Haught & Bothered

by Leela Lou Dahlin

  “Zachary Haught was the best man I’d ever known. He was a great father with a big heart, kind smile and full hugs. I wanted to grow up and be like him.” Alec had limited the time he’d thought about his father and now he remembered why. It hurt like hell when they lost him. Maybe because Alec hadn’t gotten used to his beautiful mother who could kiss boo boos and make cookies like no other being gone. It stands to reckon that the day he found out he had a new brother, but no mother he jumped on his bike and took off. The tears in his eyes weren’t the most helpful with navigation and he crashed into a ditch filled with old, rusty car parts. That shit nearly tore his face off and left him with the scars he still bore today.

  Camden picked up his head and turned in his seat to look at Alec. This wasn’t something he was going to repeat again, so he was glad his brother was paying attention.

  “That man loved his wife. It was a palpable feeling that I’ll always remember. He’d walk through the door and look for her until he found her. It didn’t matter that we kids were jumping up and down like a rock star had entered the house. He’d pat our heads until he found what he’d been looking for. Then he’d hug and kiss her like he’d been gone for weeks. After that he played with us and gave us his attention.” Alec pointed at the full bottle of water Camden had sitting next to him and motioned for it, but when he got it in his hands he waited to open it. “The feeling of losing Mom hurts so much, even to this day. I’m a lot of things when it comes to you and mom, but mostly I’m sad you didn’t get to meet her. She was fun, smart, and so full of everything good. I missed her so damn much…until I lost dad.”

  Camden sat there so quiet and attentive Alec wondered if the man had been starved for this type of information. He was an ass to have kept it from him, but this walk down memory lane was painful as all hell, but he loved his brother more than he loved his own comfort. His father and grandfather had shown him that taking care of the ones you love is what a good life is about.

  “Then what happened?” Camden’s voice was like gravel…harsh and choppy.

  “I promised myself that I’d be here for you guys and I wouldn’t love a woman as hard as dad loved mom. It may sound off or strange but I still live my life with that promise in mind.” Alec opened the bottle and drank down the water like he was washing the taste of the story out of his mouth.

  Camden was looking at him oddly and as much as Alec didn’t really want to know what he was thinking, he asked anyway.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “I’ve had more conversations about mom and dad with Beau than I’ve had with you. We never knew what your deal was.”

  Alec didn’t say more, but he was mildly shocked that they’d spoken about this with each other and not him. “You could have just asked.”

  “Haha…do you know yourself? You don’t give a lot of answers that you don’t want to give. You’ll stare, answer with grunts that aren’t definitive or just shake your head and walk away.” Camden smiled. “When we really want something we’ll get True involved. She’s the only one who knows how to get answers out of you.”

  Alec shook his head. “The reason I told you that story is because we all have residual hang ups about our parents and their early demise but you shouldn’t let them ruin your now. You are smothering Gemmi.”

  “I know.”

  “If you really want to do something about feeling like you’re going to lose her, make each and every moment great. If this is going to be her one and only pregnancy, then don’t let her remember a prison sentence…make her remember what a wonderful and thoughtful husband she has. I’ve watched you with all the women you helped before Gemmi and I’ve always been impressed at how you seem to know exactly what each woman wants. Do that and more for Gemmi. Give her your best you. That’s all we can really do since we have no control over anything else.” Alec felt good about that advice and hoped he’d staved off any chance of this couple going down any other road but the one towards a happy family. He was through with this conversation for a good while. Just looking at the place he’d unloaded all this information was turning his stomach. “We good here?”

  Camden nodded his head and looked at the counter. “Yeah, we’re good.”

  Alec stood up and prepared to see how Rosy was coming along with the gender reveal decorations.

  “Wait!” Camden reached out and grabbed his shirt.

  “What?” Alec really just wanted to take a shower and start this whole day again, but that was not going to happen. He looked down at his brother’s face and knew he wasn’t going to like whatever he had to say. Alec wasn’t sure how he knew that, but he did.

  “What about you?”

  “I just keep moving. That’s all I can do. I still think about mom and dad, but I’m doing okay.” Alec took a step away, but Camden was still holding on to his shirt. “Anything else?”

  “That promise you made…the one you still live by.” Camden stood up, let his brother’s shirt go and walked in front of him.

  “Yeah?”

  “You should follow your own advice.”

  Alec knew he wasn’t going to like the shit his brother was saying but he couldn’t say anything about it without sounding like a hypocrite.

  “Back to the stare down, huh? I get it. Honestly, I do. What you told me was good and honest, but I think we should both follow it.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  “You’ve been a father figure to me for as long as I can remember, but listening to you now I can see that you’re as fucked up as Beau and I are. I’m going to try to do what you suggested, but I want you to do it too. We’ll be in it together.”

  “I don’t have anything to work on really.” Alec’s stomach clenched at the lie that came out of his mouth.

  “I’m not going to dispute what your saying, although I don’t believe it. We’ve all watched and we all know what we’re seeing. Two sharks circling each other. It’s been like that for years, but now I know why.” Camden walked backwards while keeping his eye on Alec. “You can stop the circling anytime and get some of the happy for yourself.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Camden smiled. “While you were doing your best imitation of a father figure for us, trying to keep this place financially stable and growing, we have been doing nothing but watching you. We see more than you like to let on. I know exactly what I’m talking about and so do you.”

  They stared at each other for a few seconds and Alec wished someone would distract them and break up this line of questioning. That was his wish until the door opened.

  “Can someone help me?”

  Alec knew that voice like it was his own. It was the one he heard when he wrapped his hand around his hard cock and stroked himself off before sleep and the one that he sought during all his waking hours in one way or another.

  “True,” Camden said, grinning at Alec. “We were just talking about you.”

  Chapter 9

  “You were?” True looked at the pair of Haught brothers and couldn’t hold back a smile. One of them looked like he was happy to see her and the other looked like he’d been caught like a thief in the hen house. “All good things I hope.”

  Alec walked over and took all her packages from her hands.

  “You didn’t have to take them all. Ya big brute.” She swatted his arm playfully trying to gauge his mood.

  “I do what I can to help friends in need.” Alec leaned in close and gave her a kiss on the forehead, stunning her into silence, before turning to walk into the party room. True looked over at Camden who had a huge smile on his face.

  “What was that?” True asked in a stage whisper.

  “Progress.” Camden followed Alec and motioned for her to come along. True didn’t know what she’d expected after their last encounter and then not talking with him for the last 4 days, but a sweet kiss on the forehead wasn’t it.

  They’d closed down The Haught Spot for the evening and directed a
ll bar hoppers that didn’t want a baby shower feel with their liquor libations over to the other location Two Haught. Say what you want about Rosy, but she could put out a nice spread.

  “This looks amazing Rosalyn.” True had taken up thinking of her in the name the Haught Brothers had given her but she called her the name Gemmi called her. It was hard to believe this was the woman who started it all. She’d had a grudge against her cousin and decided to pay it back by sleeping with Gemmi’s boyfriend at their family reunion. It was the best and worst thing that probably happened to her, but three years or so later and the tides had turned. Gemmi was happily married with twins on the way.

  “Thank you, True.” She fluffed this and adjusted that, but she’d put in a good deal of work already.

  “So you are the only one who knows if there are boys or girls in the oven, huh?” True didn’t spend a lot of time with Rosy but she got vibes from people. When she met them she either liked them, didn’t like them or it was neutral. Rosy was neutral, so True would give the woman a chance.

  “I am very thankful that I got that honor.”

  “Has it been hard hiding your purchases?” True asked as she took out the gifts she had on the table.

  “What did you bring?” Rosy asked as she walked over clapping her hands. “You know this isn’t the shower. That’s in a few weeks.”

  “I know, but I’m lobbying for godmother so I’m stacking my bets.” True only said that as a joke, but looking at Rosy and the way her smile dimmed she was sorry she’d said that. “Rosy I was only joking.”

  “It’s not a big deal.” Rosy’s smile was brighter, but just as fake. “You’d probably make a kick ass godmother.”

  “I don’t know. You’re kind of kick ass yourself.”

  The beautiful brunette used to have red hair, but True learned that was from a bottle. She looked good with brown hair too. Rosy was startled by that statement, by the way her eyebrows shot up comically.

  “Coming from you that’s a great compliment. Not to be fishing for more, but can I ask why you think so?”

  True took a few minutes to actually think about what she was saying as she walked around the decorated party room. “We all know what you did, Rosy and you know that we knew. The fact that you are so willing to make it up to your cousin. Staying by her side through this pregnancy, running errands when she can’t and other people are busy, just being here through the side eye and doubt people throw at you. It’s like they are waiting for you to fuck up again.” True took a moment to see what the woman thought of her words. She was too tough to cry. True knew how that was and thought even more positively about the woman than she just did.

  “Thanks for noticing.”

  “Sure.” True wanted to go and see Alec just to find out what was behind that public display of affection. She walked toward the door and stopped. “For the record, I don’t think you’re going to fuck this up and the fact that everyone doesn’t harass you at every turn makes me think they don’t think you will either.”

  Rosy’s face was red and she turned around to fix a bouquet of balloons that seemed perfectly fine to True.

  There was still time before the people for the reveal were to arrive and she hoped she could get upstairs to Alec’s place without being seen. Even though she’d told Beau and Karessa and Camden seemed to know something she wasn’t trying to get all these people in her business. That was her job to be nosy, but in terms of letting other people witnessing things she deemed private… not going to happen.

  She made it to his apartment without being seen and she just hoped he was in there. True knocked quietly and waited a few seconds, before the door opened to Alec with his eyebrow raised.

  “Yes?” He stood in the doorway with this arms folded. “Can I help you?”

  “You’re not going to let me in?” True was actually puzzled about this swift change.

  “I gave you a key to a door that’s practically never locked. I thought maybe you were doing some type of role play or something.”

  True looked down both sides of the hall. “Everyone will be here soon.”

  “Are you afraid to be caught in here?” Alec frowned and walked back to the kitchen.

  True stood frozen just inside the door and tried to get her breathing and her thoughts in order before she rushed in behind him in the kitchen. “Alec, what’s wrong?” She put her hands on his cheeks and looked at his pupils. Were they supposed to be big or small? Damn it, why didn’t she remember anything from the medical dramas she’d watched.

  “There’s nothing wrong.”

  “You just asked me if I was afraid to let people see me in here. The man who took me out a total of 5 times to places so far away, I wondered if we’d left the state, is asking me this?” True saw his frown and then looked down on the counter not really wanting to hear his answer to her question. “You’re making something?”

  Alec gently took her hands off his face and continued putting some mixture into a bowl.

  “Are you making pistachio salad?” True almost forgot her line of questioning when she noticed he was making one of her favorite treats. Alec put aluminum foil over the bowl and placed it in the refrigerator. “When will it be ready?”

  “I’m not sure I’m sharing it with you.” Alec said as he cocked his head to the side and leaned against the refrigerator.

  “I have ways to make you share,” she moved closer to him, but he held her at arm's length.

  “I know that you are trying to make changes in your life and I know I’m trying to prove a point to you, but you are painting me as a villain in your little story and it’s not right.”

  She stepped back and folded her arms across her chest. “What’s not right?”

  “You’re telling me you think I took you out of the way the few times we went out.”

  “Umm, you did.” True knew what she was saying was correct. “All the times we went out it was over an hour drive away.”

  “Who told me they always wanted to go to a butterfly garden? Who asked to go to the zoo? Who wanted to see that French film in the new indie theatre? Who wanted to eat at the grand opening of the Japanese restaurant Yama?”

  True thought about that and maybe he was right. She turned her back to him so she could think about that. He moved closer to her putting her arms on either side of the counter and locking her in as he put his face next to hers before turning his head to smell her hair.

  “You smell good.”

  “You always say that when you sniff fuck my hair.” True chuckled when she said it.

  “Mmmm.”

  She turned around in the small space he’d given her and then was in the circle of his arms. “I didn’t really think of that, but I did ask to go to all of those places and you were kind enough to take me.”

  “I may have some issues with commitment, but I’ve never not wanted to be seen with you.” He backed away from her. “I thought that was your issue.”

  “It’s not that I didn’t want to be seen with you. I just don’t really want to look like a fool. You’ve been running from me for my whole life and when we started this whole thing…”

  “I get it, but only because we are a lot alike.” He kissed her forehead again.

  “What is up with that?”

  He shrugged and smirked.

  “I’m just not understanding you today.” True shook her head and got to the point of what she wanted. “I didn’t get something the other day and I came to get it before the party.”

  “Oh, okay.” Alec stepped back like he was going to let True find what she wanted. “Let me know what it is. I may be able to help you locate it, but I don’t remember taking anything of yours at the springs.”

  She watched this large man lean back against the fridge like he had all the time in the world, and maybe he did, but the party was going to be happening soon.

  Placing her hands on his chest she watched enlightenment shine in Alec’s eyes. At least he knew her well enough to know where this was goin
g.

  “I didn’t get to play with my favorite toy the other day and I think it was withheld from me on purpose.” She brought her hand down his chest and he dropped his folded arms to stay at his side.

  “It was withheld because that day was just for you.”

  “If it was just for me, I would have wanted the whole kit and caboodle.” She slid her hand down the front of his pants and found he was stiff and growing. Opening his snapped jeans she almost moaned at what she knew was coming. “Tell me you didn’t know I was going to come and find you.”

  “I won’t admit or deny what I thought you were going to do.” He spread his legs a little when she placed her hand inside his pants and tried to get him out in a way that wouldn’t be that uncomfortable. The hiss she heard when she finally got his cock free made her want to do more than they had time for. She was just up for tasting his cock and knocking the first round out of the box so he’d be ready for tonight.

  She dropped to her knees and softly licked the purple tinted mushroomed head.

  “You’re going to mess up your clothes, baby. Let’s move somewhere more comfortable.”

  True opened up her mouth and sucked the head into her mouth. Closing her mouth around the rim and using suction on the one area just like she knew he enjoyed. She moaned as he filled her mouth with his cock. Pushing in a little more each time.

  “Is this what you wanted, True?” He put his hand in her hair and fucked a little harder between her lips.

  She moaned her answer and enjoyed the sound of him controlling his breathing. True wrapped both of her hands around his thickness and tried to get him off hard and fast. Until she was pulled off and brought up.

  “I’m not sure what you’re about True, but I swear I love it. I don’t mind people thinking we’re together, but I do mind messing up your makeup and taking you around our friends and family looking like I’m using you.”

  “So what’s it to be Alec?” She could tell he wanted to finish what they’d started, but he was just stubborn enough to make them wait for a better opportunity.