“You need to watch your fucking mouth,” Elliot growls. “That’s my future wife you’re talking to.”
“That girl isn’t marriage material,” Vinnie spats. “Every real man in here knows that, and you’ll find that out soon enough as well.”
“You motherfucker!” Elliot shouts before swinging his fist into Vinnie’s face. I stumble back to avoid being hit, but Elliot punches him again, making Vinnie’s nose gush blood as the two of them fall to the floor.
Elodie rushes over to me, pulling me away from the two of them just as Henley, Rhonan, and Fletcher all run toward Elliot and Vinnie, pulling Elliot off of him.
“Elliot, that’s enough!” Rhonan warns, holding Elliot’s arms by his sides as Fletcher stands between him and my ex, and Henley stands in the middle, keeping distance between the two of them.
“Good luck with that fucking bitch!” Vinnie yells as security pulls him toward the exit.
“Hey, you’re out too,” the other guard says to Elliot as he throws his hands in the air.
“Okay. I’m going.” He turns back to look at me over his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I just…”
“It’s okay. I’ll—I’ll meet you outside.”
Laney comes over to me, pulling me into her arms. “Oh my God, Dilynne. Are you okay?”
My entire body is shaking, but when I meet her eyes, I say, “I need to make sure Elliot is okay.” Handing her my plaque and envelope, I ask her, “Can you hold on to this for me, please?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Dilynne!” My brother calls out to me, but I don’t stop. The only thing I care about right now is getting to the man who defended me without a second thought for the consequences.
Chapter 30
Elliot
Celebrations and Confessions
“Elliot?”
I turn around to find Dilynne walking briskly over to me where I stand by our rental car. Security ordered me to leave the premises, but I also needed a few minutes to calm down.
Listening to Vinnie say those things about her—it made me realize how Dilynne must have felt when I said the same type of shit back in high school. And as much as I told myself I wouldn’t get physical with him, that all flew out the window the second I heard him spew his hateful words at her.
My eyes lift to meet hers as she stops right in front of me. “Are you okay?”
I hold up my hand that’s bright red and sore. “Nothing some ice won’t fix.”
Sheshakes her head. “I can’t believe that you punched him. Do you know how many times I’ve dreamed of doing the same thing and you fucking beat me to it?” There’s a quirk to her lips, so I know she’s trying to bring levity to the moment, but I can’t reciprocate. I’m still too fucking pissed.
“You should go back inside. Celebrate with your friends and family. I can wait here.”
“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going back in there without you.”
“Well, I’m kicked out for the rest of the day, and if I start anything tomorrow, I won’t be welcome back ever.”
“Then you’d better keep your hands to yourself tomorrow so you can watch me make hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
That comment finally makes me grin. “I’m sorry, Dilynne.”
She presses her finger to my lips, silencing me in the same way I’ve done to her many times. “Don’t you dare fucking apologize.” Her eyes bounce all over my face. “You stood up for me, and that’s all I asked you for in this agreement, remember?”
When she lowers her finger, I reply, “Well, I’m glad to hold up my end of the bargain.”
Her gaze drops down to my lips. “Yeah, well… I think it was one of the hottest moments of my life.”