Under the Lights (19 page)

Brady shifted his gaze to me. “You leaving?”

“Going to get Gunner's truck.”

He held out his hand. “Give me the keys. I'll go get it.”

I looked to Gunner for direction and he nodded. He probably wanted Brady away from Rhett's mouth. So I tossed him the keys and gave him the directions that Gunner had given me.

Once Brady was out of earshot, Gunner sighed. “What the hell are you doing, Rhett?”

Rhett jerked free of Gunner and threw his hands up in the air. “I'm coming to see the crown bastard prince! What does it look like?”

Gunner winced, and I wanted to go slap my hand over his brother's mouth. Asshole.

“I'm taking you home,” Gunner said as he glanced back at the door to make sure no one else had followed us out.

“Do I still get to live there?” Rhett asked in his drunken sarcastic tone.

Gunner ignored him and turned his attention to me. “Will you go make my excuses? I can't go back in there.”

“Yes,” I replied just as the door opened and out walked Asa, Serena, and Ivy, all looking for their dates.

“Shit,” Gunner muttered.

“I got this,” I assured him, and hurried toward them.

Ivy was surveying the area for Brady. Serena was glaring at me, and Asa looked concerned. “Brady has gone to get Gunner's truck so he can take Rhett home. He's had a little too much to drink. Why don't we all go back inside and let them deal with Rhett.”

“I'm not taking orders from you. I don't even know you,” Serena snapped in a haughty tone.

“Go inside, Serena. She's helping me. Jesus you're a bitch.” Gunner raised his voice enough that Serena snapped her head back as if he'd slapped her.

“Fuck off, Gunner” was her response before she turned and strutted away.

“Are you going to need Brady to help you get him home?” Ivy's question was more of a whine.

“No,” he snapped, and she beamed as if this was the best news she'd heard all day and went back inside.

I walked over to Asa. “They're good now,” I told him.

He nodded, and we started to walk inside when Gunner's voice stopped me.

“Stay with me.” His eyes were pained and lost. He needed me and that meant something.

Staying with him meant standing up my date. But could I tell him no when I was the only friend he had who knew the truth? Absolutely not. I also couldn't tell him no when
I knew he wanted me with him. The smart thing for me to do would be to stay with Asa. Be a normal teenager and focus on my goals. The reason I came back here.

That didn't matter. Gunner had become more important to me than all of that. Facing that now was the only thing I could do.

I looked up at Asa. “I have to stay with him.”

Asa glanced at Gunner, then back at me, before he nodded and walked inside. He was disappointed. I'd seen it in his eyes.

Gunner's problems were bigger than losing your date to the dance.

GUNNER

Seven times I'd called his sorry ass. Not once had he answered or returned my call. Yet he shows up at the homecoming dance to yell shit about me being his uncle like a lunatic.

“There's Brady,” Willa said, coming up to stand behind me. I should have let her go back inside with Asa, but I had needed her. Having her close helped. She knew the truth, and she was there as my center. Tonight wasn't going to get easier, and I didn't want to face it alone. I needed Willa with me. Having Willa there meant I could face anything. She calmed me and reassured me just being
close. In my life there had never been someone like Willa. I think I knew that as a child. She was special. The kind of special you only get once.

After I'd avoided her for days, she had every right to ignore me and go back inside. But she'd stayed. She'd chosen me over Asa. Over that stupid dance in there. Willa made me feel like I had somewhere I belonged. Once Rhett had, because even though my parents weren't that fond of me, he'd loved me.

Now having my older brother, who used to fight my battles, throw me out there like he had tonight hurt. Willa made it hurt less. She eased it. Even before Brady had gotten out here, she had been helping me. She hadn't stood and stared at the scene.

“Thanks,” I told her.

“Anytime” was her response. She was there. Again, something I'd never had before.

Brady pulled the truck up beside us. I started to give Brady an excuse to get him to go back inside when Willa walked over to him.

“Ivy is causing a scene. I told her you'd be right back. Go ease that over, and I'll help here. Ivy won't listen to me.”

Brady turned his gaze to me as if he wasn't sure he should leave me alone.

“Go on. She's right. Crazy bitch came out here yelling and shit.”

Brady nodded. “Okay, sorry about that. I'll be back in a few to see if you need me.”

“Thanks,” I said, knowing I'd be gone before he got back out here.

The doors opened again, and this time West, Nash, and Ryker all stepped outside. Shit, the whole crew was coming to help. “Help with that,” I whispered to Brady, and he gave me an understanding nod.

“Get in the truck,” I said in a lower voice to Rhett, and started moving him closer to the passenger door Willa had opened for me.

Rhett bumped into Willa, and I jerked him back. “Watch out!”

Rhett started cackling with manic laughter. “You like her. That's so sweet. Did you know he was my uncle? He's a bastard, but he's loaded.”

I started to yell at him again, but Willa spoke first.

“Yes, I know, and from the looks of things, you pissing him off is stupid. Get ahold of yourself and don't make him your enemy. You need an allowance.”

Rhett's eyes went wide, and for the first time all damn day I laughed.

“Who the fuck are you?” he asked, slurring his words more and more.

“I'm Willa Ames, you idiot,” she retorted.

Then he smiled. “Willa Ames all grown up.”

I knew that smile. He might be drunk, but he was attracted to her. Who wouldn't be? Willa was beautiful. And she was putting up with my drunk brother for me. I had been her choice when she'd been given one, and it made me feel deeper for her than I'd ever felt.

“Get in the truck, Rhett,” I demanded, pushing him toward the now-open passenger side.

“Wait . . . I thought you moved away.” He was still stuck on Willa.

“I moved back.” The way she gave him annoyed, short responses was funny.

He gave her a flirty smile that he even pulled off well when he was drunk. “I might need to stay around town a little longer.”

“You might not have a home to stay in if you don't get your drunk ass in my truck now,” I added with more force, and shoved him until he stumbled and had to grab the seat to keep from falling.

“Yes sir, Uncle, sir. You sure got real bossy with all this power.”

I glanced at Willa, who rolled her eyes at his comment. I
needed that little touch of humor right now. She was keeping me from losing my shit. I owed her.

When Rhett finally climbed up in my truck, I wanted to ask Willa to get in too. I wanted her with me. I didn't want to ask her to miss the entire night, but going back to that house with Rhett like this sounded terrifying.

But could I bring her into this shit? Was that even fair?

No.

Before I could even say anything, she opened the back door on my extended cab and climbed inside. She didn't ask me or wait to be invited. She was just going. My chest felt full. It was an odd sensation I wasn't accustomed to.

I wanted to say thanks again, but I couldn't at the moment. My tight chest was making my throat feel weird. So I climbed into the driver's seat and got us away from the school parking lot before Rhett did something else stupid.

“We going to your castle?” he asked as he laid his head back on the seat.

“What's your deal? Do you think I want this? That being our grandfather's bastard is a good thing? Jesus, Rhett, stop focusing on how this affects you.”

He laughed again, and I really wanted to stop and push him out, then take Willa somewhere alone so I could kiss her again. This time I wasn't running.

“Isn't everything always about you?” Rhett snarled.

I had no idea what that meant. I shot him a glare and turned onto the road that led to our house.

“Every time I wanted something, Mother always said no if you couldn't have the same. So Dad didn't get it. I missed out on all kinds of shit because of you. Now I know why. The damn money was all yours.”

Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I slammed on the breaks and threw the truck in park.

“My entire life I've spent trying to please a man who would never accept me. A man I thought was my father. I was a kid, Rhett, and I wanted my father to love me as much as he loved his other son. Nothing I did was enough. It was cruel. I get it now. It's unfair but I get it. But don't dare give me your sob story over some bullshit you wanted and didn't get because of me. You were given what I never got. Our parents love.”

“They aren't our parents. We only share a mom.”

Those words would change our relationship forever. I didn't care that he was drunk. I didn't care that he was bummed that the fortune he thought was all his wasn't. The coldness in his tone took something from me. Something that I'd never get back.

“Then he's lucky. I'd hate to know he had a chance of turning out like you,” Willa said from the backseat.

I glanced up at her in the rearview mirror. I had someone on my side. I didn't deserve her, but I was thankful I had her.

WILLA

When I jumped in the back of the truck, I hadn't thought through what I would do when we got to Gunner's house. If I went inside to the middle of this firestorm, then Nonna would be furious. I couldn't upset her; she was all I had.

Sending Gunner inside to face this alone seemed impossible too. As we passed the driveway to Nonna's house and he didn't pull in, I knew he was expecting me to go with him to face this mess.

I guess maybe he'd let me live in the tree house if Nonna kicked me out. That was a joke, but still. I might need lodging soon.

Gunner parked in front of his house and turned to Rhett. “Get out,” he ordered, but he didn't move.

We were doing a drop off. This was much better. I'd get in no trouble for this. Rhett muttered a few curse words, then opened the door to stumble out. “Where's my car?” he asked, looking around.

“At the school. You're too drunk to drive. Get it in the morning.” Gunner then turned to look at me. “You want to get up here?”

I unbuckled and climbed over the seat, then closed the door that Rhett had left open. “Are we going back to the dance?” I asked, confused.

Gunner shook his head. “Naw, I can't deal with that right now. You okay with going somewhere else?”

I was okay with whatever. Gunner needed me, and I enjoyed being with him. I had him back. Being ignored by him the past few days had been hard.

“Sure,” I replied, then felt a twinge of guilt over Asa. I had run off on him. I probably should go back, but something kept me here.

“I wish I could just leave this town and not look back. No parents, no last name, no fucking anything. Just run. You know?”

I understood why he wanted to now, but that wouldn't be forever. He hadn't had time to let it all sink in yet.
Adjusting to all this was just the beginning for him.

“You did good tonight, dealing with Rhett. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought you were the oldest.”

Gunner grinned and glanced over at me. “Thanks. That was a first. Normally it's Rhett getting my ass out of situations. Not me being the levelheaded one about things.”

I didn't remember much about Rhett other than he was a spoiled elitist back then. I hadn't known how to describe him when I was a kid, but looking back, I got why I hadn't cared for him much.

“After the way he's acted the past week, I wonder if Riley
hadn't
been full of shit,” Gunner said, more to himself than to me. I wasn't sure what he was talking about. But I perked up at the mention of Riley's name.

“Did he and Riley date?” I asked, wondering why she had warned me against them and why she seemed to be hated around here.

“No. Me and Riley dated. Until she blamed Rhett for raping her and getting her pregnant.”

Oh. Wow. Not what I had expected to hear.

“We hadn't even had sex. She was scared of it, and we were younger. Then she starts saying Rhett raped her and she was pregnant. My parents, or rather Rhett's parents, made it go away. And her. But still it hung in the air around
here for a while. Almost cost Rhett his scholarship. She admitted she'd lied, then left town.”

The girl I'd met didn't seem the type to lie about something like that, but then I'd barely spent any time with her. Rhett, on the other hand, might just do that. “She came back, didn't she?”

Gunner shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I don't know. She gave you a ride, so I guess I'm lucky there. I wouldn't have wanted you walking on that dark road for miles.”

Sounded like she had a sordid past much like my own. I hadn't seen her since that night. From all the girls in this town I'd met so far, I thought Riley would be the one I would bond with the best.

Poppy's face immediately settled itself firmly in my head, and I squashed that thought. I had a best friend once, and I'd not been there when she needed me. I hadn't saved her or Quinn. I didn't need another friend like Poppy. I wasn't good at that.

“Where are we going?” I asked, wanting to change the subject.

“To the lake,” he responded.

The lake that I remembered was off limits to us as kids. It was far out on the opposite side of the Lawton property from Nonna's. Nonna's house sat at one back corner. The lake sat at the other. Apparently Gunner's “father” had had
a younger sister when they were kids who drowned back there after getting bit by a snake.