Chapter Forty-Six

Rio

Two days later, Bryn was meeting with a lawyer I had found for her, thanks to Saul. He was the best in the state, but he didn’t take new clients. Saul had made a call, and he’d agreed to help Bryn.

Hazel had woken up with a stomach virus, and I had to go into work today. Bryn had assured me she could meet with the lawyer on her own. I wanted to be with her, but with Pops still unable to come to the market, either Hazel or I had to be there.

She texted me when she arrived back at the apartment, and it took me two hours to get things handled so that I could leave and go see her. I wanted to hear what the lawyer had said and make sure she was okay. The last two texts I had sent her had gone unanswered, and because of that, I drove faster than normal, getting back to the apartment.

Decker hadn’t shown up again since his appearance at the market. I had mentioned to Bryn that he might have changed his mind and left. She hadn’t looked as if she agreed or not. The fear of having to fight for Cullen was weighing on her, and I felt helpless in trying to ease her fears.

When I reached the stairs leading up to the apartment, I heard her voice and paused. She was talking to someone. Then, he spoke, and I realized it was Decker.

“I don’t understand why you need to do this. You don’t want to raise a kid.” Her voice was strained.

“You’d think in six years, I could have gotten those pretty eyes out of my head. But they haunt me, sugar. You haunt me. I messed up, sleeping with Tory, and I’ve never forgiven myself for that.”

“That was another lifetime ago. I was a kid,” Bryn said, cutting him off.

“You’re not a kid anymore,” he replied, his voice deeper. “Damn, you turned out better than I’d imagined. Tory couldn’t hold a candle to you now.”

I was done listening. When I reached the top of the stairs, Decker was standing too close, and Bryn was pressed up against the door, as if she couldn’t get far enough away from him.

“You’re done here,” I said, stalking toward them.

Decker turned to see me, and he smirked. “You follow her home too?”

My hands fisted, and I glared at him. Planting my fist in his face wouldn’t help us in court if that was where this ended up. But my hands itched to knock that damn look off his face.

“She’s mine,” I told him. “And I don’t want you near her again.”

Decker looked at her then. “Are you gonna set up the DNA test, or should I?”

Bryn swallowed hard, and her eyes swung from him to me.

“Have your lawyer call hers,” I said.

Decker wasn’t smirking at me anymore. “I was talking to Bryn.”

I moved to stand so she was behind my left side. “Not anymore.”

Her hand touched my shoulder. “It’s okay, Rio,” she told me, but I didn’t move or look away from the douchebag.

“She must have a magic pussy after all,” he drawled.

With his words, my logic left, and my balled-up fist slammed into his face.

Decker stumbled back. “Fuck!”

“Rio!” Bryn cried out, grabbing my arm, but I advanced on him as he covered his bleeding nose.

“Never talk about what’s mine again,” I warned him.

“Rio, please, let’s go inside,” Bryn pleaded, pulling on my arm.

Decker wiped the blood on his hand off on his jeans. Then, his eyes met mine, and I had only a second to move Bryn back with my left arm before his fist hit my jaw. I had moved enough, so it wasn’t as hard of an impact as it could have been, but the control I was holding snapped. I grabbed the front of his shirt and shoved him farther away from Bryn before I took another swing.

“STOP!” Bryn screamed behind us.

“You get her to open up those legs? Must be as sweet down there as I thought it would be,” Decker said.

My fist hit his jaw as he moved back before taking his own swing at me.

“You’ll never find out,” I snarled at him.

“PLEASE STOP! RIO!” Bryn was pleading.

Decker started to hook his arm around my neck, and I moved then, using that opportunity to grab him and throw him back. He hit the railing, and it knocked him on his ass.

“Go. Bryn’s upset. This shit is over,” I said, turning to walk back to her.

Her face was streaked with tears, and I hadn’t realized she was crying. I felt guilty for upsetting her, but I couldn’t stand there and let him talk about her like that.

When I reached her, the anger in her gaze confused me.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

She shook her head and held up both hands, as if to keep me back.

“If he is mine, I now see how dangerous it is for him to have someone with your temper and violence around him. I’ll make sure that ends,” Decker said.

I glared back at him. “Get the fuck out of here,” I warned him.

He wiped the blood trickling from his busted lip on the sleeve of his shirt and nodded. “See you soon, Bryn,” he drawled, then finally headed for the stairs.

I looked back down at Bryn. “I’m sorry, but he was saying shit about you. I couldn’t stand there and let him talk about you like that,” I told her.

Her tears had turned to anger as she reached for the door handle. “I think you need to leave, Rio,” she said before opening it to walk inside.

I reached for her arm, and she stopped but didn’t look back at me.

“Bryn, don’t be like this,” I pleaded.

“Be like what? Worried about my nephew’s future? Worried that some man he doesn’t even know could fight me for custody?” she asked, then glanced back at me over her shoulder. “Cullen is what is important. What Decker says about me means nothing. Just … go. I’ll call you later. I need to be alone before I go get Cullen from camp,” she said, then pulled her arm free of me and closed the door in my face.

“I’m sorry, Bryn,” I said loud enough that I knew she could hear me through the door.

She didn’t open it. I stood there for several minutes, hoping she’d change her mind about me leaving.

When it was clear she wasn’t coming back, I turned and headed for my Jeep. I had known losing my temper and hitting him was a bad idea, but I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t do it again. Controlling myself with his arrogant grin as he’d said things about Bryn felt impossible. She didn’t see it that way though.

One thing we agreed on: Cullen was what was most important right now. That asshole was not going to take him.