18. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Gunnar
When I get back to Pops’ room I can hear the low murmur of an argument starting.
Mom speaks first. “Liam, that is enough. You want to yell at them? Go for it, just not here.”
Liam doesn’t respond; he just storms out of the room and leaves. Luckily, there’s only one bar around here so we all know where he’s going.
“What the hell is going on?” I ask my brothers.
“Language, Gunnar!” Mom swats my shoulder.
“Sorry, Momma.” I pull her into my side for a hug. At five foot one, she tucks right in under my arm, and she can never stay mad at us. Despite her best efforts.
“Liam is angry. He’s angry that he’s at the inn with me all the time. I don’t know why that boy stayed put and tried to take this over,” Dad grumbles.
Hunter chimes in, “I don’t think so, Pops. Liam loves that inn. He always has. It’s got to be something else. ”
“Well, I suppose we won’t find out until we go talk to him. Who is giving me a ride to Rebel’s?” I ask
Rebel’s Brews is the only bar in town. Unless you want coffee or cake, it’s the only restaurant in town. Roman, a friend of ours, opened it a few years ago after his home brewing got a little too popular to continue in his basement. He’s pretty well known in New England and I make sure to keep my bar stocked with his most popular beers. He also uses The Bar as a test kitchen for new flavors. My regulars are all too happy to give their feedback for a freebie.
Wyatt slaps me on the back. “Since you lost your truck to a woman, albeit a smoking hot one, I guess I can bring your ass to the bar.” He winces before Momma hits his back for swearing, then laughs when she does.
All of us pile out of the room and into our cars to go search for Liam. Hunter sent Roman a text first to let him know we were coming.
Roman greets us at the door when we walk into Rebel’s. “He’s pissed. And in the back. Good luck, brothers.” He juts his thumb toward a corner table by the pool tables.
Sure as shit, there’s Liam with a scowl on his face, and a beer in his hand.
“Thanks.” I suck in a breath and release it before heading off in that direction, my brothers following me. Except our pseudo brother who takes the cowards way out and sends a waitress in his place to take our orders.
Once we all have our drinks, Cooper is the first one to lay into Liam. Which surprises all of us because Cooper is the quiet, laid back brother. Out of everyone he's the one I expected to give Liam a pass.
“What the hell was that, Liam? You have every single day to bring shit up with us, and you choose to wait until we’re all by Pops’ bedside in the hospital?” He seethes at Liam.
Liam snaps his head toward Cooper. “You think I fucking planned this? That I was just waiting for Dad to get hurt so I could lose my shit on you? Fuck you, Coop.”
“Then what is it, Liam? Clearly you’re pissed at us and we have no idea why,” Wyatt asks a little more calmly than Cooper.
He runs both his hands through his hair, tugging on the ends. Now that I’m looking at him, his hair is a little shaggier than his usual clean cut self. He has black circles under his eyes, scruff covering his face, and he just looks sad instead of angry.
“It’s so fucking hard, none of you get it. You all left to go do your own thing, start your own businesses, follow your own dreams. Meanwhile, I’m stuck with Pops who won’t listen to anything I say about marketing, or repairs, and the inn is falling apart around us. I know you see it. But none of you offer to help. None of you ask me if I’m struggling. None of you even care to check in on me, the one left behind to manage the family business and keep it going.” He exhales slowly, closing his eyes. As if saying all that lifted a massive weight off his shoulders.
“Liam -” Cooper starts.
“Don’t. Don’t do empty apologies now if you aren’t willing to help me figure this shit out.” He looks down at the table and whispers, “We’re about to lose the inn.”
Shit.
“How much?” I ask.
Liam scoffs, “More than you can throw at me.”
“What’s the biggest problem?” Hunter asks. He’s the most logical. He loves solving puzzles of problems and finding the best way to attack it.
“Pops.” Liam says quickly. “He won’t give up control, he’s too stuck in his ways, he won’t let me hire anyone for shit we can’t do, and we can’t keep up with repairs.”
“Liam, I’m in fucking construction, why didn’t you ask for my help earlier?” Hunter accuses. I shoot him a look to shut the hell up.
“Were you not over for dinner three weeks ago? Did you not see the outside of the house on your way by? Did you not notice that I haven’t been at any family dinner in a long time because I’m too fucking busy fixing everything Pops does?”
Yup. Hunter should have kept his mouth shut.
Time for me to be the voice of reason. “Listen, we aren’t getting anywhere right now, in here. Let’s all go back to the inn. We can all walk around on our own, and make a punch list of the five most important things we see that need done. Then we’ll reconvene tomorrow with Emma.” She’ll be pissed as much as Liam if we leave her out.
“Fine.” Liam huffs out a breath. “But you fuckers can go on your own, I’m drinking tonight. I know every nook and cranny over there that needs repair. I have a list that runs through my mind every goddamn minute of every fucking day.” He slams his empty beer on the table and takes off to the bar counter, leaving us at the table, stunned at his revelation.
“Well, shit,” Cooper chimes in.
We all nod, because really, that’s all we can say right now.
Before Wyatt and I leave to go back to the inn I check in with Roman. I let him know to call me when Liam is ready to leave and ask him to not let Liam do something stupid.
Liam is the calm, level headed, and honestly a little nerdy, brother. But I’ve seen him kick some ass before, and he’s angry enough to make tonight a comeback night.
I get back to the inn and open the notes app on my phone. Unfortunately, it seems when you’re looking closer it’s much easier to find five things that need to be fixed than I thought.
I’ve been a shitty brother. And son. I should have come to see the inn last time I was here helping at our parent’s house. We spent so much time there fixing the flooring then I crashed with Wyatt instead of in the inn. I should have come up here. I should have stopped to ask Liam how things were going.
I haven’t even gone inside yet, but I can already see four things, the deck needs to be redone, everything needs to be painted, the stairs look questionable at best, and the doors are peeling. If I’m being honest, the rocking chairs could stand to be redone too.
Sighing, I push open the door. Wyatt is in the lobby with his list.
“Don’t even bother going into the rooms. I think those are the first thing that need to be done.” He winces.
“Really?” I’m shocked Liam hasn’t told us. I know we haven’t really asked but the phone works both ways.
“Yea, they’re bad.” He shows me photos on his phone. The rooms look just like they did when we were kids but abandoned.
“Maybe we should just ask Liam what he thinks needs to be done first? I don’t know how to fix the situation with Pops though.” I shrug. He’s old and set in his ways. He grew up here, and then has owned the inn for so many years, I don’t know how to get him to give up the reins to Liam.
“Yea. Let’s find Emma to let her know what’s going on. I don’t want to stress her out since she’s still in school, but she should know if she doesn't already,” Wyatt suggests.
I send Emma a quick text instead of us walking around looking for her for an hour. We had epic hide and seek games at the inn growing up.
Me: Hey, where are you?
Emma: Down in the cove with Willow.
Me: Be there in a few with Wyatt.
“She’s with Willow on the beach.” I update him after reading the texts. “You coming or heading out?”
“I got shift off, I’ll come down with you.” He puts his phone back in his pocket and follows me out.
Wyatt is the new cop in town. He recently moved back after he’d been away since college. He was working as a tech sales representative, but hated sitting at a desk day after day, so he quit and joined the police academy. Now, he’s living his dream as a cop with a small cottage in the woods. We all thought he was crazy, but he seems happier and that is all we can ask for.
We start down the stairs that lead down the cliff to the small private cove that’s on our land.
My foot is sinking a little deeper than it should and I see the edges of the step bowed under my weight.
“I think this just became project number one.” I look back at Wyatt who seems to be going much slower, testing each step before putting his full weight on the stairs.
“Uh yea, or a gate to lock these stairs up. The teenagers still sneak in here at night. I caught a few recently now that the weather is nice. I wouldn’t want one of them to get hurt.”
“Oh, definitely a priority then. We should board it up tonight,” I test another step.
“Yea. I’ll grab Emma and head to the hardware store. I’ll text the rest of them and we can get it done tonight.” He pulls his phone out to send a group text telling everyone to be back here by five.
We both look back up the stairs, taking in the splintering wood and weathered railings, wondering how none of those steps cracked under the weight of the two of us. Neither of us is tiny, or even normal sized.
The sound of Willow’s voice drifts over to me on the wind. But there’s another voice with her.
“Did Emma bring her friends?” I ask.
“I don’t know, whoever it is is a damn good singer.”
She is. Her voice mixes with Willow’s so beautifully.
The stairs enter down onto the cove behind a wall of rocks. Giving the cove a truly private feel. Wyatt stops dead in his tracks when he turns the corner and I walk right into his back.
“What the fuck?” I ask, shoving him forward .
I step around him and see just Willow and Emma. Now I stop in my tracks next to him, both our jaws on the ground.
Willow catches my eye and winks. Emma stops immediately and turns to look at us. Her cheeks turn bright red of embarrassment that we’ve heard her singing with Willow.
“Holy shit, Ems!” Wyatt says what I’m thinking.
“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” Willow asks.
Wyatt and I sit on the driftwood alongside them. I pull Emma into my side for a hug. “She is amazing,” I say, smiling at her.
“Stop.” She pulls away and avoids the compliments. “What is going on, why’d you need me?”
“I’ll tell you, but we’ve got to go to the hardware store before they close.” Wyatt stands and reaches his hand out to Emma. “Those stairs are dangerous, why didn’t you turn around?”
She lets him pull her up. “Same reason you didn’t. I wanted to be down here. Besides, if you didn’t go through I sure as hell won’t.” She slaps his stomach in an attempt to diss him, but she fails when her hand just hits his hard stomach.
He throws his head back and roars with laughter.
“Be back up there at five, G!” he yells behind him.
“Got it, don’t fall through the stairs, big boy!” I yell after him, laughing at Emma’s insinuation again.
Willow sidles up next to me in the spot Emma just vacated.
We both start talking at the same time .
“You go,” I say.
“I just wanted to apologize for earlier. My feelings got hurt, and not even by you, but this was more important.” She looks down at her feet, digging a hole in the sand.
“No.” I reach up to cup her cheek. “You’re right. I overreacted. Mack and Bennett all but told me that Madeline has been causing issues, I can’t believe I’ve been blind to it, or in denial about her regarding me. She’s a great waitress, but she’s only here for a few weeks in the summer and I don’t want her bringing down the team. I’m sorry.” I kiss the top of her head and pull her close to me.
“She is great. You can’t fire her, we do need her.”
I don’t miss the we in her statement, and I think it means more to me that she meant it.
“I’ll talk to Mack and Bennett about it when we get home, but I’ll try to find a replacement first.” I lift her chin towards me with my finger. “And if she ever says some bullshit like she did, feel free to set her straight.”
“Okay. You might regret that,” she giggles.
“Never, darling. I will never regret supporting my girl standing up for herself.”
I don’t let her respond, I pull her lips to mine and end this mess once and for all.
“So does this mean you want to be with me now? All those excuses you had be damned?”
“Yea, darling. I do. I always have. You are mine, never question that again.” I pepper her face with more kisses, pulling her tight to me .
“About time,” she whispers breathlessly.
She’s mine. Has been since the first time I saw her. Even if it scares the shit out of me.
After a little while on the beach with Willow, we head back up the stairs of death to meet the rest of the crew to board up the stairs until we can fix them for good.
“Heyyyy, G. How was the beach?” Hunter elbows me in the ribs, and I glare at him.
“It was great, the acoustics down there are just perfect.” Willow winks at him.
Hunter laughs at her response, and slaps me on the shoulder, “I think you found you a keeper, G.”
Wyatt and Emma are organizing the materials from the hardware store and dividing up the labor.
Emma waltzes over and hands me a shovel, and Willow two four by four poles. “You guys are in charge of step one. Get these into the ground on either side of the steps and then we’ll have these boards cut to nail up there.” She walks away without another word, her decision is final and we better get to work.
Since Emma is the only one who can get all five of us to listen she is generally the organizer when it comes to projects or something to do with the family.
It only takes about an hour for us to get it boarded up and put the no trespassing signs up to keep wayward teens out. We even put caution tape around it, decorating the posts like Christmas trees. Hopefully it deters kids from going down there tonight. I ordered a camera to put out there so we can monitor who is using the stairs, and Wyatt is going to set it up since it will come after Willow and I head back to Lupine Valley.
The crew decided that dinner is pizza from Rebel’s. I wish I could have ordered one of everything. Clark is an amazing cook, everything he makes is good. Of course, I keep that from Mack.
Dinner is a typical Keaton affair. Loud. Boisterous. Lots of giving shit to each other. The only one we’re missing is Liam.
But after the longest day imaginable, I’m done with all of them.
“Alright, we’re off to bed. You guys coming over for breakfast so we can get Liam in on this?” I ask.
“Yea, we’ll be here. I’m about to go run over to Rebels and make sure he’s still doing okay. I’ll bring him back to my place tonight,” Hunter offers.
“Sounds good. I’m going to go home and catch some sleep at a normal hour. Being the new guy in a department means a lot of overnights and I miss sleeping when it’s actually dark out.” Wyatt yawns, proving his point.
“I guess I’m going to go home and see if Momma is back yet.” Emma gets up to leave, and Cooper follows. Luckily he was close by but he looks more tired than I’ve ever seen him.
Cooper has been on the phone ever since we left the hospital with his editor at the magazine. He usually loves his job, but today he seems exasperated. It seems that his job is taking a toll on him recently. I’ve caught him waving his middle finger wildly at his phone a few times. He’s been home since the last time I was up here, the longest stretch he’s had in awhile.
I pull Willow up and don’t let go of her hand on our way up the stairs. “So, where are you staying?”
“Um, about that,” she says sheepishly. “There is only one livable and available room. But, I think the term livable should be used loosely.” She pushes open a door revealing a dusty room that smells musty, and has our two bags on the bed in the center.
“Okay, this is fine.” I sit on the bed and a plume of dust comes up around me. Maybe. “I’m going to go shake this off on the balcony.” I walk out the French doors leading to the balcony and shake the blanket over the edge of the railing. Dust flies off into the breeze. When there doesn’t seem to be any more, I lay it over the railing to get some fresh air.
I walk back in to find Willow splayed out on the bed like a starfish. “I don’t care how dusty it might be, I’m exhausted,” she says.
I lean over her, kissing her lips gently. “Are you sure?” I tease.
“Mmm, I might have a little bit of energy to muster.” She grabs at my back, pulling me down to her.
She moans into my mouth as I run my hand down her body causing her skin to pebble under my touch .
I grip her by the waist and pull her into my arms before walking her out to the balcony without moving my lips from hers.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“I’m going to bend you over this balcony, and fuck you while we look out at the ocean under the moonlight.”
She gulps, “But what about the rest of your family?”
“I guess you better be quiet, darling.”
I spin her around quickly to face the railing and gently bend her hips. Running my hand up her back and into her hair. I lean over her and reach under her shirt to pinch her nipple.
She squeaks at my touch.
“Lose your shorts, darling.”
She reaches back at my command and pushes them down her legs.
The sight of her perfect ass in the cheeky lace boy shorts has me hard immediately. I slap her right ass cheek, earning another squeak from her, this time muffled. I unbutton my pants and push them to join hers on the balcony.
I drag kisses up her spine, and stop at the shell of her ear. “Are you ready, darling?”
“Mmm,” was the only response I got before she shoves that perfect little ass right back into me, letting me know she is ready.
I practically rip those damn lace shorts because they aren’t coming off her body fast enough .
I slide my cock into her, slow at first, gripping her hips. The fantasy I had as a teenager, taking a girl up here on the balcony, overlooking the ocean, is nothing compared to the reality of what I have as an adult.
“Oh, Gunnar, fast-”
I don’t let her finish before I start going faster, harder, bringing her to the edge. She is so close, her knuckles are white gripping the edge of the railing.
“Not yet, darling,” I grit out trying to stave off my own orgasm.
I reach one arm around to roll her nipple between my fingers, and the other to find her clit. I apply gentle pressure, and friction, keeping her body close to mine.
Her hips are bucking into me, she’s struggling to stand and putting more weight on my arms holding her up. Her legs shake beneath me.
“Come for me,” I whisper.
She follows my command and I orgasm along with her. The only sound is the waves crashing into the cliffs.
Goddamn she listens so well during sex and it’s such a fucking turn on. As stubborn as she is every other minute of the day, she enjoys that I control her orgasms.
“Fuck. Can we do that again?” she asks, standing and collapsing backwards into my chest.
“I think we can arrange that,” I whisper into her ear .
I mentally admonish myself for ever thinking there were obstacles to this woman being here with me. I can already feel myself falling hard and fast for her.