Gracie~

Amanda pulled a bar stool closer to me with worry in her eyes and fear in her voice as she spoke. This obviously wasn't going to be a lighthearted conversation and I knew exactly what was coming.

"Talk to me Gracie. You barely said a word today at the apartment. I know you're not okay."

Placing her hand lightly over mine, Amanda gave my hand a gentle squeeze before lacing her fingers between mine so we could maintain a physical connection, and I knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted me to spill my guts. Earlier that day at the apartment, she begged me to talk to her, but I wasn't ready. She wanted me to cry and scream and show every emotion that I was feeling about my horrific engagement the night before, but I couldn't. After all these years I didn't have any tears left the cry and even if I did, I wouldn't shed them in public. Swallowing my own pain was something I was particularly skilled at, but even I had to admit that the events of the past few weeks were becoming too much to carry by myself. I needed help and it was time to ask for it.

"You're right...I'm not okay." I admitted softly.

My hushed admission seemed to relax Amanda slightly and she motioned for Maggie to come join us, knowing that I needed the support.

Maggie quickly claimed the seat on the other side of me and it was evident that the two of them had orchestrated the conversation before I arrived. They gave each other nods and glances as if they were silently communicating, prepping for an intervention of some sort. I couldn't say that I blamed them. They had all made their feelings about Colt abundantly clear, especially Amanda who knew more than anyone else which is why her hatred ran particularly deep.

Maggie and Amanda were holding both of my hands that were currently in my lap, looking at me with worried expressions and wanting me to say the words out loud. The words everyone wanted and needed to hear, myself included.

"I can't marry him...I won't marry him." I said firmly, loving the way the words felt as they left my mouth.

Both Amanda and Maggie pushed out relieved breaths and let their shoulders relax at my quiet statement.

"Oh thank God." Amanda sighed. 

"We thought we were going to have to convince you." Maggie said, giving my hand an endearing squeeze.

"No I've known for a while, but last night...when I finally got him in his bed after our usual toxic routine, with this thing on my finger, it all hit me at once. This can't be my life."

The more I confirmed my feelings out loud, the better I felt. It was a freeing feeling that I didn't realize I needed and I couldn't stop saying the words that my heart had been screaming at me for months - maybe even longer.

"I have to leave him" I confirmed again, feeling empowered and terrified all at the same time.

"Yes, you do." Amanda affirmed, nodding her head with a smile that beamed with pride.

"What do I say? How do I do this?" I asked, knowing what I needed to accomplish, but unsure how to go about it.

I'd never broken up with anyone before so this was all brand new to me. Colt and I had been dating since we were sixteen and I had never had a serious boyfriend before that, so I was either going to have to wing it, or need some serious coaching from my girls.

"I say do it quick, like ripping off a bandaid." Maggie started.

"Just come right out and say it - Colt I can't marry you."

Maggie, you make it sound so easy, but nothing with Colt is easy.

"Oookay, but he's not going to accept that. He's going to want to know why and no matter what I say, it's not going to be good enough for him."

Amanda's expression hardened at my words and she folded her arms across her chest.

"If he asks you why then tell him the truth. Tell him you can't marry him because he's an asshole with a small dick." Amanda hissed.

I gave Amanda an over exaggerated eye roll at her suggestion, stifling my own laughter with a sideways smile. 

Amanda threw her hands up in protest and shrugged her shoulders.

"Which part of that statement was wrong?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at me as Maggie's laughter echoed in the background.

None of it. Both statements are true, unfortunately.

Letting out a sigh, I dropped my chin and grinned at my friends, thankful that they had the ability to make me smile even in the worst situations.

"Okay but seriously, I can't say that. Come on, You guys have got to help me plan out what I'm really going to say to him because he's not going to take this well. It...it could be really bad." 

Amanda and Maggie straightened their expressions and nodded, knowing that I needed real advice and not just jokes to lighten the mood.

"How about this, let's stay in tomorrow night. We'll cook and have a girls night and plan everything out. We can go through every scenario and come up with a strategy for each one so you feel confident and prepared." Amanda offered with a smile.

How did I get so lucky?

"That sounds amazing." I said brightly, feeling them wrap me up in a hug from both sides.

Maggie and Amanda were the exact support system I needed to have one of the toughest conversations I was ever going to have, but I knew I could do it with their help. Their support was unconditional and I needed that now more than ever.

I opened my mouth to thank them, but Maggie's eyes shot just beyond my shoulder and went wide as she focused on something behind me.

What is she looking at?

Maggie's sweet smile had disappeared and she looked scared as if she were staring at the devil himself, and as I turned my head over my shoulder to follow her gaze...I realized that she was.

Colt.

Colt's mouth was mashed into a hard line and his eyes were full of nothing but hatred - hatred that was mean just for me. He was storming across the bar, fuming as he got closer and all I could think about was getting between him and Amanda.

Amanda registered his presence as soon as I did and immediately stood, ready to confront him, but I couldn't let that happen. As pure as Amanda's intentions were, she had no idea what Colt was capable of if she tried to block him from me, and I couldn't let him lay a hand on her - I wouldn't let him.

Jumping off of the stool I was sitting on, I rushed toward him with my hands up in an effort to try and calm him down and get him to talk to me outside, away from my sweet friends who would be on the receiving end of his rage if they tried to protect me.

"Colt, let's go talk outside. I'm sorry I haven't been answering your calls." I rushed the words out of my mouth, hoping to change his furious course and reroute him outside, but he cut me off before I could say anything else.

"Shut your fucking mouth Gracie." Colt yelled, charging at me with a drunken glare that was utterly terrifying.

As he got closer I looked into those eyes that I had once loved and saw no trace of the Colt that I used to know. His eyes were hollow and glazed as he barreled toward me with a menacing scowl that made my stomach drop and tie into knots. 

I tried to focus through my panic and think clearly despite my sudden surge of adrenaline. 

Get him away from the girls Gracie - start backing up and lead him over to Wes and Blake.

Taking quick steps backwards toward the dart boards, I let Colt get closer, but kept my feet moving, leading him slowly toward Wes and Blake who I prayed were still behind us.

"Look at me in the fucking face and tell me that you slept in your own bed last night." Colt screamed down into my face as he approached me.

"I...didn't...I had to...after I left your place...I had to go take care of Mandy." I stuttered and stammered through my fear, trying to form a complete sentence, but I couldn't seem to remember how to speak.

How in the world did he know I didn't sleep in my apartment last night?

I made the mistake of letting him get close enough to be within arms reach, feeling him reach out and snatch me by the forearm harder than he'd ever grabbed me before as he yanked me forward until his nose was nearly touching mine.

"Whose bed are you in Gracie?" Colt yelled, holding his phone right up against my face.

My eyes narrowed as I recoiled my head back trying to focus on the bright screen. He had a screen shot of the picture that Blake had snapped of me sleeping...in Wes' bed.

Colt logged into my snapchat? What the hell?

"Answer my question you fucking bitch! Whose bed is this?" Colt screamed again, twisting my arm at an unnatural angle that made me yelp in pain and lose my breath.

He's going to break my arm.

"That's my fucking bed." A deep familiar voice boomed from behind me.

Colt instantly dropped my arm and shot his angry eyes up at Wes who had suddenly entered my line of sight.

Wes' lip was snarled up with his broad shoulders pinned back and flexed as he stalked toward Colt who suddenly froze in place. Coming around my side, Wes gently grasped my forearm - the same arm that Colt had handled so maliciously, which made me involuntarily flinch beneath his hand.

With a feather-light touch, Wes pulled my forearm, sweeping me behind his back as he took a hard stance between me and Colt who was frozen in fear at the sheer size and build of Wes.

"Who the hell are you?" Colt managed to spit out, tilting his head up at Wes who had a good six inches of height on him. 

"Doesn't matter who I am. You asked whose bed Gracie slept in last night and I fucking told you. She was in my bed, little man." Wes growled, holding me behind him gently with one hand as if he needed to know I was safely hidden behind his large frame.

"You're cheating on me, you fucking slut?" Colt screamed, leaning to the side to meet my gaze as I peeked around one of Wes' muscular arms.

Colt's harsh words slammed into my ears and I flinched against the words, involuntarily clinging to Wes' hand for comfort.

"Hey! don't you ever fucking talk to her like that!" Wes yelled down at Colt, taking a step forward until they were almost chest to chest.

"In fact, don't talk to her at all. You have something to say, you say it to me."

Wes' chest was heaving with angry breaths, but he was in complete control of the situation, without an ounce of fear. Wes was serious and stoic, completely unfazed and unmoved by Colt's belligerent behavior as he towered over him and readied his body for a fight that he was guaranteed to win.

"She's my fucking fiancé, you hear me? Mine!" Colt screamed with his voice cracking as Blake and Chad closed in on him from either side.

"Not anymore." I said meekly from behind Wes' back, sliding the ring of my finger and pressing it into Wes' palm. It wasn't exactly how I had planned on delivering the news, but I couldn't wear that ring for one second longer. 

My soul felt instantly lighter as soon as I removed the small band from my finger and I loved the way Wes' palm twitched and jumped at the sensation of the gold band pressed against it.

Wes whipped his head around, looking down at me over his shoulder with a shocked expression before he flashed me a smile and closed his massive hand around the small ring.

"Here." Wes said, slamming the ring against Colt's chest.

"You're going to regret this Gracie." Colt hissed, clutching the ring at his chest as he glared at me with a viscous stare that sent a chill down my spine.

Not a chance in hell.

"Nah, the only thing she's gonna regret is not leavin' your ass sooner." Wes said, reaching back and replacing his large hand on my forearm.

"Get the fuck outta here, Colt." Chad threatened, shielding Maggie behind him.

"Or else what?" Colt sneered.

The false confidence that accompanied the liquor that Colt had consumed was about to cost him dearly if he didn't shut his mouth, because I could sense that Wes was losing his patience.

Feeling Wes release his hold on my arm, I watched him take another hard step toward Colt. It was a slow and calculated step that made Colt cower slightly and I saw fear flash behind Colt's glazed eyes which was a satisfying sight.

"Or else I'll beat the shit out of you right here and let her watch..." Wes snarled in a deep menacing voice.

"Now leave." Wes commanded in a tone that meant to be obeyed as he pushed Colt's chest hard, sending him stumbling backwards and trying to maintain his footing.

Peering from behind Wes' back, I made brief eye contact with my now ex-fiancé. Without speaking, he squared his shoulders at me and glared, burning through me with a threatening look that made my skin crawl, before he finally retreated.

"Fucking pussy." Wes grumbled under his breath as he watched Colt walk away. 

As soon as Colt was out of sight, my sweet friends crowded around me, trying to make sure I was okay. Amanda got to me first, wrapping her arms around me, followed swiftly by Maggie who did the same.

"I'm so proud of you Grace." Amanda said into my ear as she hugged me.

"Ditto Sis." Maggie said from the other side.

Both girls pulled away and the entire group let the thick stuffy air dissipate as everyone processed what had just happened. Once the girls had taken a few steps back, I felt Wes' hand on my arm again, turning me to face him with a touch so gentle I barely even registered it.

"You okay Darlin?" Wes said in a soft deep voice that made my heart flutter beneath my ribs.

"I think so." I said in a shaky voice, as my body started to shake from my adrenaline high.

Wes took my arm gently in his hand and lifted it toward his face, trying to focus on it in the dim bar lighting. He turned it side to side with his brows drawn in as he studied the tender flesh of my arm.

"Did he hurt you Gracie?" Wes asked with an angry expression, but a soft soothing tone.

"I'll be okay." I said, knowing it would definitely bruise and hurt like hell, but nothing was broken or torn, at least I didn't think so anyway.

"That's not what I asked, Sweetheart." Wes said, softening his tone even more, sensing that I wasn't being completely honest.

"Will you let me take a look at this in the light?" Wes asked.

I nodded my head in agreement, before looking over at Amanda and Maggie who gave me approving and affirming half smiles.

Wes draped his arm across my shoulders lightly, testing the waters to see how I'd react to the physical touch of a large male at the moment. When I didn't flinch or pull away, he settled his arm around my shoulders and gently tucked me against his side as we made our wait to the bathroom, keeping his head on a constant swivel for Colt and shielding me with his large body.

We entered a stream of light from the bathroom hallway which allowed Wes to get a better view of my arm. He lifted it and examined it with an angry expression and despite my better judgement and knowledge that Wes would never hurt me, his tough exterior at the moment started to intimidate me.

I recoiled and retreated inward as my body started to shake, pulling his attention away from my arm and toward my body language that was communicating nothing but fear.

"Woah woah, hey, it's just me Gracie." He soothed, instantly reading my frightened posture and facial expression.

"I'd never hurt you Sweetheart. Not ever. I just want to make sure you're okay." He continued softly.

I knew every word Wes was saying was true, but my fight or flight response was fully activated and it was taking me a little bit longer to process and trust his words.

Seeing that he wasn't making much progress, Wes let go of my arm and let it rest at my side before putting his arms behind his back and lacing his fingers together.

"How about this, I won't even touch that arm until you tell me I can, okay? I just want to check it to make sure that asshole didn't do enough damage to need a doctor, but I won't lay a finger on it unless you say I can."

Is he serious?

I cocked my head to the side and studied him, trying to understand his motives and process his words.

"You've got all the control here, Gracie." Wes said, holding his hands behind his back in a show of submission.

My eyes danced and darted across his face as my mind tried to wrap itself around what I was seeing. For such a strong dominant man to be so submissive was a big deal and completely out of character for a guy like Wes, but there he was, letting me be in control just so I'd feel safe.

He waited patiently as my shaking body started to settle, standing close enough to be comforting, but far enough to keep his word.

He's not going to hurt you Gracie...He's not Colt.

Letting out a shaky breath I slowly brought my arm up from my side, clutching it in my hand as I eyed Wes carefully. He didn't say a word, but nodded his head slightly affirming that I could trust him.

I let go of my own arm and slowly extended it toward Wes, giving him permission to take hold of it. He slid his calloused hands up the soft skin of my forearm, actively trying to touch me as gently as possible as the corner of his mouth lifted into a smile.

"Thank you for trusting me." Wes said with a smile that absolutely melted me.

"Thank you for taking care of me Wes." I said softly in return.