Chapter 15
Rowan
The brewery was busy and a little chaotic. I was serving brews or food in the dining room, then I'd be in the brew bath area answering questions about what was in the water. Everyone wanted to congratulate me on the brewery and the engagement.
I had wanted to create a romantic moment for the proposal, and I thought I messed up.
I panicked a little. The speech had been fun, but as I kept talking, it began to feel a little too real.
I was having feelings for her. And I was fairly sure she wouldn't return them.
Hattie had always been standoffish. She wouldn't let herself fall for me.
Not when she worked so hard to keep everyone out.
By the time I realized I'd made an error, I tried to recalibrate in the middle of the proposal, and it was too late. I was fairly sure I bumbled the entire thing. I originally wanted to kiss her, show her how I felt, but I forced myself to keep it to a quick peck on the cheek.
But she'd looked shell-shocked as if she couldn't believe the abrupt shift. I couldn't either. This entire arrangement was starting to make me feel like my brain was split in two. I liked her, but I wasn't supposed to. My focus was on Hattie when it should have been on the brewery.
Then she went home early, and all I wanted to do was follow her, but I couldn't. This was my opportunity to work out the bugs before we officially opened. And Malcolm, with his impeccable timing, called me away as I was talking to her.
It was like he knew when my attention was waning, and he'd pull me back. I hated it, but I needed him on board with the opening. I didn't want any trouble. Malcolm could make my life miserable, and I'd like to avoid that if possible.
I felt torn because I wanted to confirm that Hattie was okay, that I hadn't screwed everything up. But I couldn't leave the brewery early, even if it was only family and friends. By the time everyone was heading out, I was drained.
We knew we had a few things to work on, including employee training.
We needed to decide whether we wanted to keep servers exclusively in the bathhouse area, and the dining room, and a separate staff outside when it was warmer.
There were so many details to consider and decisions to be made.
But tonight, I just wanted to get out of here. We could regroup tomorrow.
Mom and Dad were the last to leave.
"We're so proud of you," Mom said as she hugged me. Then she moved away, and Dad clasped my shoulder.
"This is better than I ever could have imagined. I love how you included Boone's work and the family's history. It's impressive."
"Thanks, Dad." Their words of encouragement meant everything to me. I wanted to make them proud.
"We still have some things to work on," Malcolm said.
I raised a brow. "That's my responsibility. You should be focused on the restaurant."
Dad shifted to face him. "Don't you have enough going on? You're already working more nights. I wouldn't think you'd have time to work on the brewery too."
"I have a few ideas for how things could run more smoothly," Malcolm said.
His opinion could be valuable. "We'll talk another day this week. I'm too tired tonight."
"We're heading out," Dad said.
When everyone was gone, I locked the door behind them. Only Beck and Clara remained inside.
"What do you think?" I asked him, almost afraid of what he'd say.
Beck stood with his hands in his pockets. "I think it went well. But this was your family and friends. The real test is when we open to the public. Reporters will be here. Local news stations."
The stress climbed up my spine. There was never a moment to relax. Everything hinged on the grand opening. I couldn't make a bad first impression.
He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm exhausted though. Let's meet tomorrow, and we can go over everything. I wrote everything down."
I nodded, grateful for the reprieve. "I want to get home to Hattie."
"It's not every day you give a woman a ring." Beck helped Clara put on her jacket.
I was acting like we were engaged, but the truth was a lot more complicated. We were involved but not actually dating? I hadn't expected the proposal to feel so real, and when it did, I panicked. I had no idea what Hattie was thinking.
Tonight, I'd spend time with Hattie, and tomorrow, I'd refocus on the brewery. I had a few short hours with her. Hopefully, she wasn't already asleep. I wanted to talk to her about tonight.
"I'm going to start the truck." Clara accepted the keys from Beck.
"I'll be out in a minute," Beck said to her.
I unlocked and opened the door for her.
When she was gone, I said, "Thanks for believing in the brewery. For believing in me."
"It was an easy project to get behind. I enjoyed being involved every step of the way."
We stepped outside. "You think you'll do anything like this again?"
"I'm fairly committed to your family and staying here with Clara."
When the door was secure, I turned and caught the expression on Beck's face. "You're going to propose, aren't you?"
"I've been planning it for a while. But after seeing how happy you and Hattie are, I don't want to wait any longer to make her mine."
"She's already yours," I said, knowing how my sister felt about him.
"Marriage is a big step," Beck said as we walked across the small lot to his truck.
I remembered that Beck had a hard time connecting with people. He had a habit of disappearing before he got too close to anyone. But meeting Clara changed everything for him. "Or you can think of it as a declaration of how you feel about her."
He shoved his hands in his pockets. "That certainly takes the pressure off."
"You can let it mean whatever you want it to."
"I just keep thinking about the look on Clara's face when I finally ask her. I don't think she's expecting me to propose. I think she assumes that I don't want to get engaged. And that's not true. Not since I've met her." Then he focused on me. "Did you see Hattie's face when you proposed?"
I thought back to that moment on the roof, because that was our proposal. The way she looked at me with so much longing. "It was everything."
He nodded, satisfied with my answer. "I want that."
I was surprised I was able to provide any meaningful insight given that I was only pretending to be engaged.
"You want a ride home?" Beck asked before he opened his door.
"I'll walk. It's not far.
"Have a good night then," he said as he opened the driver's side door.
I stepped back and watched him drive slowly down the lane. I turned back to the brewery. It was everything I'd ever imagined. But a voice in my head wanted to know where Hattie fit into my life.
I didn't know what her presence in my life meant. Was it divine timing or something else? Was the universe telling me that there would never be a good time for us to be together? I wasn't sure what any of it meant.
I walked the path I'd worn down from the brewery to my cabin, hope spreading through my chest with every step. I knew how I felt about Hattie, and everything else would work out because it had to.
I wouldn't accept anything less. Not when I was getting everything I wanted. Why couldn't I have the brewery and Hattie? Why couldn't we be engaged for real? Anything was possible.
I was coming off the high of a successful night, even if it was only my family and friends. The people who supported me the most. But it was a sign that things were going in my direction.
I was used to coming home alone, so it was nice to know that Hattie was asleep in my bed. Or that she might be waiting up for me. Either way was better than coming home to an empty house.
I unlocked the door and pushed it open, eager to get to Hattie. I left the lights off, toeing off my boots and dropping my keys on the small table by the front door. Then I crossed the room and took the steps two at a time.
I was already unbuttoning my shirt as I hit the landing. There was a light coming from underneath my still-ajar door. She was awake. Hopefully.
I pushed open the door just as I got the last button and threw the shirt on a nearby chair. Hattie was propped on pillows reading a book. When she heard me, she frowned and lowered her book to the comforter.
"I need a shower. I'm sure I smell like a brewery." Then I cracked a smile because this was something I'd been wanting for a long time.
Her nose wrinkled. "Okay."
"You want to join me?" I asked her, sensing her hesitation. She was going to tell me how tired she was or how she didn't need a shower. But I needed her.
I unbuckled my pants. Her gaze tracked my every movement.
When she licked her lower lip, I was a goner. I pushed down my pants and briefs, leaving myself naked in front of her.
She lifted her gaze to meet mine, her cheeks flush.
"Come on." I held my hand out to her. I wasn't ready for the night to be over. I was still riding the high from the evening, but there was one thing that was bothering me. How I'd changed course during the proposal. I didn't like how I acted, and I couldn't go back and change it.
I needed reassurance that I hadn't screwed everything up with Hattie. And right now, the easiest way to feel better was to touch her. To kiss her. To be with her.
Tonight, I'd do what felt good. And right now, that was getting into the shower with her.
She sighed and threw off the blankets, placing her hand in mine. I pulled her against my body, and she must not have been expecting that, because she let out a little gasp. Her soft body was pressed against my harder one.
"You do smell like a brewery."
I lowered my head. "We should do something about that." And kissed her.
She wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her tits against my chest. That's when my brain went offline. I lifted her so that her legs wound around my waist, and I could feel the warmth of her pussy through the thin material of her pajamas.
I groaned as I carried her to the bathroom. I blindly reached for the lever, turning on the water, not taking my mouth from hers. I reached out a hand to test the water, then pulled away so that I could help her remove her pajamas. I made quick work of her tank top and flannel bottoms.
Then I pulled her into the water, letting her hair get wet.
"Are you going to help me get rid of this smell?" I asked her.
She smiled and reached for the body wash. I nearly groaned again as her palms spread over my chest. She was going to draw this out and make me suffer. And I was going to enjoy every minute of it.
Her hands spread slowly over every inch of my chest and shoulders. She took her time, pressing her mouth to the skin that she'd already washed. Then she moved lower to my abs and the trail of coarse hair that led her to my dick.
I wanted more, but I was content to let her take her time and explore my body. This was all about me showing her how much I wanted her. I might not always say the right things, but my heart was in a good place.
She dropped to her knees.
"Hattie."
She blinked up at me with an innocent expression on her face. "I need to get you clean everywhere."
My hips jerked of their own volition. She had me entirely under her control now. "I need you."
"Mmm," she hummed as she gripped my dick and pumped it.
I bit my lip hard, not sure how I was going to survive this.
Then she moved to my ass, cupping and squeezing, then lower over my thighs and calves.
She touched every part of me, and I felt it in my chest. This was more than anything I'd ever experienced before.
Hattie was touching me deep inside without even trying.
I suspected she was actively erecting walls at this very moment to protect her heart.
But I was splayed open for her to take advantage of.
When the soap was washed off, she kneed up so that her mouth was level with my aching dick. She blew across the tip. I wasn't going to survive much more of this, but I was determined to let her take the lead.
She gripped the base and licked the head.
"You have no idea what you do to me."
Her eyes flashed with desire as she sucked me deep, and my head fell back. She was undoing me with her mouth. Her hands.
She continued to pump the base of my dick while she sucked. But I wanted more. I tapped her shoulders and lifted her so that she was pressed against the tiles.
I lined my dick up with her pussy and then remembered. "I don't have condoms in here."
I didn't want to leave, even to grab a condom out of the vanity drawer. I wanted to slide home.
Her fingers played with the hair at the base of my head, sending tingles through my body. "Do we need one?"
"Fuck no," I said, not wanting to think about the logistics of what that meant.
She smiled. "I'm on birth control, and I'm clean."
"Thank God. I am too." Then I eased between her folds, seeking her sweet heat. In seconds, she was surrounding me, and I moved on instinct. Thrusting inside her as if I had no skill or finesse. I was wild for her, seemingly unable to hold back or ensure this felt good for her.
But she seemed to be into it, rocking her hips to meet mine, her arms tightening around me.
"I'll never stop wanting you." I couldn't seem to make myself shut up. Words kept coming out, straight from my heart, and there was no way to put a leash on them.
She bit her lip, closing her eyes tightly.
"Let go, Hattie." I needed to feel her walls spasming around me. I wanted her to give into the feelings. To be in this moment with me.
I reached between us and found her swollen clit. I circled it with my finger, my movements shallow in this position.
She cried out, and her walls pressed around me, sending the orgasm shooting through me. I emptied myself into her without the barrier that usually separated us, feeling closer to her than ever.
I rested my forehead against hers, my chest heaving. When I recovered, I lowered her to the tile.
"I should wash my hair," I said to her, feeling a little off-kilter. I wanted to get lost in her but hadn't expected it to be like that.
She went up on tiptoe, her hand pressed over my heart, and kissed me softly. "I'm going to dry off and get dressed."
I couldn't resist palming her ass as she walked away. She smiled over her shoulder. It was going to be hard to let her go when it was time.
I soaped my hair and let the water take care of the suds. I didn't want to imagine a time when Hattie wasn't sleeping in my bed. My heart ached at the thought.