30. Hazel
Chapter 30
Hazel
M y deep, peaceful slumber was interrupted by my phone ringing, the shrill noise jolting me awake. Pawing at my bedside table, I squinted at the screen in the dark before groaning when I realized who had disturbed me.
My mother.
With a sigh, I tapped the accept button, pressing the speaker button so I could easily hear her.
“Hazel?” My mother’s shrill voice made me wince.
“Hello, Mother,” I groaned.
“Don’t tell me you’re still in bed!”
I glanced at the time on my phone screen, grimacing. “It’s not even seven, so, yes, I was still in bed.”
“We need to have a conversation.”
I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. “Yes?” What gala or event was she going to try and rope me into this time?
“We are hosting a small dinner next week, and we would like for you to attend—and before you say anything, I know you’ve been busy with classwork, but this is important. After you brushed us off over Christmas, it’s the least you can do for us.”
I took a deep breath. My stomach was rapidly growing as Peanut got bigger by the day, so if I wanted to see my family before I explained to them my predicament, the sooner the better.
“I think I can make that work.”
“Good. Now, I’m going to send over a few dresses because I want you to wear something appropriate.”
My eyes rolled into the back of my head, and I looked to the heavens for help. “I can assure you, Mother, I am perfectly capable of picking out a dress.”
I highly doubted I would fit into anything she sent for me. My bump, while small, was starting to show. In the right dress, it would be concealable, but knowing my mother, she would not send the kind of dresses that would skim over my figure.
She genuinely believed a woman’s greatest asset was their figure, not their brain. It was kind of depressing, honestly.
“Well, if you pick up the dress, will you send a photo to me for approval?”
I winced. Usually, I would say no, but I really needed her to let me choose my own dress so I could ensure my bump was concealed.
“Sure, I’ll have a photo to you by the end of the week.” I kept my voice chipper, even though I was grinning through the pain.
Next to me, Sebastian had woken up and was watching me, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“Good. See how easy things can be when you’re amenable? Okay, I must dash, I have a meeting. Bye!”
The call cut out, and I took a deep breath, throwing my phone toward the end of the nest and flopping back, staring at the ceiling.
“Has your mother ever relaxed in her life?”
I turned my head to face him, eyebrows raised. “You know full well the answer to that question.”
Seb snorted. “Yeah, she’s always had a stick up her ass. She was probably born with it already inserted.”
“For sure,” I agreed.
“You know what this means? You need to go shopping.”
“Usually that prospect would excite me, but I’m just so tired,” I grumbled. “And don’t you have class today?”
“I have practice, but the others don’t.”
“I’m pretty sure that the last thing they want to do is be dragged around, shopping, for a day.”
“You have so little faith in them.” Seb laughed, grabbing his phone off the bedside table.
A second later, my phone buzzed. Seb had messaged the pack group chat.
Seb:
Hazel needs to go dress shopping today, and I have practice. Who wants to go with her?
“When were you added to the pack group chat?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“We realized early on that it’s a good way of keeping track of who was watching over you.” He shrugged. How had I not realized that yet? My baby brain was really making me miss simple things.
Part of me wanted to be offended that they were assigning babysitters for me like I was a puppy, but part of me was also very touched.
The fact that they had let Sebastian join the group chat was a good sign. Maybe we really could work as a family.
My phone buzzed several times in quick succession as everyone answered Seb.
Phillip:
I’m free today.
Cormac:
me me meeeeee
Roman:
I’ll bring the credit card. We can have lunch at the Mexican place you’ve been wanting to try, Duchess.
Phillip:
Why are you guys even awake?
“Damn, Roman is good. He knows to bribe you with food,” Seb laughed, watching the exchange over my shoulder. His arm wrapped around my waist, pulling my back so it lay flush against his chest. “I’m sorry I can’t come with you today.”
“You need to go to practice. If you miss any more, the coach is going to murder you. When’s your next game?”
“In two weeks. Against the Avalon Knights.”
I winced. “That sounds fun.”
Seb pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. “You know what? It might be. We’ve all been playing nicely while living together, so the ice could be a good opportunity for us to take out our frustrations on one another.”
“I happen to like all your faces, so no punching and no damaging each other,” I instructed, turning to face him. In the morning light that was just starting to filter in, he looked beautiful. His scent was extra potent, and I was probably covered in it.
“We should get up.” I groaned. My to-do list for the day was growing rapidly.
“We should. But I happen to like having you here,” he said, leaning down to kiss my neck. My body reacted, softening in his embrace, going boneless as each touch of his lips sent electricity through me.
I stayed in his arms for a few minutes before crawling out of bed, despite Sebs’s protests.
Without bothering to shower, I threw on a pair of linen trousers and a cute daisy-patterned crop top. Having no clothes in the room, Seb was reduced to putting on his boxers from the night before.
“Breakfast?” I asked, padding over to him and wrapping my arms around his waist, burying my face into his chest and taking a deep breath.
“If you don’t stop touching me, you’re going to be breakfast,” he grumbled, pulling back and heading toward the door.
Following him, I was about to open my mouth when he opened the door from my nest into the hallway, and the world exploded into a glittery, chaotic mess.
“What the fuck!” Seb cried out as bright gold confetti filled our vision. I could hardly see through the confetti, but I could hear someone, or more accurately, several someone’s, cheering.
“Congratulations on getting laid!” Cormac shouted, barreling toward Seb and grabbing him in a headlock.
He, Phillip and Roman were all standing outside my nest like creepers, and in their hands, they had the still-smoking remnants of confetti cannons.
“Who exactly are you congratulating?” I asked in confusion.
“Sebby boy!” Cormac declared from his position on the floor, where he and Seb were locked in an intense altercation.
“Judging by the thoroughly fucked state of you, Sebby boy has finally let his feelings be known, so we thought that deserved a celebration.” Roman shrugged. “We got cake.”
My hair was rather wild… was what we had been doing really that obvious? I should have taken a shower.
“You got cake?” I asked dumbly.
Phillip nodded. “It felt appropriate.”
“Has anyone ever told you guys that you are mentally unstable?” I asked, trying to contain my smile.
“Many people, Duchess, many people. We felt this was the best way to welcome him to the family.” Roman nodded sagely. “Now, do you want cake or not?”
“Well… I’m not going to say no to cake.”