Where I Belong

“And I’m not about to eat the rest of your sandwich.” He grins condescendingly before taking a huge bite of my sub.

I roll my eyes, the eyes that were so not eye f*cking anyone, before I respond. “What’s your opinion on him anyway? Do you think he’s a good guy?”

He nods and swallows his bite. “Yeah, when he’s not threatening to beat the shit out of me.” We both laugh and I take a sip of my water. “He’s really good with his kid. Even when Nolan was a baby, he just knew what to do with him. And he wasn’t even nervous about it. I’d be scared shitless if someone threw a baby at me.”

I giggle and watch him pop the last bit of my sandwich into his mouth. I could tell just from being around them once that Ben was amazing with Nolan. They were so sweet together and Ben seemed like the type of dad that would do anything for his kid, which is exactly how it should be. “Well I think anyone would be scared if babies were flying at them,” I counter, getting rewarded with a sneer and another crumbled up napkin tossed at my head. We both stand up and push our chairs in. “Thanks for lunch. It was memorable, even without the finger f*cking.” He winks, unable to form any words with a full mouth. “You’re a really good friend, Reed.”

He grimaces and swallows his massive bite uncomfortably. “Friend zoned like a boss.” I buckle over at his statement, laughing so hard my eyes filled with tears. “No worries. You’re not my type anyway. I prefer really dumb girls with low self-esteem and Daddy issues.”

I shove him in the direction of the entrance. “Oh that’s nice. Daddy issues? Really?”

“Hell yes.” He holds the door for me and we both walk to our vehicles. “Girls with Daddy issues are always looking for a new Daddy.” He throws his head back, cracking up at himself and the disgusted look I’m currently giving him. “See ya later, Mia.”

I shake my head disapprovingly. Men.





Chapter Nine


Ben

F*cking Reed Tennyson.

I didn’t know what he was playing at, but I was sure as hell going to find out. And I couldn’t waste any time doing it either. Not when he was taking my girl out to lunch and shit. I was not okay with that. I didn’t know what his intentions were. If he just wanted a friendship from Mia, fine. Anything more than that? F*ck no. She was mine, and apparently, he might need a reminder.

I know where Reed lives so I stop by his house later on after work. We never really hang out that much but I used to pick Tessa up from his house all the time before she could drive. His truck is parked in the driveway which is a good thing. I really don’t feel like driving all over the place looking for him, but I will if I have to. This shit needs to be cleared up tonight. After parking behind him, I knock on his front door and see his head peer out the small window next to it. I hear a soft “f*ck” before he swings the door open and greets me with raised eyebrows.

He studies my uniform, keeping his hand on the doorknob. “Are you here to arrest me for taking Mia out to lunch yesterday? Because if I have a choice, I’d much rather have you lock me up than beat the shit out of me.”

I lean against the railing, ignoring the smart ass undertone that all of his words seem to be laced with. “What the hell do you want with Mia?”

He chuckles then and I straighten up, causing him to wipe the smile off his face. I really don’t want to hit him but he isn’t making the decision easy on me. I’ll deal with the ramifications later. “Nothing. I mean, she’s a cool chick and I like hanging out with her, but just as friends. Maybe if you hadn’t marked your territory I would’ve tried something, but I’m not stupid. I don’t think she’s interested in me like that anyway.”

“She’s not a f*cking fire hydrant for me to piss on, dick. Don’t refer to her as territory.” I step closer to him, remembering what he said yesterday in the sandwich shop after Mia insisted the two of them weren’t on a date. “And if I ever hear you joking around about touching Mia again, it’ll take a lot more than Luke to stop me from tearing you apart.”

He runs his hands down his face before letting out an exhaustive sigh. Turning around, he starts back into his house. “Where the hell are you going?” I ask, stepping forward and grabbing the door. This conversation isn’t over until I f*cking end it. I follow him inside, stopping at the end of the hallway that dumps out into the kitchen. He emerges from the fridge with two beers.

“Here. I sure as hell need one of these and maybe if you have one you won’t be so inclined to murder me on my porch.” He places my beer on the counter and leans against the fridge, taking a swig of his. “Actually, if you are going to kill me, do it outside so I at least have witnesses. And avoid messing up my face too much. I’m sure my mom would prefer an open casket.”

“I’m not going to kill you. I might make it so you can’t walk for a few days, but you’ll still be breathing. And you can’t blame me for wanting to find out what the hell your motives are with my girl.” I walk over to the counter and grab my beer, keeping my eyes on him as I take a drink.

“Look, man, I’m not moving in on Mia. I swear. But I would like to keep being friends with her and I don’t f*cking think I should have to ask your permission to do that.”

I grin and take another sip of my beer. I have a good amount of muscle on Reed, so the fact that he has the balls to talk to me like I can’t wipe the floor with him earns my respect. “No, you don’t have to ask my permission. I’m fine with you being friends with Mia. I just wanted to make sure that you weren’t trying to be anything else with her. I’m f*cking crazy over that girl.”

He arches his eyebrow at me. “Really? I had no idea.” We both laugh and he pushes off from the fridge and moves across from me. “You’re f*cking crazy over a girl you’re trying to be friends with? That makes a hell of a lot of sense,” he states sarcastically.

I grimace. “I’m doing what’s necessary. The torture I’m going to endure by not acting on my feelings will be worth it if she lets me in.” He looks at me with a perplexed gaze, like I’ve just explained myself to him in another language. I take another sip of my beer and frown. “When you meet a girl that gets to you the way Mia gets to me, you’ll understand. Friends genuinely like each other and I need her to like me. She’ll never love me if she doesn’t like me first.”

He places his beer down with a shake of his head. “I had a girl get to me like that and she completely f*cked me over. I don’t see how any of it is worth it. That’s why I’m just with girls for one night. They can’t rip your heart out if you don’t let them anywhere near it.” He tosses his beer bottle into the trashcan. “I hope it works out for you though. I think you have a pretty good shot with her from what I’ve observed.”

“Why do you think that? Did she say something to you?” If Reed and Mia are friends, she could’ve shared things with him like she does my sister. And I am suddenly all for their friendship if it helps my cause. He regards me with a smile like he knows things. Things I desperately want to know. I place my beer down and leer at him. “You’re not going to tell me shit, are you?”