Chapter 6
Six
Do I have to work late all week?
Yes.
Is it because I picked up even more work than usual, so I didn’t have to be at the house?
Also yes.
The memory of Lucy’s brother answering the door Sunday morning replays in my head repeatedly.
His calculating stare as I handed over the cookie box—how the cogs in his brain worked overtime as he tried to figure out why I was there at nine in the morning, with cookies, of all things, for his sister.
“Wasn’t she just there last night?”
Scratching the back of my neck, I nod and gesture to the box. “Yeah, but everyone ate them before she could set some aside to take home. I was making a batch for the office and thought I’d drop some off.”
All lies. And Liam stared at me like he knew I wasn’t telling the truth .
The kid is way more intelligent than anyone gives him credit for.
Drumming my fingers on the desk, I take in my now spotless and completely organized office while waiting for Rhys to get ready to go to Lucy’s.
All week, I managed to avoid her. Tried to steel myself from thinking of her naked body and the way she looked down at my cock.
She never responded to my last text message, yet she still showed up to clean my mess.
My days have been shit—downright dull without her bright colors and infectious laugh brightening up the room. I didn’t realize just how much I enjoyed having Lucy around until the entire week went by and I hadn’t seen her once.
Rhys appears in the open doorway, looking like the spitting image of me at his age, dressed in a black suit with an emerald tie and a red rose boutonnière.
Something in my chest clenches as my reality slaps me upside the head.
My son is getting ready to go to his senior prom with his girlfriend, who I’ve been lusting over.
I’m such a fucking shitty father.
“Ready? Mom is already grumbling about us having to go over there.” Rhys smirks. It seems like tonight he’s annoyed with Charlotte. Both of them have mood swings that shift faster than a dual-clutch transmission.
“Well, your mom doesn’t have to go,” I comment, like my son isn’t already aware.
Rhys wanders further into my office, looking at all the colored binders with neat labels written on the spines.
“Lucy did a good job. Funny that you never asked me to help you organize in here but had no problem allowing her to do it when you weren’t home.
” There’s a blatant accusation in his tone and hard stare.
“You never showed any interest in helping me. She offered. That’s all.”
His brows draw together, lips pinching into a thin line. “Yeah, you two seem to be awfully fond of each other all of a sudden.”
“Would you rather me hate her like your mother does?”
His gaze drops, and he shakes his head, staring at the hardwood floor like he’s got something on his mind. He doesn’t move as I stand and approach him. “What is it, Son?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been thinking a lot lately…”
“About?” I prod. Rhys is nearly as tall as I am now. We often get mistaken for brothers instead of father and son. It pisses him off, but I just keep telling him he should feel lucky he’s got good genes.
“College,” he sighs, turning to lean against the doorframe. “Football.” Crossing his arms, he blows out a rough breath. “Lucy.”
I keep quiet, letting him work through his thoughts.
“I love her, you know? I don’t want her to go to California,” he admits quietly. “But I know if I ask her not to go, then that will make me a selfish prick. But if she goes, I don’t think we’ll survive the long distance.”
“If you love her, you won’t ask her to give up her dreams and passions so that you can live yours, Rhys.
If you love her, truly love her, what’s a few years long distance?
” My words summon a look of shame that flits across his face as he reaches up to scratch the back of his head, a quirk he gets from me.
I rest my hand on his shoulder. “But you’re also both very young.
There’s a whole world out there beyond Chicago. ”
I tell myself that I’m doing my job as a father and assuring my son that he doesn’t have to hold onto his past while trying to navigate his future. But I’d be lying if I said there isn’t a small part of me that wouldn’t mind seeing Rhys and Lucy go their separate ways—not for me, but for them.
They both need to live their lives and find who they are away from each other.
“Would you have let Mom go to college on the other side of the country?”
I don’t tell him that I was planning on breaking up with Charlotte until she told me she was pregnant with him.
Instead, I try to dispel the seriousness of the conversation with humor.
“Rhys, when has your mother ever done what I wanted her to do? Besides, we don’t let our partners do anything, okay? We’re not cavemen.”
He laughs, the edges of his eyes crinkling with a smile. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I can’t really tell Lucy she can’t go. Can you imagine how that would go over?”
“About as well as me telling your mother I’m taking away her credit cards, and she’s not allowed to go to Boca anymore.”
In another world, I’d genuinely enjoy being a part of the Bradee’s circle of friends.
Unfortunately for me, my wife can’t seem to keep her damn mouth shut.
“These aren’t terrible, but the gruyere ones you made last time were much better. Just my opinion.” Charlotte holds her hands up after eating one of the homemade crackers Lucy’s mother, Bree, made for a meat and cheese platter.
Bree’s left eye twitches as she plasters a smile on her face. “So sorry they aren’t to your liking, Charlotte. Here, have another glass of wine.”
Rhys coughs a laugh into his hand while Bree’s friends look at my wife like they want to skewer her and roast her over the fire in the pit in the Bradee’s backyard.
Lucy has a lot of her mother’s features, from her red hair to the freckles over the bridge of her nose.
They have a natural beauty, and I wonder if that’s why Charlotte gives them so much grief.
My wife’s beauty comes from a bottle, a scalpel, and many, many syringes.
Will, Bree’s husband, tips his beer bottle back, gaze swinging to mine with a look that clearly says ‘My wife is about to murder yours if you don’t get her to shut her mouth.’
River’s best friends, Rose and Nova, bound down the stairs in a fit of giggles. “Lucy looks like a mermaid!” Nova exclaims loudly as the girls throw their hands out and frame each side of the stairs dramatically.
Everyone collectively holds their breath as Lucy appears, and my heart skips a beat as her eyes instantly find Rhys.
And I’m glad for it because if she’d looked at me first, I’m fairly certain I’d have to excuse myself to explain to my dick why it’s inappropriate to get hard around the girl, especially in front of her parents.
As it is, my fists clench of their own accord at my sides as I try to tear my eyes away from the breathtaking image Lucy makes while her mom and aunts fuss over her.
Her dress is emerald velvet and hugs her curves.
There’s a high slit on one side where the dress drapes in waves, while the other side is slightly shorter and straighter.
It’s strapless, and her breasts heave over the corseted top.
Her makeup is simple, like always, but she’s sporting a red lip that makes my insides sweat.
Her hair falls in waves, pinned over her shoulder on one side, like a Hollywood starlet at a red carpet event.
“You are…” Rhys takes a deep breath. “Wow. I am one lucky guy.”
He sure fucking is.
Lucy smiles widely, eyes darting to me briefly before she goes to stand in front of her boyfriend while he fishes a red rose corsage out of its box to place on her wrist.
“See, if you’d kept eating Lawson’s cookies, you wouldn’t have fit in that beautiful dress. It’s just a tad too snug, dear,” Charlotte sneers from behind her wine glass.
Will chokes on his beer as Bree whirls to face my wife. “Now, you listen here?—”
Bree’s friends try to intercept her, and everyone is talking at once to either try and calm her down or tell my wife off—who looks alarmed that everyone is so upset by her comment.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I glance over to see that my son is unaffected by his mother’s words, but Lucy seems devastated .
“Don’t listen to her. You look beautiful,” Rhys whispers before kissing her forehead, completely unaware of her distress. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom real quick before we leave.” If he notices that she’s upset, he doesn’t acknowledge it before he disappears into the guest bathroom down the hall.
“I… I forgot my clutch,” Lucy murmurs amidst the chaos, escaping back upstairs. Her mom and aunts are still having words with Charlotte, who is holding her hands out as if she doesn’t understand what the big deal is.
Anger courses through me, followed by utter embarrassment. I don’t even bother trying to jump into the fray because I’m not on my wife’s side. This has been a long time coming for her, and she needs to reap what she sows.
With everyone preoccupied, I mutter an excuse that I need to use the toilet as well, knowing the other guest bathroom is upstairs.
After climbing the steps two at a time, I make my way down the hall, peering into the open doors to try and find Lucy.
Eventually, I hear a sniffling sound and nearly run into her as she exits what must be her bedroom.
Startled, teary eyes blink up at me. “Lawson?”
“Hey,” I offer lamely, leaning against the cream-colored doorframe. “I just wanted to check on you.” Something my son should be doing. “Are you alright?”
I hate seeing her cry, even if the tears haven’t fallen yet. Her eyes drop to my chest, and her lip quivers as she picks at her freshly manicured French tips. Without thinking, I straighten and reach for her hands, holding them in mine as I step in close.
“Please don’t listen to anything Charlotte says. She’s… she’s… ”
“Awful?” Lucy sniffs, squeezing her fingers around mine before shaking off my hold so she can dab under her eyes. She goes back into her room, and I follow her as she enters her en suite and grabs a tissue to fix her makeup.
Standing in the doorway, I nod in agreement. “Yes, she can be awful. I’m sorry she’s so unkind to you.”
“I just don’t get what her deal is. I haven’t done anything to warrant her hatred. I’ve been nothing but wonderful to Rhys for the past two years.” Lucy grabs a golden tube and unscrews the cap, carefully applying more mascara to her bottom lashes.
Some of her hair escapes the clip and falls down her back, and my fingers itch to reach out and touch it. “She’s just jealous.”
Lucy’s eyebrows screw together in confusion as she glances at me in the mirror before tending to her other eye. “What on earth does she have to be jealous of me for?”
Without skipping a beat, I reply, “Because you’re taking away her son's attention. And because you’re beautiful.”
Lucy
Lawson’s words break the internal dam that’s been holding back all my warm and fuzzy feelings for him. I’ve been building it all week, and with a simple phrase, he blows it up like dynamite.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be saying that.” He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly.
As he turns to leave, I lunge toward him, wincing as my hair catches in the zipper of my dress. “Wait! Ahh!” My shoulders tighten to hold the garment in place as it tugs at a few stray strands.
Why does it always hurt worse when one or two hairs get pulled rather than a handful?
Don’t ask how I know that the latter doesn’t hurt as bad.
“What is it?” Lawson asks in alarm, getting so close I can smell his minty pine aftershave.
I try to turn my head, but the movement hurts. “My hair is caught in the zipper.”
The corner of his mouth lifts into an amused half-smirk that I’m starting to think about entirely too often. “Hold still.”
I can barely contain the rapid beating of my heart as it threatens to jump out of my chest at the touch of Lawson’s fingers on my bare skin.
He’s so close I can feel his warm breath against my neck, causing my skin to break out in goosebumps.
My breasts heave with every inhale that threatens to tear the fabric of my dress.
“I’m… uh… going to unzip your dress. Hold the front,” Lawson softly commands.
“Yes, sir.” The words escape before I can swallow them. They hang in the air around us.
His fingers still against my back. It’s so quiet I hear a sharp intake of breath, followed by a soft groan that he tries so hard to conceal.
“Lucy…” My name falls from between his lips like a plea as his warm fingers finally move, gently untangling my hair. He’s trying so hard not to touch me directly, but the barest hint of his fingers caressing against my spine has my entire body lit up like a sparkler.
When the strands are finally free, Lawson sweeps them back over my shoulder, tucking them securely inside my hairclip. As he slowly zips my dress back up, I turn to look at him over my shoulder, every part of me so aware of every part of him.
Our eyes lock, and he doesn't release me even when he’s finished. A fiery trail follows his hands as they slide down my back to encircle my hips, fingers digging into my flesh possessively as his head slowly dips down.
“Lawson…” Our lips are a hair’s breadth apart, and I slowly close my eyes and tilt my head up.
“What’s going on here?” My brother’s words cut through the thick cloud of lust that encases us, and we spring apart as though we’ve burned each other.
“Nothing!” My voice is high-pitched when I answer, whirling to grab my clutch from the vanity. “My hair got stuck in my zipper, and Lawson was just helping me untangle it.”
“Yep,” Lawson agrees, popping the p. “Good to see you, Liam.” Without so much as a goodbye, he flees my room while my brother and I watch him go.
The dark brown rings around Liam’s golden green irises are edged in red as he turns his gaze back to me, and I frown. “Are you on something?”
“Don’t change the subject, Luce.” He narrows his eyes at me. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” He turns away, leaving no opportunity for me to question him further about why his eyes are red or why he smells like a weed shop.
I am frozen, replaying what happened between Lawson and me in my mind until Liam’s door slams, spurring me to get a move on.
Downstairs, Rhys is waiting for me with a handsome smile, and his parents are nowhere to be found.
But as he helps me settle into his truck, I can’t help but think about the near kiss I almost shared with his dad.
No, Liam, I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing. I’ve lost my damn mind.