Blended (Redemption #1)

by Sasha Brümmer

  They both step forward as we approach.

  “Are we leaving?” Liam asks as Lola steps forward to hug me.

  “Don’t go. Had-Lo needs to celebrate Christmas and your engagement.”

  I give her a halfhearted smile and hold her at arm’s length. “Fine, but I’m not going to deal with Hold being a dick toward me.”

  “Owen is speaking to him right now, and I’m sure pouring some amount of craft beer down his throat.”

  I laugh and throw my arms around her again. “There’s something else that I need to tell you.”

  “Well? Spit it out. Are you already married?”

  I shake my head at her. “No, I wouldn’t get married without you by my side.”

  “All right, so what is it?”

  “I’m moving in with him.”

  Liam and Wade both walk out of the foyer, leaving Lo and me alone.

  “You know,” she says, “I’m not even surprised. Not by any of it. I’ve never seen you like this before, and I’ve known you for more than half of my life. He’s good for you, Hads, and I think that you’re making the right decision. Being engaged kind of sets a lot of things in motion and moving in with him is one of them. You have my support for both, and you need to know that.”

  Lola Marc isn’t normally the person to give out little speeches like the one she just did, and in doing so, I know that she’s being truthful. Regardless of my past and my obvious bent for self-destruction, she has always been my constant . . . for other than sex, that is.

  “Thank you.”

  “Can we drink now because we need to celebrate?”

  “I think we need to break out more than just the whiskey,” I tell her as she leads me into the living room where people are mingling and eating, and my handsome-as-fuck fiancé is leaning his shoulder against the wooden frame of the patio door. He straightens himself when he sees me and gives me that special grin that I’ve noticed he reserves only for me.

  I’m drawn to him, my craving, so I squeeze Lola once more before walking across the room to get to him.

  “Is everything tolerable?”

  “For now,” I tell him and place my hands against his chest to kiss him. When we pull back from the briefest of kisses, he gives me his tumbler of whiskey and leans against the frame again. “Are you in pain?”

  “I’ve taken my medication that Liam brought, so I won’t be drinking for the rest of the evening. Why don’t you enjoy yourself?”

  “Enjoy myself?”

  “Have a drink or two. However, I want you to eat first.”

  I purse my lips and lean up to place a kiss at his jaw. “I love you.”

  “As I love you.”

  Liam clears his throat, which draws our attention to him. “I’m fucking starving. Can we eat?”

  Wade shakes his head, and the three of us walk to the buffet set up in the kitchen, which is now filled with people. The same group of women who were running their mouths about me at Lola’s birthday party have their eyes locked on Wade and me. I roll my eyes at the thought of them as we move forward in the buffet line.

  “Wade?”

  “Yes?” He says as he squeezes my hip.

  “Go grab us a place to sit down and I’ll bring our dinner over. I don’t think that you should be standing for much longer.”

  “I’m fine.”

  I turn toward him as Liam grabs us some plates. “Please?”

  “Rye, don’t push it. I said that I’m all right.”

  “I’d prefer to have my groom standing at the end of the aisle when I walk toward him,” I tell him truthfully and run my hands down his chest.

  He seems to think it over for a moment before he nods and walks out of the kitchen.

  “You’re good for the fucker, you know that?” Liam says as he hands me two plates.

  “He’s good for me, too.”

  “I can tell,” he says as he helps me plate some of the food. “He seems to be content when he’s around you instead of the asshole that I know he can be.”

  “He’s far from it, Liam.”

  “I don’t think that you realize just how much of an impact you have on him. He would keep to himself, and when he didn’t, he could be brutal toward those who work underneath him.”

  “How do you know this?” I ask as I pick up some silverware.

  “I’ve been seeing Adriana off and on ever since he hired her.”

  “You have? But you live in Australia.”

  “Nothing gets past you, does it?”

  We walk out of the kitchen and toward the dining room. “Oh, hush.” Liam might be a jerk, but I believe that he’s got a soft spot inside of him somewhere.

  “She flies back and forth as do I when we’re able to get away from work, but we keep that to ourselves.”

  “Well, does she know that you’re here?”

  “Not yet. I was planning on surprising her tomorrow morning.”

  “I’m sure that she’ll love to see you. I’ve only met her once or twice, but I really liked her.”

  We find Wade, and I take a seat beside him. “Rye.”

  “Hi, Whiskey, did you miss me?”

  “More than you know.”

  He places his hand on my knee and squeezes once before we each start to eat. I turn to him. “We should invite Adriana to join us for Christmas tomorrow.”

  “Adriana?”

  “Mmm-hmm, since Liam here has quite the romance going on with her.”

  I watch his eyebrows raise, and I realize that he didn’t know. Liam’s gaze moves from mine to Wade’s as if he’s waiting for a reaction.

  “You’re with Adriana?”

  They exchange a few looks back and forth between them before Liam answers him. “On occasion.”

  Wade stays quiet instead of responding to Liam’s truth. Both of them seem to grow tense until Lola joins us. “Hi, fuckers.”

  “Jesus, this one has a mouth on her as well,” Liam says, and it seems to break the tension for now. These two men are going to make me go gray. Wade smiles and intertwines his fingers with mine.

  “I’m sure you enjoy it, Liam,” Lola says confidently.

  “Possibly, but you might get more joy out of it than you care to admit.” Liam responds.

  I’m taken by surprise that Lo is flirting with Liam while Owen is in the other room. I down the remainder of Wade’s whiskey. He glances at me before getting up and disappearing without a word. I turn my attention back to Liam and Lola as they start to laugh at something said between them.

  The three of us get lost in conversation, and when Owen and a few others join us, we’re joking about something Liam did on his last trip to Fiji. This man has been to places that I only wish I had the guts to travel to.

  I look around the room, now filled with people, most of whom I remember from Lola’s birthday party, but I cannot find the one person I’m looking for. I stand from my seat, feeling the tequila that Lola has fed me as it runs through my veins.

  I make my way out of the room, but he’s not in the living room or in the kitchen. I try the patio doors, but they’re locked. I purse my lips as I walk from one side of the apartment to the other, looking for him.

  “Whiskey?”

  I open my bedroom door and step inside, shutting it behind me when I flip on the light switch. He’s sprawled out on my bed, on top of the covers with his eyes closed and his breathing is shallow. I turn off the blinding light before it wakes him.

  I walk up to him and kick off my shoes before I climb onto the bed next to him. He’s so still, even when I move to his side and curl up against him. It’s only when I move his arm around my waist that he stirs.

  “Hadley.”

  “Hi, Whiskey.”

  His eyes close again, and I hear him swallow before his fingers grip onto the top of my thigh. “I’m sorry,” he says in a raspy voice.

  “No, don’t apologize. What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

  “Quite a bit,” he says as he pulls my black sweater up u
ntil he’s able to caress the bare skin underneath the lining of my panties.

  “I should call your doctor.”

  He moves his head on the pillow to face me and closes his eyes. “No. I’ll tell you if I need you to, though.”

  “All right. Go back to sleep. I shouldn’t have woken you up.”

  “If you want to leave, just let me know, and don’t let me keep you from enjoying your evening.”

  “Waylon Brass, there is no one else that I would rather be with than you.”

  “Very well.”

  His body relaxes into the mattress, but I decide to get up and pull off his Oxfords before going to my closet and grabbing my cream-colored chunky-knit blanket. I join him on the bed again and pull the comfortable material over us before settling in at his side.

  I’m woken up by a repetitive thump on the door. I stir in his arms and push myself up, checking on Wade, but he’s still fast asleep. I throw the blanket off of myself and get up, trying to wake myself up as I crack open my bedroom door. “Yes?”

  “I’m going to head out and back to Brass’s place. Are you both staying here tonight?” Liam asks.

  I glance back over my shoulder at Wade before turning back and nodding my head. “I think so. He’s in a bit of pain, and I don’t want to wake him up.”

  “I’ll write my number down and leave it in the kitchen for you if you need me or anything from Brass’s place.”

  “Thank you, Liam. We’ll be back in the morning.”

  He nods and steps away. I close the door and lock it before walking lightly back to the bed and climbing in, returning to my favorite place.

  The next time I wake, there’s light spilling into the bedroom through the open curtains. I turn my head to look at my fiancé who is staring up at the ceiling.

  “’Morning,” I mumble.

  “Good morning, gorgeous.” I feel a warm blush sweep across my features as he shifts his body over mine. “Merry Christmas,” he adds.

  “Merry Christmas, Waylon Brass.”

  He chuckles to himself and kisses down the column of my neck.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Mmm. I just thought that you’ll be Mrs. Waylon Brass someday soon.”

  An unintentional squeal leaves my lips as he starts to dig his fingers into my sides. The fancy-ass is tickling me again. Holy shit! I try to nudge him off of me, but he doesn’t move an inch. “Wade, s-stop.”

  “Not until you give me a date.”

  “What?” I cry out as I writhe underneath him.

  “Give me the date that we’ll be married.”

  “I-I don’t mind. I just want you.”

  His fingers are relentless as he continues to torture me. “I need a date. Now.”

  “Fine,” I squeal, “Ju-June twenty-third.”

  “No. Sooner,” he says bluntly as he continues his assault.

  “Sooner? Like what? January?” I snap, derision dripping from my lips.

  “Perfect,” he says as he stops and leans down to take my mouth.

  “I was joking, Wade. That’s next month.”

  He pushes up my sweater until he’s revealed my lace-covered breasts. “I don’t see the need to wait.”

  “What will your mother say?” I ask him as I tug on his shirt to get it off of his muscular torso.

  “I’m sure she’d enjoy having her hand in arranging things.”

  My mind goes over how and when I’d like to be married, but I cannot think of anything. I’ve never been one to dream about a wedding as a young girl. The only reason I agreed when Lawson asked was because of the safety that he would provide me within my job at the resort.

  “Where would we get married?”

  “Anywhere in the world, anywhere that your heart desires,” he says as he takes my nipple between his lips before tugging on it with his teeth. I’m assuming that he’s feeling like himself again.

  “Ahh,” I cry out as I run my fingers through his hair. “Whiskey.”

  “Once I’ve had my way with you here, we’ll go back to the penthouse and get ready before heading over to my mother’s.”

  “Please.”

  He obliges me. Multiple times. I think he rather enjoys the pitch of my screams when he makes me orgasm in succession. And in the quiet moments, our souls unite and the softness of the seconds seems to be intoxicating as we climax together for an extended moment. We’ve become one, and we’re completely drunk on each other. Being able to touch him and have him touch me mends all of my wounds, both visible and not. If I fully immerse myself in him, then I often forget the troubles I’ve lived through as well as the past aches in my heart.

  It’s just after noon when we arrive at Lillian’s home. She lives in the same building that hosts Mothers of Brass, in the penthouse. It’s decorated all in white, with a large Christmas tree in the living room. The fire next to the tree is lit, and stockings are hanging across the mantel. It’s not overdone or ostentatious, but it’s elegant, and I can tell that it’s her space.

  “Merry Christmas, you four,” she says as she rounds the corner and steps into the living room where Adriana and Liam are standing next to us. She takes her time in greeting each one of us individually before we’re ushered into the kitchen with her.

  “Ladies, did you want some tea or hot chocolate?”

  “They both drink whiskey, Mother.”

  “I know that much, Waylon. It’s Christmas, and having some variety would not necessarily be a bad thing.”

  He chuckles and comes to stand beside me. “Fair enough. Hadley and I have some news for you if you’d like one of your gifts now.”

  “Right now? It cannot wait until we open the rest of them?” She walks around the island and starts to work on something.

  “Now would be best,” he says as he pulls me into his side.

  I watch her expression change, and her head pops up from the pie crust that she’s been rolling out. “You’re pregnant?” she says with so much excitement in her voice that I almost wish that I were.

  “No, Mother.”

  “Well then? Spit it out . . . either of you.”

  Wade glances down at me and nods as if he’s telling me that he wants me to be the one to tell her. I purse my lips at his notion before I decide on what to say or do. I glance up at Lillian and hold my left hand up, showcasing my engagement ring to her.

  “You’re engaged?” She cries out and drops the rolling pin before leaning across the island and reaching for my hand. “Waylon! Oh goodness, this is . . . I . . . you’re getting married?”

  “We are,” he tells her, pride laced in both of those words.

  She lets go of my hand before running around the island and throwing one arm over each of us in a hug. “Congratulations, you two.”

  “Thank you, Mother,” he says as he hugs her in return. Elation pours through me as she pulls back and grabs my hand to look at the ring, inspecting it closely this time.

  “It’s stunning. Someone grab the champagne that I have chilling in the fridge. This is definitely cause to celebrate and get lost in the bottle.”

  She turns from me and rushes to a cabinet in the kitchen, pulling out five champagne flutes.

  “Congratulations, Mr. Brass,” Adriana says as Liam grabs the bottle of champagne and pops it open.

  “Thank you, Adriana. Call me Waylon this evening, please.”

  She nods slightly before she takes my left hand to get a better look at my ring. I can only assume that I’m glowing with pride and love, all because of Waylon fancy-ass Brass. I’m high on him. High on our relationship. I squeeze my thighs together at the sudden need for him that shoots through me. I swear I can feel my clit pulse under the lace of my panties.

  He seems to notice the slight movement of my body because his hand slowly slides down from the small of my back, over my ass cheeks, to the back of my thigh. He pinches me there, and I flinch before he places his hand over my piercings again and runs his finger around them.

  “Here we go
,” Lillian says as she hands us each a flute filled with deliciously golden sparkling liquid. “Cheers to my son and my soon-to-be daughter-in-law.”

  “Cheers,” we all chime in and clink glasses together before taking a drink. Wade sets his down and kisses my neck before letting go of me. He grabs a tumbler out of the cabinet before filling it with one of the bottles he brought with us, a Yamazaki 35. I know that it’s a rare single malt, and once I’ve had my champagne, I’ll more than likely steal a sip of his.

  Lilly pulls me into the living room, and Adriana follows us. The three of us sit down, surrounded by the quiet hum of Christmas music. I stretch my toes closer to the fire to warm up some more as the conversations start to flow.

  “Now, Addy,” Lillian says, “I do not recall your telling me that you were dating Liam Jensen.”

  A blush kisses her cheeks as she takes a sip from her flute. “I wouldn’t call it dating, Lilly. It’s been going on for years; I just never thought it was anything serious. He’s a player, even at his own game, and he’ll never settle down, but I cannot deny that I enjoy being with him. I’ve been able to see him for who he is through all of his bachelor and drunken ways.”

  “Waylon was telling me that he’s been drinking more than usual. The poor man. After losing his bride . . .” She stops speaking and takes a sip. “We’ll talk about that another time. We have a new bride on our hands.”

  “Please, don’t let me interrupt,” I interject.

  “You’re not, sweetheart. It’s simply a sensitive subject. Eight years’ worth of his searching for the woman he lost and finally coming to the conclusion that she’s not coming back must be hard to deal with. Addy, you’re good for that man. Don’t let him push you away.”

  I watch her nod and take a drink. “Would you mind my asking what happened? I had no idea that he was married.”

  “Oh no, dear. He never got married. It was a few days before his wedding that she disappeared in the south of Mexico to human trafficking. The poor thing, she was away with two other friends to celebrate her bachelorette party. They found her body six months ago.”

  I gasp before downing the remainder of my champagne. Holy shit. “I’m sorry, I had no idea.”