Chapter Two Hayden
CHAPTER TWO
HAYDEN
C harlotte Calhoun had a unique talent for making me smile while simultaneously making me lose my shit. She’d lived under my skin for years due to her quick wit and sense of humor. That was her dark green Mazda alright, jam-packed into a monster of a snowdrift. The trunk had popped open, and sure enough, Charlotte’s clothes were strewn about. She took what she needed and tossed them in the back like that was enough.
I’d seen her do that a hundred times before. Once when we went to the lake, once when we went to the beach with our families together, and hell, even on a road trip.
Maybe, after this trip, she’d learn her lesson and bring a fucking suitcase. There was no reason everyone had to see her red underwear in the wind. Especially with all the lace and strings…
Not her. Never her. I forced the blip of attraction away.
“I put it there! Yes. To be flagged down!” she said, her voice going an octave higher.
She almost made me laugh.
“Thought you were stuck and couldn’t open the door.” My lips curved up, but I was desperate not to smile. That was the thing with her. She was utterly ridiculous in the most charming way. The damn woman had no idea her personality pulled in people like a magnet. Even in high school, she never realized her charisma. It’s why she was a hell of a teacher; she made everyone feel special for being authentically themselves. Her confidence and genuine heart were hard to find. She was one of the best humans, and you knew it after being around her for even three minutes.
“I can’t. Couldn’t. I crawled through the back seat and put it there.”
“You found your way into the trunk, tied a pair of red panties and bra on the exhaust, and instead of waiting outside the car like a normal person, you crawled back inside?”
“Ew. Don’t say panties . That’s on my no list. But that’s what I did. Yup.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “We’re revisiting your no list later, but, Char, we both know you’re lying.”
“Fine. Fine!”
I shook my head, my damn grin stretching across my face. Life was never boring with Charlotte around. The woman got herself into the most bizarre situations, the present one included, and each time, she acted surprised, like she had no idea what happened. I put on my signal and pulled over, making sure not to be a hazard on the road before backing up toward her car. My truck would easily pull her out if I had enough traction.
And to think my parents convinced me to get four-wheel drive. They were right, this time. I’d be sure to tell them it happened once in all my years. When I was a teenager, they had installed a chalkboard in our living room with two columns. One tally for every time they were right, and one tally for every time I was, and it annoyed me to no end that they ended up right more than me. They said it kept me humble, but it only made me more competitive.
The momentary joy formed a rock in my gut. I’d have to erase that board, which was another harsh reminder that they were moving away. The constant pressure in my chest flared, the absolute sadness fighting with understanding. I loved my parents. They were my rock and helped me take care of Gwen. After playing in some crappy bar bands on and off for two years, the perfect opportunity showed up. They were offered to play together in a rock band and tour retirement homes in Arizona for one year, for a crazy amount of money. It was a dream for both of them to do something like this, and I couldn’t let Gwen be the reason they wouldn’t chase it. I’d always support them, but Gwen went to their house three times a week, saw them more than I did, and with their move… I had no idea what the hell I was gonna do. They were watching her for this damn pre-wedding trip, and it was their final weekend here. A goodbye weekend with Gwen. And finding a nanny or babysitter was becoming a nightmare.
I coughed into my fist, pushing the ache away. I’d worry about that after this weekend. Right now? I wanted to help Charlotte.
“I’m going to hook your car to my truck and try to tow you out,” I said, still on the phone.
“Am I safe… in here?”
My chest tightened at how small she sounded. Charlotte was bold with a big personality, and hearing her sound scared felt like someone reached inside my body and squeezed my heart. My circle of people was small, six people whom I’d do anything for, and she was one of them. She might not know that, which was how I intended it to remain, but I’d move mountains for her. “I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
I put on my gloves and hat, zipped up my coat, and grabbed the chains I kept under the driver’s seat. Gwen’s car seat was covered in Goldfish, and for the second time in minutes, my pulse raced. I missed my baby girl. I hated leaving her. Not seeing her face and knowing she was safe every second of the day caused me enormous amounts of stress. Becoming her father was singlehandedly the best thing ever to happen to me.
I thought baseball was my sole purpose to walk this earth, and it had been, until Gwen, and leaving her with my parents—people I trusted more than anyone in the world—still gutted me. Was Gwen worried I wouldn’t come back… like her mom? Or did she forget about me? Either option seemed worse than the other, and my jaw tensed. What was I gonna do without my parents to bail me out during emergencies? Shit.
I willed my emotions down and focused on getting Charlotte out safely. I connected the chain to the back of my trunk and then carried it to hers. Her damn clothes were everywhere.
Reds and pinks and yellows. Lace. Small. Silky. I swallowed, hard, and tried my best to not picture my best friend’s younger sister in these things. There was a time, once, for a moment, that I let myself cross that line, and I still hated myself for it. So much had changed since then. Some good, some bad, but the biggest thing was Gwen.
Christian and Penny, and Charlotte even, were the aunts and uncle by choice, not by blood. Christian helped me raise Gwen since Simone dropped her off at my door three years ago with a letter. Not a text or a call. A fucking letter saying she couldn’t be a mom and reverted all parental rights to me. Coaching baseball at a D1 college meant long nights, and who would take her whenever I needed? Christian or my parents.
Who helped me when I lost my mind? Christian or my parents. And when my parents were in another state?
Christian had always been my best friend, but he was also… my family. To even think about Charlotte in any sexual way would be a slap in the face to him. I’d seen him react to her dipshit boyfriends, and I damn well knew I wasn’t good enough for her either. I owed Christian the moon, and that was the only reason I agreed to drive up to a ski resort for two nights.
And why I was in this fun situation rescuing his sister, the woman who never quite left my mind.
“Damn, Charlotte.” I had to touch the garments and ensure they were tucked in a weird, oddly smelling sports bag? Thank the Lord I wore gloves. They gave me a layer of protection from touching her panties.
For one split second, my mind went back to that night in the bar. When Charlotte approached me with cherry-red lips and a sinful matching dress that nearly killed me. The music blared, and the drinks flowed, and her damn smile drew me to her and she tasted like… No.
We never speak of that night, and for good reason. It was locked and tucked deep, much like all the best memories I had of her.
“Put it in neutral and sit tight,” I commanded her. I hid my annoyance, but she got under my skin. So while I thought of Charlotte in the oh, she’s my best friend’s younger sister way from time to time, I realized we hadn’t been alone in… years.
Shit.
I hooked the chain to the rear of her car and jogged to my truck. It didn’t take much horsepower to pull her out of the drift, and once her entire car came into view, I put my truck in park. A flurry of anxiety nestled in my chest thinking about seeing her face-to-face. Not only was I concerned for her about the accident, but our past… it was messy. I always avoided being around her when it was just the two of us. Even when she helped out with Gwen, my mom or her brother would be there. It was like I didn’t trust myself alone with her, and now there were three years of awkwardness squished into my front seat, where it was gonna be the two of us for the rest of the drive.
I was two steps away from her door when she fell out of the car, headfirst.
“Oh hello, ground. I missed you.” She kissed the snow with her lips. “I’ll never take you for granted, you cold bastard.”
Charlotte plastered herself to the snow-covered grass and sighed long and contentedly. Her jeans hugged her ass, and sure enough, her long socks went to her knees and clashed with her fuzzy black boots. Her curly brown hair sat in a mess on top of her head, and damn . There was something about her that made me smile. Her unabashed joy. Her quiet confidence. Her goofy spirit that never seemed to break.
Well, that wasn’t true. I had seen her eyes dim and her face contort in shame after I pushed her away that night. Despite it happening years ago, guilt still ate at me. I had had to tell her no, no matter how much it killed me. I shook my head as I continued to watch her on the ground. Why the fuck did she not wear a coat? I hissed at her thin sweater being her only winter gear.
“I’ve seen you throw up in your hands, Porter, so not a word from you right now. I’m reacquainting myself with land,” she fired my way, still not looking at me.
“I wouldn’t dare laugh.” My lips quirked though, and I couldn’t stop staring at her. She looked okay and not injured. No bones were broken or shaped weird. No visible blood. Her neck seemed fine, long and covered with small tattoos I had no idea she had.
Why would you, dipshit?
God, I wanted to know what they were. Were they flowers? Shapes? Lines from her favorite book?
“I’m familiarized with land again. Thanks for waiting.” She pushed herself up onto her knees and stood, and only then did I see her face.
I sucked in a breath, alarm coursing through me. Blood dripped from her forehead, and there were two very large bruises around her eyes. “Charlotte.”
“Oh no. My face is still… here, right?” She smacked her hands on her cheeks and then winced. “Blah, that hurt. Hey! I’m not numb. That’s… good?”
“Let me see.” I closed the distance, hating seeing blood. Her creamy skin held only two freckles, right in the middle of one cheek, and I knew that because I spent way too much time staring at her when I was at their house as a teenager. Those two little dots were so out of place yet fit her perfectly. Adorable, cute, sexy even. I didn’t wait before cupping one side of her face with my left hand and using my other to assess the damage. “Does this hurt?”
She tensed, her entire body stiffer than a block of ice. “Uh, you’re touching me.”
“Yes.” I pushed her forehead gently. She didn’t wince. “I’m trying to see if I need to call an ambulance instead of taking you to the hospital.”
“Oh, none of that. I’m… fine.” Her voice sounded flustered and off, like she very well wasn’t fine. “Great. Dandy. Ready to pretend I give a crap about skiing.”
Our eyes met, and I laughed. “I hate skiing too.”
“Christian is the worst,” she said, but without real venom to her words.
Her brown eyes were dark. There wasn’t a difference between the pupil and the iris. Her lashes were the same rich color, longer than they had any right being, and a guy could get lost in her gaze. There were reasons people wrote songs about brown-eyed girls.
Even my baby girl’s eyes could make me do things I’d never imagine. Dancing to “Baby Shark”? Pretending I was a princess with her? Drinking imaginary tea? Yeah. Gwen only had to bat her big brown eyes at me, and I’d do it.
Women with brown eyes didn’t realize their true power. If they did, our country would be led by them, and we wouldn’t have nearly the issues we did.
“Y’all need any help?”
I jumped, annoyed that I let myself fall into Char’s orbit. A very large man with a huge smile waved at us from outside a semitruck. I removed my hands from Charlotte and shoved them back into my pockets, where things were safer and warmer. “I think we’re alright for now. You the one who skidded off the road?”
“Yeah. About hit this poor woman’s car. Thankfully, I didn’t.”
I shuddered at the thought. I thought I was gonna die. I still hadn’t digested Char’s words and wasn’t sure I could. “I’m thankful everyone is okay. You need anything from us?”
“Nah, might just camp here for the night and wait for the blizzard to settle.”
“Take care,” I said, waving as he got back into his cab. I returned my attention back to Char, who stood frozen, except for her trembling body. “Hey, you’re safe now.”
She nodded but her face was ghostly. Without overthinking it, I rubbed my hands up and down her arms until she looked up at me. Those gorgeous eyes gutted me, again.
“I-I think the a-adrenaline needs an o-out. T-that’s all.”
“Okay, honey.” Shit. The name slipped out. I called Gwen honey bear all the time. “Sorry, girl-dad oops.”
Charlotte smiled. The first real smile I’d seen from her in… a long time. Seeing her pale pink lips curve up and light entering her eyes had me shifting my weight left to right.
“You’re a good dad, Hop. Gwen is lucky.”
Hop, short for Hayden Orion Porter. It was the dumb nickname Christian gave me at fourteen when I thought I was cool as hell. But Charlotte stared at me and used my nickname…
My face heated, and I cleared my throat. “We’ll leave your car here. Get your stuff, lock it, then I’ll call a tow company to take it home.”
Her eyes grew to saucers. “Home? I need to drive back—”
“I’ll take you home too. It’s fine.” I waved my hand in the air, dismissing her.
“You and me?” she asked, the warmth leaving her voice. If anything, her tone matched the winter wind blowing around us.
“Yes. I’m driving you.” Damn. That came out like a bossy growl. My coaching voice leaked through time to time, which often led me into trouble.
Char wet her bottom lip with her tongue and sighed. “Fine. Fine. ”
“Don’t look so grateful.”
She shot me a glare that almost made me smile again. She was adorable. And cold. The tips of her ears had turned pink, and she shivered. “Come on,” I said, quickly unhooking my truck from her car. “Get in the front and sit by the heater.”
“What about my stuff?”
“You, warm up.” I pointed at her and raised my brows. I used that look to stare down pissant coaches who made up rules and umpires who forgot how to use their own eyeballs. I’d made grown men cower with my stern look, but not Charlotte.
“I don’t have to listen to you, Coach .” She huffed before moving to her trunk and shoving all the bright things into the back of my car. The red lingerie was still hooked to her exhaust, and I fought the urge to remind her. Did I just grab them to not embarrass her more? Or would that be worse?
Definitely worse.
“Is there a reason you don’t enjoy packing like a normal person?”
If she could shoot daggers out of her eyes, they’d stab me in the heart. “I was in a rush, and forgive me for not assuming I’d be stuck in a drift with you .”
I held up my hands. “Whoa, I didn’t do anything wrong here.”
“Right. Of course not.” Her answering fake smile seemed strange on her pretty face. Her lips twisted in a scowl, and the warmth I had sworn I observed in her eyes was long gone. If anything, I sensed a new tone. One I didn’t care for.
“Char, hey, what’s wrong?” I gently grabbed her elbow with two fingers and waited for her to look at me. It took a few seconds, but then she faced me, her big, brown doe eyes swirling with… anger ?
“Nothing. I’m fine.” She yanked her arm out of my reach. “Just rattled from almost dying. That’s all.”
Right. I was being an ass. I exhaled, a large plume of mist billowing around me from the frigid temperatures, and put my hand on her shoulder. That seemed like a nice, friendly, innocent gesture. Nothing unpleasant in a gentle arm touch between pals. “I’m really glad you’re safe. I can’t imagine how scary it was.”
She swallowed hard and did that fake tight smile bullshit again. “I’ll be alright.”
“You have everything you need?”
She dropped the clothes, patted her pockets, and then her eyes went wide. “My phone! Shit. That could have been bad.”
She went to the side of her car. I tried, albeit not very hard, to not stare at her ass, but the jeans were torture. They hugged her curves as she swayed her hips. Charlotte had been an athlete her entire life, something she and I had in common, and it was clear she kept in shape, because Goddamn . Her thick thighs and round ass were all muscle, and something like lust grew hot and deep in my gut.
Christian’s sister. Off-limits.
She needs a partner, a guy who can give her the attention she deserves.
Don’t do it. Close your fucking eyes.
The muscle in my cheek contracted as Charlotte jogged toward the passenger side of my truck, the reality of the situation hitting me. I’d have to talk to her on the drive up, something I had avoided since that night we kissed.