12. Oliver
12
OLIVER
S he’s standing in front of my house, having waited for who knows how long.
And she’s right where she should be.
Hailey is more beautiful when she seems afraid. I’m not sure that’s something I should enjoy, but right now, she’s anxious because she just admitted something that I very much understand.
“Hailey…” Her eyes grow wider in anticipation. The strap of my bag slides off my shoulder, and I let the bag drop to the ground. “I don’t want to forget last week either.”
Her face relaxes while a droll smile appears on my own. She takes one step closer, as though she’s fearful she might break. “Really?”
It causes me to grin. “Yeah, really.”
All week, I’ve been thinking about her. I thought space would be the escape I needed to move on from the wedding weekend, but it only made me realize how much I don’t want to be the good guy who follows rules all the time. I want to be her guy.
I glance to my right then left, not forgetting that we are standing in front of my house on Everhope Road. If we’re not careful, someone in the neighborhood will spread gossip like wildfire.
I indicate with my head behind her. “Come on.”
Her gentle smile sticks as she follows behind me, and I unlock and open the door.
The moment that we’re inside with the door closed, I drop my bag, and we look at one another in a whimsical state. Is it still disbelief?
I swipe my thumb across my end-of-day stubble. “So yeah, I don’t want to stop sleeping with you or kissing you. But this isn’t going to be simple.”
Hailey hesitates but treads slowly toward me. “My brother,” she states simply.
Our eye contact doesn’t break. “He’s on his honeymoon for a while. We don’t need to worry about that now, right?” I’m trying to convince myself of the logic. Now it’s me who takes one foot forward to curl my arms swiftly around her middle to pull her against my body.
“You’ve been thinking about this?” She’s asking a silly question, but I hear the doubt deep underneath.
Smirking, I’m going to have to snap us out of the disbelief that we are on the same page. “All the fucking time for way too long. Only made worse in the last week.” I cage her face between my palms and lift her lips to ensure I can perfectly capture them when I lean my mouth down.
It’s a deep welcoming kiss. This isn’t passion, just purely a kiss of truth. We have a connection beyond the bedroom, and this is our reminder. Our reunion is only a week later, but it feels like way too long.
She runs her hands up my back until they’re hanging over my shoulders. Our mouths slant and we mumble calming noises in our mingling breaths. My tongue sneaks between her lips for one circle of her tongue right before we begin to part, only to quickly magnetize back into another kiss. Finally, we pull away, with our lips gently tracing the other.
“I couldn’t wait so I sat on your steps,” she whispers.
I drag my thumb up the line of her cheekbone. “I noticed. It’s a good way to arrive home, to be honest.”
“I’m not sure what happens next.” She captures my thumb between her teeth before planting a kiss on my thumbprint.
“I’ve been on a plane all afternoon. Let me shower and we can talk after. You can wait in my bed.”
Hailey retreats her head back, her lips in one line, attempting to keep her smile locked away. “Ah, I see how it is. We’re going straight to that part.”
My long finger lands on her lips to shush her. “One, talking after reunion sex is always a great way to communicate. Two, I don’t exactly expect you to leave my bed tonight, so you might as well get comfortable. Three, when I say wait in bed then you wait in bed.” I’m half-joking.
She croaks a laugh and blows my finger away. “I can speak and decide for myself, thank you very much… just so happens that I want to do all of those things. That’s because I want to, not because Oliver is demanding.” She’s teasing me, and I can get used to this.
“But seriously, give me five minutes or just join me in the shower,” I suggest.
“I think you know that answer.”
And two minutes later we are standing under the stream of hot water with my bathroom steaming up. We face one another with our bodies pressed together and her smile permanently painted on her lips.
“Is this where we are having our conversation?” Her voice floats, echoing in the shower.
I swipe water through my hair as if this is a normal shower, even though there is a woman right in front of me who I get to have for another night.
“Where shall we begin? The part where for a long time I’ve done things to you in my head that even I couldn’t get myself out of jail for, and I’m a damn good lawyer.”
“You’re not a defense lawyer,” she deadpans before she grabs the bottle of shampoo.
“Feisty,” I retort.
She flashes me a look of feigned annoyed. “I meant the discussion about the reality of our situation.”
I sigh as I switch my demeanor to being more serious. “Your brother is away on his honeymoon for three more weeks,” I remind her again.
Hailey focuses on rubbing suds on my chest. “And? What about when he returns?”
“I’m not sure, but he doesn’t need to discover our new dynamic, not now. We’ll figure out our direction in our own time.” I’m a little scared my choice of words lacks optimism.
But then she nods once. “Agreed. We can do that. I also think it’s better that we don’t tell anyone that we’ve entered fuck-buddy territory.” My eyes gawk at her choice of words, and she notices. “We don’t have a label, okay? It’s hard to title it. But we can keep it quiet. Esme knows about the road trip, but she has no clue about the wedding night or the fact that I’ve been waiting on your step.”
“Likewise for Keats. Plus, I’m not particularly fond of the idea of both of them watching from the sidelines giving commentary.”
She bubbles a laugh. “Even when you and I were platonic they gave their views. But yes, let’s not give them more ammunition.”
“Then there is the neighbor factor,” I add to our list while I rub her slick back with soap, causing her to be tightly glued to my body.
“We live on opposite ends of the street. We’ll just get creative on sneaking around. I haven’t jumped fences since I was twenty and needed to escape a party, but I’m sure I still have that skill in me.”
I study her for a second. “Do I want to know that story?”
“No.” She’s blunt.
A calm silence fills the air as we look at one another, our eyes in a trance, the smell of mountain-fresh shampoo wafting to our noses and our bodies slippery.
“Now, tell me about your bed? I’ve never been in your room. Is the mattress up to my high standards? How’s the thread count of your sheets?” Here is entertaining Hailey which means we can close the serious discussion and move on.
I walk her back against the tile wall, hooking my hand under knee to raise her leg, and I encourage her to keep it right where I want it and create the perfect opportunity for me to drive straight into her. She flinches but her face remains coy, right until I give her an open-mouthed kiss.
“Silly girl, we need to try the shower first.” I give her one vicious thrust which causes her nails to dig into my shoulders to hold on tighter.
“Oliver,” she gasps, and it’s music when it mixes with the sound of running water.
“Tonight you’re mine. Understand?” I’m buried deep inside of her and refrain from pulling out until she answers me.
Her moan causes her to search for her voice because my grip on her hips tugs her harder against me.
“Yes,” she whispers.
Satisfied, I begin to move again.
With plans to do this all weekend.
Hailey was in a deep sleep when I woke at eight. Peaceful and maybe a little sore from our all-night fuck fest, but it’s all worth it. As much as sleeping in should be a hobby for me, it isn’t. I don’t even know how. It’s often that my phone goes off at six with an urgent need to get a player on the team or do a trade. Saturday is usually less work, and luckily, today nothing. I left a note for Hailey that I would be right back because I had no supplies in my house for breakfast.
Now, I’m exiting Foxy Rox with a tray of coffees and a bag of bagels. The place is packed, as I expected for the weekend, which is why I’m in luck that a man holds the door open for me. The sun is shining, clear blue skies, and my mood is fucking peachy, even if I couldn’t get a parking spot on Main Street close to the coffee house.
When I walk by the building with the for-sale sign, I stop as soon as I accidentally overhear the real estate agent outside on the phone. I’m trying not to listen, but it’d be obvious if she took any notice. Also, why in the world does she have her phone on speaker?
“Truthfully, I wish that girl who wanted to open a preschool could manage to buy this place. When you brought her through the open house, she was the only one who seemed to be in love with the space. The other offers were nothing of interest. I don’t want that couple who is keen on opening a brewery. There are already enough cute places for food and drinks in Everhope.”
Molly hums in understanding. “Hailey would be a great move-in. But as I mentioned, she most definitely can’t fulfill the clause about marriage.”
I can hear the woman on the other end crack a sound. “I know. It’s just my grandfather had the clause, then my father, and now it feels it would be taking away tradition.”
“I’m not sure what to say. I mean, there is the orthodontist who would like to open his second office. That’s a great offer.”
It’s a few sentences more and I’ve heard enough, know enough, and hate the situation enough.
Sighing, I need to get out of here. It’s just, I continue to mull over the conversation on the drive back to my house. It bothers me. A lot, apparently. Everyone sees the potential, but nobody will move the rocks in the way.
I park my car in the driveway and quickly, with my hands full, attempt to wave to the tired couple next door who are watching their preschool-aged girls draw on the sidewalk with chalk. I can tell they have had an early morning, and I internally wince for them.
Hurrying, I get inside before the coffees get too cold. I can already hear the movement of cupboard doors. Hailey must be up.
A smile quickly hits me when I slow my stride into the kitchen to find her back to me, on her tippy toes, in my shirt and giving me a glimpse of her panties.
I’m an idiot for not giving in to this woman years ago. She’s part of the picture of my kitchen, and I want to walk right to her and wrap my arms around her like a warm blanket.
“Not a bad view.”
She closes the door and turns to smile at me. “There you are.”
I hold up the tray and bag. “Replenishments.”
“Oh, thank the heavens.” She rushes straight to me and snatches the bag from my hands. She fishes into the bag and pulls out a bagel. “Are you joking with me? Is this your way of trolling me? I don’t need the reminder of my kitchen failures.”
I laugh, as I didn’t think about it. “No way. I just know you like bagels. There’s a variety and a container of cream cheese, too.”
She squinches her eyes to appraise me to check my sincerity then grins ear to ear before sliding onto a stool at the counter.
“I guess breakfast is more important than a good-morning kiss?”
“Kind of,” she jokes.
When I hand her the coffee, I give her a quick peck then circle the counter to grab plates.
“What’s on the agenda for today? Boardgames? Knitting? Giving G-rated kisses.”
I pause and have to laugh to myself again. This woman brightens every moment.
“None of my ideas include those.”
“Good.”
There is a brief quiet while she focuses on food, and I grab a knife.
“You know, I ran into your brother yesterday. He mentioned I should probably warn you that your parents might have a new prospect for you on the housewife hunt,” she says and smirks to herself, even with her mouth full.
Instantly, my shoulders sink at the reminder of the world’s expectations. “Swell.” I’m being sarcastic. I’ll do things my own way in my own time. “You don’t need to worry about that. It’s been their scheme for years. I just never had the heart to lie and say that I already had somebody who was by chance always too busy to attend family dinners.”
Her head wobbles side to side. “That’s one strategy.”
I take a sip of my coffee while Hailey chomps down her breakfast. Did I really wear her out that much?
“We can stay locked away in this humble abode all weekend, but I need to grade papers tomorrow night. I have the generation who feel a teacher isn’t needed when they have social media to teach them the facts of the world.”
She’s always upbeat, and I hate to dial it down. “Speaking of teaching…” Awkward lines must appear on my face. “I overheard the owner of that building with the agent. They might have a buyer, an orthodontist or someone like that.”
Her chew slows. “Oh.” A frown takes over her. “I thought he backed out. Not that it matters.”
I’m not sure why I just shared the information or why watching her contemplate all of the ideas in her head feels somber. Probably because it’s all in earnest good what she wants. I even briefly think of the kids next door; I think my neighbors mentioned once that they drive two towns over for their girls’ school.
Hailey begins to play with her bagel before taking a nimble bite.
I swivel side to side on my stool as a thought deep within whispers, and it builds like a storm brewing until it is large enough to be a tornado that spins right out of my mouth.
“Marry me.” My tone is firm.
Hailey’s eyes snap to me, and the bagel in her hands drops to the counter in one thud while her eyes grow into saucers.
“Say what now?” Her mouth hangs open.
“You heard me. Marry me.”