#Bae (The Hashtag Series Book 8)

by Cambria Hebert

  “I know.” Understanding laced his tone.

  I offered my hand to Drew, and he accepted it. We locked eyes, and I apologized for the position he and Trent had been in. He nodded once as if to say he understood.

  Across the deck, Rimmel stuck her head out the door, marshmallows piled in her hands. “Anyone need a beer?” she called out.

  “Yes!” all of us answered at once.

  She laughed and disappeared back inside.

  My gut clenched. “I’ll call tomorrow and put a bodyguard on her.”

  B made a whistling sound. “That didn’t go over too well last time.”

  That was an understatement. She was so opposed to it I called it off. Not this time. I wasn’t taking any chances with her safety.

  “Two million dollars is way too much motivation for dirt,” I replied. I glanced at Drew. “Do you think that offer was just on the table for you because you’re family, because you’re close to us?”

  Drew shrugged. “Could be. But I wouldn’t bank on it. If it was good enough, they’d probably write anyone a check.”

  Braeden made a rude sound. “Rim’s so innocent. There ain’t even anything in her background worth two mil.”

  The second the words were out of his mouth, we looked at each other. I actually felt some of the blood drain from my face.

  “You don’t think…” B whispered.

  We stared at each other, both reliving the nightmare in Florida when I basically got shot trying to clean up the mess Rim’s father made, all for the sake of money.

  “What?” Trent demanded.

  I swallowed and shook my head once. “He’s clean, hasn’t been gambling. Hell, he’s barely out of rehab.”

  “Rimmel’s father?” Trent said, thoughtful. “You really think he’d sell a story for a payday?”

  “As long as he isn’t in debt up to his ears or thinking about his next score, no,” I said.

  “Time to check in on Daddy Dearest,” B quipped as the girls stepped out of the house with their arms full of supplies.

  “I’ll make a call,” I vowed, then glanced at Trent and Drew. “Thanks for the heads-up and for not spilling it all in front of Rim.”

  “We’re family,” Trent replied.

  I knew I was going to have to make my girl aware of what was going on, but not tonight. Hell, not even tomorrow. These next few days were ours, and I was going to safeguard that like no other.

  “Who wants s’mores?” she called, joining us by the fire and dropping all the ingredients on a long, stone counter just outside the circle.

  I caught her around the waist from behind and lifted her off her toes. “I got all the sugar I need right here,” I growled and attacked the side of her neck.

  She made a squealing sound but didn’t try to get away. My girl knew better than that. She wouldn’t have gotten very far if she had.

  Laughing, she turned her face so I could lock our lips together. Her tongue tasted like cinnamon and clove. Mine likely tasted like beer.

  Braeden cleared his throat loudly. “That’s shit brothers don’t need to be seeing.”

  Rim kissed me softly one last time before pulling back just a little. “I want it browned. Not burned,” she informed me.

  “What am I, your slave?” I joked.

  Her nose wrinkled. “You roast better marshmallows than me.”

  “You better do it, Rome. We still have a burned patch in the deck from the last time she tried to roast her own.” Braeden cracked.

  He was a wiseass. I grinned widely because he was a funny wiseass. I’d never forget the look on my wife’s face when her marshmallow damn near exploded in flames. Frantically, she tried to put it out but ended up flinging the thing through the air, where it landed in a still-blazing, messy heap just behind where I was sitting.

  Rim grimaced. “He’s right.”

  I threw back my head and laughed before leaning in to press a kiss to the tip of her nose. “One perfectly browned, not burned marshmallow coming up.”

  “Gooey on the inside,” she added with a faint smile.

  “Whatever you want, baby,” I whispered, kissing her again.

  I spent the rest of the night feeding her sugar, holding her close, and kissing her lips every chance I got. Inside, I still churned from the information Trent and Drew delivered, but I flat out refused to let it show. I knew I did a damn good job of keeping it under wraps by the happiness in Rim’s brown eyes and the languid way her body melded into mine.

  There wasn’t anything I could do tonight about the bounty put out on our lives, so it was just going to have to wait.

  Rimmel

  Today was a big day.

  An exciting, happy day. Yet I didn’t feel those things. Instead, I stood in my grand walk-in closet, with its giant marble-topped island and beautiful antique lantern overhead, and felt a restless sort of energy coursing through my limbs.

  I tried to ignore it. I told myself I was just excited and anxious to celebrate the first birthday of my only niece. It kept me moving. I went through my two racks of clothes and ruffled through my drawers several times.

  I didn’t really see the clothes, though. Even though I told myself I was looking to put an outfit together and pulling out things that matched, I wasn’t. It was an excuse. An excuse to feel normal. An excuse to pretend I wasn’t feeling out of sorts and almost frightened.

  I didn’t like this feeling. It wasn’t the first time I’d known it the past few months. Each time my limbs started to tingle and my stomach jittered, my gut whispered. I closed my ears to the whispers, though, and pushed on.

  My heart pounded a little too fast and too hard, and my mouth was a little too dry.

  Anxiety.

  Stress.

  Panic.

  I knew what these things were, but I shunned them. I told myself I was way stronger than something so filled with trickery. It was as if my body and mind were rebelling against what I knew to be true. The feeling of sickness coating my innards wasn’t really real. It was what my mind was doing to my body.

  I hated it. I rebelled against it.

  Unfortunately, it only made the way I felt worse. Like a vicious cycle, the more I ignored it, the more those feelings insisted they be known.

  I dropped down on a nearby tufted bench and sipped at the coffee I’d carried in here from the coffee bar in the kitchen. Trying to pick out an outfit was almost hopeless. Most definitely exasperating. If Ivy wasn’t already so busy with party prep, I’d go beg her to pick something for me.

  I was tired, but I knew my lagging only stemmed from the feelings attempting to consume me. I took a deep breath, exhaled, then pushed to my feet.

  What I wore really didn’t matter. It certainly didn’t require so much thought and effort. I snorted to myself because it was practically ridiculous I was even standing in here stressing about my outfit.

  It isn’t your outfit you’re worrying about.

  Abandoning my coffee to the white marble top, I plucked out a pair of distressed, light-colored, straight-legged jeans and tugged them on. Next, I grabbed a white and black stripped, long-sleeved top that felt really soft and comfortable (which were my two favorite things). Once it was on, I realized how loose it was and mentally groaned. Romeo’s parents would be here today. Ivy’s mom and Braeden’s mom.

  I didn’t want to look like I didn’t bother at all.

  But I didn’t want to change either.

  Blowing out a breath, I grabbed a yellow lace bralette and pulled it on over the bra I was currently wearing but beneath the T-shirt. Frankly, the fact I managed that without falling over should have earned me a gold medal.

  Once that was done, I glanced back up, grabbed a handful of the hem at one of my hips, and tied it into a knot. I stepped back to look at my attempt in the large floor mirror leaning against the wall.

  Good enough.

  It was super casual, but this was a one-year-old’s birthday party. It wasn’t a night at the Met. The knot made the shirt
not so loose, and the lacey yellow strap from the bralette that showed at my shoulder was a nice accent.

  At least I hoped it was.

  I shoved my feet into a pair of white Converse and left the closet with my coffee. At the counter in the bathroom, I traded the caffeine for a hairbrush and studied the haystack on my head. Just the thought of trying to comb it out overwhelmed me.

  I noticed again the pounding of my heart and the slight tremor in my fingers.

  I wanted Romeo.

  I was being silly. Stupid even. I didn’t need his arms right now or the comfort of his presence. I was in my own home, wearing my own clothes, and I had nowhere I had to go today outside the walls of the compound. It was a family day. I loved family days.

  Romeo was already downstairs, helping Braeden set up a bounce house in the backyard. I smiled to myself because I was sure it was quite a spectacle, and I knew I should hurry to go down to see it.

  Since trying to brush out all the knots in my bird’s nest wasn’t in the cards, I decided instead to comb it up and secure it into a messy knot on top of my head.

  Ta-da! #Fancy.

  Darcy and Ralph were lying on the foot of our bed, and when I stepped out, both their tails wagged. A little of the restlessness I felt went away when I looked at them. I paused to scratch behind both their ears, then called to them as I left the room.

  Both dogs followed along behind me like shadows as we trodded downstairs. In the kitchen, Ivy was issuing orders to Drew and Trent.

  “Don’t hang it like that! My God, think of the pictures!” She gasped.

  I stopped and watched them with full-on amusement from beneath the stone archway that separated the kitchen from the great room.

  “Your niece is going to look back on this day, not to mention the freshly painted walls—”

  “Rimmel! Save us!” Drew interrupted Ivy when he saw me lurking.

  Ivy made a sound and spun. “Thank God! A voice of reason! Just look. He’s trying to staple the banner to the ceiling. Staple!”

  I giggled and looked up at Drew, who was indeed standing on a chair with a stapler in his hand.

  “A stapler might not be the best way to go,” I told him with a wide smile.

  “Little traitor,” he muttered.

  “We’re outnumbered,” Trent told Drew.

  “We can take ‘em,” Drew intoned.

  From her highchair, Nova squealed and fed all the food on her tray to the three dogs who sat patiently at her feet.

  “This place is a zoo,” Ivy muttered.

  I laughed and went over to a nearby junk drawer, pulled out some Scotch tape, and carried it over to Drew. “Here, don’t use half the roll. It should come off okay later.”

  I stepped over to Ivy, who looked flustered and gorgeous all at the same time. Her blond hair was straight this morning, her makeup glowing and natural, and she was wearing a T-shirt-style dress made in dark-blue lace. On her feet were a pair of dark-brown suede, knee-high boots with no heel.

  “Have you had any time to breathe this morning?” I asked.

  “In between issuing orders!” Drew cracked.

  “Andrew Wayne!” Ivy snapped.

  Trent guffawed.

  “Not funny, frat boy,” Drew growled at him.

  “Get some coffee. Relax a few,” I told her, giving her a gentle push toward the coffeemaker.

  Nova had cleared her tray of food, and the dogs were looking mighty satisfied.

  “Did any of that make it into your belly before you shared it all with the puppies?” I asked her.

  She smiled and held up her arms.

  I lifted the baby out of her seat and cuddled her close for a long moment. She laid her head against my shoulder, and I rubbed a hand over the soft strands of her thick, dark hair.

  My stomach dipped, but I ignored it. “Let’s give Mommy a break,” I told her when she pulled back and looked at me.

  As usual, she reached for my glasses. I evaded the move by taking her hand and pressing a kiss to it. She smelled like Cheerios.

  Nova looked a lot like Braeden, with lots of dark hair and the same shape face. Her eyes were all Ivy, though, round and blue. She was a happy baby, always ready with a smile, and she liked to climb in your lap when you read.

  At my feet, Prada stood staring up, waiting to see where I would go with her favorite friend. Because Prada was still pretty young when Nova was born, the pair sort of grew up together. I was surprised at how tolerant the Chihuahua was of the baby, especially when Nova would tug on her ears and tail.

  “Done,” Trent announced as he and Drew stepped down from the chairs. We all turned to look at the colorful, giant Happy Birthday banner stretching across the room.

  “Looks good, guys. Thank you,” Ivy said.

  “Anything for my favorite girl,” Drew said, poking Nova in the belly lightly.

  She laughed very enthusiastically and looked at him expectantly. Drew obliged and tickled her again.

  She was still laughing when Drew turned to Ivy. “Can we go change now, before Mom gets here?”

  She waved them off. “Yes. Thanks for helping me in here. I appreciate it.”

  Both guys saluted her, then went to the door.

  “Don’t come back here in sweats!” Ivy yelled after them.

  I grimaced. I wasn’t in sweats, but I wasn’t wearing a dress, either. “Should I change?” I asked.

  Ivy laughed. “No. You look great! I just like to give him hell.”

  Murphy sauntered in the kitchen, stopped in the doorway and stared at the three dogs, and flicked his tail. I went to the sliding doors and shooed all the pups outside.

  “Want to help me feed the kitty?” I asked Nova, carrying her along with me.

  She pointed at Murphy and nodded. I moved around, getting out his plate and a fresh can of food. I sat Nova on the counter, making sure I stood directly in front of her so she wouldn’t fall, and popped open the top of the can.

  Nova lifted the spoon and was swinging it around, about to put it in her mouth.

  “Here,” I told her and showed her the food. “Put some of this on the plate.”

  Nova looked between me and the food, then dipped in the spoon. Of course she didn’t really scoop up the food, just got the spoon messy, then touched it onto the plate.

  “Good job!” I praised her. “Murphy’s gonna love this.” As I spoke, I wrapped my hand around hers and the spoon and scooped out the food onto the plate. Every so often, she would glance up at me as we worked, and the weight of her innocent blue eyes seemed a little heavier than usual.

  “All done,” I said and set aside the can and spoon.

  Nova made some sounds and held out her arms. I lifted her, and we put the plate on the floor for Murphy, who was already at my feet and purring as loud as a lawn mower.

  Nova clapped when he started eating. “He likes it!” I told her and patted her belly. Nova wiggled to get down, so I stood her on her feet but held her hands to steady her.

  She wasn’t quite walking yet. She was close, but we’d yet to see her first independent steps.

  “Rimmel,” Ivy said, and my heart sank. I just knew from the sound of her voice and the way she watched me with Nova this was coming.

  I wished I could deny it or fake it. I’d already been trying to hide it. Clearly, I failed.

  “Yeah?” I said a little brighter than I felt.

  “Today is hard for you, isn’t it?” She went right for it. I admired that. At least this way the conversation would be faster.

  “Is it that obvious?” I asked, soft.

  She smiled sadly. “Not really. It just seemed like last night you were a little lost in thought, and with the party today…”

  “Some days are just a little harder than others, you know?”

  Ivy nodded, a remorseful look crossing her features. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want her to feel like she couldn’t celebrate her daughter just because I’d lost mine.

  “Today is Nova’s day,”
I told her confidently. “A happy day. We shouldn’t let anything put a dark cloud over it.”

  “You know I’m always here if you want to talk, right? No matter what,” she told me, and I nodded, unable to speak.

  Ivy nodded once, then straightened away from the counter and held her arms out to Nova. “Why don’t we go see if Daddy and Uncle Romeo got the bounce house up without killing each other?”

  Nova stepped toward her mother, and I helped steady her as she walked over.

  A buzzing sound cut through the kitchen, and Ivy glanced up. “Someone’s at the gate.” I was about to offer to buzz them through, but she was already moving to the corner of the kitchen where the house “control panel” was.

  The panel consisted of a large monitor that allowed us to view various positions around the property thanks to cameras. There was also a tablet where everything from music to locks were controlled by a few taps on the screen. One of those taps had the ability to open the gate and allow in visitors.

  “Oh, it’s my mom,” Ivy chirped and pressed the button to open the gate. It was on a timer and would swing closed after a few seconds passed to allow the car to drive in.

  “Grandma’s here!” Ivy told Nova.

  Nova grinned and started to sink toward the floor. Guess her little legs were tired of standing. I lifted her back into my arms.

  “We’ll go check on the guys. Give you a second with your mom when she gets up here.”

  “You’re sure?” Ivy asked, searching my eyes.

  “I’m sure.” I nodded.

  “Thanks,” she replied. “I’ll call down and let Drew know she’s here. He hasn’t seen her since the day my father kicked him out.”

  Ivy’s father wasn’t invited today because he’d disowned his oldest son for being in a relationship with another man. Ivy had been so upset he treated Drew this way she cut him out of her life, so by extension, the life of his only grandchild, too.

  Ivy was upset and angry with her mother, too. After all, she hadn’t done more to protect Drew from their father, but Ivy hadn’t been able to bring herself to keep her from Nova. I understood, and since their mother was a little more accepting of Drew’s relationship (note: she didn’t totally cut him out, but made no effort to speak to him), Ivy invited her for the family party.