#Bae (The Hashtag Series Book 8)

by Cambria Hebert

  “Do you think Drew and Trent will be okay?” I asked, concerned.

  Ivy nodded. “I pretty much told our mother if she said or did anything to upset him, she would be asked to leave.”

  I let out a breath. “Good.”

  The last thing any of use needed today was drama.

  I was already wound tight enough for all of us.

  “Let’s go find Daddy,” I told Nova as Ivy walked out of the kitchen in the direction of the front door.

  Outside, there was a giant pink and purple bounce house in the shape of a castle taking up most of the yard near the house. Nova was the only child at the party today, so it was an awfully large house for one, but even so, I’d have done the same for my daughter.

  My arms trembled a bit as I carried her across the deck, and my tongue felt thick against the roof of my mouth.

  “Beat this!” Braeden’s voice carried through the air, but I couldn’t see him. He gave a shout. Then the walls of the pink castle shuddered.

  “In the bag,” Romeo’s voice retorted, and then the castle shuddered again.

  Oh my word, what a bunch of boys. They were playing in the bounce house!

  “I totally beat you,” Romeo shouted.

  Braeden immediately started arguing, and the pair began hurling some fairly colorful insults at each other.

  I was closer now and could see through the windows, which were lined with thick, black netting.

  They were wrestling.

  Two grown football players were wrestling in a pink castle bounce house.

  I guess this toy wasn’t for one child after all, but three.

  “What kind of example are you setting in there!” I called out.

  Romeo froze in the middle of pinning B to the air-filled floor, and his head jerked up. “Hey, baby,” he said, as if what he was doing were completely normal.

  “Get in here, sis!” Braeden yelled from beneath my husband.

  “Da-da!” Nova yelled.

  Braeden jolted up, shoving Romeo off. “You trying to teach my daughter her daddy is a pansy, Rome!”

  Romeo fell back onto the floor and laughed.

  “There’s the birthday girl!” B said, bouncing over to the door. Yes. Bounced.

  As previously mentioned, he was an overgrown child.

  “Look at the big castle. You wanna come in here with Daddy?”

  Nova practically dove out of my arms when he reached through the mesh doorway.

  “What the hell are you wearing, Critter?” B remarked, holding her out. “A dress? How are you supposed to bounce in a dress?”

  Nova laughed. She was wearing a pink dress with a full skirt that looked like a tutu. Over top was a small, white cardigan with a hot-pink flower on the side.

  “She looks like a little princess in her castle.” I admonished him.

  B kissed Nova sloppily on her belly, and she laughed. “Rome! Hold my girl.”

  Romeo appeared and lifted Nova into his arms. She grinned up at him as he pushed the dark strands of hair off her forehead. “Looking pretty cute today, sweetheart.”

  My throat constricted, and I tried to tear my eyes away from the sight. Somedays—most days—it didn’t bother me to see Romeo and his niece.

  Today it hurt.

  It hurt a lot.

  Thankfully, Braeden’s form filled my vision, cutting off the sight of Romeo with a baby in his arms. “Get in here, tutor girl.”

  “What?” I gasped. “No way.”

  “No choice,” he ordered and held out a hand.

  I lifted my chin stubbornly.

  I must not have done a very good job intimidating him, because he threatened me. “Come willingly, or I’ll toss your tiny ass in here.”

  I flung out my hands and allowed him to help me inside. Obviously, it felt odd underfoot because the floor was filled with air and sank under my weight.

  I planted my feet a little wider than normal, trying to maintain my balance. Braeden let go of my hands but kept his out, expecting me to fall.

  When I didn’t, I grinned at him.

  I caught the last-minute flash of orneriness in his eyes, but it was too late. He leapt forward, bouncing right in front of me.

  I shrieked and lost my balance. Braeden laughed, caught me around the waist, and jumped as high as he could. He didn’t let go of me. Therefore, I went up in the air with him.

  “Braeden James!” I yelled as we hit the floor and wobbled around.

  B threw his head back and laughed, pulling me in for a hug.

  My already unsteady stomach felt even more so now. Served him right if I barfed all over him.

  Nova was clapping and making a bunch of babbling sounds. Romeo laughed. “You wanna bounce, too?”

  Nova tried to get down, so Romeo put her on her feet, facing him, and held her hands. Her little body shook as she tried to stand, and he bounced just enough to give her a wobble.

  She laughed like it was the greatest thing ever.

  Romeo grinned, the kind of smile I’d only ever seen on him. The azure in his eyes sparkled as he watched Nova while they “bounced.”

  Without thinking, I leaned into B a little farther. Braeden’s arms tightened around me, serving as a wake-up call.

  I stiffened and pulled back. He let me go and didn’t say anything.

  “I should probably take Nova back to the house. Ivy’s mom was pulling up when I came out.”

  “I got it,” he said. “I better go see if Ives needs anything.”

  “I need my kid, Rome,” B said, going over and swinging Nova up in the air. Romeo waved to her as she watched him over B’s shoulder. Her attention was immediately diverted when Braeden bounced them out the door. Her laughter floated behind them.

  Romeo stepped toward me and snagged me around the waist. “Ever do it in a castle?” He wagged his eyebrows at me suggestively.

  “One filled with air?” I joked. “No.”

  The next thing I knew, he fell backward, bringing me with him. His back sank into the floor, and I sprawled across his chest.

  I rubbed my hand over the side of his jaw and went in fast for a kiss. I pressed my lips wholly against his, looking for all the contact I could get. He groaned and wrapped both arms around me and rolled.

  His weight pressed me into the floor, creating a cocoon around us, as his tongue wrapped around mine. Small sounds vibrated the back of my throat as my hands strained against his back and tugged at his shirt.

  We kissed without lifting our mouths, changing direction by sliding our lips one way, then another. I explored him deeply, seeking something I didn’t quite understand but knowing with him was the only place I would find it.

  His body moved against mine, and it was like a spark to my chest. Like a jolt to a drained battery. I groaned, my head fell to the side, but Romeo kept kissing. His lips moved across my jaw, trailing over my neck and down so he could lick over the lacey strap of my bra.

  “Romeo.” I sighed, wrapping one leg around his hip.

  He chuckled.

  “What?” I asked, my voice breathless.

  He lifted his head. “I think someone is missing what I didn’t give her last night.”

  “You must not remember last night too clearly, then,” I purred, rubbing my hand up his back. “Because I recall getting an awful lot.”

  The backs of his fingers brushed over my cheek, and he smiled down. He still did it. He still looked at me like I was all he saw, like I was the sun and the moon all wrapped up into one.

  A little of the panic I’d been struggling to shake since I woke up slipped away. Romeo made me feel so full of love that there just wasn’t room for all the anxiety trying to take over.

  “You liked it,” he said, smug.

  “So did you.” I could be smug, too.

  Last night after the bonfire, we’d escaped to our room, and I got in the shower to wash away the scent of burning wood. Of course, I didn’t get in the shower alone. Things got heated, as they always did with Romeo. Bu
t we didn’t have sex.

  He’d told me in a rather brazen and sexy way he wanted me to come across his tongue so he could taste it. He made it impossible to deny. His lips, his tongue… the pressure of his mouth when he sucked. It was my undoing.

  I thought maybe once I’d come apart, he’d slide into me like he always did. Instead, he lay down beside me, gathering me close.

  When I glanced up with questions in my eyes, he’d smiled. “No sex. Just play.”

  I kinda liked the idea of just playing, so I slid down his body and did just that. He wasn’t the only one who had the pleasure of making someone come across his tongue.

  “You miss me,” he said, bringing me out of last night’s memory and back into the bounce castle.

  “Always,” I whispered.

  “Why are you trembling, baby?”

  “Because of you.”

  “You were shaking before I even touched you.” His lips brushed across mine briefly.

  “Today makes me think about Evie.” I confided, squeezing my eyes shut. “It’s just…”

  “Hard.” He finished, understanding in his tone.

  I nodded. “Seeing you with Nova…” I began but couldn’t finish.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He rolled onto his back so his arms could tuck me along his body, my head pillowed on his chest.

  “I wish it wasn’t so hard,” I whispered, a weight pressed on my heart.

  We lay there in the center of the pink and purple castle without saying a word. He just held me, stroking my back as I listened to the sound of his heart beating beneath my ear.

  I finally accepted the fact I was really struggling today, and with that acceptance, it became a little easier to breathe.

  “I’m better now,” I whispered a little while later.

  I felt his lips on the top of my head.

  “We should probably go in the house. Everyone’s probably here.”

  His arms tightened around me.

  I sighed. I could stay here another minute.

  The sound of what sounded like a door slamming and the rumble of low voices had me sitting up. Romeo followed, keeping one arm around me.

  Trent and Drew were on the back deck, their body language stiff.

  “Something’s wrong,” I said immediately.

  All thoughts of myself and my feelings were forgotten as we started for the door.

  Romeo

  You know what pisses me off?

  When good days are ruined by bad shit.

  And no, I’m not talking about Rim. Of course today was going to be hard for her. Fuck, it wasn’t that easy for me either. She had a right to her pain, and so did I. She wouldn’t be the sensitive, deep-feeling woman I loved if our niece’s birthday party didn’t make her think about the child she lost.

  I saw it last night; she didn’t know it, but I did. The closer we came to today, the more anxious she became. It was one of the reasons I took sex off the table last night. I didn’t want the pressure of the condom. I didn’t want to ask her and for her to have to say no, but at the same time, I didn’t want to not ask and make her wonder. So no sex. No condom. No worries.

  Besides, there were other ways, hella good ways to get it on.

  Rim didn’t go around shoving her pain down people’s throats (unlike other people who shall soon be named), causing more hurt and making a thing out of something that wasn’t supposed to be a thing.

  In fact, my girl went out of her way to stuff it down. She tried so hard her body shook with it. I loved her. So goddamn much. It killed me she hurt like this. I lay there holding her, trying to come up with some way to make it better.

  I could give her another child, but she had to let me.

  Just when I felt some of the tension leave her body, drama came to the hood. You know, I thought having a gate would keep that shit out.

  Clearly, I was wrong.

  Trent and Drew were still on the back deck when we walked up.

  “What’s the matter?” Rimmel worried, hurrying over.

  “Everyone’s here,” Drew said, his voice oddly void, and stared out across the view.

  “Who’s everyone?” I asked, my tone steely. I had a bad feeling I knew what he was going to say.

  “Drew’s father,” Trent replied, his eyes meeting mine. They were shadowed and angry at the same time.

  If there was one thing I’d learned over the past few years, it was life wasn’t easy. In fact, at times, it was fucking brutal. Family was supposed to be the exception. Family was supposed to make life easier.

  It wasn’t always that way.

  Guess that’s why the six of us formed our own family. A family by choice and out of loyalty.

  “He wasn’t invited.” I crossed my arms over my chest. I wasn’t above kicking someone off this property.

  “Didn’t stop him from coming,” Trent retorted.

  Rimmel heard something she didn’t like in his voice and went to his side. He draped an arm over her shoulders, and she peeked around at me with a frown.

  We didn’t need this. Rim had enough going on inside her without worrying herself sick over Trent and Drew. And my brothers deserved to be at peace in their own damn home.

  I strode toward the house. There was some shit I couldn’t fix, but I could do something about this.

  “Wait.” Drew stopped me.

  I turned back.

  “He’s Nova’s grandfather.”

  “He gave up that right,” I countered.

  “I don’t want a fight,” he said quietly. “I don’t want to be anything like him.”

  Trent made a sound and stepped up to Drew’s side. “You aren’t. You are nothing like him.”

  “Just let him stay. I’m not putting my sister in the middle of this. Or my niece.”

  “I’m pretty sure Ivy didn’t ask him to be here,” I said.

  Rimmel shook her head, agreeing with me. “Definitely not.”

  Drew rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “No, but he came anyway.”

  “This is your house. Our house,” Trent said. “He’s not welcome here.”

  “I’m sorry, frat boy,” Drew told him. “It won’t be like last time. He says one thing to you, even looks at you cross-eyed, and I’ll toss him out myself.”

  “Don’t worry about me, Forrester,” Trent spoke. “This isn’t about me.”

  “It’s always about you,” Drew replied, almost too low for me to hear.

  Rimmel glanced around at me again, her heart in her eyes. I shook my head. I was getting pretty fucking tired of feeling helpless. I wasn’t, but some of these situations sure played with a man’s head.

  What the fuck kind of father did this to his son? It was amazing to me the man in my kitchen right now could be so cold to his own blood. That he would put his own happiness before his child’s. And why? Because he didn’t agree with who his son loved. I’d never treat my kid that way. Never.

  You sure about that?

  I shook off the thought. It was bad shit.

  “He’s out,” I said, not in anger, just in truth. I wanted to toss him out. Fuck, my fingers itched for the fight. I just wanted him gone. I wanted everything he represented gone.

  “No,” Drew said after a moment. “Today isn’t about me.” He glanced at Trent. “As long as he keeps his bigoted opinions to himself, doesn’t say anything to T, and overall acts like a decent person, then he can stay. But after today, he’s out.”

  I nodded once, respecting his choice. “You change your mind, just say the word.” My eyes met Trent’s and held until he nodded. I wanted him to know if or when he had enough, then I’d show our unwanted guest the door, regardless of Drew not wanting to upset his sister.

  “Your parents are here,” Trent told me after a few seconds of silence.

  I nodded, holding out a hand to Rim. “C’mon, Smalls. Let’s go make nice with my mother.”

  Rimmel glanced back at Trent and Drew. Drew gave her a smile. “I’m fine. Go ahead. We’ll be th
ere in a few.”

  Inside, the kitchen was fuller than when I left it earlier. My parents, B’s mom and the man she’d been dating a couple years, and Ivy’s parents were all there.

  The island was piled with brightly wrapped gifts, and a bouquet of balloons floated nearby.

  Nova was the center of attention in her frilly, girly dress, wrapped up in Adrienne’s arms (that would be Ivy’s mother). Ivy was standing not far behind them, a frown on her face as she stared at her father.

  Braeden stood at his wife’s back. He looked up, and our eyes collided. I made it perfectly clear the way I felt when I stared back. Judging from the way he returned my glare, he was feeling the same.

  “I wish you wouldn’t have done this today,” Ivy said, watching her parents fawn over Nova.

  “Done what? Come visit our granddaughter on her birthday.”

  “It’s not technically her birthday yet,” Ivy retorted as if she weren’t sure what else to say.

  Nova’s actual birthday wasn’t for a couple weeks, toward the end of September, but because of the football season schedule, Ivy and B decided to have a big party early, before all of us were going in different directions.

  “I could have just brought her to visit you.”

  “Nonsense,” Burke said, brushing off the evident concern in his daughter’s voice.

  Anger flared in Braeden’s eyes. He was caught in the middle, too, not wanting to cause a scene at his daughter’s birthday party, but also not wanting anything to hurt his wife.

  I stepped forward, releasing Rim’s hand and using my size to tower over Ivy’s father. I wasn’t one to actually try to intimidate someone. Frankly, I never really had to. Usually, my presence was enough, but I wanted this man to know exactly what he was dealing with.

  “You say one word, you even breathe in a way I don’t like, and I’m going to personally remove you.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Adrienne was quick to say, glancing up from Nova.

  “I suggest you spend some time with your grandchild, then get the hell out of my house.”

  Burke turned his full gaze to me. I saw some anger there, even protest. But it didn’t matter. He was no match for the turmoil bubbling inside me.