Chapter 9
NINE
HARPER
And I was wasted.
But it was a good wasted. I could still string a sentence together without slavering, but my body had that floaty sensation, a mild euphoria.
Phoenix was right, I couldn’t take my liquor, but I wasn’t anywhere close to the hurling stage. I didn’t feel sick, moody, or teary—just contented, and like a normal teenage girl for once.
Once the guys came back from the pool, Molly had managed to get Hudson to chill the fuck out and allow me to do what kids my age did.
It wasn’t as if I were drinking unsupervised; there were still some grown-ups there.
Mayor Summers had introduced himself at one point and didn’t appear bothered that we were all underage. He just told us to go steady.
As the party carried on into the evening, most of the adults had left, leaving a sea of college students and a handful of high schoolers. Storm was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Reed; Molly said something about seeing them heading towards the maze.
After around an hour of dope-ass beats thumping into the air, the DJ had toned down the music to something more subtle, reading the room. A BBQ had supplied those guests left with much-needed sustenance, and everyone was feeling more relaxed.
The sun was gradually going down, though it still highlighted parts of the neatly trimmed boxwood hedging of the maze. And of course it would, if Storm was in there, why wouldn’t the sun follow her?
There had been no further altercations with Phoenix and Cash, but the atmosphere between them was still tense.
After spending some time in the pool, those of us left were sprawled out by the loungers, drinking and playing truth or dare.
At least, the girls were; the boys were talking about the best Christmas movie.
I had to go with Phoenix on that one: Die Hard.
Molly wasn’t in agreement, stating that it wasn’t a Christmas movie and chose Santa Claus.
Lame. I found it amusing that Hudson agreed with her.
He was such a liar. His girl had Hudson’s balls in her purse, and everyone knew it.
That sense of normality was welcomed. I felt confident and not out of place in our group.
I had even stripped back down to my bikini until it became cooler.
Hudson had passed me his football jersey until Phoenix came back from another trip to the bar and told me to take it off.
Nix then removed the black hoodie he’d pulled on over his wife-beater and passed it to me.
It made me feel warm even before I’d tugged it on, like I was his girl or something.
I knew the alcohol was partly to blame for that.
Hudson had taken his jersey back with a knowing smirk, to which Nix had given him the finger.
Hud was the only one sober. He was driving and would never drive drunk.
Especially considering that was how Molly’s mother had been killed.
Molly had indulged herself with a couple of beers and a shot of tequila.
It was the first time I had ever seen her tipsy.
And like everything else, Molly even did drunk, cute.
As I had tugged on Phoenix’s hoodie, I inhaled his scent. Wow, he smelled good. I was still buzzing from his jealous behavior, having had time to dissect that with Molly and Verity once Storm had gone off with Reed.
“Do you think you’ll ever have kids?” Molly suddenly asked with a glazed expression.
“Are we still playing the game, or are you asking for real?”
“For real,” she said.
I shrugged, smiling as Hudson shifted behind her, clearly uncomfortable.
“Probably,” I replied, focusing anywhere but Phoenix.
“OK, baby. I think you’ve had enough,” Hudson grimaced, gently plucking the half-empty beer from her fingers and placing it on the table with the suncreams. Molly was sitting between his muscled thighs with her legs outstretched. My grin widened as she shot him the stink-eye over her shoulder.
“It’s only a question, Mr. Naysayer,” she huffed, slurring her words. As she turned back towards me, Hudson raised an eyebrow. “What would you want?” Molly added with a goofy look.
I pushed back into my chair and stole a glance at Phoenix.
The biggest Sawyer brother was sitting on one of the patio chairs we’d pulled over from another table earlier.
He looked relaxed with his legs crossed at the ankle, and his head was back.
Nix’s hands rested in his lap and were wrapped around a beer.
He had his eyes closed, but I knew he was awake.
“Harper?” Molly prompted, dragging my attention back.
“Sorry, what do you mean?
She pursed her lips, her eyes glassy from the alcohol she had consumed. “What would you want to have? A boy or a girl?”
Hudson huffed, wrapping his arms more securely around his girl and resting his chin on her shoulder. “Can we not talk about babies and shit?”
I cut Molly off. “Why? You scared?” My tone was challenging. Hudson reckoned he wasn’t scared of anything. Bullshit. All guys shit themselves when the baby subject came up.
He raised his eyebrows and cut me a look.
“It doesn’t scare me, but I’d rather finish college first. You want to talk about something scary?
Now, Reed’s cardigan, that shit is terrifying,” he sarked before jerking his chin at Nix.
“Anyway, Phoenix is the commitment-phobe. Not me.” I ignored his comment about the top Storm must have given Reed; the boys had been needling him all evening.
The big guy flipped him off, his eyes still shut. “Bite me, lover boy. Just because I’m not already married off doesn’t mean I won’t be, one day.”
I turned in my seat to watch him with interest. “I can’t imagine you with kids.”
One of Phoenix’s eyes opened and cut to me. “Why not?”
“You’re too neat. Kids are messy and cause chaos,” I explained.
“As I’m sure you’re aware, I know how to deal with chaos.”
The guy had a point. “So, you do want children?”
Both eyes then opened, and he pushed up into a sitting position. “Yes, eventually.”
My uterus fluttered from the way he looked at me. Being orphaned and alone at such a young age, I knew that I wanted a big family—one day.
A moment's silence trickled between our group. All you could hear was the soft beat of the music in the background, a handful of subdued conversations from the other guests, and crickets.
Josh also said something about kids, but it didn’t register. I had tried to act casual, but the way Phoenix was staring at me, like he could read every thought in my head, had caught me in a trance.
Cash cleared his throat, which dragged mine and Nix’s attention off each other. “Well, I think that conversation has terrified me to death.” He checked his watch. “It’s late, party’s over, I think.”
“Yeah, we should probably go,” Josh echoed, flexing his shoulders. “Any chance of a ride, Hud?” He then started to shake his sister awake from her lounger.
“Yeah, I can take two more in the truck,” he stated, nodding at Josh and Verity.
“My mom’s already outside, Cash, if you want to jump on that?” Michael offered.
“Momma’s boy,” Nix said with a smirk.
“Blow me, Brutal.”
“How are you getting home, Harper?” Cash said as he pushed to his feet. This forced Phoenix and Hudson to do the same.
“She’s with us,” Hudson answered before Nix could comment. “Have you calmed your tits now, Phoenix?”
“Why does everyone keep asking me that? I’m fine now,” he snapped back, misunderstanding Hudson’s question. Gosh, he was touchy.
“I meant to get home, dickhead.”
His shoulders relaxed as he replied. “I’m not sure. We left the Jeep by the sidewalk.”
“Where is Reed?” I questioned, glancing around the gardens.
“Probably working on making baby number one,” Cash said with a chuckle.
Phoenix grunted. “Don’t even go there, dude. I can only imagine what a spawn of those two would look like. The baby would come out with a mirror in one hand and a cheese dog in the other.”
Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere between the two boys lifted slightly.
And then the sound of glass smashing grabbed our attention.
Courtney Swan was on the other side of the pool, looking her usual bowlegged self.
Goodness knows how she made the cheer squad at school; I’d always thought her posture was poor.
That’s what happened when you spent too much time on your knees.
I forced the image of her sucking Phoenix’s cock in the bathroom at school out of my mind.
She was drunk and being propped up by two college guys. They must have knocked a beer bottle off the table as they passed. A member of staff was already on the ground picking up the pieces by the poolside.
I fixed my posture, pretending not to be worried. If Nix went to her aid, I’d be pissed.
“We need to do something about that,” Hudson said with a nod.
“What’s going on?” I pushed to my feet at the sound of Reed’s voice.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Nix huffed.
“I’ve been on call with Micah. Why? You missed me?” Reed replied, pinching the big man’s cheek.
Phoenix tugged his face away, not in the mood. “We need to get Courtney home,” he grunted.
Jumping in to transfer the focus off Courtney, I asked. “What did Micah say? Everything OK in the big apple?”
“Yeah. He’s still trying to coax me into accepting that QB Scholarship in New Brunswick,” Reed replied, cracking his neck from side to side.
Reed had turned down various football scholarships from Hunter University in New Jersey.
It was only an hour and a half away from Micha, and the brothers missed each other.
Their facilities were superior to those at Epic Heights, but we all knew what was holding Reed back: a leggy, tanned individual with black hair and cunning gray eyes.
“He says I’m going to end up living in a cardboard box behind Wendy’s if I stay here. ”
“Dude has a point,” Cash added.
“Save it for the car, Reed. We need to deal with Courtney,” Phoenix said.