Hammer & Nails

by Large, Andria

  Harley texts me saying that they are here. I take a deep breath and blow it out. I leave the owner’s club box and make my way through the crowd toward the entrance that I told Harley meet me. I spot her before she sees me. Four huge men surround her. They are all at least 6’4” and her brothers are all built like freaking hockey players. Her father is a big guy, too. I can tell that at one time he used to be as fit as his sons are. Harley looks like a little girl with all of them standing around her.

  I stop next to one of the guys scanning tickets and call to her. “Harley.”

  She turns, her eyes immediately finding mine. She smiles and it immediately makes my heart flutter. Damn, she’s beautiful. She is wearing her hair down again. She looks really cute in her oversized Bruisers jersey, too. The group heads in my direction. When they reach the ticket guy, I hand him five box seat tickets to scan. He hands them back to me and I in turn hand them to Harley. Her eyes flash excitedly and I can tell that she’s ready to burst.

  “Thanks!”

  “You’re welcome,” I reply with a small smile.

  “Nolan, this is my dad, John, and my brothers: Shane, Jason, and Nate. Guys, this is Nolan Hammerstein,” she introduces.

  We all greet each other with handshakes and nods.

  “Thanks for this, Nolan. In all the years that I’ve been a fan, I haven’t been able to get tickets to the season opener,” John says, and I can tell that he’s ready to burst with excitement, too.

  I smile. I like her dad already. “You’re welcome.”

  “So, where are we sitting?” her brother - I think it’s Shane - asks.

  “We’re all sitting in the owner’s club box,” I tell them.

  All five of them stare at me with wide eyes before erupting into cheers and high fives. I bite back a smile. I have a feeling that this is going to be a very loud club box once the puck drops. I lead them upstairs to where the private box is. The box has its own bar, bathrooms, and wait service. Along with a few rows of regular seats, there is a lounge in the back with TV’s to watch the game if you so choose.

  “Food and drinks are included, so order anything you want,” I tell them.

  The youngest of the brothers, Nate, I believe, turns to me. “Dude, I could totally kiss you right now,” he says, then nods as if he makes a decision before adding, “Yeah, I think I’m going to kiss you right now.”

  He comes over and grabs my face, planting a rough kiss on my mouth. He releases me suddenly and I stumble back in shock. He gives me a rakish grin and a wink as the rest of them laugh hysterically, including Harley, who is doubled over clutching her stomach.

  “You can’t make fun of me anymore, asshole! You initiated that all on your own!” Harley’s brother, Shane, exclaims, giving his little brother a shove.

  Nate shrugs, his eyes shimmering in amusement, and I can’t help but wonder what that is all about.

  “What am I missing over here?” comes my father’s voice from behind me.

  I turn just as he steps up next to me, a curious smile on his face. The laughs immediately die as the five Jamesons stare at my father in shock and awe. John is the first to speak.

  “Holy shit, Mr. Hammerstein! I’m John Jameson. It’s an honor to meet you!” he says, shaking my dad’s hand vigorously.

  “Please, call me Gene,” my dad replies.

  John smiles so big that I’m pretty sure it’s going to be stuck there permanently.

  “These are my sons: Nate, Jason, and Shane,” John says, pointing to each of his sons as he says their name.

  My dad shakes all of their hands.

  John’s hand lands on Harley’s shoulder. “And this is my daughter, Harley,” he says proudly.

  I watch Harley glance up at her dad with unconditional love and affection. Her smile is so big and bright. It’s that moment that I realize that I am totally falling for her. The realization leaves me a little stunned. I’m falling in love with Harley. I can’t believe it. I never meant to get this involved with her, but she somehow snuck her way in.

  “I believe we’ve met. You’re the girl doing the renovation at Nolan’s house, right?” my dad says, practically looking down his nose at her.

  I wince at his choice of words. He called her a “girl.” He could have said, “You’re the contractor,” but he chose “girl.” Not even woman. “Girl.”

  It’s obvious that her dad and brothers caught it, too, as they all lose some of their excitement. Harley, however, puts on a brave face and shakes my father’s hand. She knows from the night I had her over how my dad views women. So she knows what to expect. But I can still see the hurt and disappointment in her eyes.

  “Yep, that’s me,” she replies with a tight smile.

  My heart hurts for her.

  “Have you seen any of the renovations yet? Harley is a very talented contractor,” John says, his tone even. I can tell he’s not liking my dad right now, though. Can’t say that I blame him.

  “No, I haven’t had a chance to get over there,” my dad replies.

  “She’s doing a fantastic job so far; the house is really coming along,” I say, looking at her.

  She gives me a grateful smile.

  “Yeah, I bet you go over there just to stare at her ass while she’s up on a ladder,” Nate quips.

  Everyone but my dad chuckles at the dig. My dad, on the other hand, lets out a snort as if to say, “I doubt that.” I sigh. This is not going well. I think it’s time to end this little conversation.

  “Why don’t you guys go grab a seat and I’ll have the waitress bring down some beers,” I tell the Jamesons.

  They quickly agree and start for the stairs that lead down to the rows of seats. Harley glances over her shoulder at me, a tender smile on her lovely lips. I send her a wink before turning to face my dad.

  “That was unnecessarily rude,” I tell him.

  One white eyebrow lifts. “What was?”

  My dad is about the same height as I am, but much rounder. His short hair is white, as is his eyebrows and mustache. He’s wearing one of his many suits.

  “You insulted Harley in front of her family.”

  “It wasn’t intentional,” he says dismissively and walks toward the bar.

  I follow, my irritation flaring. “Even so, you can’t say things like that to people. Especially ones that don’t share your views on the roles of women,” I snap.

  I catch one of the waitresses and ask her to bring my guests some beer. As she walks off to take care of that, I turn back to my dad, who is leaning against the bar.

  “You need to keep your opinions of Harley to yourself,” I say to him.

  My dad eyeballs me. “Would you still think that if you weren’t fucking her?”

  I gape at him. “That has nothing to do with this.” I blink.

  He gives me a bored look. “Sure it does. I hope it’s nothing serious because she’s not right for you.”

  I frown. “Not this shit again. Why not?”

  “You know why, Nolan. She’s nothing but trouble. Say you marry her and have kids, you know she’s not going to want to stay home and take care of them. She’s going to want to be out working. She probably lives in a pig sty, have you been to her place yet?”

  I struggle to wrap my mind around his way of thinking, but it’s difficult. I’m really starting to understand why he’s still single. My mother was a saint for putting up with him. I don’t know how she dealt with him for so long.

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “You should keep it that way.” He snorts and takes a sip of the drink that the bartender just placed in front of him.

  “And if I really like her?”

  My dad stares at me for a moment, his expression hard. “I don’t want her in my family.”

  “Because she works?” I ask incredulously.

  My dad sighs impatiently. “Son, you need to find a woman who is of the same social status as you. That girl over there is in no way presentable to the people that we deal with. She’s no
t wearing one ounce of make-up and she’s dressed like a man. Do you really expect someone like her and her family to fit in with people like us?”

  For the first time ever, I actually see my father for the person he really is. And I also realize that when I first met Harley, I was just like him. A pompous prick. Not only does my father not like Harley because she’s her own woman, but he also doesn’t like her because she’s of a lower social status. He probably wants me to marry some gold digging, stuck up heiress. Well that sure as shit ain’t happening. I have nothing to say to that, so I just walk away. I will not be like him. I want to be happy. Harley makes me happy.

  ~ Harley ~

  I glance over my shoulder for the millionth time to see Nolan finally coming this way. He was talking to his dad for a while and it didn’t look like they were agreeing on whatever it was they were talking about. I chose to sit behind my dad and brothers. They tend to get a bit rowdy and end up spilling beer all over the place. I’d rather not be covered in beer. Plus, I wanted to sit with Nolan.

  Nolan stomps down the steps and drops his ass into the seat next to me. He is seriously brooding. I hand him my cup of beer because he looks like he needs it.

  “Here,” I murmur.

  Nolan doesn’t hesitate. He grabs the cup from my hand and downs the rest of the beer. I frown at him.

  “Is everything okay?” I ask in concern.

  He turns his head to look at me, his expression troubled. “No, but don’t worry about it,” he says softly and tucks my hair behind my ear. “You look really beautiful today.”

  I smile shyly and blush. “Thanks.”

  My brothers all start fake gagging in front of us.

  “Oh god, that’s disgusting.” Jason groans.

  I kick their seats. “Shut your mouths, assfaces,” I hiss.

  I turn to apologize to Nolan, but he’s smiling and shaking his head. His smile slowly fades. He reaches forward and pats my dad on the shoulder. My dad turns slightly in his chair to look back at Nolan, eyebrows raised in question.

  “Mr. Jameson…” Nolan starts.

  “You can call me John,” my dad says with a small smile.

  I can tell that my dad likes Nolan, which makes me extremely happy because I think I’m falling for the guy. Which is scary enough without having to worry about if my dad and brothers are going to like him.

  “John, I want to apologize for what my father said…” Nolan starts again but my dad cuts him off.

  “Stop right there, Nolan. You don’t need to apologize for what your father said. He’s a grown man, and if he felt bad about it, then he can apologize himself. But I honestly don’t see that happening.”

  Nolan shakes his head. “No, it won’t happen.”

  “Didn’t think so.”

  “It’s just…I used to…” Nolan struggles, raking a hand through his hair in frustration.

  “You shared your father’s views?” my dad asks.

  Nolan nods. “Somewhat. That is, until I met Harley,” he says softly.

  My breath catches. I knew Nolan didn’t like the fact that I was a woman who owned my own business at first, and I could tell that the more we got to know each other, the more he accepted it, and even liked it. But for him to admit it out loud, to my father nonetheless, is something that I never expected.

  The smile on my dad’s face is one that he doesn’t give to anyone other than his own kids. It’s the smile of a proud daddy. It’s filled with love, acceptance, and understanding. And he’s giving it to Nolan. My heart pounds in my chest. This is huge. At least for me. Nolan might not realize it, but he just got inducted into the Jameson family.

  My dad reaches back and gives Nolan’s cheek a couple of pats. “Nolan, you’re a good man,” he says. “And I’m proud of you for admitting that to me. It takes a strong man to do something like that.”

  Nate, Jason, and Shane all slowly turn around to stare at me in shock. I can only shrug. When I look over at Nolan, he looks like he’s in shock, too.

  “Thank you,” he says to my dad.

  My dad gives Nolan’s shoulder a squeeze then turns back around in his seat just as the teams take the ice. He and my brothers jump up to cheer on the Bruisers. Nolan turns to look at me, a wary smile on his face, as if he’s not sure what to think about what just happened.

  I reach over and place my hand on his where it’s resting on his knee. I give it a reassuring squeeze. Nolan flips his hand over and laces our fingers together. He then pulls my hand up to his mouth and kisses my knuckles as he looks into my eyes. Such a sweet gesture. I feel like there is definitely something happening between us and I really hope I’m not the only one feeling it.

  ~ Nolan ~

  The game gets underway and Harley and her family get very involved. They are yelling and screaming and cursing. All of them, with their thick Boston accents. I catch my dad’s horrified expression from where he’s standing with his buddies by the bar. I’ve got a decent buzz going on, which is helping me sit back and enjoy the show. The Jamesons really make a guy want to get into the game. I’ve never enjoyed hockey…until today. The game seems more interesting than normal. I’m actually following what’s going on, on the ice, and getting a thrill when my team does something good. It’s interesting how just a change in the crowd you are sitting with can do that.

  “Hey, Nolan,” Harley says, interrupting my thoughts.

  I turn to look at her and she lets out a huge burp. But not just any burp. She says, “I need another beer,” while burping. I don’t know whether to be mortified or seriously impressed. I gawk at her while her brothers and dad have a good laugh. She smiles cheekily at me when she’s done.

  “That was…disgusting.” I grimace.

  She barks out a laugh and turns back to the game.

  I watch her profile and the way her green eyes dance with delight while watching the game. She is so gorgeous, so full of life. I wish I could sweep her away into the bathroom and bury myself deep inside of her. She’d probably kill me if I tried anything while the game is on. What’s crazy is that she just burped while talking and I still want to bang her. If any other woman had done that, I probably would have escaped out a bathroom window. But Harley can pull that off and look cute doing it.

  During the first fifteen-minute intermission, Harley runs off to the bathroom, leaving me with her dad and brothers.

  Shane, the oldest brother, stands and stretches before leaning his hands on the back of his seat. “So, Nolan, do you always dress like a tightwad?”

  I look down at my polo shirt and khakis while John, Nate, and Jason snicker. Harley has already broken me in with all of her ribbing that I laugh, too. “Yep, this is my usual.” I chuckle.

  “You know, Harley talked a lot of shit about you when you two first met. She thought you were a total douchebag.” Nate grins, turning in his seat to look at me.

  I snort. “Yeah, well, I didn’t like her much, either. She annoyed the shit out of me.”

  “And now?” Jason asks expectantly.

  “Now…now I like her…a lot,” I admit quietly, picking at a nonexistent piece of lint on my knee.

  “She likes you, too, if it isn’t obvious enough by the goo goo eyes she makes at you.” Shane chuckles.

  I smirk and huff out a small laugh.

  “We wouldn’t be good big brothers, though, if we didn’t threaten you, ya know,” Nate says.

  “Yeah, so if you hurt her, we will hunt you down, cut your balls off, and make you eat ‘em,” Jason says with a threatening smile.

  “Yeah, it will be a wicked bad beating, bro,” Nate adds with a nod.

  Shane grunts in agreement and nods.

  I nod. “I understand,” I reply with a fond smile.

  I really like Harley’s family. They all love each other so much and have each other’s back. And it seems as though they just want the best for each other and for everyone to be happy. I can’t help but admire that. I’m also jealous of that because my dad has already made it cle
ar that what I want doesn’t matter.

  ~ Eight ~

  ~ Harley ~

  The Bruisers win the game and everything is right in the world. I sigh happily. I don’t think this night can get any better. Nolan has been so sweet and respectful. And I mean respectful as in not trying to suck face with me in front of my dad and brothers. Oh, believe me, it’s happened to me before. That guy was not a fan of my brothers afterwards. And I’m really glad that he gets along with my family because that’s important to me if we ever take this…whatever it is…to the next level. I’m debating on taking the initiative and saying something to Nolan first, or giving it some more time to see if he will say something. I feel like such an ass saying, “Hey, wanna go steady?” Ugh, so stupid! But we need to be in agreement on what we want. I need to know where his head is at and I can only wait so long.

  “So, who wants to go meet some players?” Nolan asks, clapping his hands together.

  We all turn to stare at him.

  “Are you serious?” I breathe.

  He smiles. “Yeah, I’m serious.”

  I grip him by the front of his polo shirt and shake him. “Don’t fuck with me, Nolan!”

  He laughs. “I swear. We can go meet the players.”

  “Roman Borovsky?” I squeal.

  Roman is the team’s captain and I’ve had a crush on the guy since he started on the team seven years ago. I never in a million years thought that I would ever meet him in person!

  “Yes. You can probably have him sign your jersey, too,” Nolan says.

  “Ohmygodohmygod.”

  “Dude, do you have any idea what you’ve just done?” Nate groans.

  Nolan laughs. “No, what?”

  “Borovsky is her number one guy. We’re never going to hear the end of this.” Jason sighs.

  “Yeah, we already have to hear about every aspect of the guy’s life from her stalking him on Facebook and Twitter. Now this will just make it worse,” Shane adds.