Chapter 25 Bittersweet Familiarity
Bittersweet Familiarity
“Halloween was a huge deal for us growing up.”
Late Saturday afternoon, hot chocolate in hand, I wondered at the massive shift in my life.
And the return to the bittersweet familiarity of Halloween traditions we had allowed to fall by the wayside for so many years. Only a month out from Halloween, I was ready to continue with our family tradition.
With Daire this time.
“Yeah?” Daire squeezed me closer to him on Max’s large, comfortable couch.
“Huge,” I replied. “My mom and Noelle’s mom, Christine, were loopy about it.”
“We had some stellar costumes,” Max commented as he passed Daire one of the bottles in his hand and sat down. “We had themed costumes every year. Remember the year we went out as Cheetos?”
I barked out a laugh and grimaced. “That was the worst.”
“It was. In the dark, we looked like a bunch of dildos.”
“Hey! It wasn’t our fault! You guys picked the costume that year, Noelle and I just sewed them!”
“I thought it was your mothers who were loopy over Halloween?” Daire teased.
“They were. But Noelle and I insisted we could take over. The first year, we chose Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and required a costume rescue. The next year we opted for something simpler and ended up looking like a bunch of dicks.” I began to laugh.
“Noelle and I made round cut-outs for our faces. We looked ridiculous. Emphasis on the dic part of that word. There are pictures somewhere.”
“I have them,” Max grinned. “I’ll pull them out when Noelle and Hawk get here.”
Conversation between Daire and Max flowed easily. They were close. Loved each other and shared a mutual respect.
I loved that for both of them.
Daire didn’t seem to have too many people he was close to. Just Max, his mom, and a few other friends from university I’d yet to meet.
Max had sequestered himself for so long I’d forgotten what he was really like.
This was going to be the best Halloween since we lost Hunter.
I wiggled away from Daire and reached for my notebook. “Okay!” I sat poised with my pen at the ready. “Costumes!”
“I thought this was planning for your event?” Daire mused.
I gave him big eyes. “It is. And we’re going to need costumes.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for Hawk and Noelle?” Max asked.
I waved away his concern. “We’ll just start brainstorming.”
“Wizard of Oz,” Max answered immediately.
“Scooby-Do,” Daire offered.
“How about a basketball team and Hunter can be the ball?” I suggested.
By the time Noelle and Hawkley showed up ten minutes later, we had a healthy list of suggestions.
I cooed over baby Hunter, preparing to lift him from his car seat when I sensed the mood shift behind me.
I turned to see a hard-faced Hawkley attempting to stare down Daire.
My eyes darted to Daire who was smiling tightly back at him.
“What’s going on?”
Neither Hawk nor Daire deigned to even look at me.
“Max?”
Max looked between them then back at me. “You know what, Harley? Absolutely nothing of any importance.”
Hawk’s angry gaze swung to Max.
Max shook his head. “We’ve talked about this. You’re blowing it out of proportion, Hawk.”
Noelle put her hand on Hawkley’s arm, tossing a nervous smile in Daire’s direction. “Hawk, baby, it’s all good.”
I frowned. What did they all know that I didn’t? I opened my mouth to push for answers, but baby Hunter chose that moment to unleash an ear-splitting scream.
“Holy fuck!” I exclaimed. “What the hell was that?”
Noelle laughed. “His newest skill. Isn’t it a killer?”
“It’s awful,” I laughed. I gave my head a small shake. My ears were still ringing. “He’s a baby mandrake. You guys need ear plugs.”
It didn’t take me long to soothe him, it turned out he wanted up and didn’t care to wait. I grinned. As impatient as his namesake.
I considered pushing back against Hawk for his attitude, but I was wary of pushing him. I’d only just gotten him back. I didn’t love the idea of getting into it with him.
Now or at any time in the future.
Daire grabbed a fresh beer for himself and Max, and passed another to Hawk who accepted it with a ‘thanks, man’, so whatever the problem was, it seemed to have passed.
Hawk smiled at me, and the rest of my tension drifted away.
He peered at my notebook. “What fresh hell are you conjuring up for us now?”
I laughed and launched into my plans.
Years ago, Sage Ridge adopted a few unique Halloween practices.
The celebration started early at the school where there was lots of parking, continued through downtown, and then filtered down into the neighborhoods for the older kids.
“This year, instead of the kids heading home, I want to open the hall at the resort for a movie night. The school is totally on board.”
Daire nodded. “I’ve already heard the talk about this. In the younger grades, absolutely nothing gets done the day after Halloween. The kids are tired, full of sugar, and coming down off of adrenaline.”
He continued, “The school can’t technically give them the day off, but we can plan an art and activity-based day. The kids who are allowed to stay home after a late night don’t miss anything. The kids who have to go in have a great day. Everybody wins.”
“And what will we be calling this auspicious event?” Noelle asked.
I grinned. “Halloween Howler.”
She lit up. “I like it!”
I grinned at Daire who looked back at me with nothing short of adoration.
My lips parted.
I searched his eyes.
How could that be? Was I seeing something that wasn’t there?
Daire’s gaze softened. He went to speak when his phone went off with a ringtone I’d never heard before.
He looked at his screen and his face paled. “I’ve gotta take this.”
Crossing the room with long strides, he headed for the kitchen.
“He can’t take the call here?” Hawk raised his eyebrows at Max.
Max’s lips flattened.
“What is it? Max?” My face paled. “Oh, God! Is he seeing someone else?”
“What? No!” Max exclaimed, giving his head a disbelieving shake. “He’s crazy about you.”
“Harley,” Daire called from the doorway, his voice hard, his brows scrunched together. “I gotta go. We gotta go. I need you to come with me.”
I stood up and gathered my things. “What happened?”
“Harley can stay if she wants. Noelle and I can drive her home,” Hawk interjected harshly.
My eyes flew to my brother. What the hell was his problem?
“No,” Daire shook his head shortly. “I need her with me. Harley, please hurry. It’s my mom.”
“Is she okay?” Max asked immediately.
“Yes. No,” Daire answered. “She was in a car accident. Broken ankle. I need to get out of here and call her back.”
“Sure, man. No problem.” Max jumped up and clapped a hand on Daire’s broad back. “You spoke to her? She’s okay?”
Daire nodded shortly, his eyes seeking me out. “She’s at home with John. I just need to…”
His voice drifted off. I’d never seen him like that. Never imagined he could be so completely undone.
“I’m coming, honey,” I assured him.
In the car, I laid my hand on his thigh. “Daire, honey, your mom is at home with her partner?”
“Yes.”
“So that means she’s okay.” I held up my other hand. “I know she’s not fully okay, a broken ankle is not okay, but she’s safe. And she’ll be okay.”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “I know. I just need to talk to her, and I couldn’t leave you there.”
“Why not?”
He looked at me like I was out of his mind. “Because I needed you with me, so I know you’re okay until I can reassure myself she’s okay.”
Confused but willing to go along with it to ease his anxiety, I squeezed his thigh.
We went directly to his place, which I discovered was the quintessential bachelor’s pad. When he said he wasn’t much for creature comforts, he wasn’t kidding.
“Come on,” he said, urging me toward his laptop on the kitchen table. “We can video call her and you can meet her.”
“Does she know about me?”
“Yes.”
“What did you tell her?” I asked, curious as to what label he put on us.
He tossed a sardonic half-smile over his shoulder as he booted up his laptop. “The first time I told her anything about you was when you called me a sanctimonious ass.”
He laughed and ducked as I mock swung at him, easily catching my fist in his hand.
Hearing his laughter eased my heart. I hated seeing him so out of control. Out of character.
“I talk about you all the time. She knows how I feel about you.”
“And you, Professor? How do you feel about me?”
“If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m not doing my job.”
“Maybe I need the words,” I whispered.
“Then I’ll give those to you, too,” he whispered back. “I’ll show you my love in such a way you’ll never doubt its truth.”