37. Hannah
CHAPTER 37
HANNAH
“ H ey, Gramps! How ya holding up today?” I ask, making my way into his room after leaving Thanksgiving at Caroline’s.
“Hey, Hannah Banana! I guess I’m okay for an old bastard like me. They had to change up a few of my meds, and you know how that messes with me sometimes. But enough about me, how are you?”
“Oh, I’m good. I brought you some of Margaret’s desserts. Everyone told me to tell you they said hi,” I tell him, holding up the Tupperware that Margaret insisted I bring with me. “The pie is good, but the cookies are to die for.”
“Hand it over,” he says eagerly, holding out his hand. “That last batch of cookies you brought didn’t last through the night. I shared some with Gladis, and we both ‘bout made ourselves sick on ’em.”
I laugh as he yanks off the lid and takes out two of the cookies, inhaling them both before I can even sit down.
“I’ll let her know they were a hit,” I say, settling into the chair across from him.
“How’s that bakery of hers coming?” Gramps asks, putting the lid back on the container and throwing it out of his reach before adding sheepishly. “Gladis will be furious if I eat them all without her.”
“It’s coming along. Seth’s offered to help out a lot over the break, and she’s hoping for an opening around the end of the spring.”
“Seth’s a good guy,” Gramps says, nodding in approval. “I’m sure he’ll have her up and running in no time.”
“Yeah, and Mayor Brian asked her to do a pop-up at Deer Valley Inn through the holidays too so that’ll be going soon,” I add.
“Oh, that’s great. I know Brian’s got his hands full, but he and his cousin Bridget have put a lot of work into that place over the last year since his momma passed. Gladis was telling me that they were featured in some hotshot wedding and winery magazine this week. It was the talk of the town at Bingo night.”
“Oh, I haven’t heard that, but that’s awesome. Margaret’s really excited to do some holiday specials too. I’ve lost track of how many recipes she’s tested out for the next few months.”
“Well, tell her if she ever needs someone to sample them, I’m completely up for it. And, tell her once she opens, she needs to add delivery too. This place will keep her in business,” he says enthusiastically.
“Okay, Gramps, I’ll tell her, but I’m not sure the nurses will like y’all eating all that sugar.”
“Listen, I’m almost eighty years old and I’ve had more surgeries in the last couple years than I ever wanted to have. So if I want to eat some cookies, that’s what I’m gonna do, ya hear me, Hannah Banana?” he says, shaking his finger at me, causing me to roll my eyes at his dramatics.
“Fine, fine,” I tell him, holding up my hands in surrender. “I’ll pass the message along for you,”
“Thank you. Now, have you been keeping an eye on this weather? The girl on WKOA said we could be getting some serious snow over the next few days. Can you believe it? It hasn’t snowed here in years.”
“Yeah, I heard something about it, but you know they say this all the time and we never get any. I think it’ll be fine. It’s still football season for goodness sake,” I tell him before adding, “at the game last Friday, we were literally in shorts.”
“Well, I know, but just promise me you’ll pay attention. The farm is enough work without all that extra chaos.”
“I’ll watch it,” I promise.
“Good. And if you need help, I’m sure Will would be happy to come help you. The two of you worked so well together that summer. I always thought y’all would end up together, but judging by the fact that you can barely stand to be in the same room with him, I guess I was wrong.”
I’d just raised my bottle of water to take a sip, but as soon as the words leave his mouth, I can’t resist rolling my eyes. “Not this again, Gramps. Are you gonna bring this up every single time I visit?”
“No, but will you at least explain why you’re trying so hard to act like there isn’t anything there?” he asks, and I have to look away at the confusion on his face.
“Gramps, I don’t know what you think you saw, but there’s never been anything there,” I tell him.
The lie gets caught in my throat, and my gramps gives me a disbelieving look like he knows I’m full of shit, but he lets it go.
“Like I said, I guess I’m wrong. And that’s fine. I just want you to be happy, Hannah. I know it probably wasn’t how you saw your life going and I’ll never forgive my son for giving up the opportunity to be a dad to you, but you’ve made this old man so proud to call you his. Just promise me that you’ll let the right person in when it’s time. I know you think you have to hold it all together, but it’s okay to need someone. Just promise me you won’t shut everyone out forever.”
I feel my throat tighten at his words and tears fill my eyes, but I push them down. Reaching over, I grab his hand and squeeze it, before saying, “I promise, Gramps. I love you always.”
He smiles and pulls me around the table to hug me. “I love you too.”
I hug him back, and eventually he pulls back, leaning back in his recliner. We sit there for a while, talking about everything from the farm to the Iron Bowl and the upcoming semifinals Springside will be playing in next week, but all the while, I can’t stop thinking about what he said about Will.
Do I really shut everyone out? My first response is no, thinking about everything I’ve shared with Caroline over the years, but I pause, remembering there’s so much I haven’t told her. And despite the fun I’m having with Will, I still haven’t told him why I ended everything between us.
Pushing the thoughts aside, I try to snap myself out of it. No one can fix any of it, and there’s no use in becoming either of their charity cases. If the train wreck with your parents taught you anything, it’s that everyone leaves, and there’s no use in pretending otherwise.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe this shit,” I tell Caroline on the phone the next afternoon. “If I wanted to put up with this crap, I wouldn’t live in South Alabama.”
I’m finally headed toward the house after spending the last few hours making sure the cows have plenty of hay and checking on the horses and chickens at the back of the property. I look out, shaking my head in disbelief at the fields that are completely covered in snow. It started falling around lunch and hasn’t stopped for the last few hours.
“I know, I’ve literally only seen snow in Springside twice in my life, and it’s definitely never been this much. Theo and the rest of the fire department got called in because the town’s a disaster. Cars are all over the place, and he said he’s lost track of the number of trucks they’ve had to help pull out of the ditch,” Caroline says through the speaker just as I walk into the yard, heading to make sure Leroy and Ruby have plenty of hay to keep them warm.
“God, what a disaster. So you’re alone too?” I ask, looking around and pausing when I realize Leroy isn’t in his pen
“Yeah, he said he’d try to be back tonight but we’ll see. But Bear’s keeping me company,” she says, referring to Theo’s grumpy chocolate lab. “I hate that our farms are so far apart or I’d come keep you company. Binging reality TV and reading on my Kindle while I drink a full bottle of wine is about all I have planned for the night.”
“Ugh, I know. But I’m pretty sure your fiancé would end up pulling you out of the ditch trying to get here and we’d never hear the end of it,” I tell her, wrinkling my eyebrows when Ruby isn’t in her normal spot either. There’s a large hole in the ground, and I shake my head at the absurdity of what I’m seeing.
“Ugh, Leroy, I seriously do not want to deal with your shit this morning! Did you seriously dig a hole big enough to get Ruby out too?” I groan, looking around the snow-covered ground for a sign of my pig. “I gotta go, Caroline. Leroy’s escape artist skills strike again, and apparently, he’s decided to make Ruby his accomplice this go around.”
She lets out a laugh before saying, “Good luck with that one. Let me know when you find them.”
“Will do,” I say before hanging up and walking around the house. “Leroy, here boy! Ruby, come here sweet girl.”
I walk by Leroy’s normal spots, noticing it’s about to get dark. “Shit, you two are gonna make me lose it.”
I’m starting to get worried, but I try to push that thought down, deciding to go grab a flashlight before it’s too late so I can keep searching for them. “Leroy! Ruby! Come here sweet—” I pause as I walk up on the porch, before bursting into laughter at the sight in front of me.
My calf and my pig are both curled up on my doormat passed out and looking like they’re waiting for me to come home and let them in.
“Are you serious?” I ask, bending down to pet them both and causing them to wake with a start. “You both broke out of your pens, huh? I know it’s cold but you can’t be doing that!”
They both roll on their backs like they’re waiting for me to rub their stomachs, their tails beating the wood porch in excitement.
“I swear, you both think you’re dogs,” I tell them, shaking my head at their antics. “Come on, let’s go back to our pens,” I say, and they both just look at me, still lying on their backs and making no move to stand and follow me. “Ugh, y’all, come on. You both weigh a couple hundred pounds, angels. I can’t carry you over there.”
They still refuse to move, and I throw my hands up, before opening the door, intending to grab the flashlight so I can figure out how to get them back to their pens. Instead, the two animals dart into the house, immediately running to the living room and lying in front of the fire.
“You cannot be serious! Cows and pigs are not allowed in the freaking house!” I yell, but it’s clear neither of them is listening.
I blow out a frustrated sigh, before finally admitting defeat. “Fine, but just because it’s snowing. I’ll build you two a little pen by the fire, but if either of you shit inside my house, it’s over.”
Making quick work of using furniture to make an enclosed area for my sassy animals. When I’m done, I snap a picture and send it to my group chat with Caroline and Margaret, and before I can think any better of it, I send it in a separate message to Will.
I sit my phone down, planning to change into some pajamas and grab my Kindle, but before I can step away, my phone’s ringtone fills the room. Will’s contact shows on the screen and I answer, feeling my heart start to race before I even hear his voice.
“Han, is there really a cow and a pig in your house?” he asks, skipping any greeting and jumping straight to the point.
“Yeah, there is,” I say with a laugh. “I know, but they’re stubborn, and it’s freaking cold out.”
I hear him chuckle through the line, and the sound sends a spark through me. “Never a fucking dull moment with you, Hannah Scott. How you holding up with the snow?”
“Oh, I’m okay. I can’t believe we actually got some though,” I reply, walking to my bedroom to change clothes.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much snow,” he says, lowering his voice. “So what are your plans for tonight? I wanted to come by, but clearly the weather wasn’t on board with that.”
“I would have liked that,” I admit, putting my phone on speaker and throwing it down on my bed before whipping off the first of the multiple layers I had placed on to go outside. “No real plans. I’m about to put on some sweats and cuddle up with my Kindle and a bottle of wine. It’ll probably take me at least twenty minutes to get all these layers off though.”
I expect him to laugh at that, but instead Will murmurs, “God, I already want to be there, Han. You’re torturing me thinking about watching you strip right now.”
My breath catches in my throat and heat rushes to my core at his words. Neither of us speak for a moment, and before I can stop myself, I blurt, “Who says you can’t?”
Before I can change my mind, I lean across the bed to grab my phone and click to change the call over to FaceTime. His face fills my screen, and I feel a rush at the way he’s looking at me.
“Hey, baby,” he mutters as I prop my phone on the dresser. Before I can talk myself out of it, I reach to pull both layers of the remaining sweaters off. Throwing them across the room, I force myself to straighten my shoulders, ignoring the chill from standing in just my bra while glancing back at the screen.
“God, Han, you’re so fucking beautiful,” Will says, leaning closer to the screen. “I knew I should’ve come over this morning.”
“Yeah, and what would you have told Seth when he asked why you weren’t home during the biggest snowstorm Springside’s had in the last century?” I tease, running my hands down to sit on the band of my leggings.
“Hannah, you know I don’t give a shit about any of that. It was your idea to keep this a secret. Otherwise, I wouldn’t give a damn who knows that you belong to me.”
I freeze at that, feeling a panic that I can’t explain clawing at my chest at his words. Why does he keep trying to make this more? A part of me wants to jump at the opportunity to make this into something more than sex, but I know there’s no way that will end well. Desperate to remind him why that can’t happen, I say, “Will, stop being silly. You know we can’t go public even if we wanted to. What would the school say?”
“Baby, you’re more important than any of that. I’m a grown man, and I don’t care how much I love my job. If it comes down to you or the job, I’m picking you every time. Rules or policy be damned.”
My mouth goes dry, and neither of us speaks for a few moments. Finally, Will breaks the silence by murmuring, “Are you gonna stand there, or are you gonna keep showing me that perfect body?”
I shoot him a dirty look, while reaching for my phone. “Actually, now that I think about it, I’m pretty tired. Maybe I’ll just go on to bed and take care of it myself. I bet my fingers feel just as good as yours would,” I taunt.
“Hannah,” he warns, his voice serious, and my stomach dips at the warning in his voice and the desire on his face.
“Fine, but no more of the serious stuff tonight,” I say, throwing my phone down on the bed and sliding my leggings off.
“Hannah, as nice as your ceiling is, I’d much rather see you,” Will adds, and I see him roll his eyes on the little phone screen.
Grabbing my phone, I hold it up to let him see my mostly naked body, and he freezes. “Damn, baby. You’re so fucking sexy.”
I smile at that, lying across my bed and trailing my phone down so he can see all of me. “God, I’ve never hated the snow more in my life,” he groans, as I trail my fingers up and down my body, teasing him by pulling my panties down at my hips a little more each time.
“You gonna be a good girl and take those off for me? I want to see what’s mine” he growls.
I answer by sliding the waistband lower and lower until I pull them all the way off, leaving me completely bare.
“Fuck, yes, baby,” he growls, and I hear his sharp intake of breath as I lower the phone to let him see all of me.
“Are you gonna touch that perfect pussy for me, baby?” he asks, and I pull the phone up so I can see his face.
The look of raw desire makes heat rush to my core, and I whisper, “You want me to?”
“Hell yes, Han. Touch yourself, and let me watch you come apart wishing it was me.”
I let out a moan at that, moving the phone down so that he can see my fingers trail down my stomach before brushing softly against my clit.
“That’s right. Tease that sweet little clit of yours. But you don’t come until I say so,” Will demands as I focus on following his instructions. I don’t remember ever feeling this desperate to find my orgasm, and I groan with need each time my fingers brush across my sensitive clit.
“Now show me how wet you are for me, Hannah. Slide your finger inside, and tell me if that pussy’s dripping for me yet,” he instructs, and I immediately do as he says.
“Shit, baby, that’s so fucking pretty,” he groans, watching through the screen as I slide a finger inside myself. “How wet are you, baby?”
“So wet,” I whimper, moving my finger in and out as I feel my orgasm starting to build.
“Han, you’re gonna make me come,” he growls, and I look down at my phone to see the feral look in his eyes. He’s lying back on his bed and I can tell he’s fisting his cock as he watches me touch myself through the screen. “Fuck that sweet cunt of yours and let me watch you come apart for me.”
His words drive my desire even higher, and I lose myself in his command. Reaching down with my other hand to tease my clit, I slide another finger inside my pussy, fucking myself faster as the orgasm I felt building earlier threatens to overtake me.
“Yes, come for me, baby. I want to hear you,” Will urges, and apparently his words are all the encouragement I need because, at that, my orgasm overtakes me.
“God, yes,” I moan, writhing my hips against my fingers as I come, barely aware of Will continuing to praise me on the other end of the line. It takes me a moment to come down, and when I do, I reach for my phone, smiling at the satisfied grin on his face.
“Damn, that was sexy,” he mutters, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Did you finish?” I ask, realizing I was so lost in the moment, I have no idea if he’s still expecting something in return.
“Yeah, baby, hottest damn thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Will says, shaking his head in disbelief. “I enjoyed that, but this snow shit needs to go because if I don’t get inside you soon, I’m gonna lose my damn mind. This time tomorrow, I don’t care if I have to walk the fifteen miles to your house, I’m gonna be in your bed.”
I laugh again, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”
“I mean it. You better get your rest tonight, because tomorrow you’re mine,” he growls.
“Hmm, sounds good to me. Good night, Will,” I say.
I ignore the pang in my chest at having to say goodbye, despite the fact that I’m dead on my feet and there’s no reason for us to keep talking now that the sex is over.
“Good night, Han. Sweet dreams,” he says, shooting me a smile before he ends the call.
I take a minute to wash up and get ready for bed, before collapsing back on my mattress, pulling the covers up around me. The house that has always been my refuge suddenly feels oddly empty in the silence, and I blow out a sigh at the feeling of loneliness that threatens to overtake me.