Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Easton
After the food truck festival, we all Uber back to the condo. We have an afternoon game tomorrow, but I love having my parents here. And they’re so hands-on with Tanner that Hadley and I can spend a lot of time with our friends.
We climb the stairs, and when we get inside the condo, the big red flag waves in my mind as Hadley goes to put her stuff in her room.
“Had.” I nod toward my room.
She throws her hands in the air, seeing my parents’ questioning gaze. “You know I keep a lot of my stuff in the second bedroom since Easton has so many clothes. No room for me.”
My mom looks at me, frowning. “Easton, make room for her.”
My dad glances over then turns away. I know he knows—or at least suspects—that something isn’t as it seems. Eventually, he’ll call me out on my fake marriage.
“It’s fine.” Hadley goes into my bedroom.
“You guys should move into a bigger place now that you have Tanner,” my mom says.
“Yeah, for sure.” I’m not leaving this condo. After Hadley leaves, I need Tanner to be part of a community with my friends. “Can you watch Tanner for a second?”
I follow Hadley into my bedroom, slowly shutting the door behind me.
She’s already pacing on the other side of the bed. She stops when she sees me. “What are we going to do?”
I sit on the edge of the bed and pat the spot next to me. “Home sweet home.”
She isn’t amused. “All of my stuff is in there. They have to know. Your parents aren’t stupid.” She sits next to me. “And I feel horrible lying. Maybe we should just tell them.”
“No.” I shake my head.
“I’m sure they’ll keep it a secret.”
“Then I’m the irresponsible one who agreed to a fake marriage. It’s better if they don’t know. Plus, they love you.”
“And they won’t when they find out this was all fake.” She gestures between us.
All I can think is that there was nothing fake about our kiss.
“Believe me, the blame will be pointed in my direction.” I lie back because I’m exhausted from the heat and all the shitty food I ate.
She lies down next to me. “We have to sleep in the same bed.”
I turn to her. “We’ve done it before.”
“Not while wearing clothes.”
“You don’t have to twist my arm, Had. I’ll sleep in the nude.”
“Easton,” she says, sounding exasperated. “Take this seriously.”
A knock lands on the door, and she bolts up off the bed.
“We’re not fifteen in my childhood bedroom. We’re married, remember?” I say in a low voice and chuckle. “Come in.”
My dad peeks his head in. “Your mom wants to move Tanner’s crib into our room.”
“What?” I stand.
“Not necessary,” Hadley says, panic creeping into her voice as if we need Tanner here so we don’t fuck one another. She has a point—he might be the only reason we don’t tonight.
“She’s adamant that you two need some sleep, plus she wants the extra time with him. So why don’t you help me with it?” My dad walks into the room. “Where are your tools?”
“This is so much work.” Hadley tries again, but it’s not worth it.
This is happening no matter what excuse we give. I know my parents.
My mom joins us in the bedroom. “You guys look tired, and Hadley, would you mind showing me some of the bottles and stuff? Does he wake up at night? What does he like?”
Hadley shoots me a look like fix this as she smiles at my mom and heads into the kitchen.
I’m as desperate as she is to keep Tanner in this room.
“I don’t know where they are.” I shrug.
“East, I gave you a kit when you moved to Chicago, remember?”
“It might’ve been lost before I moved in here.”
But Dad’s not taking no for an answer. He leaves the room, and I follow him to the closet by the front door.
“I just put coats in there.”
Hadley is explaining the bottles and the formula mixer to my mom, but every time our eyes meet, she widens them and mouths, “Fix it.”
“It’s right here.” My dad stretches up and grabs the toolbox he gave me from the top shelf. “You must have used it to put the crib together in the first place.” He shakes his head and goes back into my bedroom.
He’s already cranking the bolts loose when I get in there.
There’s no changing their minds. I’m sleeping with Hadley tonight without Tanner in a crib next to us.
For Tanner’s bedtime, my mom gives him the bottle, sitting in the chair, and my dad reads him a bedtime book while Hadley and I hang out on the couch.
She’s curled into me because we’re supposed to look like a real couple. Her shoulder is soft. Too soft. Her knees press into me, inches from my dick, and it’s torture being this close to her knowing nothing can happen.
The feeling is made even worse by the fact that I’ve already been with her.
I know what I’m missing. I know what makes her tick.
I know what gets her off. The sounds she makes when she likes something I’m doing or when she’s close to coming—it all runs on repeat in my head like some kind of punishment.
During our away games this season, I’ve beaten off more than I did in my teens.
The worst part is that I don’t think it has anything to do with me not being able to have sex. It’s that I can’t have sex with her. That I don’t want anyone but her.
After Tanner goes down, passed out in a formula coma, my parents quickly tell us they’re going to bed.
“You’re on an earlier time zone than here.” I frown.
“We’re old, hun, and we were up with Harper before we flew down here. Plus, we should sleep while he sleeps. Good night, you two.” My mom smiles and waves before going into the spare room.
My dad says good night, and their door shuts with a quiet click.
Hadley doesn’t move away from me. Is it an invitation?
“I guess we should go too. I have to head into the bookstore before your game tomorrow.” She stands and stretches.
That sliver of exposed skin when her shirt rises makes my dick twitch. I’m not sure I can sleep in my bed with her tonight and not make a move.
“Sure.” I turn off the television and make sure the door is locked. Then we go into my room.
We both do our bathroom routine—her first—and when she comes out wearing boxer shorts and a cami top, sans bra, I realize blue balls are definitely in my future.
I use the bathroom and strip off my shirt on the way to bed. She’s all the way on the other side of the king mattress, as far as she can get.
“You comfortable?” I slide under the covers.
“Yeah.” Her voice is low and unsteady.
“Want me to make a pillow fort?”
She laughs, breaking the tension. “No, I think I can handle it.”
I turn to face her. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.
She rolls over to face me. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Your parents are great.”
“But you’re stuck in a bed with me now.”
“Lots of women would love to be in my position. It’s hardly an inconvenience.”
“Still. I feel bad.”
“Don’t.”
There’s something intimate about being in the dark room, whispering as we face each other. Hadley is so much more than my fake wife and nanny. She’s a friend—and someone I’ve grown closer to during this whole ordeal.
I clear my throat. “We’re in for a couple days. You up for it?”
“I think I can handle it. You?”
“What’s a couple more days of blue balls?”
She laughs, and I can’t stop myself from following suit.
“I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable when I kissed you.” It’s been on my mind all day, and I want to check in with her.
“Not at all. Good thing there was an audience.”
We’re quiet for a long while. I figure that’s my cue that she doesn’t want to talk about it anymore and we’re just going to fall asleep instead.
“Easton?”
“Yeah?”
“We can do this, right? I mean… you feel the tension too?”
I chuckle. “Hell yes, didn’t you catch the blue balls remark?”
“How are we going to last?” She sounds as strained as I feel.
“I travel a lot, so that helps.”
She chuckles, and it makes me want to scoot closer. I want to take her in my arms and kiss her. I don’t even care about sex—I just want to give in just this once. To be close to her and bask in her warmth.
But if I do, I’ll ruin everything.