Without You (18 page)

What are these girls up to?

“Get ready, Will,” Maegan whispered in my direction.

I heard Mike calling out for her.

“I’m here, baby,” Maegan slurred her words, like she had drunk a little too much.

I hit record right when Mike came into the opening.

“Maegan, what in the hell is going on?”

“Mike, Mike, Mike, please. I’ve seen the way you eye-fuck me. I know you want a piece of this. I’m leaving for Baylor in a few days. I want a good, hard fucking, and I’ve been told you’re the guy.”

Oh. My. God. I’m not filming Maegan fucking Mike. Grace is gonna kill her!

Mike smiled and tilted his head. “Is this a joke? Grace is like your sister.”

Maegan laughed. “Please, dicks before chicks.”

Mike moved closer to Maegan. “Is that so?”

“Mike, be honest with me. Are you exclusive with Grace? If you are, I won’t put you in a weird spot.”

He laughed. “Fuck no, I’m not. I probably get more pussy than any guy in our class.”

I felt the heat moving up my body.
Luke is gonna kill this fucker.

Maegan chuckled. “Why are you with Grace then?”

“Less talking, baby, and let’s get to playing.” Mike began unbuttoning his pants, but he stopped when he heard someone coming.

“Meg? Oh, Meg! I saw you sneaking—oh, hey there, Mike.” Lex came walking over as she slipped her finger into her mouth.

She’s flirting with him!

“Hey, Lex. You been drinking?” Mike asked.

She nodded her head. “I have. I’m super horny right now and in the mood to experiment.”

She looked over to Maegan, who laughed.

Mike smiled. “You and Maegan?”

Lex nodded her head. “You want to watch us make out, Mike?”

Holy shit, Lex. Don’t.

“Can I join you both when you’re done with each other?” he asked.

Lex threw her head back and laughed. “Hell yeah. Oh, wait. What about Grace? She’s my best friend.”

“Fuck Grace. I’m only with her because of her grandparents’ status at UT and to keep my fucking parents happy. Hell, I’m even fucking my father’s secretary when he isn’t. I couldn’t care less about Grace.”

Holy hell.

“Is that so?” Lex asked.

“Yeah, baby. You want a piece of me?”

I’m gonna kill this asshole.

Lex walked up to him, and I was ready to bolt.

She smiled. “You know what I want, Mike?”

“Anything, baby.”

“I want the video you have of Grace and you fucking.”

What?

“What?” he asked.

“If you want to fuck me and Maegan, I want that video.”

“Hell no. That’s the only thing keeping Grace with me. No way.”

Maegan laughed. “Where is it?”

Mike smiled. “Why?”

“I want to watch it. I like porn,” Maegan said.

Mike pulled his phone out. “I had my brother record us with my phone.”

“You keep a video like that on your phone?” Lex asked. “Do you have it backed up?”

Maegan must have been playing with her breasts because Mike was staring at her. Thank God her back was facing me.

“Um…no. I don’t need to back it up. Grace is so fucking scared that I have it. She’ll do anything I say. I never felt the need to back it up.”

Maegan let out a moan.

“Jesus, Maegan,” Mike said. He hit Play and handed the phone to Maegan.

“Oh, wow. Look at y’all go.”

Lex looked next and smiled. “You sure you don’t have it anywhere else? We could all watch it together and FaceTime when we leave for college.”

Mike moaned. “Fuck. I don’t, but I can upload it somewhere, I’m sure.”

Lex did something while Mike looked back at Maegan.

Lex took a couple steps back. “Done.”

Maegan quickly pulled her shirt and bra up, covering her breasts again.

“Wait—what the hell? What are you doing?” he asked.

Lex held up Mike’s phone. “Teaching your sorry ass a lesson.” She dropped the phone and stepped on it.

Mike yelled out, “What the fuck? You fucking bitch!”

That’s it.

I pushed through the brush and walked past Maegan. I put my hand on Mike’s shoulder, pulled him around, and punched the shit out of him. He fell backward as Lex, Maegan, and Grace all screamed.

I looked at Grace. “Grace? Where did you come from?”

She looked down at Mike and then up at me. “I, um…I was on the other side of them, recording with my phone.”

Mike looked up at Grace. “What in the hell are you doing here?”

Grace walked up to Mike and kicked the shit out of his stomach. Then, she bent down as he moaned over and over. “I got you on video, you piece of shit. You just admitted on video that you had someone record us, that you’re only with me to gain something from my grandparents, and that you pretty much were blackmailing me with that video. Not to mention, you admitted that little bonus of you screwing your dad’s secretary. The table is turned, asshole.”

“You bitches tricked me?” he yelled out.

I reached down, picked his ass up, and pushed him against a tree. “You’d better be thanking them. If they weren’t standing here, I would beat your ass to a pulp.”

“Listen, Will, I was just…I wasn’t gonna show anyone the video.”

I got right in his face. “You were about to upload it, you ass.”

Mike looked at Grace and then me. “What are you going to do with the video, Grace?”

She smiled. “Well, the first thing I’m gonna do is save it somewhere other than my phone. If you so much as ever look my way or attempt to contact my grandfather, I’ll be sending the little video home to your parents and maybe to my grandfather as well, so he can see what a lowlife you are. You’ll never get into the law program.
Ever.
I suggest you let my grandfather know you won’t be interning for his law firm.”

Mike moaned. “Grace, my father is going to kill me if I pull out of that for no reason.”

Grace walked up to him and tilted her head as she looked him up and down. “Not my problem.”

She turned and began walking away as I let go of him with a push.

Lex and Maegan followed her. Mike put his face in his hands and began mumbling how his father was going to kill him.

“If I find out that you’ve even looked at Grace ever again, you will regret it. Am I making myself clear?” I said.

Mike dropped his hands and looked at me. “Very.”

“Good. Get the fuck off my property.”

Mike turned and began walking back through the brush. I followed, walked him to his car, and watched as he drove off.

I felt a hand on my arm. I turned to see Grace.

“Thank you. I know how hard that must have been for you to watch Lex flirting with Mike.”

“Grace, why didn’t you tell Luke or me about the video? We would have handled it.”

She swallowed hard and wiped a tear away. “I couldn’t risk my father or mother ever seeing it, Will. I wanted to tell Luke so many times, but I knew if I did, he would beat the shit out of Mike.”

I nodded. “Yeah, he would have.”

“Please, Will. Please don’t say anything to Luke.”

I pulled her into my arms when she broke down crying. “I promise, Grace. I promise.”

Grace and I walked over and sat down on one of the logs surrounding the fire pit. I would start a fire soon once the sun started to go down.

Lex sat down next to me and smiled weakly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. If I had, you would have talked us out of it and gone after him yourself. I knew we would be okay with you there.”

I shook my head. “Lex, that was dangerous. What if he had tried—”

She put her finger up to my lips. “He didn’t, and you were there.”

“Which one of you came up with this plan?” I asked as Maegan sat down opposite of me and Lex.

Maegan pointed to Lex. “The brains of Operation Take Down Mike.”

Lex and Grace laughed.

I pulled Lex closer to me. “I love you. I have to admit, the whole you making out with Maegan almost threw me into a bit of shock.”

Lex hit me in the stomach as Maegan laughed.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

I looked up to see Libby standing there.

“Hey, sis. You all changed?”

She nodded her head. She seemed flustered and confused.

“Where’s Luke?” Grace asked.

“Um…he’s kind of passed out in Colt’s truck. He managed to, um…change into dry clothes, but he’s really drunk. I had to help him back into the truck.”

Grace laughed. “What is with him getting so shitfaced lately?”

Libby sat down and glanced over to me. Something wasn’t right.

I mouthed,
Are you all right?

She nodded and smiled weakly.

“Libby, can I talk to you in private?” I asked as I stood up. I always knew when something wasn’t right with my sister. It was almost like I could feel when she was upset or sad or just not right.

She stood up and began walking to my truck. She stopped and turned around with a fake-ass smile on her face. “What’s up?”

I raised my eyebrow at her. “Libby, I know you well enough to know that something is off. You look flustered and confused as hell.”

She laughed. “Will, I promise, everything is okay.”

Then, I felt the heat moving up my body. “Did Luke try anything with you? I’ll hurt that bastard if he did.”

She shook her head. “Will, no. Everything is fine.”

Sam Hunt’s “Raised on It” began playing, and the girls all screamed.

Libby smiled at me and kissed me on the cheek. “I promise, I’m okay, Will.”

“I love you, Lib.”

“I love you, too.”

Libby turned and walked over to the girls, and they started dancing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luke walking up. He was for sure drunk and acting like a fool.

I pulled out my phone and started recording everyone. I couldn’t help but think about how most of us would soon be leaving for college. I smiled as I watched Lex dancing. I tried to push away the uneasy feeling I got in the pit of my stomach. It was that same uneasy feeling that told me things were going to change soon, very soon.

I sat on my bed, holding Emma to my chest. Tears threatened to come again. I had cried so much the last two days that I was sure I had no more tears left.

I heard the door open and felt my bed move. The moment he entered my room, I knew it was Will.

“Hey,” he whispered.

I couldn’t talk. If I talked, I’d cry again. I shook my head and clutched Emma harder.

“Lex, I promise you, everything is going to be okay.”

I turned and looked at him. His eyes were bloodshot.

Has he been crying?

Libby had told me that Will hadn’t been sleeping well at all the last few nights.

“I-I can’t leave you.” I broke down crying again.

Will moved closer to me and took me in his arms. “Baby, I swear to you, we’re gonna make this work. Our love is too strong, Lex. You have to believe in our love.”

I sniffled and whispered, “I do, Will. I do believe in our love, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”

He ran his hand up and down my back. “I know it doesn’t. I’m not taking classes on Fridays, so I can always drive to Austin for the weekends. I won’t even be two hours away from you, Lex.”

I pulled back and looked into his heavenly blue eyes. “Promise me.”

“I swear to you, I’ll come visit you at least twice a month.”

I threw my arms around him and began kissing him. If I thought I could, I’d strip down naked and have him make love to me.

My father cleared his throat, and Will pulled back.

“Will, how are you today?”

Will stood up and winked at me before turning to shake Daddy’s hand. “I’m doing fine, sir. How are you?”

“I’ve been better. Not too sure I’m ready to send my girl off to college.”

I smiled as Will let out a small chuckle.

“You all packed and ready to go, son?”

Will nodded his head. “Yes, sir, I am.”

“Good to hear. You have any regrets about not playing football?”

I rolled my eyes. Daddy couldn’t understand how football was not a huge part of Luke’s and Will’s lives. They liked playing, and both had played in high school, but they each had turned down the chance to play in college. Colt, on the other hand, had every intention of playing football for A&M.

“No, sir. My goal is to focus on studying and possibly graduate early.”

Daddy raised his eyebrow and nodded. “You want on this ranch that bad, huh?”

Will chortled. “Yes, sir, I do. I believe Luke and I will be valued assets to both the cattle side of the business and the breeding side as well.”

Daddy hit Will on the back and shook his hand again. “I know you will. Y’all have already made Jeff and me proud as hell.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I smiled as I watched my father and the love of my life share a moment together.

Daddy glanced at me and winked. “I’ll let y’all visit for a while. You taking Alex out tonight, Will?”

“Yes, sir. We are all going to dinner and then back to my place to watch a movie.”

“Sounds low-key. I like it.” Daddy turned and walked out of my room.

I slowly stood up and walked over to my suitcase. I was finished packing, but I couldn’t bring myself to close and zip it up. I laid Emma on top and turned to face Will.