“I can’t believe it got so out of hand. Did the police come?”
I grin. “Nope. We handled it. They won’t be coming back here again, I promise. We’ve threatened to call the police if they do, and they know my sister is engaged to one.”
“Lily? I didn’t see a ring.”
“No, my other sister, Faith. We’re a big family.”
“I could see. I thought those men were there to attack you when they came out of the car,” she tells me, before giggling. “It was like a mob movie. All they needed were black cars with tinted windows and guns at their hips.”
I laugh. I can’t wait to tell Dad she said that. He’ll get a kick out of it. “No. Mum called them before I even came out to you.” I take the bottle from Sunday’s mouth and begin to bring her wind up before continuing. “How are you feeling?”
Her fingers go to her eye, and she winces. “I’ve had worse,” she jokes, but something in her tone tells me she’s serious.
“Maddox wants to come around soon to go over the plans for the house. He’ll need to do an evaluation and all that. If you agree to it, he can start work as soon as you’re ready.”
“That’s great news. The house is so old, and the bad weather we had last year tore a lot of the roof down, causing leaks. I’ve also got copies of the plans for the garden. I drew them up myself, and we already bought the materials. My grandpa was gonna do the work himself, but after a few attempts of trying to build a barbeque, he gave up and said he’d hire someone.”
“Where are your grandparents?”
She smiles, adoration shining in her eyes. “Still travelling. They’re in Vegas right now. I have no idea where they are going next.”
“You didn’t go with them?” I ask as I lie Sunday back down in my arms, bringing the bottle to her lips.
“I did for a while. I came back a few months ago. It was becoming too much to travel with them. I hated living out of a suitcase and sleeping in different beds. I just wanted some peace. For their age, they have more energy than me.”
I grin. “Is that right?” I flirt, eyeing her up and down. The words just slipped out. It’s a habit. She blushes, though doesn’t say anything to my remark, so I clear my throat and change the subject. “How come you don’t wear a hearing aid all of the time if they help you hear?”
Pain flashes across her features and I tense. She shrugs, looking away for a moment. “I only tried a few. I guess I was upset about becoming deaf in the first place and didn’t want to rely on something. They give me migraines and make my ear sore. After my parents and brother died, I didn’t want to look for more options.”
Fuck!
“I’m sorry about your parents and brother. How long ago did they die?”
“Thank you,” she answers, her voice thick. “And they died a few years back, in a house fire.”
“How did you lose your hearing?” I ask, wanting to know everything about her, for reasons I don’t understand.
Seeing the anguish and pain on her face, I immediately feel guilty. “I don’t… I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Sorry,” I whisper, ducking my head. Needing to lighten the mood, I change the subject. “Do you go to school?”
She shakes her head. “I did online courses. I’m a web and logo designer, but I do other designs too. I just started designing book and game covers.”
Wow. Didn’t expect that response.
“That sounds awesome.”
A knock on the door has me jumping. Bailey, seeing my reaction, looks around the room. “What?”
“Someone’s at the door. Can you take her for a minute?”
She takes Sunday from my arms, and the smile she shares with her steals my breath. I shake it off, hating the effect she has on me. I fuck around; I don’t do monogamy. I’d never be worthy of someone like her. And it’s not like I’m after a committed relationship, so I don’t know why I’m getting so worked up over a chick I don’t even know.
Opening the door, Maddox’s bright smile greets me. I grin back when I see the bruise that has formed on his cheek.
“Nice whopper you got you there.”
He chuckles. “You should see the other guy.”
“Come in.”
He steps inside, and I check behind him to make sure he didn’t bring the family. He didn’t and I’m grateful. For some reason, I don’t think Bailey would appreciate having a house full of people she doesn’t know.
“Fuck me,” he hisses out, whistling through his teeth. “You kept it quiet that your neighbour is smoking hot.”
I elbow him in the stomach, glaring. Bailey looks back and forth between us, an adorable crease in her forehead.
“Did you say something to me?” she asks shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Maddox grins, and I know what’s coming before he even starts, so I step in front of him, knowing she can’t hear him. Call me sadistic, but I’m glad she can’t. He has a way of charming the pants off women, and I want him to stay away from Bailey. The possessiveness isn’t something I’m used to.
“Baby, I’ll say whatever you want me to say if you agree to go out with me.”
“She can’t hear you,” I growl.
“Huh? I’m standing right here.”
“She’s deaf, remember?”
He smiles bigger. “Move the fuck aside then and let her see me.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll go fucking mad if you try it on with her.”
“You fucking her?”
I want to punch him in the mouth; the urge is strong. “No, fuckhead, I’m not. She’s my neighbour and I like her. I don’t want her hating me because you fucking used her.”
“Um, you do know it’s rude to hide so I can’t see you, now you know I’m deaf and all,” Bailey says, and Maddox starts chuckling. I move aside and sit down next to her.
“Walk me through what you’re wanting, then, darlin’.”
I sit back and listen to the plans on the house. I can’t keep my eyes off her; the way her delicate mouth forms her words, the way she will often bite her bottom lip or tuck a stand of hair behind her ear. Every time she moves, I find myself fascinated.
CHAPTER NINE
BAILEY
I wring my hands together, pacing by the front door as I wait for Charlotte and Lily to turn up. Both girls are special, both sweet and innocent and filled with warmth. I’ve only met them once, but there’s something about them that screams at you to treat them with care. You can’t help it. The way they move, look at you, and speak… they’re all filled with an undeniable kindness.
When they treated me like I had been their best friend all our lives, I was blown away. I grew up with no one. The few people I did have drifted away, unable to handle the bullying I endured. The new ones I tried to make ignored me once they were warned to stay away from me. Hanging out with me was a ticket to becoming bullied, so people tended to stay away.
Charlotte had surprised me at Aiden’s when she asked me for a favour and if they could come around. A part of me feared it was fate playing another cruel joke, but the thought passed quickly.
Now, I’m nervous as hell. I don’t know how to act around other women, let alone what to say to them.
I had made myself sick with worry last night, praying this didn’t go bad. I’ve craved a friendship for so long. It’s sad, really. These two were offering it to me, and I knew, in the deepest part of my heart, they had no ulterior motive. They were both too gentle and soft-spoken to be anything other than who they were.
I can trust them.
The doorbell device vibrating against my leg and the lights flashing in the corner shouldn’t surprise me, but still, I startle.
They’re here.
I wipe my sweaty palms down my thighs and unlock the door, smiling at the two beautiful women in front of me.
“Hey, come in,” I greet them. The two of them look different appearance wise. They’re both incredibly beautiful too. It’s like God had decided at making something
perfect and used it up on these two. I’d never met anyone like them. Everything about them screams pure.
“I made you these,” Charlotte says, handing me a plate of muffins. They look yummy.
“Thank you.”
“Your house is beautiful,” Lily tells me as we step into the living room. I can see what she means; everything about this house is big, even the high ceilings. Every bit of the building has been carved with detail. Nothing about the house screams plain.
My grandparents are the reason this house doesn’t seem like a museum and instead feels like a home. It isn’t cold, like most houses of this magnitude, but is instead filled with warmth and harmony. Pictures of family members before me and those I know and grew up with fill every space free for a picture frame. Snow globes my gran collected on her travels sit in a glass cabinet, and another is filled with items I created growing up or little presents I bought them with my pocket money. This is a true home, and where I felt loved after my family died.
“Thank you,” I whisper, smiling. “Would you guys like a drink?”
They share a look before nodding. I smile at how sweet they both are. “Do you have tea?”
“I’m British; of course I have tea,” I tease. They follow me into the kitchen and I start on making their drinks. “Take a seat and tell me what this favour is that you needed.”
Since the kettle is boiling, I face them, waiting for Charlotte to answer. A pink tinge appears on her cheeks, which has me curious.
“Well, none of my family know—only Landon and Lily—but I write romance novels. Instead of publishing, I’ve only ever posted chapters on my website. At first, I thought it would just be a hobby, but people keep asking me to self-publish. I’ve decided, since the second book is complete, to do it, but I need covers and other logos. I also need my website revamping; it’s been a while.”
“Ah, that’s why your eyes lit up when I told you what I did for a living.” I smile, and then something occurs to me. “You seem close to your family… Why don’t you want them to know? They seem like they’d be really supportive.”
I’ve only met a handful, but they seem kind and willing to do anything to help others.
Maddox was really helpful with the plans for the house and went over the drawings I’d worked hard over when I brought him here, Aiden tagging along like a chaperone. I also showed them the work—or rather lack of work—done by the other builders.
Charlotte grimaces. “Our family are really supportive, but I want this to be mine for a while longer. I don’t want them reading what I write.”
I grin, intrigued. “Do you write dirty novels?”
She shrugs, her cheeks turning redder. “Not really, but they do have some naughty stuff in them.”
“Tell her why you don’t want them to know,” Lily says, grinning wildly.
I didn’t think it would be possible, but Charlotte turns even redder. “I’m a virgin,” she blurts out, surprising me. Her expression is horrified, and I can see her throat bob as she swallows.
“Um, okay…” I say, unsure where she’s going with this. She covers her face with her hands and I look to Lily questioningly, pointing to my ear.
Lily smiles softly, a rose blush tainting her cheeks and neck. “She’s a virgin who writes sex scenes. She needed some inspiration as to what happens, so watched porn. In her latest book her main character works in a strip club. Charlotte had never been, so for research reasons, she visits a strip club weekly while she writes. The men in our family would go mad if they found out. And not only that, she’d be mortified if they teased her about it.”
Lily’s shoulders shake, and I smile. “My gran tried taking me to a strip club when we went to Amsterdam, so I can completely relate. As soon as I figured out where we were going, I decided to stay in. The street was filled with women and boobs.”
“It’s not funny,” Charlotte says, her face heated. “Landon comes with me. I tried to go by myself, but I lasted ten minutes before I walked out. I decided the first time a woman shook her tatas at me that I’d just write it from my imagination, but I couldn’t write anything afterwards. When I planned to go back, I had blown Landon off, not wanting him to know. He knew something was wrong so he followed me. Let’s just say, he wasn’t happy. But I couldn’t write the book I wanted by staying at home, so he agreed to go with me, so I wasn’t alone. He always looks pained when we’re there though, like he would rather be somewhere else. I always thought men liked places like that. I hate that he had to suffer, but I was kind of grateful I wasn’t alone. It was awkward enough.”
I giggle, pulling the plate of muffins over to me and grabbing one. “I think he’d rather be there alone, without his…” I look to Lily for answers as to who Landon is to Charlotte.
“Cousin and best friend,” she answers.
“Without his cousin cramping his style.”
Lily gives me a look when I peel the paper from the bottom of the muffin, her wide eyes warning me of something with a subtle shake of her head.
When I glance back at Charlotte, she’s talking. It takes me a while to catch up. “I don’t think I can go with him ever again.”
“What did I miss?” I ask, watching Charlotte for her reaction as I take a bite out of the muffin. Or try to. The outer edge is soft, but the middle is rock solid.
I think I just chipped a tooth.
Oh, my God, she hates me and is trying to kill me.
I turn around before she can answer, grabbing a tissue from the side and spitting the muffin out, gagging at the foul aftertaste in my mouth.
I feel someone beside me and see Lily there, placing her hand on my arm and smiling apologetically. “She’s a terrible cook, but none of us have the heart to tell her.”
I look over my shoulder to see Charlotte isn’t there, before facing Lily. “Where is she?”
Her entire face lights up with amusement. “She’s ringing Landon to cancel this week’s outing to the strip club.” She laughs, throwing her head back, before glancing back at me. “Are you okay?” When her eyes travel down to the muffin I spat out, I groan.
“They are terrible,” I tell her, then wince. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. We all feel for you, truly. We just don’t want to hurt her feelings. She loves cooking and giving to people.”
“So, she wasn’t trying to kill me? She didn’t give them to me because she hates me?”
The fear of her hating me is real. I don’t know why I care so much, but I do. I want friends in my life—good ones.
Her eyebrows scrunch together, like she’s thinking something over. “Charlotte doesn’t have a hateful bone in her body. She gives these to all of us.”
“I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” I assure her.
“I know you didn’t,” she tells me, looking down at the plate, then back up at me. “I thought these might be a little better. After we got arrested and they tested her muffins, she’s been trying to perfect them.”
“She got arrested? Charlotte and you?”
She nods furiously, her facial expression so expressive I laugh inside. “It was the worst night of my life. I thought we were going to prison for a very long time.”
“What did you do?” I gasp out, utterly shocked. Both girls look like they couldn’t hurt a fly.
Lily looks over my shoulder, her attention gone before she has chance to answer. And I really want to know the answer.
Someone’s here.
Charlotte steps back into the kitchen, beaming at us, but her shoulders are tense, and she looks kind of nervous. Aiden follows behind, pushing Sunday in her pushchair.
“Look who I found outside.”
“I can’t believe you were having lunch and never invited me,” he says, winking at me. I duck my head a little, feeling the need to fan myself all of a sudden. He’s so freaking sexy it’s hard not to stare at him. “Oh, are those muffins?”
Before I can warn him, he picks one up and takes a huge bite. He grimaces, his eyes wide as he slowl
y brings the muffin away from his mouth, teeth marks now marring the baked good.
Oh, dear.
“Actually, I’m not that hungry,” he says, glancing briefly at Charlotte.
I giggle, looking away as he steps over to my fridge and pulls out a carton of orange juice. I wait for him to ask where the glasses are, but he doesn’t, instead drinking what is left in the carton in a few large gulps.
“Well, when you are, you can take some home with you. I’m sure Bailey won’t mind,” Charlotte says.
I beam teasingly at Aiden. “Take as many as you’d like.”
I can see him struggle to swallow as he nods. “Yeah, thanks.”
Charlotte’s cheeks have turned a tinge of pink once again as she looks at Lily, then me. “I forgot I have to do something at home. Maybe we can come another day?” Her expression totally gives her lie away, and I can see it all over Aiden’s face that he knows it as well.
“You’ve not even had a cup of tea,” he says, raising an eyebrow at the empty cups on the side.
She flushes, wringing her hands together. “I forgot. I always forget things,” she says.
“And you don’t have time to stay for a cuppa?”
Charlotte glances at Lily, her eyes round. Lily steps forward. “You’re here now; you have a cup of tea.”
He doesn’t say anything but continues to watch Charlotte with a blank expression, before pulling out his phone.
Charlotte see what he’s doing and begins to look panicked. Before she confesses everything, I step forward, gaining their attention.
“That’s fine. Wait here a second while I write my details down. We can, um… reschedule it later.”
Her relief is palpable. “That would be great.”
Quickly, I rush down the hall to my office, grab a pen and paper, and write down my phone number and email address. Hopefully she has a rough idea of what she wants so I can design some mock ups.
They’re chatting as I walk back into the kitchen, Lily bent over the pram to see Sunday. I still can’t believe her mum died. And his comment about her being a one-night stand was so blunt and forward. A part of me is asking myself why he would tell me that, hoping it’s because he likes me. I feel for that little girl not having the chance grow up with a mother. Mine had been my best friend.
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