Chapter 11
Step one. Convince Hazel she doesn’t hate me.
Miles
“Come on.” I try herding my family into Smuggler’s Cove Restaurant.
“What’s your hurry?” Zane asks as he bounces Adele in his arms.
“It’s the Smuggler’s Reenactment Dinner. I want good seats.”
Sloane snorts. “Sure, good seats. You aren’t rushing us because Hazel’s working tonight.”
I haven’t seen Hazel since our last therapy session. I want to check on her. Make sure she’s okay.
Especially since I heard a rumor about her getting set up on a date with Warren. He was a bully in high school who thought it was funny to tease the girls when they were on their periods. He better not have upset my Blaze.
Kai smirks. “Excellent. We can spend the entire night watching Miles crash and burn.”
“There better not be any food burning,” Henry grumbles. “I’m starving.”
“Dad.” Harper wags her finger at him. “No unhealthy food for you.”
He throws his arms in the air. “What’s the point of living if I can’t eat unhealthy food?”
“The point is being alive.”
“Don’t push it, young lady. It’s bad enough I’m in this damn wheelchair.”
“But if you weren’t in the wheelchair, I couldn’t do this.” Kai races down the sidewalk while pushing Henry, who whoops with joy as Kai pops a wheelie.
Harper groans. “Now I have two people to care for.”
I scowl. This family is more difficult to control than a herd of sheep that discovered an opening in the fence leading to an apple orchard. Who knew sheep go crazy for apples?
Mom pats my arm. “Let’s go ahead, dear. They’ll follow.”
My step-dad, Stuart, opens the door for us and I escort Mom inside. Hazel looks up from her hostess station and smiles at us. The breath whooshes out of me. There’s nothing better than watching her pouty, pink mouth smile at me.
Mere weeks ago, she scowled whenever she saw me. But now, after a couple of therapy sessions during which we talked, she’s smiling at me.
“Uh oh. I was hoping the reservation for the Raider bunch was a mistake.” Hazel winks.
I wiggle my eyebrows. “Don’t think you can handle us?”
She snorts. “I can handle you, but I don’t have to. Once your butts are in seats, you’re the waitress’s problem.”
“Not all of our butts are here.” I motion outside to where Kai is giving Pearl, Rhett, and Dakota’s oldest girl a ride in a wheelchair while Zane encourages him and Rhett glowers. “Don’t suppose you can help me wrangle the Raider bunch?”
She raises her eyebrow. “Is this a challenge?”
I forgot how much my girl loves challenges. I nod. “Yes, it is.”
“Be right back.” She marches to the door and flings it open. “Hey, Raider bunch! Get your butts inside or I’ll tell the chef you’re all on a liquid diet and can only eat porridge tonight.”
Kai freezes. “No steak? No cranberry cheesecake?”
“Not unless your butt is in your seat at your table within the next minute.”
Rhett snags Pearl from the wheelchair. “Let’s go. I’ve been looking forward to the Hasselback potatoes all week.”
The Raider crew bustles inside and aims straight for the large table in the corner. No one argues about who is sitting where – a favorite Raider pastime – and everyone is seated within a minute. It’s a smuggler miracle.
“Challenge complete,” Hazel says as she sets a menu down in front of me.
“Someone has a crush,” Kai sings.
I glare at him. “Don’t embarrass Hazel.”
“Dude.” Zane snorts. “Hazel is long gone. He’s referring to your blush.”
I scowl. “I don’t blush.”
“What’s a crush?” Pearl asks.
“Remember when you liked that boy at school, Harold?” Dakota asks and Pearl nods. “That’s a crush.”
“Uncle Miles! Do you have a crush on Hazel?” Pearl shouts.
“No.” My feelings for Hazel are way more than a crush.
“But she’s pretty. You should marry her.”
Maybe I will. But first, I need Hazel to give me a second chance.
“What about this Harold guy? Do you intend to marry him?”
Her nose wrinkles. “Gross. I’m five.”
“And you shouldn’t be interested in boys,” Rhett growls.
Zane and Eli nod in agreement.
“Save me from girl dads,” Paisley mutters as she tweaks Stephanie’s nose.
Jaxon frowns as he scans the table. “This is very odd.”
“What’s odd, nerd boy?” Blossom asks.
He motions to the table. “All of the grandchildren are girls.”
“Do you not like girls?”
“I think I’ve proven how much I like girls,” he mutters and Blossom’s breath hitches. I never expected their fake marriage to become real, but it’s obvious how much those two love each other.
My stomach clenches. I want what they have. A woman who loves me. A woman who looks at me as if I hang the moon every night.
I glance over my shoulder. Hazel is greeting a new group at the front of the restaurant. And there’s the woman I want it all with. She notices me and smiles. My jealousy fades away. There’s no reason to be jealous when I will have a woman who loves me in my arms soon.
Jaxon pushes his glasses up his nose. “I’m merely wondering what the probability is of the six sons of a man who could only create boys, only creating girls.”
“Huh.” Paisley taps her chin. “This is interesting. We should calculate the odds.”
Eli wraps his arm around her shoulders and hauls her close to kiss her temple. “You’re not doing any calculations while we’re having a family dinner.”
The door flies open and bangs against the wall. Two men dressed as smugglers rush inside.
Pearl claps. “It’s starting!”
“We need to hide,” the first smuggler says.
The second smuggler glances around the room. “We need to hurry. The Prohis will be here soon.”
“We should have used the tunnels under City Hall. The Prohis wouldn’t follow us there.”
“I told you the tunnels are flooded.”
A whistle blows outside and the smugglers rush forward. “Let’s hide under the empty table over there.”
They’ve barely managed to crawl under the table when the door opens and two men dressed as Prohibition agents enter.
“Where are they?” The Prohi points his billy club at a woman diner.
“Can you be more specific? Where are who?”
He growls as he swaggers toward her. “Don’t make me arrest you for interfering with police business?”
Pearl climbs onto her chair. “I know where they are!”
Rhett wraps an arm around her thighs to steady her. “You’re supposed to pretend you don’t.”
“Is it a game?”
“Yes, it’s a game.”
“I love games.” Pearl giggles. “They went into the kitchen!”
The Prohibition agents saunter our way. “Are you certain, little lady?”
“Yep. They went that way.” She points to the kitchen.
“If you’re wrong, we’ll arrest you.”
She fists her hands at her hips. “No, you won’t. Daddy will protect me.”
Rhett nods and pulls her into his arms. No one is messing with his daughter.
“All right, little lady.” The Prohibition agents rush to the kitchen.
“You can come out now!” Pearl shouts once they’re gone.
The smugglers climb out from under the table. “Thanks, miss.” They tip their hats to her before scurrying out of the restaurant.
Applause breaks out.
“That’s it?” a man yells. “I paid one-hundred dollars per plate for that?”
Hazel rushes to him. “Don’t worry, sir. The show isn’t over.”
“It barely began.”
He stands to get in her face and I spring to my feet. I position myself in front of Hazel to shield her. “Do not yell at her.”
Hazel tries to push in front of me. “This is my job. I don’t need you to save me.”
“I know, Blaze. But I’m not going to sit there while some guy is an asshole to you.”
She snorts. “What? The role of being an asshole to Hazel is reserved exclusively for you?”
I palm her cheek. “I’m not an asshole to you.”
She cocks an eyebrow.
“Not anymore.”
“Hello! Did you forget I exist?” The man thumps a fist on the table.
I growl at him. “You’re done.”
“Done?”
“Get your shit. Your evening is over.”
“I want a refund.”
I dig my wallet out and remove a few fifty-dollar bills. “Here. Consider this your refund.”
The man snatches the money. “I’m writing a bad review,” he grumbles as he marches away.
His dinner companion sighs as she stands. “Don’t worry. He’s too lazy to write a review.”
“You’re free to stay,” Hazel shouts after her.
The woman waves in response.
Hazel’s shoulders fall. “I hope he’s nicer to her than he was to me.”
I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “You can’t save everyone, Blaze.”
She scowls. “I told you. We’re not together anymore. I’m not Blaze. You may refer to me as Hazel.”
She doesn’t wait for my response before marching away. She’s glorious with her red hair flying behind her.
We’re not together yet, Blaze. But it will happen. And then I’m never letting you go.