Wood (A True Lover's Story #2) - A.E. Via Page 0,103

watched Trent stride determinedly to his truck with his keys in his hand.

“Trent,” Wood called out, walking toward him, but Trent didn’t stop. “Trent!”

Trent got to his door and struggled to get the key in the old lock, feeling like an inadequate dumbass for not having power locks and automatic start like he was sure Adam had on his luxury vehicle. Probably heated seats too.

Wood jogged around the back end just as Trent got the key inside. “Wait. Where are you going?”

Trent’s body vibrated, his shoulder burning where Wood was gripping him. “Get the fuck off me. Now,” Trent hissed.

Wood yanked his hand away, appearing surprised. “Trent. Calm down. I am not engaged. You know that.”

Trent hesitated, wanting so badly to stay but knowing he’d only end up making a fool of himself. He couldn’t exactly knock a man out on his lawn, especially not one almost twice his age and using a cane. “I don’t know anything,” Trent said too quietly, unable to speak clearly with the lump lodged in his throat.

“Trent, let’s just all go back inside and talk for a minute,” Wood reasoned.

“All.” Trent scoffed. “All.”

“Trent. Don’t,” Wood pleaded. “Adam was in the car I crashed all those years ago… I owe him more than five minutes of my time.”

Trent’s jaw trembled. “Can’t argue with that. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.”

“Trent, don’t overact,” Wood said, his voice sounding clipped as if he had any fucking right to get upset. “It’s not what it looks like.”

“Do you think I’m a fucking idiot?” Now Wood was talking down to him as if Trent was some kid that needed checking. And what was worst was he was doing it in front of that smug asshole, who was watching the exchange with a look of satisfaction. Trent shoved Wood in his chest hard enough to send him back a few steps. Adam made a move toward them, but Trent shot him a glare that said “you better stay the fuck out of this.”

“Stop cursing at me like that. You need to calm down.”

“Get off my goddamn truck, Wood. Don’t fucking tell me what it looks like! I know what I saw, and I know what the hell I heard, man.” Trent shoved him again. “So he saved your goddamn life, huh? He’s your angel now?”

“No.” Wood said more forcefully.

“It was him this whole time that was there for you?” Trent snarled at Wood. “You ungrateful, disrespectful motherfucker.”

“Enough!”

“Fuck you!” Trent snapped back.

“Don’t talk to me like that you damn, foul-mouthed bastard!” Wood’s eyes flared with anger as he bellowed in Trent’s face.

Trent sucked in sharp breath and held it, not sure what or how to respond. Wood had never called him out of his name, not in that way. He’d never called him a bastard… and meant it like he did now. Trent blinked away the tears, refusing to let them fall.

“Dangit. I didn’t mean—” Wood sighed. “Trent, I’m sor—”

“I better get outta here,” Trent said numbly as if Wood’s final strike had been a TKO and he had no more fight left in him. He climbed into his driver’s seat and started his raggedy engine. “You keep that motherfucker out of my house. I mean it. You can take your stuff with him when he leaves.”

“No,” Wood growled. “You’re not leaving like this, and neither am I. I don’t do misunderstandings, Trent. Come back inside so we can talk, or do the neighbors have to know all of our business?”

Trent didn’t care who was watching. He was dying slowly inside. That’s the only reason he could come up with for the pain in his abdomen and his inability to take a full breath.

Wood was turned away from him with his chin tucked against his chest and his hands clasped behind his neck. “You’re taking this all wrong. You know damn well how important you are to me.”

Money was important to millionaires, property was important to developers, likes were important to TikTok creators. Trent didn’t care how fucking important Wood said he was, because importance didn’t have a damn thing to do with love.

“I am, huh? Well, if he’s not the one you want, how come he wasn’t tossed against the wall and choked the way I was… Woody?” Trent wished there wasn’t so much hurt and betrayal radiating in his tone. He pulled out of his driveway without glancing backward and burned rubber out of his neighborhood. He needed to get as far away from Norfolk as