by Bijou Hunter
Rolling my eyes, I want to be angry, but Keanu is too happy for his good mood not to rub off on me.
We eat our food while talking about animals. While I’m relieved to keep the conversation light, I know what’s waiting for me once we return to Lush Gardens.
The minute I get Keanu into the trailer, I turn to Dayton and hold him back from entering.
“We will try going on a date one more time. This Friday, you can pick me up. If it sucks, we are done. Stalk me all you want afterward, but I won’t bend.”
“You'll bend,” he says without hesitation.
“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”
“Naw,” he says, cupping the back of my head and pulling me closer. “I’m going to knock you off your feet on Friday, and you’ll never want to get back up.”
Dayton kisses me hard, deep, and ends it with a nip at my bottom lip. Despite my shivering body wanting to keep him locked in my bedroom forever, I shrug with indifference.
“See you Friday.”
Grinning like a predator, Dayton steps away from me. “Tell the little man I said later gator.”
Even giving him a smile, I’m dreading Friday. Dayton knows how to get me worked up, and I’m aching to let loose. As much as he seems like the perfect guy to go wild with, I’m fully aware of the baggage Dayton drags with him.
Fifteen - Dayton
My mother is the youngest Hallstead sister in a town where the name means something. Unlike her childless spinster sisters –– who just happen to be the town’s mayor and sheriff –– Clara found love twice and produced three sons. I like to believe I’m the best of the bunch, but I often sense I’m the only one with that opinion.
Mom married a wild man the first time around, but Mojo wasn’t the settling down type. Despite his inability to keep his dick in his pants or his mouth from saying stupid shit, I don’t think he wanted out of the marriage. He often says Mom was a good wife and marriage suited him.
If Mojo made one mistake in their relationship, it was thinking his young bride would put up with his crap. Apparently, her undying love didn’t kill her common sense, so she ditched him.
Now she’s married to a retired military man who doesn’t say much and always keeps his dick in the marital bed. I’d say she traded up with Erik. He’s even a good father to my younger brother, Hudson, who’s just as quiet and odd.
Despite my being a grown man, I can drop by Mom’s house whenever I want and eat her food, sleep on her couch, and ask her to do my laundry. She pretends like she loves the entire thing and I pretend like I believe her lies.
Walking into the big house on the hill, as locals call it, I hope Mom’s baked a pie or cake. I stayed up too late drinking the night before, and the sugar might be the only thing to keep me awake.
“It’s still in the oven,” Mom says, looking up from her book. “You’ll need to be patient. Erik and Hud finished off the one from last night.”
“Ungrateful pigs,” I mutter, making a beeline to the couch. “Are they around?”
“They’re out back training. Want to join them?”
I catch Mom smirking. She knows I’m hungover and grumpy. No way do I want to run around an obstacle course and play soldier.
“You ever have regrets?” I ask while using one of her fancy pillows to cover my face from the sun.
“Sure. I regret not putting the pie in earlier so you’d have something to eat when you arrived.”
I smile under the pillow. “I also regret that.”
“Are you staying for dinner?”
“I don’t know. I’m waiting for a call to see what my plans are for the night.”
“Dayton, didn’t your daddy ever teach you not to make a woman feel like she’s your second choice?”
“He didn’t teach me much of anything. Well, besides riding a bike and shaving.”
“You crash that thing all the time and rarely shave. I’d say Adam did a sloppy job.”
Grinning under the pillow, I get around to asking the question Mojo’s been pushing for weeks. “Are you still mad about De Campo’s?”
“Among other things,” Mom says, setting aside her book. “What are you first choice plans?”
“I’m sure you’ve already heard I’m chasing Harmony Slater.”
“I’d say you were copying your brother by hooking up with one of Sally’s girls, but I know you’ve been sniffing around Harmony for years.”
“She does smell good.”
“Do you think she’ll let you catch her?”
“I don’t know. Maybe, but I’m not sure she sees me as I want her to see me. You know, rather than how I really am.”
“That’s a fascinating way of looking at things, but you shouldn’t want a woman that won’t see you the way you are. I saw things in your father that weren’t there, and we know how that worked out.”
“Yeah, you birthed two handsome sons.”
“You are handsome boys,” Mom says, giving me a proud smile.
“Do you regret marrying him?”
“No, I regret trusting him. That and thinking a woman like me won’t get cheated on by a man like him. I was too full of myself back in the day. So, spill, Dayton. What are you regretting?”
I don’t answer right away because I hate admitting I fucked up. Like Mom, I’m a big fan of myself and my ego demands I never own up to my failings.
“Years ago, I was at a party with Harmony, and she gave me the green light. All I had to do was promise I wouldn’t treat her like shit afterward. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t say the words. I guess I didn’t want to lie, and I didn’t know what I’d do after we banged.”
“Banged,” Mom sighs. “You are your father’s son.”
“I know, so you want to hear the fucked-up part?”
“Sure.”
“I bailed on her, and she ended up meeting a dorky foreign guy, and somehow he got the green light, and they made her kid. That could have been my kid, but now he’s the son of a random guy that died and isn’t even around to help out.”
“I think you’d be a good father.”
Her words surprise me. Pulling back the pillow from my eyes, I frown. “Really?”
“You were always good with Hudson when he was little. Camden made sure Hud followed the rules, but you made sure he was happy.”
“It’s true that I’m better than Cam.”
Mom smiles. “You’re different.”
“I fucked up that night with Harmony. I wanted her, but I wasn’t sure I’d only want her. I think that’s what she wanted from me. A kind of commitment where I could be a boyfriend she could depend on. I’d never done the boyfriend routine, and I figured I shouldn’t practice on the girl I actually wanted, so I walked away. Who’d have thought some computer geek would swoop in?”
“I still don’t understand what she saw in him.”
“He was into supernatural crap like her. Harmony probably thought he was the kind of guy she should want, not an asshole like me.”
“You can be an asshole at times.”
“I look at her kid and think about how he could have been mine if I weren’t a fucking idiot.”
“You weren’t ready then. If you were, he would be yours. Harmony would be too.”
“I was a grown man too scared to make a promise to a chick I’d been chasing since she was jailbait.”
“You really should learn to edit yourself, Dayton,” Mom says, standing up and walking to the kitchen. “You turn beautiful sentiments into tawdriness.”
“I don’t believe in thinking before I speak.”
“That’s not true, and we both know it.”
Sitting up, I join her in the kitchen. “No, I guess it’s not. I lie with a lot of people. I guess I could do that with women. Do you want me to lie to you?”
“Yes.”
We share a smile and then I stand over Mom while she takes the pie from the oven. She pushes me away when I get too close.
“It’s hot.”
&nbs
p; “What kind did you make?”
“Your favorite. I must have known you were coming over.”
Hugging her against me, I sigh. “Why can’t life be as fucking simple as what pie my mommy makes?”
“Because you’re a big strong man who needs to worry about big strong man things.”
I don’t let go of Mom, wishing I were a kid again and she could make my problems go away. My big mouth got me into trouble plenty of times growing up, and Mom always smoothed things over. Too bad I can’t send her to Harmony to fix things. Or send her back in time to tell the old Dayton to promise Harmony whatever necessary to make her mine that night before someone else swooped in and stole what was mine.
Sixteen - Harmony
Ruby and Bonn broke up nearly a decade ago because he cheated one night while she was pregnant. Now after finally patching things up, they’re planning on getting married. I’m thrilled, much like I was when Daisy got married, but I miss having my sisters at the trailer park. We’d walk back and forth so much the entire lane felt like our private home.
Now they live in the same condo building as Dayton. As I arrive with Keanu, I think of the sexy bad man down the hall. He’s probably asleep since it’s before noon.
Ruby answers the door, sees my face, reacts for a second before remembering Keanu is watching her, and then throws on a smile.
“Come in.”
Keanu holds my hand until we’re in the condo. “Can I play?” he asks Ruby.
Elle appears from her room and waves Keanu over. My boy takes off running.
“He misses her so much,” I tell Ruby.
Despite my smile, I know my sisters are watching me. On the phone, I mentioned how I got into an argument at the bar, but I skipped the violence part of the story.
“What the heck?” Daisy asks, cupping my face.
“I told you what happened with Bryana.”
“You didn’t say she hit you.”
“I hit her first.”
“What?” Ruby balks. “You’re non-violent. A wuss. A hippy without a mean bone in your body.”
“You’re just making crap up.”
“Well, you’ve never gotten in a fight before.”
Daisy nods. “Even when girls were vicious toward you in school you didn’t pound them. Not even when I encouraged you to.”
“Bryana was going to say the R-word, and you know how that makes me mad.”
“I’ve never seen you punch someone for saying it, though.”
“Okay, so Dayton is a bad influence.”
Daisy gives me a disappointed scowl. “Did he egg you on? If so, how come you listened to him and not to me?”
“Dayton didn’t do anything. Instead, his wild way of thinking infected me, and I lost my mind.”
“Did he offer you sex if you punched her, because I can’t do that,” Daisy says, not letting up on how she’d wanted me to fight girls in the past.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” I mutter, sitting at the kitchen table. “I felt different when I was on the back of his Harley. We got there, and I saw her, and I’d never liked her, and she said that, and I let go of the part of me that thinks about consequences. I punched her and then she jumped me. That’s when I realized that for a wild child, I fight like poop.”
“You mean, she won?”
“Dayton dragged her off me. I’m still shocked that I hit someone.”
“It hurt your hand, didn’t it?” Ruby asks.
“Heck yeah, it does. My knuckles are bruised from the one hit. I don’t know how Dayton goes around punching people all the time.”
“Practice,” Ruby says, running her fingers over my knuckles.
“So, are you and Dayton a thing now?”
“No, I bailed on our Friday date. He threatened to take Keanu somewhere else fun, and I threatened to harm his ball sac. Then he said he would need to harass me from now on.”
Ruby nods. “Sounds like him. Though I’m still freaked out by the Keanu zoo thing.”
“He wanted to prove he could be good with my kid.”
“Was he good with him?”
Smiling, I nod. “You saw the painted face pictures. I don’t know if that means he’d be a good father figure, but he clearly knows how to act like a little kid.”
“Okay, we all know Dayton is an impulsive jerk sometimes,” Daisy says. “But what matters is if you’re still interested in him. So are you?”
“I’ll always be interested in him. The guy’s my sexy ideal, but that doesn’t change how he’s Dayton Rutgers, and I’m a mom. We’re not a match made in long-term relationship heaven.”
“Why worry about whether you make sense?” Daisy pushes, probably thinking about future double dates.
“You did when you were dating Camden.”
“Yeah, and look at how that turned out.”
“Camden’s the boring twin,” Ruby says, smiling in anticipation of Daisy’s irritation. “Dayton is a drunk and a slut, and he doesn’t possess the family man gene. The man took a child he doesn’t know to the zoo without your permission. He has some growing up to do.”
“He’s like his dad that way,” I say, but Daisy shakes her head.
“Dayton is a mama’s boy.”
“Says who?”
“Says me.”
“Well, you are very wise,” I tease while moving to the couch in the living room. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Nope. I don’t think you should have bailed on having dinner with Dayton. You need to go on a real date,” Daisy says, standing behind me. Her fingers twist my hair into a messy braid. “No bars. No club stuff. Go on a normal date and see what he’s like outside of that world.”
Ruby sits in a nearby chair. “She isn’t totally wrong. It wasn’t Dayton who made you throw the punch at the bar. That was you. Learn a little self-control, wild child.”
“Hey, I didn’t screw him that night or after the zoo. I’d say I have a whole lot of self-control.”
“That’s true,” Daisy says, joining me on the couch. “He looks just like Camden, and we all know my man’s unbelievably sexy.”
Ruby frowns. “Cool your jets, horndog.”
“Sorry, but I can not lie. I married a hottie.”
“So did he,” I tell Daisy. “Never forget that.”
“I probably will so be sure to remind me a lot. My ego preemptively thanks you.”
Smiling, I bump her leg with my foot. “Now can we talk about something else?”
“Only if you promise to do one legit date with Dayton before blowing him off. I mean, how perfect would it be if you two fell in love and lived down the hall from us?”
Ruby smiles at this thought. “Elle would love having her best friend down the hall.”
“Uh, I’ll try dinner, but we shouldn’t get our hopes up. Dayton isn’t a man looking to settle down. Now let’s talk about something fun like Ruby’s wedding.”
Ruby stands up and walks to the kitchen, clearly uninterested in our new topic.
“The wedding part doesn’t interest me,” she says while I check on Keanu and Elle. I find the two playing with LEGOs and talking about cats. Back in the kitchen, Ruby checks on lunch. “I want to put the money and effort into a fun reception. Something the kids can enjoy.”
“Are you thinking about having it at La Famiglia?” Daisy asks while stretching out on the couch.
“Have you ever heard of the term ‘don’t shit where you eat’?”
“So where then? Wait, is this your way of smoothing us into the idea of having the reception at Chuck E. Cheese?”
I smile when Daisy snickers at the thought. Ruby ignores the question, too busy finishing lunch.
“Where were you thinking?” I ask, joining Ruby in the kitchen.
Removing the ham and cheese quesadillas from the oven, she sets it on the stove and looks them over. “The Boogie Bowl.”
“Mom and the girls will love that,” I say and then grab her shirt. “Will it be an ’80s-themed r
eception?”
“Yep,” she says, smiling. “The kids love dancing, and the Boogie Bowl has a karaoke machine. It’s not too expensive to reserve for a private party. I think it’ll be fun for our family.”
Hugging Ruby, I whisper in her ear, “Don’t shortchange yourself. Not on the wedding or the reception. Don’t focus on making everyone happy. You earned this with Bonn, and you should spoil yourself.”
“We’re thinking about trying for a baby soon,” she whispers back. “I don’t want to be extravagant with a ceremony or party right now. I want to think about the future.” Ruby cups my face and adds, “But thank you for thinking of me. As moms, we sometimes forget to think about ourselves.”
Smiling, I hear the hidden meaning in Ruby’s words. The night at Salty Peanuts, I’d been on edge and likely looking for trouble. When Bryana appeared with her bitchy bigotry, I created a situation to prove Dayton and I don’t make sense. Without a lick of planning, I sabotaged us before we even ordered a drink.
While the food cools down, I leave Ruby and Daisy. I walk down the hallways and knock on Dayton’s door. He doesn’t answer, but I know he’s home.
Ringing the bell, I know he’s passed out inside the condo. Sooner or later, he’ll shuffle to the door, and I won’t leave until that happens.
After a few minutes, Dayton opens the door and stares at me through fatigued eyes.
“Harmony Slater, your tits look like absolute perfection in that shirt. Did you wear it for me?”
“Are you alone?” I ask, peering around him into the condo. “Why is it so dark in there?”
“I hate the sun.”
“You didn’t answer if you were alone.”
“Who would be here?”
“A woman.”
“Do women besides you even exist?” he asks, leaning against the doorjamb and testing the power of his boxer’s elastic.
I stare at how the gray fabric threatens to drop past his strong hips. Dayton glances down at where I’m staring.
“You can yank ’em down if you want.”
“No, I’m good.”
“If you’re not here for sex, what’d you wake me up for?”
“I bailed on your dinner invitation.”
