Chapter 65

Judy’s POV

“Hey, Dad! Are you going to watch us practice again today?” Matt asked eagerly as Gavin joined us in the parlor.

It had been a couple of weeks since our arrangement and things have been going way better than I thought. A few times, Ethan had almost caught us. We told ourselves that we needed to be more careful around the house and maybe keep the display of affection to a minimum during the daylight. But he still picks me up from college and brings me to his Villa. At least twice a week I’ve been sleeping here, in Gavin’s bed, but he takes me home early in the morning so nobody would suspect anything.

The only thing that truly changed in front of others was the fact that Gavin now joined Matt and me during our training sessions outside, and sometimes even in the parlor during our academic tutoring sessions. Matt has loved it and I loved seeing that smile on his face. He hasn’t gotten in trouble at school since Gavin started to pay more attention to him and I could tell his spirit has been up.

“Would that be okay?” Gavin asked, sitting in one of the nearby chairs.

“Yes!” Matt said happily, a smile lighting up his face.

Gavin smiled at the young boy before his eyes lifted and met mine; my heart skipped a beat.

“Would that be okay with you?” He asked me, raising his brows playfully. He was getting a rise out of the fact that he was making me blush. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt or anything.”

“I have no complaints, Mr. Landry. But I might put you to work,” I told him, winking as I stood to my feet. I turned to Matt who was grinning from ear to ear. “Want to practice what I taught you the other day?”

He jumped to his feet and laughed.

“Yes,” he answered. He grabbed my hand and then grabbed Gavin’s hand, pulling him to his feet. “Let’s go!”

We followed Matt outside, letting him drag us along. I glanced up at Gavin and saw him smiling; it was refreshing to see him smiling like this and it did something to my insides.

Once we reached the training grounds, Matt released our hands and ran to grab some of the weapons out of the chest.

“So, what exactly did you teach him?” Gavin asked from beside me.

I smirked up at him and folded my arms across my chest.

“You’ll see,” I said as I stepped away from him.

Matt grabbed a few of the daggers and faced a nearby tree; I stared up at the giant tree, which made Gavin also look up at the tree. One by one, Matt threw daggers at the tree, causing pinecones and acorns to fall from the branches. They showered around us, making Gavin dodge away from them, confusion flashing across his face.

And then he tumbled to the ground as Matt punched him in the stomach and stepped on his throat, aiming his arrow at his face. Gavin’s eyes grew large with surprise and then I laughed.

“I taught him the element of a surprise distraction,” I told him. “And the perfect spot to punch anyone; even the toughest. It makes them fall to their knees every time.”

Gavin raised his brows as he looked at me and then he grinned. He grabbed Matt’s leg and pulled him to the ground, tackling him. He was careful not to hurt Matt, but rough enough to take him down and for him to know that Gavin was stronger and in charge. Matt gasped as Gavin easily disarmed him, and just as Gavin had him pinned, Matt broke into laughter.

The two of them wrestled like a couple of boys and it warmed my heart to watch the father-and-son duo. I was so distracted by the scene in front of me that I didn’t notice Ethan standing nearby until he grabbed my arm and yanked me away.

“Ethan, what the hell are you doing?” I gasped as he pulled me further away from Gavin and Matt.

He stopped walking when we reached a more wooded and shaded area, and he caged me against the tree with his arms.

“What am I doing? What the hell do you think you’re doing? What’s going on between you and Gavin??” He asked through his teeth.

I stared at him with shock all over my face.

“Are you out of your mind?” I asked him. “What right do you have to question me? You are engaged to another woman!”

I attempted to shove him away from me, but he was too strong and stood his ground. He closed the gap between us, so his body was now pinning me against the tree. At one point, this would have made my legs weak, and I would gush over his nearness, but now I couldn’t stand how close he was to me.

“And weren’t you just dating another man not too long ago?” He asked. “What happened there? Did you drive him away because you couldn’t get enough of Gavin Landry??”

“Let me go, Ethan,” I said, trying to wiggle away from him. “You have no right to question me! Go be with your fiancé!”

“I never thought you were such a slut!”

“You are shameless Mr. Cash,” I hissed. “Leave me alone. This isn’t any of your concern. My relationship with Gavin is none of your business. We are broken up.”

“You are still mine, Judy Montague. Don’t ever forget that!” He growled.

“In your dreams,” I said in a low and cruel tone.

Just as he opened his mouth to say something else, he was ripped off me. He gasped as he turned around to face a very pissed-off Gavin. Without hesitation, Gavin punched him in the stomach, making Ethan fall to the ground.

My heart leaped in my throat as Gavin grabbed Ethan by the shirt and yanked him to his feet, shoving him against the tree.

“Why can’t you behave?” Gavin growled. “Every time I turn around you are causing trouble for Judy! You are engaged to my daughter; do I need to be worried about your dedication to her??”

“N… no, Alpha. Of course not! I love your daughter. I mean no disrespect,” Ethan stammered. “W…we were just having an innocent conversation.”

“It didn’t look so innocent to me. You had her pressed against a tree! The next time I see you pestering Judy, I will make your life a living hell and you can forget about ever becoming an Alpha. Do I make myself clear, Ethan Cash?”

“Y…yes… of course…” he stammered, his face growing redder by the second.

Gavin released him, and he slumped helplessly against the tree. Gavin looked at me and his expression softened.

“Are you okay?” He asked me.

I nodded, but my entire body trembled.

He took hold of my arm and pulled me towards me.

“Go inside and get cleaned up,” he told me softly. I nodded and looked over his shoulder at Matt who was staring wide-eyed at us.

“Did Matt see that?” I asked in a hushed whisper. “He must have been frightened.”

“I’ll deal with it,” he assured. “I’ll meet you in my room. Just make sure no one sees you.”

I nodded and glanced at him, grateful for his presence.

“Thank you,” I whispered, he winked at me, and I quickly dispersed from the area, saying a quick goodbye to Matt before I went inside.

……

Third Person POV

Irene was about to go outside to look for Ethan. He told her he was going to speak with her father about something, but he had been gone for a while. She reached the back door but froze at the window when she saw what was happening in the far distance.

Ethan and Judy were against a tree and his body was pressed against hers. The position looked far too intimate. Her entire heart shattered in a second… she knew something was going on between them, but she believed them when they said it was nothing.

How stupid she was for trusting them. A furious rage and pit of jealousy bubbled in her stomach. She bit her lip, keeping her tears away. She watched as her father noticed what was happening and he stormed over to them, pulling Ethan off Judy and punching him in the stomach.

Irene wanted to go to Ethan to make sure he was okay, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. She was frozen in place, unable to take her eyes off the man she fell so desperately in love with.

She was so wrapped up staring at Ethan that she barely noticed when Judy walked back into the house.

“Irene…” Judy breathed. “I didn’t know you were here…”

“Um… hello Judy,” Irene said with a tight-lipped smile. “I was just looking for Ethan. Have you seen him?”

Judy glanced over her shoulder out the door and then turned back to Irene with her own fake smile.

“I think he’s speaking with your father,” she said, looking a bit awkward. “Is everything okay?”

Irene stared at her for a moment; she thought Judy was her friend. How wrong was she? Was she really going to look her in the eyes and lie to her? She desperately wanted to know what was going on between Judy and her fiancé. Her heart was aching at the very thought and it took everything she had not to burst into tears.

She had given up so much for Ethan, including her dignity. She made such a fuss about being with him and made herself look foolish in front of her father. Now it seemed as if it was crumbling down around her and there was nothing, she could do about it.

“Yeah,” Irene lied, forcing another smile, feeling helpless and more alone than ever. “I’m fine… um… Ethan’s family is having their annual barbeque tomorrow night. I’m a little nervous about it. I never met them before.”

Judy nodded, looking a bit uneasy.

“They are an interesting bunch. They never liked me,” Judy admitted, gaining Irene’s attention. “But my family goes to their barbeque every year.”

A light bulb went off in Irene’s head. Maybe if Irene could impress Ethan’s family and make them like her better than they like Judy, then Ethan would see that Irene is the right choice for him and he could finally leave Judy alone! But she needed Judy to be there so Ethan could see the comparison.

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Irene said with a pout. “Why don’t they like you?”

Judy looked startled by the question.

“Oh, I’m not sure. They are pretty stuck up and if you don’t fit their image then they won’t like you,” she said with a shrug. “It’s no big deal.”

“You’ll be at the barbeque tomorrow, right?” she asked. “You said your family goes every year.”

“Yeah, but I think we might skip this year given the circumstances with my father,” she said, twiddling with her fingers nervously.

Irene grabbed her hand.

“I don’t want to go there alone, Judy. Please tell me you’ll be there…” she begged.

Judy blushed and stepped away.

“You won’t be alone… you’ll be with Ethan,” she told Irene. “I’m sure you’ll be fine—”

“I need someone who will be on my side if things go south,” she told me. “I could really use your support. We are friends… aren’t we?”

Judy was quiet for a moment and then she sighed, relenting with a nod.

“Yes,” she said softly. “We are friends.”

“So, you’ll be there?” Irene asked, her eyes large with hope. “For me?”

Judy forced a smile.

“I’ll be there.”