by L. B. Reyes
Carina rested her head on Dylan’s shoulder, holding his hand as she offered him support. “Sounds like they are a lovely family.”
“They are,” I agreed. “And Evelyn is ready to meet you, whenever you’re ready.”
Immediately, Dylan tensed. He slid the phone back toward me and sat back, his eyes avoiding mine at all costs.
“All we’re waiting is for you,” I said, trying not to sound impatient.
Evie wanted to meet him, but the one time I’d brought the subject up, Dylan avoided it. He was scared shitless of her being ashamed of him but had no reason to be. He was missing out on meeting her, having the last part of our mother around.
“I’ll think about it,” Dylan said. He stood up, rolling the sleeves of his shirt up before he looked to the piano once again.
His escape.
“I’ve got to go play now. It was a pleasure to meet you, Hannah.” He looked my way, forcing a smile. “I’ll see you around, brother.”
We left shortly after, this time more relaxed than before. Hannah hummed the song she’d played on our way back to the hotel, and I was comfortable with just that.
Hannah took out her phone, and suddenly, the room was invaded by soft music. I tilted my head curiously until she extended her hand to me.
“Dance with me?”
I smiled, taking her hand and raising it over her head so she’d spin. She rested her head on my chest, and even when it ended, we didn’t stop moving. It was all we needed: to be alone to forget the mess our families were.
“I didn’t think you remembered how much I love the piano,” she whispered.
“I haven’t forgotten anything about you,” I murmured, tilting her face up. I kissed her softly, feeling the way she leaned into my touch as if it was all she wanted to feel.
It was all I wanted. To hold her in my arms, comfort her when she needed it. Have her close each morning…this was it. Our chaotic past could stay there. This—the present—was all that mattered. The rest would eventually settle down, but for now, we would be fine.
“Move in with me.”
I didn’t think through the request before I made it. Hannah stared at me wide-eyed, so fucking shocked she couldn’t say anything. It was too late to take it back, not that I wanted to, so I continued.
“You don’t have to,” I said, running my thumb over her cheek. “But I’d love nothing more than to have you every day with me, Hannah. If you’re not ready yet, I understand. We can take this slow and—”
“Yes.”
“…just, until you’re ready, you know, but…what did you say?”
She laughed, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I said I’ll move in with you, silly. I want to be with you too.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Derek, I’ve got no doubt.”
I kissed her, parting her lips with my tongue and laying her on the bed slowly. Hannah finally let down her guard in every way possible, and I’d done the same. Nothing held us back anymore.
Chapter 31
Hannah
Derek’s lips moved against my neck, nipping gently while I straddled him on the bed. It was early morning and the alarm had gone off already, but neither of us wanted to get out. It was our third night together in his apartment, and though I wouldn’t be completely moved in until Evie came back, we’d already started moving my things. We didn’t want to waste any more time.
I was absolutely and completely in love with him. I sighed, wanting to feel more of him with every soft caress of his hands. His lips never left my body, not even when he flipped us over so he could be on top of me.
“I love that you’re so responsive,” he whispered against my skin, his tongue darting over and covering a nipple.
I squirmed underneath him, but he held my hands down, not allowing me to touch him. Most of the time Derek liked teasing me, yet for whatever reason, he didn’t want to do that today. “Turn around,” he commanded, taking his length in his hand. I did as he said, getting on my hands and knees, even though I still felt nervous being so exposed to him.
I felt the bed shift, but it wasn’t until I felt his tongue tease my slit that I felt him. I moaned, my hold on the sheets beneath me tightening. I squeezed my eyes shut, reveling in the way he feasted off me, his mouth and tongue making love to my body in a way that left me breathless.
The pleasure was overwhelming, so much that I completely forgot about my nerves and anything else other than his touch. I lost track of how much time passed like that, with his face buried in my wet center, but when he pushed inside of me, I was more than ready. I moaned while a soft groan left his lips. His hold was tight as he thrust in and out, over and over until I was a whimpering mess.
It was a matter of minutes before he took me over the edge, and soon, he followed along.
***
“So, what do you say?”
I sighed, sitting back on Derek’s lap. Lisa looked hopeful, her eyes lit up with the possibility of me accepting their offer, but every nerve in my body was shot.
“Please, Hannah. This is a great opportunity for all of us, and we trust you. Besides, it’s only one night.”
“I know,” I said, glancing toward Derek. “But I don’t know. What if something goes wrong? I don’t want to lose your trust and—”
“Baby, we trust you,” Derek interrupted, his hold around my body reassuring. “We just really want to go look at that property to see if we can expand the franchise. Besides, Lisa deserves to manage her own place.”
Lisa nodded eagerly, and I laughed. It was true, she was a hard worker and the person who kept the place running smoothly. Derek wanted to expand the franchise and was already eyeing a property a couple of hours away, but they wanted me to watch over the restaurant and close it that day. I wasn’t sure I was ready for the responsibility.
“Look, if you don’t want to do it, it’s okay,” Derek said, running his hands down my arms. “But you’re handling Nathan’s gallery very well, and I’m sure you’d do great here too.”
“But the rest of your employees might think that the only reason you’ve chosen me is because we’re together, and I don’t want that, Derek. You’ll lose credibility and their trust.”
Lisa shook her head. “No, Hannah. I’ve asked Blake to help you because I want him to start training. If we open this new property, he’s getting a promotion.”
“Fine,” I said, nuzzling Derek’s neck. “Fine, I’ll be in charge but only that day.”
Lisa squealed happily, the gratefulness visible in her face. “Thank you so much, Hannah. I’m going to tell Blake now.”
She rushed off with a wide grin, and I laid back on Derek’s chest, not wanting to go. Being with him had quickly become my addiction, one I couldn’t let go of. He seemed to want the same thing as he tilted my face up and kissed me.
“How long until your break is over?” he asked, brushing my hair away from my face.
I glanced at the clock on the wall, pouting when I realized I had less than five minutes left. Time seemed to slip by when I was with him, and it sucked. Each day that went by, I learned more about him. He’d open up to me and tell me how he felt or things about his past he never discussed, and I’d do the same. Our relationship grew stronger, and with that, both of us grew more confident in what we had.
“I can’t wait to get you home,” he whispered in my ear, making a slow tingle travel through my body.
“Why?” I asked, feeling his lips on me. A soft gasp parted my lips, and I was ready for whatever he wanted to do, but my phone rang, interrupting the moment. I heard it but wasn’t able to locate it since I had no clue where I’d placed it.
“Dammit.” Derek stood up, looking for my phone. “Babe, I’ll look for it, don’t worry.”
I glanced back at the time once more, realizing there was no more time left. With a quick kiss, I said goodbye and walked back out to the restaurant where he left me wondering who had been calling.
***
Once clos
ing time arrived, I shadowed Lisa, trying to gain as much knowledge as I could. It’s not that I didn’t know the basics, of course I did, but I wanted to get everything right. Even Lisa thought it was useless, though, since she believed closing a restaurant was easier than running a company.
I wasn’t going to take any risks.
“You must be excited,” Cat commented with a small smile.
I sighed, watching how she picked up her purse and put on a light sweater. “To be honest, I’m quite nervous.”
“I’ve seen you working, and I’m sure you’ve got the hang of it. Blake is also going to do well, you’ll see. You two deserve the opportunity.”
Blake placed a friendly arm over my shoulders, smiling down at me. I rolled my eyes, knowing he did it only to annoy Derek. They got along, but Blake liked messing with him, and since according to him I was Derek’s “weakness,” he took full advantage of it.
“Thank you, Cat.” He winked. “Hannah and I make a great fucking team, don’t we?”
Cat rolled her eyes. She was quiet but didn’t hide what she felt. “You’re going to end up bruised if you keep messing with Derek.”
Blake chuckled, giving me a gentle squeeze on my shoulder as he winked. “I’ll see you after my few days off. Take care.”
I waved goodbye to Blake while Cat and I waited outside the restaurant for Derek and Lisa, who were still inside. She took out a cigarette, lighting it up and catching my surprise. “Do you want one?” she asked, pulling one out.
I shook my head, taking a step away from her. I hated the smell of cigarette smoke. “No thank you. I didn’t know you smoked.”
Cat shrugged. “It helps me relax after a long day,” she explained. A car pulled up, one that seemed familiar though I couldn’t place it. “That’s my ride. I’ll see you later, Hannah.”
I nodded, trying to get a better glimpse of who she was with but was unable to. Cat spiked my curiosity. None of us knew anything about her, and frankly, I worried about her. She was quiet, and just from our brief interactions, I knew she’d been through a lot.
Derek and Lisa walked out the restaurant, locking it as the vehicle left. We walked Lisa to her car and then went to Derek’s. I took off my shoes, closing my eyes as soon as we were in it.
“Do you know anything about Cat?” I asked Derek, who started the car. “Oh, and did you find my phone?”
“I don’t know much about her, just that she was in rehab a few months ago. She just barely turned eighteen, that’s about it. She lives with Alyssa and two other roommates.” I felt his hand on my thigh as he drew soothing circles with his thumb. “I put your phone in your purse, but it ran out of battery.”
I hummed, resting my head against the window. “I want to help her. She reminds me a lot of myself at that age. Lost. Confused.”
Derek didn’t say anything for the rest of the way, and I drifted off to sleep.
I didn’t wake up until we arrived at the apartment. Had it not been for Derek holding me up, I would have fallen since I was basically sleepwalking. Derek chuckled, teasing me about it but also letting me know he’d run me a warm bath.
Sure enough, once in the apartment he went straight for the bathroom and started running the water while I charged my phone.
“You should go to the gallery later tomorrow. Get some rest. You’re exhausted.”
“Yeah, I might.” Derek took off his shirt, smirking when I bit my lip. “Don’t take long.” He grinned, walking into the bathroom.
I wasn’t planning on it. My phone finally powered on, though, and when I saw the number of missed calls, my heart raced. They were calls from Evie. All of them.
In Paris, it was only four in the morning, but something told me she’d be up. I prayed, hoping my mind was wrong about everything, that I was worrying about nothing.
When she picked up after it rang just one time, though, I lost all hope.
“Hannah,” she said, Evie’s voice raw and tired. I could tell she hadn’t slept, and I could tell she’d been crying.
“Evie, what happened?”
She excused herself, and in the distance, I heard Nathan’s voice. Also tired.
“Evie, what the hell happened?” I asked, this time more frantically.
The quiet sob that left her lips told me exactly what happened.
No no no.
“She fainted.”
Shit.
“Is she okay? Where are you?”
“At the hospital. She hasn’t told anyone, and she’s refusing to tell Nathan…I can’t do this anymore, Hannah. He’s so fucking worried.”
I ran a hand over my face, so incredibly frustrated. “I’m so sorry, Evie, but is she okay?”
“No! She’s not okay,” Evie said angrily. “I need you to talk to her, to fucking convince her to tell him.”
“It’s not that easy, Evie. We need to talk to her—”
“She’s not listening, Hannah,” Evie spat. She was angry and hurting and wasn’t afraid to show it.
I stayed quiet, knowing nothing I said would help. I wasn’t there. I couldn’t physically see how ill she was. But I could damn well imagine it. I told myself she’d “just” fainted. Tried to make the situation less than it was, yet deep down I knew, I fucking knew this was bad.
Evie sniffled, bringing me back to the present and shocking me even further with her words. “We’re cutting the trip short. We’ll be there this weekend, and I swear, Hannah, if she doesn’t tell him now, I will tell him as soon as we fucking land.”
And with that, she hung up.
Chapter 32
Derek
“I did something.”
Lisa raised an eyebrow while taking a sip of her Starbucks drink. I was thankful she had the damn thing because that meant she’d let me speak without interrupting. Maybe. She was never one to stay quiet.
I’d picked her up at her house, but not before doing something I was sure would piss Hannah off. I didn’t have time to tell her before I left, and I didn’t want to. I wanted to surprise her. Now I wasn’t too sure, though. This could either make her day or ruin the rest of her year.
I really hoped for everyone’s sake it was the first.
Lisa nudged me with her elbow. “What’d you do?” The words came out muffled since she wouldn’t let go of the fucking straw.
“I called Hannah’s dad.”
Bad idea.
Lisa started coughing uncontrollably, and I knew I’d fucked up. Her eyes were wide as she held her hand to her chest, trying to stop herself from throwing up in my car. Her reaction went from shocked to full-blown laughter. I glared at her, wanting her to shut up, but knowing her, I knew I had to let her laugh it off.
Thankfully, within five long and torturous minutes, Lisa calmed down, wiping the tears away from her face. “You seriously have a death wish, Derek. Why the hell would you do that? Hannah’s been so upset over her dad and you call him?” Lisa ran her hands through her straightened hair, sighing. “Okay. So you called him. What in the world did you tell him?”
With a grimace, I replied, “I offered him a job. Bought his ticket in the hopes he’d come and surprise her with his decision, except now I’m fucking worried it was a bad idea.”
Lisa groaned, shaking her head in clear disapproval. “You are the literal definition of an idiot. Nothing good will come out of this.”
“Maybe you’re right,” I agreed. “I just wanted to help, though. She’s been feeling shitty for the past few days, and I thought this would help but—”
“But now that you’ve done it, you realize it may not have been the best idea?” Lisa interrupted with a knowing look. “I get it, Der. But you should have talked to her first. When is he supposed to be coming in? Maybe you can give her a heads up.”
I scoffed, taking a deep breath. “He’s supposed to be there right about now.”
***
Hannah
“You don’t look too happy to be here.”
I smiled nervously, smoothing d
own my dress. My mother always told me presentation was key, but in that moment, when I should have been happy with the opportunity I’d been given, I couldn’t be. My anxiety crept up to levels it’d never reached before. My heart worked overtime and my hands trembled uncontrollably.
I tried to steady my voice before I spoke. “I’m just nervous.”
Blake placed a hand on my shoulder as he opened the door with the other. He looked very handsome and elegant. The promotion he was going to get suited him. “Do you need a second? You can go lie down in the office before the rest of the guys get here.”
It wouldn’t help. The nerves weren’t about the restaurant; they were about the unavoidable return of Evie and the rest of the family. I could feel the chaos about to ensue, and I was terrified. The worst part of it all was that Derek was clueless, and I wouldn’t see him until the next day. I didn’t want to burden him with my problems, especially when he was going through such an exciting moment in his life.
For the past week, I’d tried to act normal around him. I tried to keep myself from being an emotional mess because keeping secrets—it was draining. I still hadn’t said anything just because I had the feeling Evie had a lot of things to say to me before Nathan found out.
It didn’t matter, though. I knew the second I saw them, all hell would break lose.
“Shut it out.”
I felt Blake’s hands on my shoulders, and I tilted my face up to see him. With a serious expression, he looked down at me, his eyes tender yet commanding. “Whatever is bothering you, shut it out. Right now, focus on this, because once you walk out those doors tonight, the problems will still be there. So take a deep breath and let it go, okay?”
I surprised myself by doing exactly what he said; I closed my eyes and breathed. With the soft exhale, I let my worries out, at least for the few hours of our shift.
***
I stood no chance.
