Easy to Love You

by Megan Smith

  “They still haven’t texted back; I don’t want to bother them. They need this time alone.” I explained to Zeke.

  “Cool, Cool.” He sprayed Hunter’s arm down, cleaning all the ink from it. “Well I’ll be around if they change their mind.”

  “Alright man, I’ll let them know. How much do we owe you?” Hunter asked, looking at his now finished arm.

  “Don’t worry about it, it was nice catching up with you guys. I wish you didn’t live so far away, I miss your crazy asses and,” he looked over at me, “Your cooking.”

  Cue the guilt trip, “Well Zeke, why don’t you come over around six? I promised Bentley dinner for letting us stay and I know he wouldn’t mind if you came over too.”

  “You sure?” Zeke asked, unsure about his invitation.

  I rolled my eyes at him, “Of course, I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want you there.”

  He smiled, easy laid back Zeke style, “I’ll be there.”

  We said our goodbyes and left. Hunter and I took a quick, freezing stroll down by the ocean before heading back to Bentley’s to start dinner. I wished everyday could begin and end with us wrapped in each other’s arms, the only thing missing was Ryder.

  Our time here was coming to an end quickly and I mentally cringed, I was actually dreading going home because I knew my time was up and I needed to come clean to CC. I didn’t know what the fuck I was going to do if she freaked out on me and left. What would happen to us? To Ryder? No way could I not see my little man every day, or not wake up with him in the middle of the night for a feeding.

  I shook all those thoughts from my head for now, I had her here and I was going to spend every last second acting like there wasn’t a black cloud over my head.

  CC and Hailey, who’d finally made an appearance when she smelled the chicken cooking, were in the kitchen finishing up dinner. CC asked Bentley what he wanted, his request — ‘Your bangin ass chicken parm’ — so we’d stopped at the store before coming back because CC said God knows he didn’t have shit in his kitchen.

  The guys and I were in the living room playing ‘Call of Duty’ and waiting for dinner when the doorbell rang. Bentley got up off the couch and went to let in whoever was there. Nothing new there; it happened at all hours of the night too. When he walked back in I was a little dumbfounded, his sister Nikki walked in carrying a twelve pack of Coors Light.

  She looked good considering she was almost raped a while ago. After that night she’d shut down and things had been really bad. Now she was back and looked hot, not as hot as CC, but still hot. She was a tiny little thing; someone like me could break her in half, but she had these green eyes that drew you in and deep red hair piled on top of her head that looked like it weighed more than she did. The few times I’d talked to her she’d been timid and after that night I’d barely ever heard her talk to anyone except Bentley.

  I sat up from where I was lounging on the couch and went over to take the beer from her. I put one arm around her shoulder and gave her a half hug, “Hey. How are you doing?”

  She nodded and smiled, “I’m better. Thanks.”

  Bentley took her jacket and hung it in the closet behind the door. I walked into the kitchen and Nikki followed me.

  CC was at the counter that faced the living room and did a double take when she noticed Nikki behind me. “Hey babe, this is Bentley’s sister, Nikki. Nikki this is my fiancé, MacKenzie.” I made sure to mention that so there was no question from CC later if she got the wrong impression of Nikki, although I’m not sure you could. She was one of those girls you just liked; she didn’t come off like a whore or a standoffish bitch.

  CC washed her hands and came over to give her a hug, Hailey did the same. Bentley came into the kitchen to grab one of the beers I was still holding and then went to finish his game. I walked over and put the beer in the fridge, winked at CC who was watching me out of the corner of her eye and then I walked out.

  When I walked past Bentley I kicked his foot, “Thanks for telling me she was coming, I could have warned CC.”

  “Shit, sorry didn’t think of that.” Bentley grabbed the controller and un-paused the game. I sat on the couch and watched him get his avatar’s ass beat until the girls called us for dinner.

  After we’d eaten, Zeke asked if we wanted to play a game since it was too fucking cold to leave and I really didn’t feel like going anywhere anyway.

  “Alright, Nik get the beer you brought over. Kenz find a couple of quarters. Mase man, grab a bunch of shot glasses.” Zeke gave the instructions to them.

  Nikki and Mason went in the kitchen and CC walked over to me. I was leaning on the back of the couch, ankles crossed; CC stepped between my legs and looked at me with that sexy look of hers. I grabbed her hips and kissed her. She didn’t put her arms around me like she normally does, but she went for my pockets. She dug around looking for my change that I normally always had but when she went to take her hands out, her right hand started roaming. Shit, I was gonna have a hard on for sure if she didn’t knock that shit off.

  “Knock it the fuck off you two.” Mason seethed. CC laughed against my mouth before kissing me once more and pulling her hands out with the coins she was going to need. She grabbed a few quarters, winked and shoved her hand back in my pockets, putting the money she didn’t need back. I shook my head a little and laughed, when she walked away I quickly turned and adjusted myself, which really did nothing, because when I turned around she was bent over the table, ass in plain sight. I slightly groaned and adjusted myself one last time before quickly finding a seat.

  Zeke lined four shot glasses in a row, a little less than halfway in on the kitchen table. “Alright we’re playing baseball.” He turned to eye everyone there. “Ok it’s going to be uneven but whatever, Mase you’re the ball guy, you can jump ships.” Zeke laughed to himself. “You’re probably going to be drunk before the rest of us so maybe Hunter will switch on and off for you.” I nodded. “So the teams will be Kenz, Hunter, Hailey and Mase versus Bentley, Nikki and me. Since we live here, you guys,” Zeke looked at me, “will be the visiting team. Each player on the visiting team will try shooting the quarter in the glasses. If you make a shot in the first glass that’s first base, the second is a double, the third is a triple and the forth is a home run. Each player gets three tries, if they miss; its three strikes and you’re out. When three players are out, then the other team is up to bat. If a player makes the quarter into a shot glass, they have to drink the rest of the shots behind the one they made. For example, if you hit a double, you have to drink the last two shots. If they get an out, they have to drink all for 4 shots. And just to make sure we all get a little trashed tonight, the other team must take a shot for each run scored.”

  Damn, we were going to get fucked up tonight.

  CC and Hailey were smirking at Bentley and Zeke because they knew they were on the better team. Nikki looked scared to death. Bentley walked over to the kitchen and grabbed her a bottle of water, she smiled and seemed to bounce back a little.

  After the first round, the girls were all giddy and giggly and they couldn’t keep their God damn hands to themselves, which wouldn’t have been a problem if they weren’t distracting Mason and me. We were drinking so many shots of beer I lost track; I just knew it was a fucking lot.

  Zeke, Bentley and Nikki were up and only had half the shots we did, Mason took this turn to jump ships. At the end of their round, we were winning, how the hell that was possible was a damn miracle to me.

  After playing for at least a good hour, all three girls were talking about our wedding; CC hit it off with Nikki and invited her along. I was relieved because I knew CC was worried about the girl when she’d first found out about her.

  Another hour of the game and we were all feeling pretty damn good. Zeke was the surprising lightweight and passed out on the couch as soon as he sat down. Mason and Hailey were walking up to the spare room they were staying in when CC came over and flung her arms around me.

&
nbsp; “Take me to bed handsome.” she said with that look that said everything she was thinking.

  I tipped my head to Bentley and Nikki, who laughed at CC when she jumped into my arms. I carried her to the bathroom instead of to bed; I knew she was going to wake up with a horrible hangover tomorrow. She hated drinking beer and she bitched about it smelling like feet all night long but still drank it anyway.

  When I walked into the bathroom I pushed the toilet seat down and then set CC on it. I reached into the shower and turned on the water; CC took off her shirt and bra and was now sitting in just her yoga pants. I adjusted the water, making sure it wasn’t too cold, I needed to sober her up a bit before bed.

  When it was just right, I reached behind me and pulled my shirt over my head, threw it on the floor and then worked on getting my pants off while CC stood and did the same.

  I grabbed her hand and led her into the shower.

  “I love you.” CC said as she ran her hands up my chest and then back down over my stomach.

  “I love you more baby.”

  And then we both lost ourselves in each other, taking our time, covering each part of our bodies, being mindful of our fresh tattoos, until we were both shaking. When the water started cooling we turned the water off, dried and I sat CC back down on the toilet seat. I’ve only ever dried her hair once but I knew she’d loved it and tonight I was doing everything in my power just to prove to her how much I loved her. I was worshipping her.

  I hope she understood why I was keeping this secret from her but I had a feeling she wouldn’t, and if this was the last night that we got like this, I was staying up all night instilling into her just how deep my love for her ran.

  When I woke up the next morning, wrapped in Hunter’s arms, something felt off. I can’t explain the feeling but it was there nonetheless. I turned to look at his face and was surprised to find him awake.

  “Mmm, morning,” I said as I snuggled a little closer to him. “What are you doing awake already?”

  He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear, “I never went to sleep.”

  I looked up at him more intently. Studying his face now, I saw that his eyes were bloodshot and he just looked tired, “How come? I thought we wore each other out.” I smiled a devious smile. He did things to me last night I hadn’t known were possible, and I had the soreness as a friendly reminder.

  He shrugged his shoulders, “I was just watching you sleep, you looked so peaceful.” He kissed my forehead and I sighed.

  I glanced over his shoulder towards the window; it was still dark but the pinks of the sun were just starting to show. I threw the covers off us, “Come on. I want to go watch the sunrise.”

  Hunter got up off the bed. I tried not to look at his perfectly sculpted back and ass, but I couldn’t help myself. He turned, sensing my eyes I assumed, and smiled sadly at me. I’m not sure what was going on with him but I needed to figure it out. We were at the place where we were finally able to be together and now he was sad.

  I slipped on my yoga pants and layered them under a pair of Hunter’s sweat pants for warmth, then I pulled on my tank top followed by a T-shirt. I dug two pairs of socks out of the duffle bags, grabbed my Nike Shox and went to sit on the bed to put them on.

  I eyed Hunter in the bathroom brushing his teeth. After my sneakers were on I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his core. “Tell me what’s wrong? Did something happen last night? Did I do something wrong?” I honestly didn’t think I had, but maybe I did without knowing.

  He spit the toothpaste in the sink and rinsed his mouth, then he turned and wrapped me up in his brawny arms but still didn’t answer the question. I moved my arms from under his and reached up to cup his cheeks. That’s when I saw it, the storm in his eyes; something was definitely wrong. Yet another reason I loved his eyes, they were my answer for everything, even the stuff he was shutting me out of. I’ll give him time and he’ll tell me. He always does at some point.

  I reached up on my tip toes, placed a soft kiss on his lips and then backed up so I could brush my teeth. Hunter sighed loudly behind me before he walked out and got dressed. When my teeth were clean, my face washed and hair thrown up in a ponytail, I walked over to the chair that was in the corner of the room where Hunter’s old couch used to be. Draped over it was the last piece of clothing I needed to put on, my pink and black Roxy hoodie.

  I looked over my shoulder at Hunter, “You ready?”

  He nodded.

  I walked over and grabbed his hand; he led me downstairs, through the kitchen and out on the deck. He closed the sliding glass doors behind me and we made our way down to the beach, just in time to watch the sunrise over the ocean.

  The wind was whipping my face and I shivered from the chill that crept through my layers of clothing. Hunter tucked me in to his side while keeping his eyes cast out over the ocean. He was a million miles away. I did the only thing I knew to bring him back to me. I slid my hand from the middle of his back slowly down and over to the left. I hesitated for a second, not sure if I should because my hands were freezing but I didn’t know what else to do. I’m sure, if anything, it would help with the slight sting from it being freshly done. I reached under his sweatshirt and T-shirt and gently placed my hand over his tattoo. He tensed for a second but soon relaxed, taking a deep breath and then letting it out.

  He still wasn’t looking at me, but he followed my lead, reaching under my layers and covering my tattoo with his hand. This was the reason I’d wanted the tattoos inked in these spots. I felt like I could do exactly what the tattoo said. I could conquer the world with one hand as long as he was holding the other.

  Even after the sun had been up for a little while I was still shaking from the freezing temperature. Reluctantly, we walked back into the house, hand in hand.

  We were greeted by Nikki cooking breakfast in the kitchen, “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, need some help?” I asked as I pulled my hoodie over my head and kicked off my shoes, not wanting to track sand all over the house.

  “Um, sure if you want to, you can start working on the eggs,” she said as she took the lid off a pan to flip the bacon.

  Hunter reached out for my hoodie, and I handed it over. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him, kissed me, then said, “I’m going to run this upstairs and jump in the shower to warm up.”

  I placed another kiss on his lips, “Okay, love you.”

  He gave me a half smile, “Love you too.”

  He walked away and I shuffled off to the kitchen to get started. I’d pulled out the eggs, bowl and whisk and placed it on the counter when Nikki turned towards me abruptly.

  “I hope this isn’t weird. I’m not sure what you heard about that night but I want you to know that Hunter is…” she paused for a moment before she continued, “I’m not even sure what to call him. He saved me from getting raped that night. He could have walked away, turned his head and acted like nothing happened, but he didn’t. If it wasn’t for him, I’m not sure how I would have fared. You’re lucky to have him.”

  Wow, I knew something had happened to her but I wasn’t exactly sure what. It wasn’t in Hunter’s nature to just act like he didn’t see anything. He was a protector, my fierce protector.

  I glanced over at her. She appeared shy, but deep down I think she was stronger than she gave herself credit for. I honestly don’t know how I would’ve ever dealt with that. “I’m sorry for what you went through.” I grinned, thinking about my man upstairs, “I think I’m pretty lucky too.”

  “Just remember that some of us are still looking for what you have.” She stirred the bacon again while I cracked the eggs into the bowl. “Ok, enough deep stuff; tell me about this wedding you’re planning.”

  And so I told her all my visions of how I wanted my wedding planned. We laughed, got teary eyed and laughed some more. She promised me that no matter where she was, she would come to our wedding. I really liked Nikki; she was pretty awesome once she let her guard down
.

  Breakfast was all set on the table so I went to go round up the troops. I banged on Bentley’s door first, then Mason and Hailey, which was a mistake because I heard shit that I really didn’t want to. Last, I slipped into my room in search of Hunter. I thought he would’ve been out of the shower by now but he wasn’t.

  I opened the bathroom door and the steam from the bathroom engulfed me. “Hunter?” I called in, blindly.

  He didn’t answer right away. I walked closer to the shower and reached for the curtain with a shaky hand. Pulling it back, slow panic swept through me. Hunter had his arms folded up against the wall with his head resting on them. “Hunter?” I said again, gently this time.

  He still didn’t answer me, didn’t move.

  I stepped back and stripped my clothes off. I adjusted the water because he had it scorching hot, and when it cooled I climbed in behind him. I ran my hands up his back and his muscles tensed; I did this a few times before he started to relax, then I placed my hands on either side of his hips and turned him. He let me.

  “We need to talk,” he whispered before cupping my cheeks and kissing me.

  I knew this. I’d felt it the second my eyes fluttered open this morning.

  I took a deep breath, preparing myself. “Okay.”

  I kissed her again. Damn; I didn’t want to do this. It was time though, I needed to pop our bubble and tell her the truth.

  Her stomach growled, I chuckled, “Let’s get you something to eat first.”

  She didn’t argue, thank God. She doesn’t cope well with shitty news and I knew she wouldn’t eat for a while after this. We dried off, got changed and went to go get some breakfast.

  Everyone was already downstairs at the table, eating. Hailey’s head snapped up when we walked in but she didn’t say anything. Mason eyed me, waiting for an answer on whether or not I’d told her, I shook my head. He nodded and went back to eating.

  The energy at the table was low. It’s like everyone knew what was coming. The only shitty part was that CC didn’t. I barely ate. I pushed my eggs around on my plate and only drank half my orange juice; CC noticed but didn’t comment.