Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
brADY
A fter our dalliance in the powder room, Hazel excused herself to take a shower. Dalton had already plated our food and was shoveling it into his mouth. "You know that was meant for Hazel, right?"
Dalton paused. "Shit. I didn't even think about that."
I sat next to him. "We're living together. You can't just come in whenever you want."
"But I have a key," Dalton said as if he didn't understand why his access would be denied.
I gave him a look. "We're newly engaged."
His eyes widened. "Oh, you want to fuck whenever you want."
"Jesus, you don't have to be so crude." Even though that's exactly what I was thinking. My mind was blown that Hazel had come downstairs in just my shirt and nothing else. She was a walking sex dream, and I couldn’t believe my brother was cockblocking me the morning after I finally got the object of my fantasies in my bed.
"Like that's not what you meant," Dalton mumbled.
"I know you're miserable because of this situation with Oakley. But we're happy, and I want to do this right."
"Is this coming from Hazel?"
I skipped over that question. "We should have this time to ourselves, and you were the one who moved out. If money is an issue, I can buy your half of the house.”
"I appreciate that. It’s just that everything is so volatile right now. I don't know if Oakley wants me there or not."
"Maybe you should get your own place and set it up for the baby. Assume that you'll be on your own. It's not fair for her to invite you to live with her and then kick you out. That's messed up."
Dalton nodded. "It is."
"Either she treats you with respect, or you're doing this on your own." I'd never been in this situation, but it didn't seem healthy for Dalton or the baby.
His gaze was on the counter. "I don't know why I let her treat me like this."
"Would you be with her if she wasn't pregnant?" I asked.
Dalton lifted his gaze to meet mine. "You know I was planning on breaking up with her."
"Then why are you with her? Nothing has changed. Pregnancy didn't all of a sudden make her the perfect partner. There were cracks before the baby came along."
Dalton sighed, pushing away his now-empty plate. "I thought it would be better for us to live together when the baby came, and I want to be involved."
"But it sounds like she's going to control the whole situation."
"What if she doesn't let me see the baby?" Dalton's tone was vulnerable.
"You get an attorney and find out what your rights are. You won't see the baby as often, but I don't think the situation you're in is healthy."
He blew out a breath. "I'm going to be a dad."
"And this is how you become a good one. Oakley's messing with you. You need to protect yourself and the baby as much as you can. You have our support, and you have rights."
He blew out a breath. "That's a good idea. I'll start looking for a place of my own."
"One of us can go with you. Cooper is Ivy's main contact now. With all the inspections he's been doing for her, I know she'll make finding you a place a priority."
"I'll send her a message." Dalton refilled his coffee. "And I'll be more respectful. I can text you before I come over."
I squeezed the back of my neck. "You'll probably want to knock too."
Dalton winced. "It's like that, huh?"
I grinned, remembering how I'd pleasured Hazel in the bathroom. "It's to be expected."
"I don't think things with Oakley have ever been like that. I don't want to spend more time with her unless it means being more involved in her pregnancy. I want to help her and go to appointments. But I'm tired of the drama."
"You're tired of the games and the push-pull. I get that. But not all relationships are like that. You need to focus on what's healthy for the baby and you."
He sipped his coffee. "I always wanted to be a father. But I thought I'd be married, and we'd have a relationship like Mom and Dad."
I sighed. "Life doesn't always work out like we planned."
"Did you think you'd be engaged to Hazel?" Dalton asked.
"I never thought it would happen. That either of us would ever make a move."
Dalton's gaze slipped over my shoulder, and I turned to find Hazel standing in the entry way, looking a little surprised. After last night, she should have known how I felt about her. How I'd always felt. I wonder how much she'd heard. "You want breakfast? I can whip up some more eggs."
Hazel sat next to Dalton. "That sounds great. How are things with you?"
Dalton blew out a breath. "It's a little rough right now, but Brady straightened me out."
Hazel frowned. "Oh? How so?"
I poured her coffee and set the mug in front of her. "I told him to focus on himself and the baby. Do what's best for him. This back-and-forth can't be good."
"I have to agree. You want your baby to have stability and predictability."
"Oakley's making things more difficult than they need to be. I just want to prepare for the baby and for her to relax, not stress about things."
I got out the eggs and broke them in the pan.
"I would imagine it's only going to get worse when the baby gets here. If you don't want a relationship with Oakley other than a co-parenting one, you probably need to set those boundaries now."
"That's why I told him to get his own place."
"I want to work as much as possible the next few months to save for the baby and all the things he or she will need," Dalton said.
Hazel touched his arm. "You're going to be a great dad."
His brow furrowed. "I don't want this kid to suffer because the parents aren't meant to be together."
"Your child is so lucky to have you."
"I just hope Oakley won't keep me from him or her," Dalton said, despair seeping into his voice.
I set my empty mug in the sink. "You should talk to an attorney so you know what to expect and you're ready with a plan when the baby is born. Are you going to get a paternity test?"
"I'm positive the baby's mine."
"The attorney might recommend a test just as a precaution. You can say the court requires it or something if Oakley has a problem with it," Hazel said.
"I'll call an attorney tomorrow and talk to Ivy today about looking for a place. I feel better now that I have a plan. Worrying about whether Oakley'll let me live with her is ridiculous. I want to come home at the end of the night and know I can sleep in my bed."
"That seems like a basic necessity," Hazel agreed. "I think you're on the right track, and like Brady said, we're here for you."
"They say it takes a village to raise a kid, and I'm finding out that it's true," Dalton said.
"We want to help." It was nice to have Hazel here to help with conversations like this. I wasn't sure what the right answer was, and I didn't want to tell him the wrong thing.
"Everyone needs boundaries," Hazel murmured.
"I don't want any boundaries between us," I teased with a grin.
Hazel laughed and shook her head. "You will once the honeymoon is over."
"It's just getting started." And I wasn't ready to let her go.
Dalton stood abruptly. "Yeah, that's my cue to leave."
"Where are you off to?" I asked him.
"I'm going to see if Ivy can give me a few tours today."
"I hope you find something that works for you," Hazel said.
Dalton touched her shoulder. "Sorry for walking in this morning unannounced. Brady told me how rude it was, and I don't want to intrude on your time."
"That's okay," Hazel said simply.
When he left, I sighed. "Was that the right thing to do? Dalton has always had a place here."
"I think if he has this place, he'll keep going back and forth. He needs to make a decision before the baby comes. This one will give him stability and confidence. Plus, it sends a message to Oakley that he won't be played with."
"Yeah, I don't like how she's handling this. It's a tough situation, but she's making it worse. And what will it be like when the baby comes? More drama? That can't be good for the baby."
"No, it won't." Hazel put her arms around my waist, resting her head on my chest. "He'll be okay. You'll see."
"I've always been a place Dalton can come to. It feels weird telling him no."
"For what it's worth, I think this will be better for him, his baby, and Oakley. Someone needs to put a stop to her drama. Dalton is sending her a powerful message that he's no longer playing her games."
It was nice to have a partner to talk this through.
If Hazel hadn't been here, I probably would have been okay with Dalton moving back in.
The cycle would have continued, and that wouldn't have been good for anyone.
"I was worried about Dalton, how he could sustain things.
But he finally has a plan, and it's because of you. "
"He would have figured it out eventually."
"I don't know about that. He wants to be a good partner and father. He'll do anything for Oakley as the mother of his child, and she's taking advantage of him."
"Once he talks to an attorney, he'll have a better idea of his rights."
"Now that things with Dalton are going in the right direction, do you want to help me film more shows?"
Hazel grinned. "Absolutely."
Hazel was the first person in my life who didn't think my hobby was a waste of time. She treated it as a business that needed to be nurtured. Hazel supported me, and I could see that Oakley wasn't doing the same for Dalton. What I had with Hazel was special.
We spent most of the day filming, then changed into our suits before taking a long walk on the beach with Max. On the way back, I asked, " Do you want to get in the pool?" I had a small one that was good for just cooling off. It wasn't big enough for laps or exercise.
"Sure."
At the outdoor shower, I turned on the water, and we waited for it to turn warm. We took turns washing off, and then we jumped into the pool.
"This feels good after a long day of work," Hazel said as she lowered herself into the water.
"I appreciate you helping me," I said to her.
"It was fun."
"Most women wouldn't think so. I'm not sure I've dated anyone who didn't view it as a waste of time."
Hazel frowned. "Aren't you making money from it?"
"Yeah."
She moved her hands through the water. "And it's something you enjoy. Why would it be a waste of time?"
"I guess because it's not a traditional source of income. If I built a porch on the weekend and got paid for it, then that would be worthwhile. But filming a show about playing a video game is a waste of time. At least that's what my dad thinks."
"It's something people don't understand. That doesn't make it wrong."
I moved closer to her, pulling her toward me so that her legs came around my waist in the deep water. "I like your view on things."
Hazel smiled, looping her wrists around my neck. "I'll always support you."
Because she was my friend first? Or was it because we were building something new? "After a long day of work, I think we deserve to play."
Her head tipped to the side. "Oh, what did you have in mind?"
I raised a brow. "A water sport makes the most sense."
She ground down over my hardening dick. "Can I ride you?"
My palm spanned her back as I held her in place. "You sure can."
Desire flared in her eyes.
I untied her bikini.
She stilled. "Can anyone see us here?"
"We're surrounded by trees and foliage. Dalton won't be showing up unannounced again, and I don't have cameras."
A grin spread over her face. "Are you saying that this is private?"
"I am."
Hazel's top fell off her shoulders, and she shrugged it off so that it floated in the water. Her nipples were a dusky rose, and I couldn't wait to get my mouth on them. I sucked on one; her head fell back.
Her fingers tangled in my hair. "That feels so good."
I always wanted to make her feel good. To know that she was desired. She did so much for me, and I wanted to return the favor.
I flicked her nipple with my tongue, letting my scruff abrade the soft skin of her breast. She tightened her hold on my neck, and I moved to her other nipple, lavishing it with the same attention. She moved over my dick, propelling my desire.
I stilled her with my hands on her hips, and I untied the strings on her bottoms, letting the material fall away. "I love the easy access of bikinis."
"I never thought about it before. But it does come in handy." Her cheeks were flush as she looked down at me.
I wanted to pause this moment and take a picture to hold onto forever. She was looking at me with desire in her eyes. Her naked body was all for me to enjoy. She wouldn't regret this arrangement.
I moved her slightly so that I could slide off my board shorts. When she straddled me, her pussy rubbed against my dick. My dick slid in, and we both paused. My heart was beating out of control, and every muscle was tight from restraint.
"Do I need to grab a condom? I'm clean," I asked tightly, my heart racing.
She played with my hair. "I'm clean and on birth control."
"Are you sure about this?" I asked her, wanting to know if she trusted me to take care of her.
"I trust you."
It was early for this step, but we were in the pool, and I didn't want to walk away from her to grab a condom from my bedroom. It was too far away, and she was ripe for me. I teased her entrance until she was delirious with need, and then I eased inside her, filling her.
Once I was seated fully inside her, she began to move. She eased off my dick and then lowered back down. I helped her with my hands on her hips. The feel of her without the barrier of the condom was like nothing I'd ever experienced before.
It was the closest thing to heaven I could imagine. She kissed me, and I got lost in the sensation of her walls pressing around my dick and her fingers in my hair.
Her movements became jerkier, and I reached down to touch her clit. I rubbed it until her head fell forward onto my shoulder. I gripped her hips and drove inside her from below.
In seconds, I was shuddering, releasing inside of her. A primal feeling came over me. Hazel was mine, and I never wanted to let her go.
There was something about her being naked in my pool and agreeing to go without a condom that had all my possessive instincts on alert.