“Hello, welcome! How can I caffeinate you today?” I greet a new customer.
“Hi, um…I’m not sure. What do you suggest?”
I lean over the counter and point to my menu with all my beverage options and explain a few in detail.
“If you like sweets, I’d suggest the Maple Me Crazy Latte, but if you have a more bitter spicy palate, then I’d say the Basic Witch Spice.”
He nods as he reads what’s in each one. “Actually, I’ll try the Hot Mess Express. Sounds good.”
“Amazin’ choice. That’s my favorite.” I wink. “Can I get you a muffin with your drink?”
“Sure, whatever you have.”
He reaches for his wallet as I ring him up. When I glance to my left, Tripp’s glaring at me with his arms crossed.
“That’ll be seven-fifty,” I tell him, leaning over the counter again.
He hands me a ten and tells me to keep it.
“Aw, you’re too kind. Thank you.” I smile at him, then get started on his latte.
Instead of Tripp sitting on the bucket like I’ve asked, he stands and makes his presence known to the guy.
“Haven’t seen you ’round here. You a local?” he asks the guy.
I groan at the harshness of his tone.
“Just moved here. I work at my aunt’s bookstore across the street.”
“Mrs. Weis is your aunt? Oh my gosh, I adore her.” I gush but am lying through my teeth. She’s the one who writes in her notebook every time I stop in to use her bathroom. Not sure what she plans on doing with her little notes, but if she doesn’t want me squatting on the sidewalk in front of her store, she’ll deal with it.
“It’s only temporary until I go to college, but yeah, not a bad job,” he says.
I turn around and set his drink down, then bag up his muffin. “Guess that means we’ll be seein’ a lot of each other.”
“Yeah, there aren’t many coffee places here.”
Which benefits me greatly.
“Have a magnificent day. See you soon…”
“Grant,” he supplies.
I hold out my hand, and he takes it. “Magnolia. Welcome to Sugarland Creek”
Before we can pull apart, Tripp’s hand comes between us. “And I’m the boyfriend.”
I grind down on my teeth to stop myself from causing a scene.
“Nice to meet y’all.” Grant nods, taking his items. “See ya later.”
“Bye now.” I wave before he walks across the street.
“Are you freakin’ kidding me?” I turn toward Tripp and whisper-shout.
“Do you have to flirt with every single guy when I’m here?”
“I’m being nice, Tripp! It’s how I get tips. I know you’ve never worked in customer service, but this is literally part of the job.”
This is our third argument about it in three days.
“You’re more than just being nice.”
“No, I’m not. I’ve never given any of them my number nor have they ever asked me out on a date. Even if they did, I wouldn’t have agreed to one.”
“So you leanin’ over the counter with your tits out is for tips?”
I glance down and take a moment to appreciate how good the girls look in my T-shirt. Though I’m wearing a fleece jacket, I didn’t zip it up because with two people in this small space, I get warm.
“Surprised you didn’t read about it in one of your baby apps, but breasts can double in size during pregnancy. I can’t help that. Blame the hormones.”
His eyes roll as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“Are you tellin’ me you don’t flirt with the customers during cabin call? Just a little friendly ‘Howdy, sweetheart. How y’all doin’ today? Need me to carry those big, heavy bags for you with my massive muscles?’” I mimic in an exaggerated deep Southern accent.
He pops a brow. “You think I have massive muscles?”
“Oh my God!” I smack his chest, and before I can pull away, he grabs my wrist and yanks me closer.
“Sunny…” His warning tone sends shivers down my spine. “I don’t flirt with other women. Hell, I haven’t even looked at one since the moment you became mine. I know we’re just friends and roommates, but I have no interest in anyone but you. And before you say it, there is no movin’ on for me.” He shrugs helplessly. “There never was.”
Goddamn him. Doesn’t he know I’m an emotional and hormonal mess these days? It’s bad enough I had a full-on cry fest at my ultrasound appointment yesterday when we confirmed the baby was a girl.
And the day before that when we went to the sheriff’s office, I had to give a full statement about my phone call with Travis, and it had me in tears again just thinking about all the shit I’m dragging Tripp through.
Then again when I told my dad.
So it’s safe to say I’m tired of crying.
The morning sickness hasn’t been as bad in my second trimester, so that’s been a blessing, but the heartburn at night is killing me. She better come out with a full head of hair after this.
A throat clearing grabs our attention before I can respond to Tripp and find Landen staring at us with a shit-eating smirk.
“What’s a guy gotta do for some service ’round here?” he taunts.
“Show me your abs and dick,” I blurt, fully aware I’m adding fuel to the fire that’s Tripp’s patience level.
He pops a brow, amusement written all over his pretty boy face. “Is this a game of I show you mine and you show me yours?”
“I swear to God, you two.” Tripp shakes his head, clearly done with us. “If I thought you were actually tryin’ to get into her pants, there’s no way I’d leave her with you.”
Tilting my head toward him, I glare. “I’m not a puppy. I can be left alone and not chew on the furniture.”
“Then behave, Sunny.” He kisses my forehead before walking out of the trailer. “You too,” he warns Landen, and the two of them share a moment before Tripp drives off in his truck.
Since they need him for cabin call at three, and I don’t close until then, Landen stays with me for thirty minutes so I’m not alone. Then he’ll drive us back to the ranch, and I’ll either hang out with him or Noah at the training center until Tripp’s done with work.
“How do you spend all day with him?” Landen asks once Tripp leaves. “He seems moody.”
“That’s because he’s not a sit and do nothin’ kinda guy. He needs activity and to be outside workin’. Like a wild animal.”
Landen paces the small area as I wipe down counters, and I laugh to myself at him being exactly the same way.
“Mags.”
I’m on my hands and knees looking for a box of straws when he says my name. “What?”
“Stay down there.”
“And what? Give you head? Har har, very funny.”
“I’m being dead serious. Do. Not. Get. Up.”
The panic in his voice is making me panic.
Moments later, I hear a deep, recognizable voice when he responds to Landen’s warm greeting.
“You’re not Magnolia,” he says. His tone is meant to be lighthearted, but I hear the seriousness in it.
“Nope, you caught me.” Landen bemuses, and when I take a peek at him, I see his firm stance as he crosses his arms. “I’m just helpin’ out while she’s away. In New Jersey. Visitin’ her Italian family. A big reunion.”
The fuck?
That is weirdly specific.
“Ah. That’s interesting. Sutherland is a Scottish surname.”
“She’s Italian on her mom’s side.” Landen’s response is immediate.
“Explains her dark hair and complexion.”
“Guess so. Can I getcha a drink or muffin?” Landen prompts.
“Just a black coffee.”
“Comin’ right up.” When Landen turns around to grab a cup, I hear the recognizable sound of a gun cocking. I can’t see the other side of the counter, but Landen’s spine goes ramrod straight.
“Tell me where she really is,” Emilio demands. “Now.”
I cover my mouth with my palm, trying to hide my heavy breathing as my heart beats wildly.
“I already told you,” Landen says, spinning back toward him. “She’s not here.”
“And I know you’re lying. So you either tell me or I’m going to shoot up this whole little trailer and then light a match and leave you inside it.”
Oh my fucking God.
I don’t know how he’s keeping his cool, but he swipes his tongue along his lower lip as he smirks. “No, you won’t.”
The fuck is he doing? Why is he arguing with a man who has a literal gun to his face?
My phone’s in my back pocket, but I’m too scared to grab it. I don’t want to make any sudden movement and alert Emilio I’m in here. But if I don’t, he could kill Landen.
“Pretty confident for a guy who’s facing a death sentence. Tell me where Magnolia is and you won’t get hurt.”
Landen scrubs a hand over his jawline, looking more amused than anything.
“This is the problem with you city-slickers who handle guns. Y’all gotta be real loud and flashy about ‘em. You don’t just whip it out and pull the trigger like a man.”
Landen Michael! I swear to God. If he survives this, I’m going to kill him!
“Excuse—”
It happens so fast that I barely have time to register Landen’s hand reaching behind his back and underneath his shirt. Seconds later, he reveals a handgun, aims it at Emilio, and then fires within three seconds.
My whole body jumps at the booming sound that echoes throughout the trailer.
“Holy shit!” I scream, unable to hold it in.
“See? That’s how we shoot down here in the South. We don’t just wave it around like a flag. If it’s in our hand, it’s to be used.”
Landen’s talking to him, so that must mean he’s not dead. Then I hear a faint groan.
“Mags, call the sheriff. Tell him cleanup on aisle seven.”
“W-what?” That is not even a little bit funny.
“He’s not dead. Yet,” he reassures me. “But he will bleed out if we don’t get him an ambulance.”
“Where’d you shoot him?” I stumble, getting to my feet, but Landen takes my hand to help me up the rest of the way.
Landen’s devilish smirk doesn’t ease my panic. “His groin.”
Jesus.
Landen walks out of the trailer, kicks Emilio’s gun out of reach, and then looks down at him. “So on a scale of one to ten, what would you rate our Southern hospitality so far?”
I finally manage to take my phone out with a shaky hand and dial 911. When Wendy picks up, I tell her a quick recap, and then she informs me the EMTs are on their way.
“Tell the sheriff to come too, please?” I plead.
“He’ll be there, sweetie. Just hang tight.”
Once we hang up, I stand next to Landen.
“Where’d you get a gun?”
“Tripp. He always hands it off before leavin’.”
“Wait…” I swallow hard. “He’s been packin’ this whole time?”
Tennessee is an open carry state, but that doesn’t mean I want one near me all day while I’m working. Though I guess if he hadn’t, Landen would’ve been killed.
“Yep. Did you assume your boyfriend wasn’t unhinged when it came to you?”
Oh God. Tripp is going to go feral when he finds out this happened, and he wasn’t here.
People start coming over from the other businesses and a small crowd forms. They’re looking at Landen and me, waiting for an explanation, but I’m too shell-shocked to speak.
“Dude, you can’t be groanin’ like a little bitch or you’ll lose all street cred for takin’ a bullet in the first place.”
Emilio snaps his eyes open. “Fuck. You.” His words are barely audible as he lies half-hunched over. Then his gaze meets mine, and it’s lethal.
“Magnolia, are you okay?” Grant walks over from the bookstore. He looks down at Emilio, who’s nearly passed out from the blood loss or perhaps the pain. “Who’s that?”
“His name is Emilio. He threatened Landen with a gun, but Landen shot him first.”
Grant tilts his head as he studies Emilio’s face. “He came into the bookstore yesterday and asked about you.”
“He did?”
“Yeah, he wanted to know when you’d be parked out here again. I told him you come every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known.”
Sirens break up the chatter of everyone whispering, and soon the EMTs rush over with a stretcher.
“This the guy?” Davis asks as if Emilio isn’t the only one bleeding out on the ground, grunting and groaning in agony.
Landen nods. “Yep. Got him right in the dick. Gonna be messy. Sorry ’bout that.”
Davis smirks. “I’ll pass your sincerest apologies to the nurses.”
Landen and Davis graduated high school together, so neither is taking this as seriously as they should be.
Davis and another EMT get Emilio hooked up to an oxygen mask, apply bandages on his wound, and then get him onto the stretcher.
“Wait…” I blurt.
I stand next to Emilio and his eyes are half open. “Where’s Travis?”
His mouth opens, but nothing comes out.
“I have nothin’ to do with him, so I suggest you don’t return after this. If you think Landen’s insane, wait until you meet his three brothers.”
Landen chuckles next to me. “I’ll let Tripp tie you to my breeding mount and let Rocky have at ya. He’s a horny little stallion.”
“Oh my God, Landen,” I scold. The visual image that just entered my brain is going to haunt me in my nightmares.
“What? He is.”
I roll my eyes at his inability to take anything seriously.
“We gotta go,” Davis says.
“Good luck, Emilio. You’re gonna need it.” Landen smacks his leg, the one close to the wound.
The sheriff and his deputies pull up, and Landen immediately steps away from me and holds up his arms.
“Drop your weapon,” Sheriff Wagner orders, holding his gun toward Landen.
Wait, what’s happening? I freeze in place, watching his every move.
Landen pulls his out from his waistband and drops it to the ground.
“Anyone else?”
“Just me,” Landen replies when everyone around us stays silent.
“Alright, I’m not gonna handcuff ya.” The sheriff holsters his gun. “But I do need to take you down to my office. You too, Magnolia. We need to get statements.”
The sheriff orders one of his deputies to collect the gun for evidence, and then another starts taping off the area around my trailer. Considering we’re downtown, there should be plenty of surveillance cameras to prove Landen acted in self-defense.
My heart hasn’t calmed down since this all started, and I feel the rapid beating throughout my body as the reality of what just happened catches up to me.
“I-I need to call my dad. And Tripp. Noah, too,” I tell the sheriff.
“You can, sweetheart. But protocol dictates we take your statement first and then y’all will be released.”
“C’mon, Mags.” Landen wraps his arm around my shoulders. “It’s kinda fun at the sheriff’s office. They have a popcorn machine.”
“You’ve been inside a few dozen times, haven’t you?”
“Nah, only one or two.” He winks.
“How’re you so calm right now?”
He pulls me into his arms and presses his face into my hair as I work on catching my breath. “It’s the adrenaline. Well, that or the fear of Tripp giving me a vasectomy if I let anything happen to you. And I’m rather fond of my balls.”
“Is that why you took Emilio’s?” I choke out a laugh.
“That was just a quick draw roulette. And a lucky shot.”
Landen and I sit in the back of Sheriff Wagner’s car, and I text Tripp first, then Noah. They must both be working because by the time we arrive at the sheriff’s office, neither has responded. No doubt my dad’s already heard about it on his scanner, but I send him a quick message anyway to reassure him I’m okay.
“Alright, kids. Start at the beginning.” He sits behind his large wooden desk, and Landen goes first.
It helps that Sheriff Wagner already knows the history with Travis and his bookie, so we don’t have to repeat everything.
I’m in the middle of explaining what I saw and heard when a loud thud echoes in the reception. Then a door slams.
“Ah, shit.” Landen smirks as if he knows what’s coming.
“Mr. Hollis,” Wendy says.
“Where is she?”
“She’s being interviewed. Please take a seat and I’ll—”
“Where. Is. She.” His booming voice sends a shiver down my spine.
“You can’t go back there. This is an open investigation and—”
“I’m not askin’.”
“Fuckin’ Christ,” Sheriff Wagner cusses, then presses the intercom on his phone. “Wendy, let him in. It’s alright.”
I push off my chair and wait for his impending arrival.
My whole body is still shaking. Hell, it hasn’t stopped since I heard Emilio’s chilling voice.
When the door flies open, Tripp’s gaze immediately finds mine, and he charges for me. He pulls me into his arms so quickly that I nearly lose my balance.
“Sunny.” A sigh of relief leaves his lips as one large hand presses against my back and the other cups the back of my head, fusing us together. My arms circle his waist, holding him as tightly as I can.
After a moment, he cups my cheeks and his eyes scan over my face. “You’re okay?”
I nod with tears in my eyes. “Perfectly fine. Well, physically.”
“I’ve never been more panicked in my fuckin’ life. I was drivin’ so fast, my tires were barely touchin’ the pavement.”
I knew he’d flip out, but this side of him has my emotions in overdrive. I want to kiss him so badly but in front of Landen and the sheriff isn’t the time to make the first move after over three months of staying platonic.
“I’m fine too, by the way. Thanks for askin’,” Landen calls out with a smart-ass tone.
Tripp cups his shoulder, meets his eyes, and an understanding passes between them. A look of appreciation and love.
“I dunno how to properly thank you for protecting her, but I’m eternally grateful.”
Landen pats Tripp’s hand with a nod. “You could make me the godfather of your kids?”
Tripp glowers at him, and I fight back a laugh.
Landen’s lips twitch into a genuine smile. “You know I woulda taken a bullet for her. Woulda hurt like a bitch, but I woulda been a man about it and kept her safe through my last breath.”
“Landen.” My bottom lip trembles. “That’s so sweet. But please, no more talk of gettin’ shot on my behalf.”
“There’s still the situation with Travis,” Sheriff Wagner interrupts us. “I’ve alerted the other departments in the state. We’ll find him.”
My gut threatens to bottom out at the mention of Travis. As much as I hate him for how he’s treated me, I just want this to be over. I want him out of my life for good and to stay gone.
“Detective James on line two,” Wendy says through the intercom. “He says it’s urgent.”
The sheriff picks up, and his face pales after ten seconds of listening to whatever the detective is saying. It’s unnerving to see his expression change so quickly and then his gaze meets mine for a split second.
“Alright, I’ll ask if she wants to identify him or I’ll send a deputy to his mom’s,” Sheriff Wagner tells him, and my whole body goes cold.
He hangs up and brushes a hand over his bearded jaw. “They found a body in the back of Emilio’s Denali. They sent him to the morgue, but they need someone to identify if it’s Travis or not. We haven’t informed his family, but I can send someone to tell her.”
My knees buckle out from underneath me, and Tripp quickly directs me back to my chair. His hands squeeze my shoulders as he leans down to my ear.
“Breathe, Sunny.”
How? I was just wishing he’d go away for good and now he could be dead.
“His mom shouldn’t have to see him that way,” I tell him. “I’ll do it.”
“I can drive y’all over there if you want,” the sheriff offers.
“We’ll take her,” Tripp says.
My mind spins out of control as he takes my hand and leads me to his truck. Travis was a shitty person who did a lot of bad things, but that doesn’t mean I wanted him to get murdered.
When we arrive, Landen takes the lead and speaks to the detective waiting for us.
“He’s not been cleaned up yet, so prepare yourselves,” he says.
“I change my mind. I don’t think I can do this. Maybe you should check,” I tell Tripp. He knows what he looks like just as much as I do, and if I have to see Travis’s dead body, I might collapse.
“Sure, love. Stay back here.” He kisses my temple.
I stand next to Landen and watch as Detective James leads him to a table on the opposite side of the room.
He pulls off the sheet and Tripp’s spine straightens. Tripp gives the man a quick nod and then the corpse gets covered back up.
When Tripp returns, he drops his head. “I’m sorry, Sunny. It’s him.”
My eyes flood with tears, but I refuse to let them fall.
I will not cry for that man.
He’s taken enough from me, and I refuse to give him my sympathy for the choices he’s made.
Choking back my emotions, I swallow hard and clear my throat. “Can we leave now?”
“Yeah, baby. Let’s go.”
He takes my hand and we walk out into the cool air. It’s too quiet out here. My chest tightens, and I forget how to breathe.
“Sunny?” Tripp cups my face, but my eyes are glazed over.
The anxiety attack takes over and with each second, breathing becomes harder. Spots invade my vision, and I fold over as I fight for control.
Tripp kneels beside me, squeezing my hand as I fight through the pain.
“He’s dead,” I say, needing to confirm the words aloud. “He’s…dead.”
He rubs a hand over my back. “Take a deep breath and focus on my voice.”
“I—” I shake my head, flattening my palm over my chest. The tears threaten to pour out, but I stop them. “I-I…”
Finally, the air stuck in my ribcage releases and eases the tightness.
“There you go, Sunny. Slow, deep breaths. This’ll pass.”
After a few moments, I meet his eyes, which are filled with concern.
“I didn’t want this.” Shaking my head, I try to clear the thoughts taking over. “I just wanted him to leave me alone.”
Tripp brushes my hair behind my ear, tilting my chin. “This isn’t your fault, love. He made the decision to get involved with a bad man and paid the ultimate price for it. I know you two have history, but this has nothin’ to do with the choices you made.”
I nod as he wipes my cheeks with his thumbs.
Landen approaches my other side and meets my gaze. I’ve never seen him speechless, but his lips twitch like he’s trying to find the right words to console me. So instead, I wrap my arms around him and hug him.
His body stiffens for a moment as if he hadn’t expected it, but then he circles my waist the best he can with my bump and relaxes against me.
“Thank you,” I cry into his chest. Without him, we could both be dead. “I know we joke around a lot, but what you did was really brave and it coulda gone completely different without your quick thinkin’.”
The tears pour out of me.
For how close we were to death.
For Travis being so goddamn stupid and leaving our daughter without ever meeting her biological father.
For Landen being put into a situation where he had to shoot a man in order to protect us.
For Tripp being so possessive and keeping me safe even when I argued about it.
The turn of events would be so different if it weren’t for these two men who care so much about me. It’s hard to process after feeling so disposable in my relationship with Travis.
“You’re welcome, Mags. I’d do it again in a heartbeat if I had to.”
I pull back and find him grinning at me.
“Plus, imagine the badass street cred I’m about to have.” He waggles his brow, and I choke out a laugh.
“Ellie’s gonna be trippin’ over her boots to get a piece of you,” I tease.
“Pretty doubtful after the knife I found in my tire from her.”
I can’t even pretend to feel sorry for him. Ellie’s gonna give him a run for his money.
“Let’s go home, Sunny.” Tripp pulls me to his side, kissing my forehead. “Noah’s freakin’ out and wants an update.”
I nod because home never sounded more perfect.
