Monkeys and Mayhem (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 4)

by Kimberly Loth

  She gave Blue to the driver, who promised to take good care of her. Anna walked into the middle of the store, Hayden on her heels. The entire store seemed to wink and glitter. Quite frankly it made her sick. Everything those jewels represented.

  “What if I want a ring?” Anna asked. If he was going to play dirty, then so was she.

  “Whatever you want.” Hayden gave her a grin that looked a little forced.

  “What if I want a diamond ring?”

  He was unfazed. “Sure. They’re over there.”

  Damn. She’d been hoping for a reaction.

  There were hundreds of sparkly diamond rings. But Anna was looking for the right one. Finally she spotted it and had to hold back a giggle as she pointed. “That one.”

  Hayden eyed the ring suspiciously. “You want this?”

  Anna nodded and tried to keep the grin off of her face. The saleswoman behind the counter took it out and gave it to Hayden.

  “You’re sure? Why don’t you take a closer look?” Hayden asked, examining the ring with a frown.

  He gave the ring to her, and she really had to fight to keep the giggles down. It was hideous. The square diamond was at least a half inch wide with tiny diamonds surrounding it. It would look awful on her finger, not to mention that if she wasn’t careful, she’d poke her eye out.

  She handed it to him with a straight face. “Yes. This is what I want.”

  “You can have anything in here, and you want this?” he asked with a furrowed brow.

  She nodded.

  He pursed his lips. “Okay then. It’s not what I would’ve picked out, but if you like it.”

  “It is.”

  He knelt down, and Anna’s stomach dropped.

  “Hayden. What the hell are you doing?” she hissed.

  “Anna, I told you to pick out anything. You chose a diamond ring. Men only buy women diamond rings for one reason.”

  He held up that hideous ring and asked the question she’d hoped to hear someday from someone who loved her, and not as some sick joke.

  “Anna, will you marry me?” He had that goofy grin on his face, and she knew he was messing with her. Around her, cameras clicked, and the woman behind the counter let out a squeal. But Anna felt nothing but anger. She narrowed her eyes.

  “No. That ring is hideous.”

  She ran from the store, hot tears on her cheeks. He’d humiliated her. She was so over everything.

  Hayden caught up with her in the parking lot. He grabbed her arm and pulled her tight against him. She pushed at him, but he held tight and brushed away her tears.

  “Don’t cry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “It was all just a joke to you.” She squirmed against his grip, wanting nothing more than to get away from him.

  He raised his eyebrows. “And it wasn’t to you? That ring was awful.”

  She let out a short laugh. “Yeah, it was. I didn’t expect you to get down on one knee.”

  “That was in bad taste. I’m sorry.” He kept one hand firmly on her back and fished around in his pocket with the other one. “Now, I’m not going to let go of you because I’m afraid you’ll run away. But let me try this again.

  “Anna, you have captured my heart in a way that I never thought was possible. It’s been a long time since I desired to settle down with anyone. But I cannot imagine my future without you in it. Will you stay here with me? Please. Don’t go home.”

  He held a ring in front of her face. It had a slender platinum band. Instead of a diamond, there was a pink pearl surrounded by tiny diamonds. Anna couldn’t help herself. She reached up and pulled his face to hers. She kissed him like she’d never kissed him before. After several seconds, he drew away, his eyes dancing.

  She couldn’t do this. When he was close, she never thought clearly. “Take me to my hotel please.”

  Pain flashed over his face, but he nodded once. She had that ring grasped in her hand, and she had no idea what she was going to do. Hayden had hurt her. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to move past that.

  He didn’t say a word as they stopped at the hotel. He got out and opened her door for her. She held Blue in her arms.

  “Anna, please.” His eyes shone with sincerity. His entire body was tense. She knew he wanted to hear her say, “Yes, I’ll stay with you,” but she couldn’t do that yet.

  She squeezed her eyes shut and then forced herself to look at him.

  “I need time to think.” She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

  Anna wasn’t good at making decisions. She spent the rest of the week hiding in her hotel room with Blue. Anna bought a carrier for her and changed her ticket so she could bring a dog onboard the airplane. For now, she was sticking with her decision to go home.

  Hayden haunted her. Of course, with him calling at least three times a day, it was hard to not think about him. She didn’t know what to do. He’d hurt her badly. She wasn’t sure she could be with someone who so casually allowed someone else to think that she was nothing more than a prostitute. But every time she thought of the future, the only one that made her happy was the one with him in it.

  She’d been exploring other career options and places to live, but it all seemed irrelevant. Even when she thought about up and leaving Michigan and starting over somewhere new, it didn’t feel right. Nothing felt right.

  Her phone buzzed.

  “Hey, Eileen.”

  “What time does your plane leave?”

  Anna looked at the clock. “In four hours. The cab is picking me up in thirty minutes.”

  “You sure you don’t want to give hot stuff another chance?”

  She flung herself on the bed. “Ugh. I don’t know. Do you really think I should?”

  Eileen chuckled. “I’m not making your choice for you. But I want you to be happy. You’ve always lived your life for other people. Choose the path that will be the best for you.”

  Eileen’s words stuck in her head all the way down to the car, and she loaded her suitcases in the trunk.

  “To the airport, miss?”

  “Yes, please.”

  She took Blue in her little carrier and set it her lap.

  Happiness. When had she ever been happy?

  Those times with Hayden had been real. Yes, she’d gotten hurt. But she’d made mistakes too. Including making assumptions about Hayden she probably shouldn’t have made. Maybe risking pain was worth the happiness. If she went home, she would never know what was possible, and she’d spend the rest of her life wondering about what could’ve happened. She needed to stay.

  She tapped the driver on the shoulder. “Wait, I need you to go here instead.”

  She handed him her phone with a picture of Hayden’s address.

  Thirty minutes later, he pulled into the driveway. Anna bounced out of the car, Blue in hand. She raced for the gate. She couldn’t believe it’d taken her this long to realize that she belonged here.

  She flung open the gate. Hayden stood next to Ubon, chopping peppers. Both turned when Anna stepped inside. Ubon dropped her knife.

  “Anna,” she cried.

  Anna chuckled.

  Hayden approached her cautiously. Ubon pulled her toward Hayden.

  “Kiss and make up,” she commanded.

  “What are you doing here?” Hayden asked, his face passive.

  “I was on my way to the airport when I changed my mind. Can I stay here for a while?”

  “That depends.” He took two steps toward her, a grin forming on his lips.

  “On what?”

  “On which room you plan on sleeping in.”

  Anna closed the distance between them. “Yours.”

  “That’s the right answer.”

  He leaned down and kissed her. Happiness buzzed in her stomach. She’d made the right choice.

  Epilogue

  Christmas morning dawned bright and hot. Anna squinted against the light coming in through the window. Una whined, and Anna sat up. The dogs were bo
th by the door, wanting to go out. Blue was running in circles around Una’s legs. Blue annoyed her to no end, but Anna often found the two of them sleeping together on the patio.

  Anna sat up and swung her legs off the bed, but an arm snaked around her waist and pulled her back into the bed.

  “Where are you going?” Hayden asked, trailing kisses along her shoulder.

  She turned and grinned at him. “To let the dogs out. Plus, we really should get up. There are about twenty people down there who will want to spend time with us when they get up. Including your parents and all of your frat brothers. Besides, I want to meet those that came in after we went to bed.”

  “They can wait.”

  She leaned over and kissed his nose. “We shouldn’t hide from our friends. I’m going to head down.” Anna got up and threw on a t-shirt and shorts.

  “Wait,” Hayden said. “I’ve got a present for you.”

  Anna spun around. “I thought we were doing gifts tonight.”

  “We are. I’ll have something else for you then. I didn’t want to wait.”

  He handed her a slender box. She cracked it open. It was a string of pink pearls. They matched her ring.

  “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

  He pulled her in for a kiss. “No, thank you for agreeing to stay with me.”

  Anna smiled. “I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else.”

  “I’ll be down in a few. I want to shower first.”

  Anna nodded as she opened the door, and the dogs flew down the stairs. She followed and found Hayden’s mom and Tess sitting at the table. Anna liked Tess. She had an easy smile and seemed pretty close to Hayden’s mom. Anna was having trouble keeping track of all of Hayden’s friends and their families. Tess was married to Lukas and lived on Mackinac with Hayden’s family.

  “Merry Christmas,” said Tess.

  “Thanks. Merry Christmas to you too.” Anna eyed the Christmas tree, which was now bare of presents except a few. She made Ubon take the gifts for her girls home the day before.

  A sliding door opened behind her. Anna looked over to see who was coming out. She was surprised to see Eileen slipping out of one of the bedrooms.

  Anna eyed her suspiciously. Eileen was supposed to be in the little house. “What are you doing coming out of that room?”

  Eileen winked. “I liked Seth’s room better.”

  Anna shook her head. “Unbelievable. You know, I was trying to set you up with Blake.”

  “Yeah, I know. He kept going on about a woman named Debbie. I can’t compete with her.” Eileen took the chair next to Anna. “This is paradise. Are you sure you’re ready to go back to the cold weather?”

  Anna looked around the yard. She’d miss the pool for sure, but Hayden said they could have one put in. She’d miss the incessant croaking of frogs too. But not the humidity. She’d leave that right here in Thailand where it belonged. Plus, Hayden wasn’t happy with his job. “Sort of. I’m totally craving American food right about now.”

  Eileen nudged her. “Cravings?”

  Anna blushed. “No. It’s not like that.” Eileen was joking, but Anna wanted to make sure no one misunderstood.

  Hayden’s mom’s eyes lit up. “Are you pregnant?” The expectation in her eyes was almost too much for Anna.

  “No. Sorry. We haven’t even talked about that yet.”

  She patted Anna’s hand. “Sorry, dear, I’m just excited. I never thought Hayden would settle down with anyone.”

  Another woman came out of one of the rooms, bleary-eyed. She plopped into a seat. “I’m Jessica. We came in super late last night. Are you Anna?”

  Anna raised her hand while Ubon rushed over with a cup of coffee.

  Jessica looked up at her. “Bless you. Jet lag is killer.”

  “Where were you coming from?” Anna asked.

  “Dubai. We were house-hunting. We live in Cairo now, but we’re moving just after the first of the year.”

  “Did you find something?” Tess asked.

  “I think so. A nice villa on the beach. Octo’s gonna love it.” Jessica took a sip of her coffee and looked over at Tess. “Where’s the baby? I was hoping for some cuddling.”

  Tess snorted. “I was not taking him on a twelve-hour plane ride. He’s with Estelle.”

  Hayden plopped down next to Anna. Her heart swelled as she looked at him. How did she get so lucky? “Estelle will watch our kids when we go out of town too. She’s crazy about babies.”

  Hayden’s mother’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me. Estelle’s not getting her greedy hands on my grandbabies.”

  Tess laughed. “But you have to work.”

  “No, I’m retiring in May.”

  Tess leaned forward. “What? No. Who am I going to take Jack to when he gets sick?”

  Hayden cleared his throat. So far his news was secret to everyone but Anna and his parents.

  “I will, Tess. I know I’m not my mother, but I’ll take good care of him.”

  Tess looked from his mother to him. “You’re moving back to Mackinac Island?”

  He smiled. “I am. I don’t really want to subject Anna to the lifestyle of a plastic surgeon. Plus, it will give me more time to work on my projects with Blake.”

  “Well, that’s wonderful. We’ll be neighbors.”

  “That will be fun.” Anna hoped she and Tess would get along. She seemed pretty down to earth.

  Ubon brought over a plate of pancakes, and Anna looked down. Sitting on top of the stack was a glittering diamond ring. She thumped Hayden on the knee, who was deep in a conversation with Eileen.

  “What’s that?” Anna pointed.

  His eyes widened, then he spun around to Ubon. “You were supposed to wait until dinner.”

  “Dinner, breakfast. Is all the same.”

  Hayden took a couple of deep breaths and then turned back. “Well, this is not exactly how I planned. Your ring was supposed to be on top of your dessert. After dinner.”

  He got down on one knee and took her hands in his. Anna felt the tears coming before he even said a word.

  “Anna, will you marry me?”

  Hayden was her happiness, and she wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her days with him.

  “Yes,” she said without hesitation. He stood, took her into his arms, and kissed her. She could finally see a future that fulfilled all of her dreams.

  The end

  Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the book.

  Check out the first book in the Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Series

  Snowfall and Secrets

  Chapter 1

  Tess had made a lot of mistakes in her short life. She thought she got it out of her system after high school, but apparently at twenty-five, she was still as dumb as she was at eighteen. Maybe more. This was definitely the stupidest thing she’d ever done.

  After the plane touched down on the nearly frozen northern Michigan runway, she turned her phone on and discovered twenty messages from her mother and four sisters. They all said the same thing.

  “Come home.”

  She’d lived in Southern Florida her entire life. But she had to get away from there. Though she sure picked a crappy time of year. The second week of January wasn’t exactly smart.

  Passengers at the tiny airport disembarked down a stairway instead of into the airport. As she stepped off the plane, she knew she made not one big mistake, but two. Prior to this moment, she’d never been in weather under forty degrees. This was probably below zero. She wasn’t prepared for cold like this.

  The wind bit at her face and hands as she ran for the airport. She had gloves on, but they were useless against the chill. Lost in thought, she waited for her bags. She would need to stop at a store to get a better coat before she headed to the island. Never mind that she blew most of her savings on the best winter weather gear she could find in Miami, which wasn’t the place to buy for a Michigan winter.

  A hand tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and found h
erself having to look up at a man with chiseled features. She sucked in a breath. She always had a weakness for tall, dark, and handsome.

  “Are you Tess?” he asked.

  She nodded. If this was her boss, she was in so much trouble.

  “Are you Dr. Jorgenson?”

  He chuckled. “No, I’m Lukas, and I’m a little young to be the superintendent of a school. Doc doesn’t leave the island during the winter. I’m your landlord.”

  She nearly burst out laughing. She was so in for it.

  “How’d you recognize me?” she asked.

  “You're the only one not dressed for the weather. Doc said you were from Florida, but I thought you’d have more sense than this.”

  Tess wore a wool coat over a sweater dress, ankle length leggings, and knee high black boots. She was more covered than she’d ever been in Florida. Yet she was still freezing.

  Before she could answer, he continued speaking.

  “Do you have a heavier coat and gloves in your suitcase?”

  Tess shook her head. “I bought the best I could find.”

  He frowned. “The shops are closed. You’ll have to come back to the mainland later and get more gear. In the meantime, you’re gonna lose a couple of fingers. Seriously, are those the only gloves you have?”

  She nodded and looked down at her thin gloves that matched her dress. She had four other pairs, but they were all the same kind, and trying to layer them didn’t make much sense. She knew he was right; her fingers were in danger.

  Chapter 2

  Lukas hefted the two massive purple suitcases into the bed of his truck. He hoped like hell he had an extra pair of gloves in the cab, otherwise his fingers wouldn’t survive because there was no way he was going let her freeze to death on the back of his snowmobile. Doc would never forgive him. Though, if she was this ill-equipped for the northern Michigan temperatures, she might be on the first plane back to Florida.

  “Did you bring any snow pants?” he asked her as he rummaged behind his seat. He didn’t find any gloves, but he found hand warmers.