by Sarah Cole
“Calm your tits, big man. Verity is used to it. It’s our thing.” He says, and it makes my blood boil.
“No, it is not your thing, and she shouldn’t be used to it because you should fucking knock.” Stride over to him so we are practically chest to chest, and at least he has the common sense to not challenge me in this moment. How would he feel if he actually ever gave a damn about a woman, and some guy just kept barging into her home? Not good, Captain. Not good.
Verity gets up off the couch and swiftly approaches us. Both of our eyes are locked on her. Knowing Verity, I expect her to try and break this up, but instead, she pierces us both with an icy glare. “If you break anything during your testosterone death match, clean it up and replace it.” My gaze returns to Tanner who is staring at me with a mix of fear and remorse. Good. He knows I mean business.
“How about we take this to the bedroom.” I hear Verity say in a low, almost seductive voice. I raise my eyebrows, thinking she’s talking to me, but when I look over she’s whispering to one of our forgotten takeout containers, and a large bottle of red wine, and a few other junk food items as she cradles them lovingly in her arms as she would an infant.
Tanner’s arms fold across his chest and just raises his eyebrows. I know he’s silently thinking, “really?” I just smile and shake my head, because that’s my girl. My beautiful, quirky, food loving girl. Before I know it we’re both laughing, because honestly, what the hell else would we do?
“I’m sorry, bro. If I’d known it’d piss you off so bad, I wouldn’t have done it.” He apologizes.
“I know. I’m sorry I bit your head off about it. Just have a little bit more respect, man. I know you two were friends before, but how would you feel if some guy just kept showing up at you girlfriend’s home?”
“You’re right. I won’t let it happen again.”
“Thanks. Because you interrupted a moment and you know what they say…payback is a bitch.” I smile and give him a heavy slap on the back. “You want to watch the game? We can sit on the couch.” I waggle my eyebrows at him and hand him a beer.
“Say no more… I’d marry this couch.” Tanner says as he plants himself into the feathery cushions and makes himself comfortable. I plop down next to him, and he asks, “What about you?”
“Marry the couch? Nah, I think I’d much prefer its owner. Sitting on it is just a bonus.” I shoot back, taking a pull of my beer and turning on the TV. I know Verity is in her room, and damn it if I don’t want to be in there with her. But I’m learning, and I know she isn’t in there just because Tanner and I were about ready to have an alpha male throw down in her living room. No, she’s in there because she is scared, and maybe a little bit hungry and she doesn’t want to share the noodles. I mean, they are fantastic, but she just needs time to adjust and come to terms with my feelings. When she does – or when she finishes the carryout, she’ll come out of hiding.
“No shit?” Tanner replies, and I honestly can’t remember what I said because I was too lost in thought.
“So, it’s serious with her then?” he prompts.
As much as I don’t want Tanner to give more anymore shit for this, I couldn’t be happier and I want to shout it from the damn Empire State Building. Ok, maybe that’s a bit too extreme, but at the very least, I want everyone to know that we belong to each other. I know by this point my mom and sisters in law are chomping at the bit to meet Verity in person. Hell, my dad and brothers have given me a hard time saying I’m making her up. In our family, we don’t hold back. We go zero to sixty in no time flat. When you’re in a relationship, it’s like an unspoken rule that you bring them to meet everyone as soon as you can.
“Yeah, Tanner, it is. I don’t know when I’ll get through to her, and have her realize it, but yeah. I’m all in. One hundred and fucking eighty percent. I’m falling in love with her, and I don’t even know how it happened. All I know is she makes me laugh, and when she isn’t around, I don’t like it. It’s like I chopped off an arm or something. It just feels wrong. I love her.”
“You are so fucked.” He stares at the quieted game on the screen as they take a final timeout.
“Why do you say that?” I ask.
He takes a pull of his beer, and lets out a burp. “It’s been what? Not even two months?”
“Something like that, yeah.”
“Yep, super fucked.” He says.
“How would you know? And still, why would you say that?” I pry.
“Because I’ve been there. I know what that’s like, and it damn near ruined me. Trust me. This is either going to go one of two ways for you. You’re either going to live happily ever after, get the house, pop out the two point five kids, and go to naked couples Pilates or some weird shit to keep you kink life strong, or she’s going to flip the bitch switch, show you her crazy and fucking break you like a bargain bin bag of potato chips. Then you’ll be that sorry asshole who cries in the tampon aisle at the drugstore remembering the good times, or you’ll go the other way and screw anything with a half decent tit job that licks her lips in a dive bar.”
“Jesus, Tanner.” I realize the beer stopped halfway to my lips as he went on his little tirade. “What in the hell are you talking about?”
“Nothing.” He responds quickly. Almost too quickly, like he realizes he just squeezed out a whole damn tube of toothpaste and he can’t figure out how to shove it back in. “Just try not to break each other.” He says with a certain finality, and I know the conversation is over for now. It’s not like we make a habit of chit chatting about our feelings.
“Noted.” I respond, pulling my attention from him and back towards the game. Our team wins in a buzzer beating, half court, hail Mary.
“Whelp, I’m going to head out. Do me a favor, and don’t keep me up all night playing the wall bongos.” Tanner says grabbing his untouched six pack from the counter.
“No promises. See you bright and early partner.”
“Yeah. Take it easy.” He says in parting before pulling the front door closed behind him. I’m not sure if I should stay or go, but she’s been in there for nearly two hours without coming out now.
I gently ease the door open, and finally when it opens wide enough I spot her in bed fast asleep with a half empty cardboard container of noodles sitting beside her, a fruit roll up hanging part of the way out of her mouth, and a mini donut clutched in her right fist.
I’ve got to get her cleaned up, but not before I snap half a dozen pictures with my phone. Hey, you never know when you might need good blackmailing material. Besides, she is just too damn adorable for her own good.
chapter 14
LESSON #14: Don’t sleep with takeout. It’s messy, and lo mein is hard to get out of Egyptian cotton.
VERITY:
I feel a tugging in my palm, and my fist clenches tighter around the cinnamon sugar goodness. “Don’t take my donut.” I say, but it sounds muffled because my teeth are half stuck together. I hear a low chuckle, and feel the bed dip beside me.
“Babe, you have to let go. It’s pulverized and there’s a huge sticky red stain on your pillow from the half-masticated fruit roll up you have hanging from your mouth.”
I slurp up the excess drool and blink my eyes open lazily. I make out Hunter in the light of the bedside lamp. “So, Rocky, you’re the big winner tonight? You better not have gotten blood on anything.” I scold as I sit up and shove the rest of the gummy fruit snack wad into my mouth and chew.
“You know as well as I do, that if we fought, you’d definitely have known about it. These walls and doors might as well be non-existent.” He says, tucking a strand of hair back into my messy ponytail.
“You know, I give Tanner a hard time, but it really doesn’t bother me.” That much, I want to add, but don’t in fear of Hunter marching next door and beating his ass.
“I know that you are independent, and you don’t want a man bossing you around, but I’m hoping that we can discuss this.” He asks, taking my sticky hands in
his. Bless him that he still finds me attractive, because I certainly have shown him every bad side of me without apology. Maybe his display with Tanner was a little macho and pig headed, and normally I’d find that offensive, but when you’ve never really had a guy willing to fight for you, you don’t know any other way. Even though I won’t admit it out loud for now, I find it a little bit endearing…but just a little bit.
“Ok, let’s talk.” I say, and he looks a tad surprised at my willingness.
“Really babe? You aren’t going to give me a lecture on independent women like you did when I wouldn’t let you open your own car door?” a small smile pulls at the corner of his lip just enough to expose a dimple.
“Nope. And besides that, I see your point about it just being good manners now.”
“I’ll take whatever small wins I can get with you, Ms. Peterson.” He leans forward to kiss my cheek. “Now, I know I over reacted.”
I raise my eyebrows, “Just a bit, but that’s ok. Tanner’s a major pain in my ass, but he’s like family in an odd, probably super inappropriate way. I’d miss him.”
“I get that sweetheart, but you have to see it from my point of view, too. Tanner is one of my best friends, and I trust both of you. It just makes me uncomfortable- you having a guy in your apartment when I’m not here, or when he just barges in. How would you feel if I had a good looking female neighbor that just showed up all the time to hang out with me?”
Well, when he puts it that way…now I feel bad. “I understand. I’m sorry, and we’ll have to establish some boundaries.”
“That’s all I ask.” He says, but he just stares for a moment longer, and it’s like something inside of me bursts wide open for him. I’m completely his…and I hate it because I know he has the power to hurt me like no one has before him.
He pulls my body closer so my legs are draped across his lap, and his warm, musky scent wraps around me. “You are so damn perfect for me. How did I get so lucky?” he leans in, placing a warm kiss on my sticky lips and I melt into him, and as much as I don’t want to let myself fall, I think I just have to let go and see if he’ll catch me.
***
I hear Hunter’s phone ringing on the dresser for probably the tenth time. When I shift out from under his weight to check it, thinking it may be his work, he grumbles reaching for me again. It’s just after midnight, but I get up anyways to silence the phone, but the picture of a pretty brunette by the name of Sydney that is flashing across the screen causes me to pause. For a moment I contemplate answering it, but ultimately decide to try and ignore it even as the nausea rolls through my gut. I hit the button on the side to silence the ringing, but what I can’t silence are the warning bells that are sounding inside my head.
I slide back into bed, but don’t snuggle in close to Hunter’s side like I normally would. Instead, I hug the edge of my queen size bed, and it’s hard because he takes up most of it. His hand finds its way to rest on my stomach, and he rubs small circles in his sleep. I wish it was comforting, but now all I can think about is Sydney. I let my mind wander, and worry that the nights he isn’t with me, he’s in her bed, with her, rubbing her stomach instead.
I can’t even get back to sleep. I can’t turn my brain off and I’m nauseous. I’m not certain if it’s only because of the realization that I may not be the only girl in Hunter’s life, or if it is partially from the two pounds of noodles, and the fists full of donuts I ingested. Ugh. Is ugh, even an emotion? I think it is because that is really all I can feel right now. I’ve probably been laying here for another hour when his phone starts ringing again, and I freeze in place. I’m arguing with myself internally on whether or not I should get up and turn his phone off or have it out in a verbal cat fight with this girl when I feel Hunter bolt out of bed and stumble across the room to his phone.
I close my eyes quickly, peeking through my lashes, pretending to be asleep. I see him glance to me before picking up the phone and holding it to his ear.
“Syd? What’s wrong?” he asks quietly, and the familiarity in the way he calls her by a nickname guts me. I feel the tears begin to well in the corner of my eyes before trailing across the bridge of my nose and splashing down onto my pillowcase.
“I know, but now isn’t a good time. No. Look, I know it’s hard being apart, but it’ll only be another few days. I’ll send someone over to take a look. Yeah, I promise. Ok, love you too. Get some sleep. Bye.” He ends the call and heads to the bathroom. The entire time he’s in there I sob into my pillow, trying to keep it together and find the courage to speak up and kick him out. I don’t know what happened to kick ass, strong Verity, but she has fled for the hills and ducked for freaking cover from this shit storm.
He pads back into my bedroom, and somehow, I conjure up what’s left of bad ass Verity, and brace myself for what comes next.
The bed dips behind me and only two words come out of my mouth, “Get out.” Not exactly as smooth or as powerful as initially planned, but still effective, I suppose.
“Babe?” he questions, and begins to wrap his arm around my midsection, but I pull away.
“No. Don’t touch me. I’d like for you to leave please.”
“Verity. Baby, what’s wrong?” He reaches for me again. “I would like for you to leave, and you’re not leaving that’s what’s wrong, Hunter.”
“Did I do something? Can you tell me why? Verity, please?”
I laugh, but I know I sound like a maniac. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?! Like really? Are you that painfully slow?” I explode.
A knock sounds on the wall from Tanner’s side. “Everything alright, neighbors?” We hear him yell through the wall.
“No.” I shout at the same time Hunter answers yes to the question.
Hunter rolls on his side to switch on my bedside lamp and when he rolls back over his eyes widen as he takes in my face.
“Oh, no! Don’t cry babe. Please, just tell me what is wrong.”
“Sydney. That’s what’s wrong, and you!” I wail.
He looks up to the ceiling and sighs. Guilty. “Hey, I know she is a little bit persistent, but she was having water heater problems and being pregnant, she’s a little bit emotional. I’m sorry.”
At the word pregnant, the lead weight in my stomach officially hits bottom. What the hell? Why me? Every time. How am I going to even begin to retell this story? The other ones were bad, laughable almost, but this is…embarrassing from start to finish. Not to mention, my heart is crushed.
“Baby, talk to me. What’s wrong?” he brushes an errant tear away. His eyes are wide with worry.
“Hunter, if you don’t know the answer to that, then I think we are done here. Please don’t come back.” I pull away from hand.
“Seriously? You’re ending what we have because I took a phone call from my sister in law in the middle of the night? Verity, seriously! My brother is on a business trip and she had no one else to call! I don’t understand!” his voice is rising, and I see the anger and hurt boiling and about ready to spill over. Wait. What?
“Sister in law?” I ask.
“What?” he stops, confused.
“Sydney is your sister in law? As in your brother’s wife?” I confirm.
He looks at me like I’m insane. “Yes.” He answers slowly, drawing out the word, and I sag in relief, burying my face in my comforter and cry harder. I feel so incredibly stupid, but yet, so relieved.
“Babe. What is going on?” he scoots closer, rubbing circles on my back with his palm as I cry out all of my crazy. Well maybe not all of it, but today’s allotment. I sit up and suck in my snot and try to wipe the tears from my face, before I start laughing hysterically. I’m a mess.
“Are you on your period or something? Do you need me to go get you something?” he asks, and it’s sweet that he is so clueless and concerned. I might be legit crazy. I feel like I will be featured on a Crime TV special someday. The crazy woman who kills her husband for bringing home the wrong type of pasta or somethi
ng. It always circles back to food with me…
“No. No, honey. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I laugh and cry at the same time. “I didn’t realize Sydney was your sister in law. Taylor’s wife?” I ask and he nods his head in confirmation since he has two brothers.
It takes a second, but then I see the realization of what I must have assumed wash over him. “Shit! Oh, no! Come here.” He pulls me straight into his lap and hugs me tight.
“She called several times, and I got up to silence the phone and I thought the worst. I’m sorry. It’s just with the track record I’ve had – it made sense. Then I laid here awake stewing about it and heard your conversation, and from this end I made it out to be more than it was.”
“Shit, babe. No. Never would I cheat on you. Look at me. I need you to understand.” He takes my face in his large hands and stares earnestly into my eyes. “I don’t cheat, and especially not on you. Verity, you mean too much to me. You’re becoming my whole world and I would never jeopardize what we have. Ever. Never question that.”
“I believe you.”
“You sure? Because honestly, we can call her right now so you can talk to her. My brother is out of town and she’s just having a rough go of it being so close to her due date.”
“No, that’s ok. I’m sorry for freaking out on you.”
“Don’t apologize. Just next time, let’s talk about it and not jump to conclusions.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I say, planting a kiss on his cheek.
He pulls me in tighter to his chest and leans over to turn off the light before settling us back under the covers. He holds me close like he’s never going to let go, and lord help me, but I don’t want him to. Well, maybe at least for another five minutes because pretty soon it will be too hot to function under these covers and he’ll be sweatin’ balls.
chapter 15
LESSON #15: BEST FRIENDS CAN BE VERY PERSUASIVE.