Chapter 16 #2
It’s not that I want Hazel traipsing all over Bliss on her own. Shit, the very thought of it makes me feel all hot and itchy. But I don’t want her to be scared to leave the house, either.
So I had this thought of kind of easing her into it. And maybe doing something that would ease some of her guilt, as well.
“It is comfortable here,” I agree. “But I was thinking a change of scenery might be nice. Like I said, it wouldn’t be for long. And if we get there and you don’t feel comfortable, we can come right back home.”
Hazel frowns. Her teeth dig into her lower lip. “Where were you thinking? Enzo and Winter’s house? Or Rory and Gage’s?”
“Not quite.” Those annoying nerves take flight in my stomach again. “I thought we could go to Blissful Brews. Have a drink. Eat some wings. Maybe play some darts.” With a teasing smile, I add, “I can give you some tips. Since I’ve seen you play…”
“Hey.” Her voice takes on an affronted tone. “I’m not bad at darts. I’m just not… good, either.”
“I didn’t say you were bad. But only one of us was trained in marksmanship. That’s all I’m saying.” I give her hands a little squeeze. “If you don’t want to go, it’s okay. We’ll stay home. Order pizza. Watch that movie. But.”
“But?”
“But I think this would be good for you, Haze. I wouldn’t suggest it otherwise. And I’ll be right there with you. I won’t leave your side for a second.”
Hazel stares at me in silence for a few seconds. Then she releases a breath. “I trust you, Alec. So if you think going to Blissful Brews is a good idea, then let’s do it.”
“He got the new windows put in.”
As we approach the entrance of Blissful Brews, Hazel pulls to an abrupt stop.
She stares at the windows on either side of the door, the shiny new glass decorated with hand painted beer steins and hops floating amid a sky of clouds.
“They look nice,” she adds in a surprised tone. “Better than the old ones.”
“They do look nice,” I agree. My hand slides to her hip as I snug her closer to me. “Who did the painting?”
Hazel tears her gaze from the windows to look up at me.
“Angel. She’s the one who did all the work inside, too.
The mural, the decorations on the mirror…
” She pauses. Her brows draw together. “Do you think Frank replaced the mirror behind the bar, too? I remember him saying it was really expensive, and that’s why he kept the old one for so long. ”
I kiss her forehead. “We’ll have to go inside to see.”
Hazel takes a few halting steps before she stops again. Her voice is small and uncertain as she asks, “Are you sure about this, Alec? That it’s a good idea?”
“Sweetheart.” I turn her in my arms so we’re facing each other.
“I do think it’s a good idea. And I know I’m pushing you a little on this.
But if you’re really feeling bad about it, we’ll turn around and go home.
” Stroking my thumb across her soft cheek, I add, “The last thing I want to do is upset you.”
Silence drags as I wait for her answer, second guessing myself more and more with each passing second.
Maybe I’m pushing too much.
Maybe I’m hurting more than helping.
Maybe—
“No.” Hazel lifts her chin and squares her shoulders. “We’re here. It would be silly to turn around and go home now.” A weak smile curves her lips. “Anyway. I’ve been wanting to try Frank’s new Thanksgiving porter. I missed the Halloween stout…”
“I’m sure he still has some of the stout if you want to try it.”
“He won’t,” Hazel replies. “Frank only serves his Spooky Stout the week leading up to Halloween. He says it’s more special that way.
And since Halloween was this past weekend—” She sighs.
“Last year he closed the bar the day after Halloween, and we had a staff party that night. We polished off the stout and Frank made hundreds of wings and… it was really fun.”
Her wistful tone hurts my heart.
Hugging her close, I say, “There’s always next Halloween. And there’s still the Thanksgiving Taps and Turkeys party, plus all the Christmas celebrations. So there’s lots to look forward to.”
Hazel stares at me for a moment before nodding. “I know. I guess… I feel bad for letting Frank down. Halloween is one of his busiest times, and I wasn’t there to help.”
“You had other things going on.” Like being the target of three sick, murderous pieces of shit and trying her best to come to terms with it. “Frank understands. Trust me.”
Looping my arm around her waist, I start heading towards the entrance again, gently nudging Hazel along with me. As we get closer, a burst of laughter filters through the door, followed by the distinctive clack of pool balls hitting each other.
“How do you know?” Hazel asks. “That Frank understands?”
“Well.” My stomach knots. “I may have talked to him. That’s how I know.”
“You talked to him?” Confusion creases her brow before smoothing out. “Oh. About the man who broke in.”
Hand on the door handle, I pause before pushing it open. “Not about that.”
“Oh?”
“Actually…” I take a steadying breath. “I talked to him about tonight. About coming here.”
Before Hazel can respond, I open the door.
As we step through the doorway, all the heads in the bar swivel towards us.
The cheerful chatter comes to a stop.
Hazel scans the room, her eyes widening in surprise as she takes the scene in. Then she turns to me. “Alec? What is this?”
My gaze sweeps across all the people waiting inside.
All the people here to see Hazel.
Over by the pool table, Max and Sage are playing against Ronan and Patrick.
Knox and Lark are sitting at one of the high top tables with Gage and Rory, sharing a large platter of wings and a pitcher of beer.
Winter and Enzo are sitting in the Blissful Retreat corner, cuddled together on one of the loveseats.
Seated at the long, wooden bar are Swede and his wife, Allie. Just to their right, both smiling widely, are Jess and Kane.
From behind the bar, Wendy beams at Hazel. Frank lifts a half-full beer glass in a gesture of welcome. His expression is soft with affection.
“Alec?” Hazel’s voice pitches up. “I don’t understand.”
“They’re all here to see you,” I tell her. “The bar is closed to everyone else tonight. It’s just your friends. I thought… you might feel more comfortable this way.”
Puzzlement creases her forehead. “Everyone is here to see me? Why?”
“Because they care about you. And they know you’ve had a rough time. They want to support you, Haze. That’s why.”
Her mouth parts into a tiny O. “But—”
“What are you doing just standing in the doorway?” Frank calls over. His tone is jovial as he adds, “Get over here, honey. I’ve got a can of the Halloween stout with your name on it.”
As we walk further into the bar, Hazel asks quietly, “You planned all this?”
“I did. Is it okay?”
She bites her lip before giving me a wobbly smile. “It’s okay. I’m just… surprised.”
“Is it too much? All these people?”
Hazel scans the room again. Her smile steadies. “It’s not too much.” Then her gaze lands on Jess and Kane. “You invited Jess?”
“Of course.”
Jess hops off her bar stool and rushes over to Hazel, pulling her away from me and into a hug. Jess squeezes her hard and says, “As soon as Alec told me what he was planning, I had to come.” Jess’s expression shifts to one of concern. “I know it’s tough in the beginning. But it’ll get better.”
Guilt flickers in Hazel’s eyes. “You’re not mad? About—”
“How could you even think that? What happened wasn’t your fault.”
Kane moves to Jess’s side, slipping his arm around his wife’s side. “Hey, Hazel.” He smiles. “It’s good to see you again.”
Hazel blinks. A gleam of moisture shines in her eyes. “It’s really good to see you, too.” She steps out of Jess’s hug and back into my waiting embrace. “It’s really good to see both of you.”
“Hazel.” Swede’s voice is a warm rumble as he greets her. He extends his hand to Hazel, engulfing her much smaller one as he shakes it. “Glad to meet you in person. And to see you’re doing well.”
Swede’s wife, Allie, darts forward to hug Hazel. “I’ve heard so much about you,” she says. “I can’t believe some of the stuff you did. Breaking the windshield, and fighting off that man with pepper spray—”
“Allie.” Swede touches his wife’s arm. “Maybe now isn’t the best time to bring all that up.”
Hazel looks at Swede with surprise. “You came? All the way from Montana?”
He grins at her. “Sure did. We’d been talking about taking a little vacation. And when Alec mentioned he was doing this… I thought, What better time than now?”
For a few seconds, Hazel just stares at him with emotion working in her eyes. “Thank you.” Her voice goes thick. “For helping. If you hadn’t found…”
She doesn’t need to say the rest.
“You and Alec should come visit us out in Montana sometime,” Allie says. “We’d love to have you. It’s really beautiful out there. I think you’d love it.”
Hazel glances at me with a questioning gaze. “Of course,” I reply. “We’d love to visit. Haze and I have lots of travel plans.”
“We do?” Hazel asks.
“We do,” I confirm. “Cape Cod, Boston to spend Thanksgiving with my family, and I was thinking we could go to Sleepy Hollow to spend some time with Jess and Kane, plus the Blade and Arrow team there. Maybe we could hit San Antonio to visit Matt and Isla. They wanted to come, but with the new baby…”
“That… sounds really nice.” Her expression is one of pleased surprise.
“You guys can stay with us when you come to Sleepy Hollow,” Jess says. “We’ve got plenty of room. It’ll be so much fun. We can go into the city for a day, see a Broadway show, visit a museum or two…”
“I’d love that,” Hazel tells her.
“If you come before Christmas,” Jess adds, “you can see the tree at Rockefeller Center. Although I think the tree in Sleepy Hollow is just as nice.”
I hug Hazel against my side and press a kiss to the top of her head. “We could definitely find time for a trip to Sleepy Hollow before Christmas.”
“Hazel.” Frank rounds the bar and gestures for Hazel to come meet him.
Hazel flashes me a worried look. “It’s fine,” I murmur. “I promise.”
She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Then she plasters on one of those strained smiles and walks tentatively towards him.
“Frank,” she starts. Her voice quivers a little. “I’m so sorry. I—”
“Don’t you apologize,” he interrupts. Then he pulls Hazel into a hug. He holds her for several seconds before letting her go. “You have nothing to be sorry about, honey. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Wendy moves to Frank’s side. “Frank’s right. There’s nothing to apologize for.”
I reach for Hazel’s hand, and she clutches it hard. “But your arm,” Hazel tells Wendy. “And the windows. And the—” Her gaze jumps to the flawless mirror behind the bar.
She gasps.
In white letters across the bottom it says, Welcome Back, Hazel.
“Frank.” Hazel’s voice cracks. “What—”
“Honey.” He pats her arm. “I know you’ve been through a lot. And we understand if you need time. But whenever you’re ready to come back…” He stops. Clears his throat. “We miss you, Hazel. It’s not the same without you here.”
“You’re family,” Wendy adds. “And we love you.”
Hazel stares at the two of them. Tears fill her eyes. “I love you guys, too.”
“So you’ll come back?” Frank asks. “When you’re ready?”
“Yes.” Hazel nods. “How about next week? Would that work?”
“Of course it would,” Wendy replies. “I’ll put you on the schedule.”
Hazel turns to me and gives me a watery smile. “Do you think… Could you bring me to work? And pick me up?”
My heart squeezes. “Absolutely, sweetheart. I’d be happy to.”
And in the meantime, I’ll install some extra security here, too.
“Hey, are we going to start the celebration yet, or what?” Ronan calls out. “I thought we were celebrating Hazel? Where are the toasts? And I’ve been waiting to try the special Hazel-themed ale.”
Ronan catches my eye and gives a quick lift of his chin. I raise my chin at him in thanks before looking back at Hazel.
“Hazel-themed ale?” she asks. “Toasts?”
“Oh, yes,” Frank says. “I brewed up a special beer just for you.”
“And toasts to my incredible girlfriend,” I add.
Hazel arches an eyebrow in question. “For what?”
I cup her cheek and capture her mouth with mine. When we break apart, I reply, “For being you, Haze. That’s what.”
“Alec.”
“Haze.”
This time when she smiles at me, it’s bright. Filled with joy.
“You were right,” she says. “This was a good idea.”