CAMILA
“Can you check that for me?”
Just past the gas station that I stopped on that faithful night that feels like a lifetime ago, Gruff’s phone went off with a text message. I grabbed it from the small compartment under the radio of the rental truck that we’re in and pulled the screen down.
Unknown: How is Jasper doing? Do you need my help at all?
“Um, it’s from an unknown number, asking about Jasper.” I flip the phone screen to Gruff and he glances over for a second and then groans. “What’s wrong?”
“I want you to text back exactly this, ‘I told you to stop texting me, go fuck yourself.’”
“What?” I exclaim, “I’m not going to write that. Who the hell is this?” He grumbles something that I don’t quite catch, so I ask hi for clarification, “What was that?”
“It’s Ash.”
“Oh,” I try to hide my disappointment, but I know it is dripping from my response.
“Camila, baby look at me,” he reaches across the center seat and grabs my hand. I look up at him and he just glances at me before putting his eyes back on the road. “Listen, I haven’t met up with her or really talked to her since that day in my office. She will text me every now and then and I always tell her the same thing, to leave me the fuck alone.”
“How does she know about Jasper?”
“I know you don’t get out much, Camila, but it is a pretty small town. A lot of people know Jasper and my family, which means a lot of people know about what happened to Jasper and what happened to you.”
“People know?” I ask, horrified.
“They don’t know all the details, but yeah, people know that your ex-husband was involved. It isn’t like my family is around blabbing, but not a lot happens in this town so when the FBI comes to town, yeah….people pay attention.”
“Oh god, that’s horrifying.”
“Please don’t let this bother you, darling. I promise that nobody is going to think differently of you or anything. He was the bad guy, not you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“So I’m going to meet these people now that all know the worst part about me?” I sigh, “I’m sorry, this isn’t your fault. It is just a lot.”
“I won’t let anybody make you feel bad, Camila. You are not the actions of Miguel. You are brave and a fucking badass as far as I am concerned.”
“What about when the kids go to school? What if somebody makes comments to them?”
“I’ll kick their asses.”
‘Gruff!” I push against his arm. “You can’t kick a child’s ass.”
“I’m sure I could. I’m much bigger.” I giggle, even though I know his joke is completely inappropriate, but it does help to break up the bit of tension that taken over the truck.
We do end up driving in silence for a few more minutes while I clutch his phone in my hand. I look down at the message from his ex one more time before putting his phone away, “I don’t trust her, Gruff.”
“I’m sorry, Camila, I really should have told you she was still texting me, but I have only answered a handful of times and that is always to tell her to leave me alone. I’ll block her totally if you want me to.”
YOU ARE READING
Hard Brake (Wilkins Brothers Book 2)
RomanceGriffin "Gruff" Wilkins was a man of few words, a trait he learned at a young age. He was the oldest in his family and learned real quick that if he opened his mouth, it was often shut with a fist or a belt. Therefore, he became a quiet protector ra...
