Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
brADY
S pending the weekend with Hazel at my beach house was great. We could pretend that nothing existed outside of our little bubble. But the reality was going to hit us eventually. We had the engagement party and pressure to be seen in public as a couple.
I needed her to see me as more than a friend, and so far, I wasn't so sure it was working. I'd convinced her to go deep into the ocean with me to enjoy the waves, but I already knew she trusted me. We were friends after all.
But then she'd placed her legs around my waist, and it was a struggle not to react to the feel of her pussy pressed against my dick.
On the beach, I'd come up with the perfect solution for her money troubles, but I was less positive she'd accept money from me. I don't think she believed I was making much.
But if my plan with her worked, my income would increase. It motivated me to convince everyone we were a couple. She deserved a break and to live the life of her dreams, even if it wasn't with me. She shouldn't be limited by the realities of her salary or life on an expensive island.
I'd been lucky to inherit part of a successful business from my family and to have an extra income with the video-game show. Hazel had followed all the rules, but her salary was small and her student loans huge.
I wanted to make her life better. I wanted her to fall in love with this new way of thinking and me. It was a tall order, and I wasn't sure it would work.
Each night after work, we coordinated dinner, taking turns cooking. We always ate together and then took a walk with Max on the beach. It was simple but the best part of my day.
On Friday, I was looking forward to coming home to her, but she'd texted and said she was going out with her friends.
I didn't think I could talk my brothers into crashing girls' night again.
Dalton was determined to make a go of it with Oakley, and Hudson wanted to let Elena have her girls' night out.
Cooper had been really busy lately. No one could figure out what was going on with him. And Shep said he needed to go to the mainland to get laid.
Hazel hadn't come home for dinner or even to change, so I didn't get to see her at all. I was just eating leftovers standing at the counter when there was a knock on the door.
I opened it to find Hudson. "You want to pop in on the girls?"
His brow furrowed. "What? No."
I moved out of the way so he could come inside. "If you don't want to crash the girls' fun, then why are you here?"
Hudson shrugged. "I thought we could hang out, talk for a bit."
"Have I given you a reason to think I need the older-brother check-in?" I asked, without even thinking that we called it that when Hudson wasn't around.
Hudson grabbed a beer from the fridge. "What are you talking about?"
I cleared my throat and grabbed my own beer. "Nothing."
"I don't drop in to check on you guys," he grumbled as we made our way onto the deck with the best view of the ocean.
I turned on a fan because it was a hot one. "Sure you don't. So why are you here?"
"I wanted to make sure you were okay with the engagement and everything."
I dropped into the chair, twisting off the cap. "How is that not a check-in?” I continued without waiting for his response, “Why wouldn't I be? I asked her to marry me, didn't I?"
"I don't know. It seems sudden is all."
"I've been friends with Hazel since we were kids. By the time we got over ourselves and admitted we liked each other, we’d wasted a lot of time." These thoughts had been running through my head lately.
"I'm not saying there're rules or a timeline for these things?—"
"Then what are you saying?" I asked, more than a little irritated. "Because if you're here to tell me I'm too young or impulsive, Dad already said that."
Hudson shifted in his chair. "That's not why I'm here. I wanted to see if you were happy."
I thought back to the last few days living with Hazel. I was content in a way I did't think I'd ever been. "I'm happy."
"That's good."
"I think it's one of those situations where I got out of my own way. I'd been afraid to risk our friendship, and that kept us in this never-ending cycle of not moving forward."
"I'm happy for you then. I can't imagine life without Elena, and I'm sure it's the same for you."
I leaned forward, my elbows on my thighs. "I can't remember a time when I didn't have the thought that I should go to Hazel's and hang out with her."
"Yeah, that's something else."
It wasn't like I'd just met Hazel, and I wasn't sure who she was. I knew Hazel inside and out.
"How is it living together?" Hudson asked.
"It's really nice. I'm enjoying sharing my life and my space with her. Plus, I get this guy." I reached down to pet Max's head.
"It was a natural move then."
"Yeah, I guess you could say it was. We spent a lot of time together anyway.
She'd go home at the end of the night. Now she doesn't have to, and it's the best thing ever.
" That was surprising. I knew I liked her, but I didn't know if we were compatible.
This entire thing felt like a test to see if we could be good for each other.
And so far, we were. I just wasn't sure if she felt the same chemistry that I did. That couldn't be one-sided, could it?
"I can't believe my younger brothers are getting married and having a baby. It seems like yesterday you were graduating from high school."
"Well, I don't know if Cooper or Shepard will ever grow up. They seem happy with the single life."
"Shep is. I'm not so sure about Cooper. I've always had the feeling that he's Shep's keeper. He hasn't been able to have a life of his own because he's always keeping Shep in line."
"I never thought about it like that." Now that he'd said something, that made sense. Cooper orbited around Shep. It was always about Shep and whatever he was up to. Cooper just followed him into his next scheme. But maybe it was a way to keep an eye on him. "Coop deserves happiness too."
"We all do."
I felt guilty that I was lying to my brother about my relationship with Hazel, but I wasn't misleading him on the details. I was happy living with her and worried about our friendship.
"You want to take on more projects now that you're getting married?" Hudson asked.
I raised a brow. "Why would you ask that?"
"You'll have more expenses now: moving in together, the wedding."
I didn't have time for the extra projects because of my show. But Dad and my brothers thought it was just me playing video games. "I'm happy with how things are."
Hudson raised a brow. "Does she know you spend all your spare time playing video games?"
"It's not really any of your business. But Hazel supports me a hundred percent.
She always has." That was the thing that struck me the most. When I opened up to her and told her the truth about my second job, she supported me.
She even helped me with it and seemed to enjoy it.
I didn't sense any judgment. Not like what I got from my family.
"It seems like a waste of time, especially now that you're sharing your life with a woman. You're probably thinking about having a family soon too."
"I'll probably talk to my fiancée about it first." I was done with this conversation.
"I'm not criticizing you." Hudson shifted in his chair.
I raised my bottle to my mouth. "Really? It kind of seems like you are."
"I wanted to offer you more responsibility at work. You have a family to take care of now, so I thought you'd be more interested in the business."
"I'm happy with how things are." I went to work and didn't bring anything home with me at the end of the night.
I didn't take on extra projects on the evenings and weekends because I didn't have time, and frankly, I never needed the money.
The show would eventually earn me more money than construction.
But I wasn't ready to talk to Hudson about that.
He wouldn't understand it. He would say it was a whim and I couldn't count on that money. Or something else equally as annoying.
"If you change your mind?—"
"I know Shep wants more responsibility at work. Why don't you offer it to him?"
"He's not good with solo projects. He's never proved himself to be responsible. Dalton's distracted with his personal life, which I understand. But it leaves us shorthanded. I've always paired Shep with Coop. Mom wants me to give him more responsibility, but I don't think he's ready for it."
"He says he is."
Hudson shook his head. "His actions say otherwise. Work doesn't seem like a priority for him."
"He has trouble with focus; you know that."
"Mom likes to blame everything on his ADHD, but I don't know."
"You don't believe that it makes managing a project more difficult for him?
" I asked him, trying to understand my older brother.
Everything was so easy for him. He couldn't possibly understand that it wasn't the same for Shep.
I'd spent my entire life watching him, and I could see he was struggling with it.
"I don't know what to believe. But Mom wants me to convince Dad to give him more responsibility."
"He'd probably believe it, coming from you." Dad had always respected Marshall and Hudson. It was the rest of us that he didn't.
"I'm going to keep a close eye on him and see how he does. I was thinking of pulling Cooper in on the home inspections when Ivy needs him. That would give Shepard a chance to manage things on his own."
"That's a good idea." I liked that Hudson had at least thought about it.
"I don't want to let Dad down."
"That's a lot of pressure." I was a constant disappointment to him.
"If I want to take over the business one day, I have to prove myself," Hudson said tightly.
"Don't forget that it's a family business. You have all of us behind you."
Hudson nodded. Then his phone buzzed. "Elena wants me to take her home now. Are you picking up Hazel?"
"She didn't say anything."
"Why don't we both go pick them up? Elena's usually very happy to see me when she's been drinking."
I had to close my eyes against the image of Hazel insisting on falling to her knees and taking care of me with her lips wrapped around my cock. Her inhibitions gone. Her desire for me no longer hidden. Would her being drunk reveal her true feelings about me? It was worth finding out.
I stood and emptied our bottles. "I'm good to drive."
As we walked through the house, Hudson said, "These are things I love doing for Elena. Being there for her, taking care of her. There's nothing like it."
I'd always been there for Hazel as a friend, but this was different. I liked the idea of her being mine even if it was only for a short while.
We drove to their favorite hangout and parked in the lot.
Hudson waited for me at the door, and we went inside, searching for the girls out back. The group of them was near the dance floor.
Hazel's face lit up when she saw me. "My fiancé." She patted my arm, and I wondered if she'd told everyone about our arrangement. Then she leaned in and whispered. "Don't worry. I didn't?—"
Before she could finish, I took her hand firmly in mine. "Come on. Let's get you home."
She winked at me, but it was a little sloppy, and she swayed on her feet. "I can't wait to get you home. I have big plans for you."
"Do you now?" I couldn't help but tease, meeting Hudson's knowing gaze over her head.
"Oh, yeah—" Before she could continue, I slapped a hand over her mouth. "Don't say anything else."
"You two have a good night," Hudson called after us.
I helped her into the passenger-side of the truck. "I could have taken a car home, but this is so much better."
"You like me rescuing you at the end of the night?" I asked as I snapped her seat belt in place.
"So much." Her eyes were closed, and I wondered if she was going to fall asleep.
I was hoping for more time with drunk Hazel. Was she a truth teller? Would she admit her feelings for me, or would she reiterate that we were just friends?
I put the truck in gear and took off for home.
"You're so sexy when you drive your truck. The way you handle this big beast. Your strong hands. I can't help but wonder if you're good with them in other places."
I tensed, anticipating her answer. "What other places would that be?"
"Oh, you know." She licked her lips, her eyes bright with desire. "Could you give me an orgasm with just your fingers and tongue?"
I should have been expecting an answer like that, but I wasn't. I'd never heard Hazel talk about sex or fooling around before. It was a line we never crossed. I tightened my fingers around the steering wheel. "Is that what you want?"
She rested her head back. "I haven't had an orgasm that I didn't orchestrate in like forever."
"You use that vibrator I saw in your nightstand." Did she bring it to my house?
Her head lifted as she looked at me. "You know about that?"
"I saw it in your drawer at the apartment. Did you bring it with you?" Do you want help using them on your clit? I was going to hell for having these thoughts, for wanting to take advantage of her when she was drunk.
"I thought we'd be in separate bedrooms."
That was a yes. I shifted on the seat, my jeans suddenly tight.
"I don't normally drink so much. I think it was the act we're putting on. It's getting to me."
I frowned. "How so?"
She waved a hand in my direction. "It's a mind fuck like you said."
Hazel almost never swore.
"I'm supposed to be your fiancée, right? But there're all these feelings all mixed up inside." She rubbed her tummy as if she were hungry.
She was drunk. I wanted to ask what feelings, but at the same time, I didn't want to take advantage of her inebriated state.
"But I want to ease the ache inside. Do you know what I mean?"
I nodded because I sure as hell did. I had to take care of it every night in the shower in order to spend time with her. To keep my hands to myself while we slept together. Each night, she cuddled with me before falling asleep, and it didn't feel friendly.