’s no fucking calm. I’m pissed.” I tell him as I glance back at Sloane, she’s still tucked into Sarah’s chest.

  “I understand that, I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” he vows but it’s too late. Lila’s fucked up and she’s going to pay.

  The EMT’s push me out of the way and all I can do is watch as they get to work. They load Briar onto the gurney and put her into the back of the ambulance.

  I take Sloane from Sarah. “Go and find Brandon,” I tell her and she nods, her eyes wide and her face pale. “Tell him to meet us at the hospital.”

  “Daddy?” Sloane whispers, her tears soaking through my t-shirt.

  “Yeah, darlin’?”

  “Is Mommy okay? Why is she going in the ambulance?” she asks through a hiccup.

  My throat tightens, this shouldn’t have happened. Bri shouldn’t have been the one hurt. I know what she fucking did and it infuriates me. When she wakes up, I’m going to tan her ass for pushing me out of the way.

  “She’s going to be okay, darlin’, she’s just hurt at the moment. We’re going to go and see her.” I glare at the sheriff and he waves me off, he knows where to find me if he has any questions. Right now, I need to go get Braxton, I need his ass to drive us to the hospital.

  Briar’s been in surgery for hours, Sloane fell asleep about an hour ago, she didn’t stop crying and even now in her sleep she whimpers.

  “How much longer is it going to take?” Brandon asks, his eyes red, raw, and full of anger.

  “She’s going to be okay,” Brax says for what feels like the hundredth time, he’s trying to reassure us, but that’s not going to happen until I see that she’s okay with my own eyes.

  The door opens and in walks Sheriff Gardner, “Son…” he says and it instantly gets my back up.

  I get to my feet, careful as to not wake Sloane. “I’m not your son,” I growl as I advance on him. “Did you find her?”

  He knows who I’m talking about. “No, we found her vehicle abandoned just outside of town. It looks as though she had another vehicle waiting for her.”

  “Are you fucking shitting me?” Brandon yells and I quickly glance at Sloane who’s still asleep before glaring at Brandon. “Shit,” he says, giving me an apologetic look. “How the fuck did you lose her? Merlot isn’t exactly huge. Someone has to know where she is. Find her!” he demands.

  “Look, I understand that you’re upset…” the sheriff begins.

  I cut him off. “Upset?” I step forward and see a tinge of fear in his eyes, “I’m livid. That motherfucker tried to run me down, while my fucking daughter was beside me.” My voice is low and vibrating with fury, “Instead, she hits Bri and now my woman is in surgery and has been for the past three fucking hours. So I’m so much more than fucking upset.”

  “And you’re here,” Brandon says. “Instead of out searching for her. I’m telling you now, Sheriff, if you don’t find her before Bri gets out of surgery, I will.”

  Paul’s eyes narrow, �
��Are you threatening me?”

  I smirk, “No, it’s a fucking promise.”

  The door opens behind me and I spin on my heel and see the doctor, “Briar Clarke?”

  Brandon and I step forward, Brax’s sitting down beside the sleeping Sloane. “Yes, I’m her brother, and this is her fiancé,” Brandon explains and I don’t correct him, if I had my fucking way, Briar would be my wife.

  The doctor nods, “Ms. Clarke needed surgery as she had an open reduction tibia fracture. We’ve managed to repair the damage and close up the wound. It’s going to take some time to recover, but she’ll have full mobility once she does.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief.

  “However, we’re concerned about her head, she had an intracranial hematoma. A brain bleed. We went in and removed some of the blood. The next forty-eight hours are critical for us to see if any lasting damage was done during the accident.”

  The word accident grates on my fucking nerves. This was no accident.

  “Can we see her?” Brandon asks and I don’t give a fuck if the doctor says no, I’m going to see her.

  “Yes, but only for a little while. She needs her rest,” he tells us then motions for us to follow him toward Bri’s room.

  “Go,” Brax says when I glance back at him. “I’ve got Sloane.”

  I give him a sharp nod and follow Brandon and the doctor toward Bri’s room.

  The door opens and the breath is sucked from my lungs as I look at the woman I love lying in the hospital bed. Her face paler than the white bandage that wraps around her head. Her body looks tiny in comparison to the bed, and her left leg is outside the sheets in bandages and hanging from a swing. Which I’m sure is to help prevent blood clots.

  My heart hurts as I look at her, tears sting my eyes and I can’t keep them at bay, they slip down my face. Glancing over at Brandon, I see he’s not managed to hold his in either.

  The need for justice is strong. I want to wrap my fucking hands around that bitch’s throat and squeeze, hurting her the way she’s hurt Briar.