“No, thank you.” I shake my head and feel Ellie kick me under the table before she looks at the guy.
“We’ll just wait for our waitress.” She says softly and smiles, taking the menu from him setting it on the table. She then watches him walk away before looking at me and growling, “You’re so rude.”
“Really? And it’s not rude to stare at another man’s woman when they are obviously out on a date?” I ask as one of the bus boys stops by the table, dropping off water.
“He wasn’t staring. He was just doing his job.” She shakes her head.
“His job isn’t to check out your tits, baby.”
“He wasn’t,” she hisses in anger and annoyance.
“Fuck yes, he was,” I growl. “And since those tits, that ass, and that mouth all belong to me, he doesn’t get to look at them,” I say, watching her chest heave and her mouth open and close.
“Jax, Ellie.”
“Fuck,” I clip, watching as Ellie’s body grows tight across from me then her head swivel towards Mellissa. Turning my head, I say shortly, “Mellissa,” through gritted teeth.
“I just wanted to come over and say hi.” She smiles her fake smile then looks at Ellie, running her eyes over her. “That dress totally fits you.” She sneers. “It’s very trailer—”
“Get the fuck away from my table, Mellissa, before you force me to make a scene,” I threaten.
“I’m not afraid of you, Jax,” she snarls, placing her hands on her narrow hips.
“One more time, Mellissa. Get the fuck away from the table.”
“I can’t believe you traded me in for some slutty trailer trash bitch.”
Like it happens in slow motion, I see Ellie out of the corner of my eye as she wraps her fingers around her glass of water and tosses the contents on Mellissa, who shrieks at the top of her lungs. Ellie scoots out of the booth and storms towards the front of the restaurant.
“You bitch!” Mellissa screams, going after Ellie. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pick her up, turn her around, and shove her into her dad’s arms.
“Put a leash on your daughter, Calder,” I tell him. His eyes narrow and his arms lock around Mellissa.
Moving through the restaurant, I see Mani, the owner, walking towards me from the kitchen. “Is everything okay, Jax?” he asks with concern in his tone, looking at me then over my shoulder at the commotion going on behind me.
“I’ll call and explain what happened, but right now, I need to go make sure Ellie is okay,” I tell him without stopping on my way past the ma?tre d’.
“Sure.” He nods.
Pushing through the door, I look toward my truck and see Ellie isn’t there. Jogging up the road, I spot Ellie in the distance, walking with her arms wrapped around her body, her shoulders stooped inward and her head bent toward her feet.
“Ellie, stop,” I shout, watching her body jerk forward and her head move back and forth. Reaching her side, I wrap my arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees, lifting her to my chest. Hearing her soft sob rips my heart open.
“Please, don’t cry. I hate it when you cry,” I whisper, pressing my lips to the top of her head, holding her closer against me. When I get her to the truck, I place her in the passenger seat, buckle her in, and then jog around to get in behind the wheel.
“Can you just take me home?” she asks on a quiet sob, wiping the tears away as they fall.
“Yeah, baby,” I agree pulling out of the parking lot.
Taking her hand, I pull it toward me, wrapping my fingers tightly around hers, wanting her to know I’m here with her. When we reach the house, I get out and head around to her side, half expecting her to fight me, but her body wraps around mine tightly as I lift her from the truck and carry her into the house. I don’t even stop downstairs. I carry her up to my bedroom, lay her in the bed, and get in with her. As soon as I’m settled behind her, she turns in my arms to face me, burying her face against my chest.
“I’m sorry,” she says through her tears as I gather her closer.