Sweet As Sin

by Ana Jolene

  God, she hated them! They had riled her up so much that all she could hear was the blood roaring in her ears. She still couldn’t believe what had just happened or what she’d managed to say, but after all those years of keeping her mouth shut, she had finally boiled over and had finally said what was on her mind.

  Maison didn’t expect that they’d try to get in touch with her again soon, but she hoped that when they did, they would have the decency to apologize for everything that they’d put her through. If they weren’t aware of her hurt before, then they were now.

  Maison knew that although she was now standing up for herself, things wouldn’t change overnight, but already she was feeling a hundred times better for doing it.

  From now on, there would be no more busting her butt, trying to please others. There would be no more working herself to the bone, and definitely no more feeling self-conscious when she had no reason to be. She had to kick those nasty habits to the curb before she could take back control of her life and focus on the people she cared about.

  Once she managed that, the world would be hers.

  THIRTY

  A part of Hutch felt guilty for not going with his siblings to visit their father at the hospital in the morning, but for his own sanity, he just needed to be alone.

  Maison would likely be there again and he wasn’t sure what he would do if those blue eyes met his. Not only had she left him but she’d ditched him too. He’d appreciated his brother’s efforts in trying to smooth things out between them, but it was clear that Maison didn’t want to. Why run from him otherwise?

  No. He wasn’t going to put his heart through that again. If anything happened to Matthew, Dacey or Hunter would give him a call. But he wasn’t going to wait around in the same room as Maison if he could help it. He had tortured himself enough the last few days worrying about her already.

  Today he was just going to take a breather and try to center himself. Normally, he’d go over to Sam’s house whenever he was feeling like this. But he didn’t want to burden her with such a heavy load. If what Hunter said was true and she’d gone to meet with a client the other day, then that meant she’d finally found a job that interested her. He wasn’t going to take her away from that just so she could listen to him complain about his shitty life. What else could he do to take his mind off things?

  He could go back to the gun range. He’d enjoyed his time there and the simple act of focusing on one target made the rest of the world go blissfully blank.

  Yes, that was what he was going to do. Hutch jumped out of bed and quickly changed into some jeans and a T-shirt. Then he grabbed his keys and headed for his car.

  Not only did he plan on working his aggression out, but he also planning on forgetting the world.

  “Hey, have you heard from Hutch today?” Dacey asked.

  Maison looked up from her planner she’d been decorating. “Huh? Uh, no.” Actually, she hadn’t heard from Hutch in a while but she wasn’t going to bring that up right now.

  Hutch’s sister frowned. “That’s weird. I texted him earlier to see if he wanted me to bring some take-out home but he hasn’t replied yet. That was hours ago.” It was already nearing the end of the day and Maison could see the worry in her friend’s eyes.

  “Maybe he’s still sleeping,” Hunter remarked as he picked Owen up and held him in his arms. They’d been with Matthew all day, and although Maison knew miracles didn’t happen overnight, she was hoping for some good news today. So far, however, there was no change in him.

  “It’s nearly five in the afternoon.”

  “You know Hutch. That guy can sleep through anything.”

  But the words did little to ease her friend. As a matter of fact, Maison was concerned about him too. After her cowardly move the other day, she wanted to apologize to him in person but he hadn’t arrived with Hunter or Dacey this morning. And now that he wasn’t answering his sister’s texts, she worried that something had happened to him. Surely he’d check his phone if he wanted to keep tabs on his father’s condition, right?

  “I’m going to go look for him,” Dacey decided.

  “I’ll come with you,” Maison added.

  “Wait, what about Dad?” Hunter cried.

  “You stay here. We’ll go look for him.”

  “Do you even know where to look?”

  That stumped Dacey. While she was more than capable of running out of here, she wasn’t sure where to start looking. For that matter, neither did Maison. Hunter sighed. “Okay, how about this? Why don’t you guys stay here with Dad and Owen and I’ll go look for him.”

  Dacey started to protest. “But—”

  “What if Dad wakes up?”

  “Oh fine,” she said but she clearly wasn’t happy with it. “But take Maison with you.”

  Maison smiled at the sound of her name.

  “All right, Maison,” Hunter drawled. “Grab your things. Let’s go find my brother.”

  * * *

  Maison felt her anxiety begin to rise as she and Hunter walked up the steps to Sam’s home. She felt terrible for coming here again unannounced but this was where Hutch would likely be hiding out if something was bothering him.

  Hunter rapped on the door. “Sam?” he called out. “It’s Hunter. I’m looking for Hutch. Is he there?”

  The door swung open a few seconds later and Sam walked out wear a pair of ripped jeans, a simple tank top, and wet hair. Had she just come out of the shower?

  Maison had no idea why she was so surprised to see the other woman again. Perhaps it was her appearance. Sam looked strong and vital with her long hair and tattoos whereas Maison didn’t look like she had an ounce of toughness in her. It made her want to turn away like a dog with its tail between its legs.

  No, she couldn’t do that. She had to be strong. But her heart was already beating hard at the thought of seeing Hutch again. Squarely her shoulders, Maison asked, “Is Hutch with you?”

  Sam shook her head. “No, he isn’t. Why? Is something wrong? How’s Matthew doing?”

  “Matthew is fine,” Hunter informed her. “Well, he’s still in the hospital but Hutch hasn’t been answering any of our calls. Have you heard from him today?”

  “No. I tried calling him earlier but he hasn’t called me back. Is he not at home? I assumed he’d be at the hospital with you guys so I didn’t think much of it.”

  Hunter shook his head. “He’s not there.”

  “Where could he have gone then?”

  “I really thought he would be here,” said Hunter.

  “Hmm, well if he’s not at home or at the hospital, then I think I know where he might be,” Sam said. “Let’s go.”

  They all filed back into the car but this time Maison gave her seat up to Sam. Since she was the one who knew where they were going, she would need to give Hunter the directions. Sliding into the back seat, she tried not to let her anxiety get the best of her. Where the hell had Hutch gone?

  When they finally pulled up to the large building, Maison’s eyes went wide. “A gun range? Why would he be here?”

  “I showed him this place not too long ago,” Sam explained. “I have a feeling he’d come here if he was feeling down. Do you want to wait here or come inside?”

  Maison hated guns, but her worry for Hutch was strong. “I’m coming. Wait for me!”

  As they entered the establishment, Maison wasn’t surprised to see that everyone knew who Sam was. They greeted her with big smiles, and when she asked if Hutch was around, they were quick to nod. “Well, he was here,” one man said. He had a burly chest and a heavy dusting of facial hair. “But I think he left about two hours ago.”

  “Two hours ago?” Sam looked annoyed to have missed him. “Well, if he’s not here, then where the hell could he have gone?”

  “Do you think he has gone back to the house?” Maison asked.

  “Let me try calling him again,” Hunter said. But when he shook his head a few minutes later, Maison felt her worry amplify. Oh God, where
was he? And why wasn’t he answering any of their calls?

  She thought about what she knew of Hutch and where he might go to find some peace. She’d thought they’d find him with Sam since he always seemed to run to her when he felt troubled, but was there someone else who he’d confided in recently? Someone else that he cared about and felt comfortable with?

  For a while, she’d consider herself a good listener. As she got over her anxiety around him, she’d opened up to him about her feelings, and in return, Hutch had done the same. But those days were long gone and she’d ruined all those moments with her actions.

  Maison recalled the day that she and Hutch had left work to grab some breakfast together. He’d taken her to get some ice cream after and told her that she was extraordinary. At the time, she hadn’t believed him but now she would kill to experience that moment again.

  It was then that it hit her and she gasped. “I think I know where he is!”

  The sun was on its descent after another long day. As Hutch sat on the ground admiring the view, he tried not to think about the yellow and blue hues of the sky and what they reminded him of. Somehow, no matter how much he tried to not think of her, everything reminded him of Maison.

  Blue like her eyes.

  Yellow like her hair.

  And just like that, he felt his chest twinge with pain.

  Hutch thought that in going to the gun range he’d be able to lose himself, and for a couple of hours, he had. But when the adrenaline had passed and his beating heart had slowed, he was once again hit by the empty feeling in his chest.

  He’d come here, to the special place where he could be alone but still be with Maison. This was where he’d taken her after feeding her breakfast. Further down the road, he’d bought her ice cream and then brought her here. They’d made out in his front seat of his car for a little bit before moving to the back. That was when Maison really started to blow his mind. She’d been so sweet. So sexy. That was when he first realized that she was going to be different to all the other women he’d been with. Hutch suspected that was the very moment when he’d started to fall in love with her.

  If he could change reality, he would find a way to make Maison his. Permanently. Because nothing was worse than feeling this way without her.

  Hutch let out a loud sigh. No one would hear him here, but even if someone did, he didn’t care. All he cared about was what he was going to do when he had to face—

  “Hutch?”

  He turned out the sound of his name. “Maison?” His heart clenched hard in his chest. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  But instead of answering him, Maison ran forward and launched herself into his arms. Hutch couldn’t do anything else but hold tight as her softness pressed against his body. God, he missed her. He missed her so much! “Hutch, I’m so happy you’re all right. I was so worried.” What was she doing here? Had she come looking for him? Her lips turned up in a smile. “I knew you would be here.”

  “You did? How?”

  “Because I want to relive this moment again too.” Her beautiful blue eyes started to well up with tears and her smile faded. “Hutch, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you away. It’s just the thing with my parents hit me harder than it should’ve and my confidence was rattled a bit. I started to doubt myself again and . . .” she trailed off and her body started to shake. Hutch could do nothing else but hold her tight to his body. “I-I was afraid of embarrassing you,” she finished on a whisper.

  Hutch reached out and gently lifted Maison’s head so that she was gazing into his eyes. He made sure he maintained eye contact with her when he said, “Why would you ever embarrass me? You are the most beautiful, intelligent, most extraordinary woman I have ever met. I should be the one feeling embarrassed to be standing here with you.”

  Maison grabbed his hand and shook her head. “No, don’t think that. You’re more than I could ever ask for in a man. I feel terrible for what I did to you. Do you forgive me?”

  He still couldn’t believe that Maison was here, back in his arms again. He thought he’d lost everything when he’d lost his leg. But despite his missing limb and his bad attitude, Maison loved him anyway. It caused him to believe that there could be other things to live for other than chasing his passion. Sometimes, it was enough to live for the people you loved too. “Of course I forgive you. I could never stay mad at you, Maison. I love you.”

  Maison let out a sob, and when she shut her eyes, a single tear slipped past. Hutch bowed low and kissed it away, drawing his lips over hers. “I love you, Maison,” he whispered again. “More than anything in the entire world. Will you marry me? I promise to spend the rest of my life trying not to embarrass you.”

  Maison pulled back as her eyes flew wide. “Wait, what? You want to—”

  “Marry me,” he said again. “I don’t have a ring or anything but I’ll get you whichever one you want. Just promise yourself to me and—”

  “Yes.”

  Hutch froze. “Yes?”

  Maison laughed at his expression. “Yes, you fool. Of course I’ll marry you!”

  “Oh, thank God,” he breathed, crushing her to his chest. Inside, his heart was bursting with happiness. When he kissed her again, he poured every drop of love he had for her in that kiss. Maison Lane always worked hard, but she never did anything for herself. Now he was going to spend the rest of his life spoiling her so she didn’t have to.

  The sudden sound of something pulled them apart. When Hutch glanced behind Maison, he realized that his brother and Sam were standing by his car. Sam was in the process of doing a dramatic slow-clap while Hunter was fighting a smile. His own lips turned up in a grin. “Way to ruin the moment, Sam.”

  “Sorry,” she drawled. “I just couldn’t pass it up.” She shook her head at him. “I can’t believe you proposed to a girl without a ring! It’s a good thing Maison is sweet or you would’ve gotten your ass turned down!”

  This time, Hunter laughed out loud.

  Hutch clutched Maison to his chest and gazed down at her. “Yeah. Good thing she loves me, huh?” Maison slapped him across his chest playfully. He caught her hand, bringing her fingers to his lips, kissing her ring finger. “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I fully intend on getting you a diamond, Snowflake.”

  Maison grinned up at him. “I’m not worried. As long as I have you, I have everything I want in the world.

  EPILOGUE

  Hunter Happa-Hewitt sat by his father’s bedside in the hospital, feeling—and probably looking—worse than he’d ever felt before.

  He was tired. No, he was exhausted actually. Like every single parent was familiar with, caring for a child was hard work. He just hadn’t expected it to remain this difficult now. Despite being divorced for a few months already, he thought that things would ease up, but that clearly wasn’t happening. In fact, it seemed to get harder every day.

  Today was proving to be one of the more difficult days.

  Hunter stared down at his father, seeing so much of himself in the man. They shared the same strong jaw and hairline, but while Matthew had the green eyes that reflected his Scottish roots, Hunter had his mother’s rich, brown eyes. Out of all his siblings, Hunter would say that he was the closest in temperament to his father. Sometimes his brother even claimed that they shared the same mind sometimes. His sister, Dacey, kept saying that he wanted to grow up to be just like their father. But it wasn’t true at all. Hunter never wanted to follow in Matthew’s footsteps.

  When Matthew had last asked him to take his place as CEO of Gleam Enterprises, he’d already known the answer he’d give him. The answer would always be no.

  No matter how many times his father asked, Hunter had no intention of running a multimillion-dollar company. He just couldn’t see himself sitting behind a desk all day. It just wasn’t what he wanted for himself. But his father had never stopped asking him to take his place.

  In the past, he never once felt remorse for turning him down but, now, as he stared
down at his father, Hunter wondered what would happen if he’d said yes.

  As if knowing he was thinking about him, his father made a noise. It wasn’t a big one but it was enough to make Hunter freeze. He watched on with bated breath for another movement from his father. When Matthew’s lips moved for a second time, Hunter shot to his feet. Holy shit! Was he coming to?

  He immediately called for the nurse, feeling his heart shift into overdrive. “He moved!” he cried when the nurse came in. “And I think he might even be trying to speak!” Dammit, he wished his brother and sister were here to see this! But they’d already gone home for the night with Owen. Only he had stayed behind.

  The nurse’s eyes darted to the patient but Matthew was suddenly still. Hunter frowned and leaned in. “Hey, what happened? Dad, you all right? He moved, I swear,” he said to the nurse. By her expression, it was clear she didn’t believe him. “Come on, Dad. Wake up!”

  Hunter willed his father to do it again, to lift a finger or to open his eyes—anything!—but when minutes passed and Matthew remained as still as a corpse, the nurse said to him, “I think you should get some rest.” Her tone suggested that she thought that he may be hallucinating. But Hunter was absolutely positive that his father had moved. Why wasn’t he now?

  When Hunter was alone again, he settled back in the chair and dropped his head into his hands. He hadn’t been hallucinating. He might be tired but that wasn’t enough to get him to start hearing things.

  For a long moment, he stared at his father, seeing no movement but the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.