Chapter 2 #3
The chit chat was an example of us both going through the motions and not wanting to bring up the elephant in the room. The same one that had been there when I’d seen him at work earlier that day.
“Do you want to order now, or wait until the others get here?”
“Knock yourself out.” Nix’s reply was appreciated, as I had no patience waiting for food. And there was a reason for that, having been starved as a punishment by Louise Palmer, among other chilling things.
After I’d ordered a meatball sub and a side of fries, Phoenix dropped the S-bomb.
“Look, one of us has to bring it up.”
“Bring what up?”
“Don’t be a douche. Storm.”
Trying to keep my expression neutral and failing, I stated.
“I don’t know, man. I got an invitation to the wedding and didn’t really know how to take it.
” A few days after I got offered the transfer from the Giants to the Patriots, the gold-embossed invitation had been pushed through the slot of my apartment.
I had known that one day I would see news of Storm’s wedding online under the society section, but seeing their names sitting together on that card still felt like a knife to the chest. When the months had turned into years with still no wedding, I had hoped that it would fall through.
My brother's words cut into my thoughts. “You got an invitation? Fuck, that’s cold, man.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Phoenix’s expression was incredulous. “And you actually think Storm invited you to her wedding?”
“I wouldn’t put it past her,” I replied with an uncomfortable twist of my lips.
“Why? In a ‘look what you could have won’ type of way?”
I started to peel off the label on my beer. “Something like that.”
Nix shuffled forward and leaned over the table. “Nah, man. Bitch can be a pain in the ass, but she’s never been cruel like that.”
Raising my eyebrows, I pointed out. “Then who sent it?”
He pushed back against his seat. Still a fidgeting fucker. I didn’t blame him; Phoenix was big and rarely fit places. “Maybe one of the girls?”
“Why, though?”
“To point out that the clock is ticking,” he suggested wryly.
Pushing my beer away so I didn’t cause any more mess, I stated. “You’re fucking with me. Surely that ship has sailed?”
“No, Reed. It isn’t over until she says, I do.” His words hit me like I suspected a bullet would; shock kicked in along with a wave of confusion. Nix was like a dog with a bone. “That invitation, no matter who sent it, is a message.”
Yanking off my baseball cap, I placed it on the table and wiped a hand down my face. “Saying what?”
My brother’s eyes were now drilling into mine. “That you have a second chance.”
I barked out a laugh, “What about that added complication of her fiancé?”
He shook his head, his face contorting. “It’s a business transaction, you get that, don’t you?” The latter part was aired as though he thought me stupid.
A business transaction? What the actual fuck?
“What do you mean? Like an arranged marriage?”
“Yeah,” he added with a how could you not know look.
His revelation hit me with the strength of a sledgehammer. “Where are we, the fucking Middle Ages?” I stated incredulously.
Nix matched my tone. “I know, man. Wealthy families do it all the time, supposedly. It solidifies alliances for business purposes. I still think it’s barbaric.”
“Have you told your father that?”
“Yep. He won’t listen. Says the match will be good for her and how she’s accepted it. The fact that she has never shown interest in anyone else makes him think she’s totally on board, but I have my doubts.”
“So, he isn’t forcing her to go through with it?”
“Not that I can tell.”
I knew he was right. Storm would never accept something like that. The girl was no pushover, dancing to Daddy’s tune. Or at least, she hadn’t been in the past. My mind was racing faster than the top speed I’d achieved in my car.
The waitress appeared with my order, and I thanked her and took a bite. I needed sustenance after that fucking bombshell. When Storm had revealed news of her engagement, she hadn’t mentioned anything about it being a business thing.
“Are you OK?” Nix suddenly asked as I wiped ketchup off my mouth with the napkin.
I shrugged, “Storm’s wedding, the whole idea of it just gives me the shits.”
“Nah, that crap you’re eating will do that.”
His comment fell on deaf ears. Swallowing, I said to no one in particular. “So, Jasper the dick, isn’t a love match?”
I placed the sub down as Nix stole a fry. “You need to fix it, man.”
As he popped it between his lips, I asked with narrowed eyes. “And how the fuck do I do that?”
Phoenix’s face took on that look he got when he was about to wipe the floor with someone. “I say we get rid of him.”
“We?” I scoffed, pushing my shoulders against the backrest.
“Yeah. We’ve got your six, man.”
“What about Storm?”
“She isn’t in love with him. So, we extract him from her life.” The thought of successfully prying Jasper douchebag the fucking third from her side forced a thrill through my torso. My hands clenched into fists on the table.
“You say get rid of him. How the fuck do we do that?” My hopes of Nix already having a plan dried up as he gave me an apologetic look.
“We could feed him to Hudson?” he suggested with a huge grin. I mirrored that. The psycho who was our eldest foster brother would eat a guy like Jasper for breakfast.
“But seriously? What?”
Grabbing another fry, Phoenix took a deep breath and explained. “We’re the Sawyer brothers. I think we can come up with something.”
My entire body deflated in my seat. “I don’t know, man, the woman fucking broke me.”
“I know that. So do something about it.”
As we regarded each other over the table and my forgotten food, the sound of a car engine, loud and throaty, groaned into the lot. We both glanced outside as Hudson’s beat-up piece of shit Ford Ranger pulled in next to my car.
“He’s still driving that bag of crap?”
Phoenix’s smile was now meaty. “Yep.”
“I’m surprised it still fucking moves.” Hudson had bought his first car himself with the cash he earned at the docks. It was one of those facts he’d wind me up about as Ma had helped me to buy my Jeep.
Hud now worked at our old college, Epic Heights, as a football coach there. He was successful from what I’d heard, but still earned fuck all.
I watched as Hudson, Molly, and Harper all climbed out of his death trap and made their way into the building. The girls were waving excitedly at me through the window, and I gave them a fond smile.
“Looking good, brother,” Hudson belted as he came into the bar like a fucking hurricane.
Pushing up from our seats, we greeted each other. “Thanks, man, you’re not looking so bad yourself. Put on a few pounds since I last saw you. Suits you, though,” I chuckled, tapping Hudson on the stomach. We both knew my words were bullshit as my palm was met with his rock-hard abs.
“Funny fucker, aren’t you? I see you’ve started without us,” he said, drawing back. He stole a glance at Molly, who was grinning at me but clearly didn’t hear my jibe.
“Yep. I was starving. We can’t all live off the blood of humans,” I retorted with a lip curl. Everyone knew Hudson Gage wasn’t wired right.
Hudson was a similar height and build to me, as was our other foster brother, Micah. All three of us were well-matched strength-wise and so could hold our own on the rare occasion we came to blows. Nix was another level at six three and built like a tank. One punch from him and it was game over.
The girls held back slightly while we carried out our bro shit. As Hudson went to the bar, they moved around him. I called out and told him to get a tab before turning towards his girl. “Molly, looking fine as always, and Baby S, get over here, both of you.”
As I hugged Harper, she muttered into my ear. “You do realize there’s a group of girls taking selfies in front of your car.”
Drawing back, I shrugged without looking. “It happens.”
As Harper slid in next to Nix and sucked face, I turned to Molly. “So, you ever gonna leave that jerk-off and come and live with me?”
“I heard that,” Hudson barked over his shoulder from the bar.
“I said it loud,” I volleyed back.
Pulling Mols in for a quick hug, she squeezed me and sang in that sweet voice of hers.
“He’s so glad you’re coming home, Reed. We all are.
” Molly worked as a florist in a flower shop.
When Hudson had told me, I hadn’t been surprised that his girl would work surrounded by beauty.
She was saving money to open her own shop one day.
Again, I wanted to help with that, but both Hud and Mols had rejected my offer.
What was the point in having so much money if no one would allow me to spend it on them?
Hud came back from the bar, and the banter changed to where I might settle. My gut clenched. Was I home? Yes. Due to the trade, I had the opportunity to come back for good. I just needed to make the Patriots proud.
I should feel happy and complete. But I didn’t, there was still that gap: a massive fucking hole in my life that only one person could fill. And the jury was out. What the fuck was I going to do about that?
I spent the next couple of hours attempting to steer the subject away from Storm, discussing what my family and friends had been up to.
Ma was seeing someone, a man called Jonathan Smart. That gave me another reason not to stay at the house. I didn’t want to cramp her style now that she had finally met a guy. It must have been quite new as she hadn’t said a thing on the video call I had with her the previous week.
Molly and Hudson were indeed looking to rent their own place.
He spent most of the time at her father’s house anyway.
Richard Miller had been our high school principal, and he and Hud hadn’t always seen eye to eye.
They’d buried the hatchet and got along well now, but Hudson and Molly still needed their own space.